51������

Subject: Residence halls close for holiday recess 

The residence halls close for holiday recess 7 p.m. Friday, December 13.  They reopen at 10 a.m. Saturday, January 4, and food service resumes Monday, Jan. 5.  51������ and the housing office closes 5 p.m. December 20 and reopens 9 a.m. January 2, 2025.

If you are coming back this spring:

You do not need to move out of your room.  Take home the things you will need over break and secure your room.  To prevent pests, take out your trash and recycling, remove food that will spoil, clean dishes left in the room, and close and lock your windows.  Unplug non-essential electrical items.  Access to your hall will not be available Dec. 14 to Jan. 3.

Staff will be doing supervised room checks beginning 7 p.m. Dec. 13.  The checks are for maintenance and safety inspections, and they are done while still respecting your privacy. 

Residence halls reopen Saturday, Jan. 4 at 10 a.m. You may return then or any time thereafter.

If you are not returning to 51������:

1. Request to cancel your housing contract.  Sign into the housing portal and fill out the cancellation request.  You will receive an email regarding your cancellation status. The portal is located at .
2. Empty, clean and wipe down your part of the room as well as the bathroom (suites). Return your bed to its original set-up position. 
3. Contact Bedloft to return any EcoMaxes rented for the year ().
4. Return your room key via the established process in your hall.  The hall office or your RA can give you information.
5. Change your mail forwarding information on Go51������.
6. Click here for more information.

If your roommate moves out:

If your roommate leaves, please keep the second half of the room open for new students joining us in January.  They will move in starting January 4.  You will not receive notice if a new roommate is assigned to you. Instead, you can check on the housing portal under “View my spring assignment”.

Employment opportunities:

Applications for 2025-26 Resident Assistant positions are live. Contact your hall’s graduate assistant to inquire about desk staff vacancies. 

Change your meal plan for Spring:

Students can change their spring meal plan once between Dec. 2 and Jan. 31, 2025.  Changes are done via the housing portal located at .

If you have questions, please contact us at @email or 269-387-4735.

Good luck on finals and enjoy break!

Subject: Thanksgiving Break Reminders

All residence halls remain open during break.  See below to register if you are staying for all or part of break.  Reduced services over break include:

• No mail delivery Thursday, Nov. 28 to Sunday, Dec. 1; mail resumes Monday, Dec. 2
• Front desks close at 11 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26 and reopen at 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 1
• Hall offices close at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27 and reopen Monday, Dec. 2
• Dining closes at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27 and reopens at breakfast Monday, Dec. 2

Staff are not doing room checks.  However, they will enter a room if a window was left open. If staff then notice, in plain sight, any evidence of a violation of university policies, federal, state or local laws, staff will file the appropriate report and may confiscate the item(s).  Concerns about health hazards in a room/bathroom will also be documented.

If you are staying for part/all of break:

so we know when you will be here:  .  Go to residence halls >> Thanksgiving break.

A staff member will be on duty at all times during the break and will be available to assist you.  Information on how to contact staff will be posted in the main lobby of your building.

If you are leaving for break:

• Close and secure windows; close blinds. If you are on a ground or roof level room, insert the wooden security stick in the window track (if you do not have one, see your hall office).
• Take out all of your trash to the dumpster and recyclables to the appropriate bin outside.
• Shut off and unplug all unnecessary appliances (TV, computer).
• Clear your heat register of any obstruction.
• Take home any valuables.
• Clean and lock bathrooms.   

Please contact hall staff if you have any questions.  Enjoy your break!

Subject:  Fall Break Information

Fall Break begins Wednesday, Oct. 16.  Residence halls and Student Center Dining will remain open but with reduced services.  Click here for full details. 

Room Checks

Staff will be doing supervised room checks beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15. The checks are for maintenance and safety inspections, and they are done while still respecting your privacy. If you have questions about room checks, please see hall staff.

Things to know during break

• Front desks will close at 11 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15 and reopen at 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20.
• Hall offices will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16 and Thursday, Oct. 17. Packages may be picked up during those times only. 
• Mail will only be delivered Wednesday, Oct. 16 and Thursday, Oct. 17.
• The University is closed Friday, Oct. 18.  Dining is still open.
• Student Center Dining is open but with limited hours and menus – click here for details.

Subject:  Loft update – Ackley and Shilling Halls

We’re excited to announce that beds in Ackley and Shilling halls can now be lofted.  However, the process in Ackley/Shilling is different than that of other halls.  If you want to loft your bed, you must reserve a loft kit prior to move-in.  Please complete the loft kit reservation form found in the >>ResidenceHalls>>Ackley/Shilling loft request. The link will work beginning July 2 until all lofts are claimed or August 9, whichever comes first.

