Residential Life Program
The Residential Life Program at Sewanee involves a very high percentage of the student body. Over 95% of undergraduates live in the dormitories and as a result these facilities have been consistently filled near capacity for the past few years. Housing options for undergraduate students currently include: ten coeducational dorms, three all male dorms, four all female dorms, a women's center, four language houses, two special halls for student emergency personnel (EMTs and firefighters), and sorority houses. The dorms are configured in a variety of arrangements, ranging from traditional doubles and singles to an assortment of suite setups.
Ecce Quam Bonum "Behold How Good!", is the short form of the official University Latin motto taken from Psalm 133: 1: "Ecce Quam Bonum Et Quam Iucundum Habitare Fratres In Unum." or Behold How Good and Joyful Thing it is for Brethren to Dwell Together in Unity. This motto is the principle upon which Residential Life at Sewanee is built.
Room Assignments
Students are not assigned to dormitories according to class, fraternity or sorority affiliation, athletics, academics, or other groups or organizations. A mix of classes exists in all residence halls and houses. All undergraduate housing assignments are made through the Residential Life Office. Upperclassmen seeking a dormitory room go through a lottery process, with priority based on seniority and membership to the academic honor society, the Order of Gownsmen. Roommates for incoming first year students and transfer students are carefully chosen and housed based on the responses to the dormitory preference questionnaire. Upperclassmen may choose to remain with their roommates or they may change roommates at the end of the year. Under normal circumstances all assignments are considered to be a year long commitment. Housing assignment changes are made at the discretion of the Director of Residential Life.
Residential Life Staff
To assist the Director of Residential Life in implementing the Residential Life Program, approximately 120 undergraduate student leaders fill positions in the Residential Life Office as dormitory staff members. The Residential Staff, consisting of two Head Proctors and two Head Assistant Proctors, together with the thirty-two Proctors and over eighty Assistant Proctors who staff the dormitories, serve the student residents in a number of specific functions. Coordinating their efforts with the rest of the dorm staff, Proctors are responsible for both the coordination of dorm activities and the enforcement of regulations. The responsibilities of the Assistant Proctors, or APs, include advising a small group of freshmen, facilitating their acclimation to college, as well as helping to enforce dorm rules. In addition, many of the dormitories have Head Residents, affectionately known as Matrons, who serve as another member of the dormitory staff. Their presence is intended to help establish a respectful, warm, disciplined, and collegial tone in the dormitory. The fourteen largest residence halls now have a Head Resident on staff. All first year students, except for residents of Hoffman, live in facilities which have a Head Resident.
Together, this dormitory staff helps to create a positive tone in the residence halls through dormitory programming. The staffs of each dorm are required to provide a minimum of four programming events per semester. At least one program is to be educational or instructional and one is to be a community service project. Many of the activities are developed and presented by the dormitory staff alone or with the assistance of a myriad of campus resources. Several departments such as Health Services, Career Services, the Sewanee Outing Program, and the University Counseling Center have created several different programs that are available to residence halls.
Security
There is also an ongoing effort to ensure the safety of the residents and the security of student and University property. As a result, the dormitories are staffed daily beginning at 7:30 p.m. and dormitory doors are locked at a scheduled times each night. Located on the exteriors of certain dorms, call boxes, providing instant emergency connection to the police, add more security to the dormitories. To better secure the dormitories during closed breaks, a system of interchangeable locks are installed. Damages and Repairs In addition, to maintain and to improve the physical living environment of the residence halls, the Residential Life Office oversees the reporting and follow through of maintenance problems in the dormitory facilities. With the help of Head Residents, the Residential Life Office also participates in thorough inspection at the close and start of the school year. This end of the year inspection permits the University to collect fines for damage to or loss of dormitory furnishings. Furthermore, the Residential Life Office is also involved in ongoing discussions with the University's Physical Plant Office to improve the maintenance services to the dormitories.
Nicky Hamilton, Director of Residential Life
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