Room Assignments

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***Residence rooms will be single occupancy and the single room fee will be waived for the 2021-2022 year.

All rooms in the residence are based upon double occupancy, however, students may request a single occupancy room for an additional fee of $250/semester. We are committed to placing students with compatible roommates, based on information given in the Residence Application or Returning Resident form. Personal roommate requests should be made in writing to the Residence Life Director at least one month prior to the start of the semester. We do our best to accommodate specific room requests pending space availability and our occupancy rate. All placement is done on a priority and then first-come, first-served basis, provided the $150 damage deposit has been confirmed.

Single Room Policy

Single room placements are made at the discretion of the Residence Life Director and priority is given to student leaders, Seminary students and mature University College students.

In the event that there are no single rooms available at the start of the semester, students who have requested a single room will be put on a waiting list. If a student is placed in a single room during the semester, the student will be charged a pro-rated single room fee for the remainder of the semester.

Should a student who has not requested a single room end up with one because their roommate does not show up at the start of the semester or moves out of residence part way through the semester, the student will not be required to pay the single room fee that semester. However, they may only occupy one-half of the room so that they will be prepared to receive a roommate or guests on short notice. Every attempt will be made to assign them a new roommate by the start of the second semester. Failing that they may be asked to move to consolidate vacancies at the start of the second semester in order to accommodate students on the waiting list for a single room, or they may choose to pay for a single room in order to stay where they are.

We reserve the right to change room assignments, re-assign roommates or consolidate vacancies by requiring students to move. Consolidation will not occur after the first two weeks of classes in any semester. All decisions regarding room assignments are at the discretion of the Residence Life Director.

Roommates

Most rooms in our residences are set up as double occupancy, meaning you'll have a roommate. We are committed to placing students with compatible roommates to make your experience at Providence a great one!

It is normal to feel anxious about meeting your new roommate, however, be assured that your Residence Life Director carefully matches roommates based on the personal preferences you have provided in your application package. We want your stay in residence to be an amazing experience, giving you opportunity to meet new people and learn more about yourself in the process. Here are a few tips to help your first interactions go smoothly:

Know Yourself

• Before moving in to residence, consider what your habits and preferences are. Are you a neat freak, a heavy sleeper, a social butterfly? Perhaps you know you need time to yourself for devotions or you know you need to talk with someone when you’re stressed. Know what you need to be healthy and happy, so that you can speak openly with your roommate about these things. It is your responsibility to ask for what you need, and to voice your expectations.

Know Your Roommate

• Feel free to ask questions and get to know your roommate as a person. What brought them to Providence? Where are they from? This person probably has many of the same hopes as fears you are feeling. Be sure to ask them what they need or expect in your shared space: do they work best at night or are they a morning person? How tidy is ‘tidy’? Allow your roommate to voice their expectations and needs, just as you have.

Be Ready to Compromise

• Learning to live with another person requires flexibility and communication (both essential life skills!). Expect that having a roommate will require you to give up some things, while also providing you with some benefits. If you can both talk about what is essential and what can be sacrificed then you can each make accommodations so that everyone is satisfied. Perhaps your roommate likes to listen to music while doing homework but you need absolute silence; as a result of talking this through you may find your roommate is quite willing to use headphones or that you are happy to head to the library when it’s homework time. Open communication and flexibility can solve most roommate struggles.

Access Support

• If you're having trouble, speak with your RA (Resident Assistant) who is trained to provide this type of support and can help.

Remember that many people are anxious about this transition. Most people also find they have a lot in common with their roommate. They also end up gaining valuable life skills and learning a lot about themselves in the process. Even though you don't know your roommate yet, you can be preparing for your year together by being aware of what you need, what you can give up, and by priming your communication skills.

Room/Roommate Changes

Providence values the resolution of conflict rather than the avoidance of conflict, and the Residence Life staff (RLD and RAs) work to help residence students develop skills to this end. Assistance in communication, mediation, and compromise are considered first steps in roommate conflicts and will be available to students who seek help from Residence Life staff. Some extenuating circumstances may necessitate a change in room assignment, as determined by the Residence Life Director.