• There is no cost to reserve a loft kit. 
• You will pick it up when you move in.. 
• The kit is an extra headboard and footboard, plus a stabilizer bar.  There is an adjustable track that lets you set you bed as low as 18 inches from the ground up to 5.5 feet high.
• Reserving a loft kit for your bed does not automatically reserve a loft kit for your roommate.  Your roommate will need to reserve their own loft kit.
• Once you reserve a loft kit, it will need to stay in your room for the duration of the year.
• You can re-enter the form to cancel the reservation if you decide not to loft your bed by August 9. 

Sincerely,

Housing and Residence Life

Roommate information and floor plans are live!
If you need your roommate’s contact information or a floor map to see where your room is located, the information will be live beginning June 28 at 5:00 p.m. EST. Log into the  and choose View My Fall Assignments. 

We are unable to share suitemate information. You will meet your suitemates when you move in.

How do I Change My Housing?
If you would like to change your residence hall room, you may do so in the housing portal starting 10 a.m. EST July 1. Because almost 3,000 students are in rooms, you may need to look at multiple halls or floors to find a new space.

• Roommate Groups used during room selection are not used during room change. If you had a Roommate Group and both you and your roommate wish to change rooms, you must each complete your own room change. (You must both pick the same empty room, one at a time.)
• We do not condone asking your roommate to change rooms if you met someone you now want to live with. You and your preferred roommate can look for an open double room you both can switch into for fall.
• Hint:  In the room selection platform, the building dropdown menu on the left indicates how many open spaces are in the hall. Hit the down arrow by the hall name, and you will see the number of spaces on each floor in parenthesis. Rooms with an open bed are outlined in green.

Room changes close at 5 p.m. July 26 EST. After the deadline, you will not be permitted to make room changes until mid-September.  During July, you are limited to 5 total changes and can make one change per 24-hour period.

Housing and Dining Rates
51������’s Board of Trustees approved 2024-25 rates on June 27. New rates will be posted online by July 1.

Move-in Information
Click here for the full schedule and details about our move-in process. 

Upcoming dates

7/17                 Email with summer updates
7/24 @ 3 pm    Hangouts with Housing live Facebook event for your questions
7/26 @ 5 p.m.  Last day to make room or roommate changes before move-in
7/26                 Email to new students with directions on choosing a move-in day and time
7/29                 Move-in timeslot selection begins at 10:00 a.m. EST
8/1                   Meal plan changes for fall begin – limited to one change 8/1-9/27
8/12                 Minifridge and futon order deadline for in-room delivery 
Week of 8/12   Hangouts with Housing life Facebook Event
8/16                 Email with move-in final directions and pre-arrival form link

Subject:  Housing – Room selection directions

Your scheduled day and time to select a residence hall room and meal plan for Fall-Spring 2024-25 is below. All times are EST. 

Your Scheduled Start Time

[insert lottery time/date]

You can select your room at or any time after your assigned start time, but not earlier. Watch our  or read more detailed directions online to get familiar with how to search and select a room. If you do not select a room by July 21 at 5:00 p.m., we will assign you one and select the Gold Meal Plan.

Choosing your room:

• Log in to the  by clicking here or the button on our website. Then click on Residence Halls  >> Fall and Spring 2024-2025 Residence Hall and Meal Plan Selection. 
• Open beds will be green or an open circle. Occupied beds have an X or are a solid circle. If you want to learn about who is already in the room, click on the X to see their age, college and roommate profile.
• You do not need a roommate to pick a room.
• Decide what meal plan you want before beginning. Once you choose your room, you have 10 minutes to complete the process and click submit.

Cancelling housing

Please see our cancellation schedule. Fees are dependent on whether or not you are taking 51������ classes.

Contact us at (269) 387-4735 with any questions.

Subject:  Housing roommate information

Looking for a roommate?

51������'s Roommate Finder is live!  Log into the to search by living habits, social habits, interests and academic college.  A list of up to 20 potential roommates will be generated, including their 51������ email addresses so you can reach out to introduce yourself.

You do not have to have a roommate to choose your room in June.  When you search for rooms, you will be able to read the roommate profile, age and college of anyone already occupying a room.

I have/found a roommate.  What’s next?

Create a Roommate Group to link you in the housing system. This will let you choose the same room in June.

• One person will start the Group in the housing portal (Residence Halls >> Create/Accept Roommate Group).  You will need your friend’s Western Identification Number (WIN = 9-digit number) to create a group.
• The second person will get an invitation in their 51������ email.  They log into the housing portal to accept, decline or ignore the invitation.
  • Please note that only completed Roommate Groups will work when selecting a room. If your requested roommate has not accepted your request, they will not get pulled into your room when you select a space.
• Either person may leave the Roommate Group if they meet someone new.
• Roommate groups are limited to 2 people. You cannot request suitemates.

No access to the Roommate Finder or Roommate Group?

If you are a minor, it means the co-signature part of your contract is not complete.  Ask the parent/guardian whose email you listed when you signed the contract to check their email.  Once they click the link provided, your contract will be complete.  If you need the email resent, contact us at @email.