Since assignments went out yesterday, we have had a few students and parents share concerns about on-campus safety.  The University takes a strong position in providing security measures on all parts of campus, but we also place some responsibility for personal safety on the individual student.  The Division of Student Affairs website has extensive information about the safety measures we take and tips for personal safety.   We recommend you review this information prior to your arrival on-campus.

While we understand the concerns that have been shared, we want to emphasize that no building is more or less safe than another.  We take the safety of all of our residents very seriously, and we don’t assign students to a space that we don’t consider to be safe.  If you have specific concerns about safety, we recommend contacting Duke Police.  Members of our team are also happy to speak with concerned students and parents.

We get a lot of questions this time of year about lofts.  We strongly encourage you to wait until you have seen your room before choosing to rent or purchase a loft.  While the floor plans that float around in Facebook may give you some sense of the room’s layout, keep in mind that many of our buildings have architectural features that will make loft placement tricky.  (FYI - we do not make floor plans available for safety reasons.  The plans that some groups have posted in Facebook are old and may not be accurate.)
Before making any decisions, review the loft policy.  You’ll see that RLHS offers a lofting option that may meet your needs, or you may decide that working with one of our approved vendors is your best option.  Just remember, all lofts must be obtained through an approved vendor or RLHS.  Other structures are not approved and you may face judicial action for having them in your room.

Several updates from OIT that we want to share with you…

Telephone Service in Student Rooms and Apartments

Duke’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) has informed RLHS that normal telephone services (ability to call the room or make outgoing calls) will not be available in university residences.

You can, however, plug your own phone into the phone jack in your room/apartment to dial “911″ and connect directly to the Duke University Police Department (DUPD).

Cell Phone Coverage in University Residences

All campus residences have cell phone coverage, however, the university only assures coverage for cell phones with services provided by Verizon or AT&T. Students with other cell phone plans may wish to consider getting a plan through one of these two companies.

Data Connectivity in Duke Residences

Students have increasingly utilized wireless connections to access the university’s computing system. In fact, less than 5% of students are connecting to the system using the data ports in their rooms.

All university residences have wireless coverage.

To make better use of the equipment required to support data connections across campus, there will be only one wired port in your room/apartment this coming year. If you and your roommate find that you need more than one wired port, the university’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) will activate a second port. Second ports not used for a 30-day period will be deactivated.

Please go to the OIT website for additional information regarding these services:  http://www.oit.duke.edu/

Update July 8, 2009: Please note that reassignment requests were due July 5th.  Because many other University offices depend on assignment information from our office, we will not be accepting further reassignment requests.  We will re-open the reassignment process in mid-September.  Thank you for your cooperation! 

Before applying for a reassignment, we ask that you take the time to consider the pros and cons of the assignment that you have received. Have you taken the time to get to know your roommate? Is your concern about air-conditioning vs non-air-conditioning? About being in or wanting a single room? About being in a triple room? About being in or not being in the Wellness or Performing Arts communities?

If, after reviewing your pro-con list and the rest of the information on this website you are still convinced that you want to be reassigned to a different space, you may submit a request for reassignment. Requests must be submitted no later than July 5, 2009. We will review requests make changes as space permits. Please note that it is rare for reassignments to occur at this time. Space is very limited. Results will be available on July 15.

All buildings are co-ed.  Most floors are half male and half female (a.k.a. “coed by wing”).  The only floors that are single gender are:

Female:

• Alspaugh 3
• Blackwell 1
• Giles 1
• Jarvis 3
• Southgate 3
• Wilson 1

Male:

• Alspaugh 1
• Bassett 1
• Jarvis 1
• Randolph 1
• Southgate 2
• Wilson 3

First-year students can arrive on campus August 18, 2009. Move-in times are assigned to each building, so be sure to check the schedule on your assignment information page. Your move-in time and parking pass will be available there in mid-July.

Students may not visit or occupy their room prior to August 18th. It is important that buildings be fully ready for all students, both physically and in terms of staffing requirements, before they are occupied. While we can appreciate that you want to get a head start on setting up your room, it is not possible to visit rooms over the summer for several reasons. Many of our buildings are occupied with conferences and summer groups. Other areas are undergoing renovation. Additionally, we do not have the staff capacity to accommodate as many requests as we would get.

A handful of students will participate in activities prior to move-in (PWILD, PWAVE, PBUILD, International Student Orientation, etc.). If you are participating in one of these groups, your group coordinator will contact you directly with your move-in information. International students must participate in International Student Orientation in order to be granted early move-in status.

The Wellness Living/Learning Community (WLLC) is a popular option.  This year, almost all of the spaces within Brown are full.  We currently have a small number of spaces open for students who have recently decided that they would prefer this community.  Please submit a reassignment request by July 5, 2009 if you would like to be considered for one of these spaces.
Students in Focus programs were placed in the building assigned to their program and could not be placed in the WLLC.  We did our best to match you with a compatible roommate.  We recommend communicating with your new roommate about your original preference for Wellness – you may be surprised and pleased to find that they are supportive of your preferences!

If you did not get the roommate you listed on your application it was for one of the following reasons:

• You are in different Focus programs, which are in different buildings.
• You did not mutually request each other.
• Your application information conflicted with your request (one or both of you asked for a single room, in addition to having a roommate request, etc.)
• Your roommate has decided not to attend Duke.

If you are concerned about who you were placed with, please consider the following:

Our assignments process is both random, and based on a non-discrimination policy. The questions we ask are designed to sort students into generally compatible categories, but beyond these questions, the process is random. While no one can guarantee a “perfect roommate” assignment, we have found that answers to the roommate matching questions provide a reasonable starting point for establishing a relationship from which students can develop a mutually rewarding roommate experience.

If, after trying to work out a reasonable living situation with your roommate (through conversations with your RA, RC, and roommate) you still feel unhappy, you may apply for reassignment. We ask that you try living with your roommate before requesting reassignment. You may contact us if you have questions about this.

Assignments to various buildings are random, with the exception of Focus program participants. You’ll note that the application does not ask for your preference about AC or non-AC; this is intentional. While it will likely be hot on move-in day, within the first few weeks the temperatures will drop. We recommend bringing some fans if you’re assigned to a non-AC space. Non-AC buildings have AC in the lounge areas.

If you have a medical need for air-conditioning, you will need approval from Student Health to have a window air-conditioning unit installed in your room. Students without this approval may not install AC units. Information on applying for special medical housing is available here.

Students already approved for AC were not necessarily placed in Blackwell, Bell Tower, or Randolph, the AC’d buildings. If you have an approval and are placed in a non-AC room, an AC unit will be installed and your Bursar bill will be appropriately charged for the expense of having the AC. Only students who must have Central AC for medical reasons are guaranteed a spot in Blackwell, Bell Tower, or Randolph. You will be contacted shortly by our office about the AC-unit installation.

If you have concerns about the cost of an air-conditioned space, please contact Financial Aid. Our office relies on their expertise to help students with financial needs. Reassignments will not be made based on alleged financial need.

Because assignments are done randomly, and because student interest in various room sizes changes from year to year, some students may be placed in room sizes they did not request. We do everything we can to meet preferences, but it isn’t always possible. Please note that the application specifically only asks if you have a preference for a single or for a triple - we do not ask if students have preferences to live in double rooms. If you have concerns about the cost of your assignment, please contact Financial Aid. Our office relies on their expertise to help students with financial needs. Reassignments will not be made based on alleged financial need.

If you feel that you are still interested a different room size, you may request reassignment. Reassignment requests will be accepted through July 5, 2009. Reassignments will be made on a space available basis. The outcome of this process will be available on July 15th.