New Student Newsletter Spring 2011

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Welcome to Housing Spring 2011

Inside

What to bring Don’t forget the basics! Let us remind you with this handy guide. You should also know that Simmons provides each student with a bed, desk, chair, and dresser. The average room measures 12’ x 13’ but please note that not every room has these precise measurements. Each room has at least one window with either a shade or blinds. Not all rooms have overhead lighting so we encourage you to bring a desk lamp for studying!

Welcome from the Director of Residence Life and an introduction to the Residence Life team

Fooding

Get the scoop on meal plans, meal plan changes, fenway cash, and

microfridge rentals.

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Academic Year

Calendar

Plan your vacations home and mark your calendar for

all of the important dates

throughout the year!

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5 Frequently Asked

Questions

Get answers to questions you

didn’t even know you had!

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Simmons Residence Life Spring 2011

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Make your space your own

Dear New Student,

We are excited to have you all join us for the spring semester. As your move-in date draws near the Residence Life staff is busy preparing for your arrival. This newsletter contains a lot of important information to

prepare for your move. Please note the schedule of important dates on page 5. Use this schedule as a guide for the semester ahead and to plan your vacations accordingly. Also, I highly recommend rereading your

Housing License Agreement (found on our website), as it highlights important deadlines you should be aware of throughout the year.

I am proud to be in my 5th year as part of the Simmons College Residence Life staff and as I have found that we

house some of the most amazing and intelligent students in Boston. I look forward to getting to know you over your time in housing. The Office of Residence Life is located on the 2nd floor of the Health Center. I welcome you to

stop by and introduce yourself.

I am honored to be able to introduce the 2010-2011 academic year residence staff. This upcoming year our Campus Life Coordinators, Tia Miller (RD Simmons Hall), John O’Connor (RD South Hall) and Julia Golden

(RD Evans Hall) have brought new energy to our campus by serving in a dual role for the college. They are live-in professionals on the Residence Campus and members of the Office of Student Leadership & Activities (OSLA). Tia,

John and Julia are responsible for many exciting collaborations between the academic campus and res

Welcome to your new home! campus are very much looking forward to second semester of great programming and fun.

I’d also like to introduce you to the rest of the Resident Director (RD) Staff. Leigh Viscomi (RD Dix Hall), Judy

Asuzu (RD Mesick Hall), Daniel Newman (RD Morse Hall), and Vince Greer (RD Arnold Hall) will welcome you on campus this spring and be available as resources throughout the year. All of our RD staff are pursuing

masters degrees in Higher Education Administration or College Student Personnel/Counseling because of the wonderful experiences they have had at their own

undergraduate institution. They are very excited to share their experiences with you and help you to discover your own leadership path.

Twenty-five amazing student leaders serve as the Resident Advisor (RA) staff. These Simmons students are ready to serve as resources and mentors through your years at the college.

The Residence Life Professional Staff and the Resident Advisors are dedicated to supporting you and helping you have a successful residential and academic experience. We look forward to seeing you on campus soon.

Sincerely,

Jessica Faulk Director, Residence Life

Simmons Residence Life

Spring 2011

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Moving in can be stressful and confusing, so we've tried to simplify the process by anticipating some of your questions. If you have questions about the move that are not covered here, please check out the Res Life website at www.simmons.edu/reslife or feel free to contact us at 617-521-1096 or [email protected] How do I know what time I will move in? All new students will be able to move in on Monday January 17th, from 10am-5pm. More information on parking, and orientation details will be sent out very soon! Will I have internet access in my room? All of the rooms have wireless access to the Simmons Residence Campus WiFi network. Students may bring a connecting ethernet cable to directly connect to internet in their room. Each room has two Ethernet ports. Is there storage space for boxes or luggage? Sorry, no. Consider storing these and other nonessential items at home or throwing a piece of decorative fabric over them and turning them into attractive coffee tables. Can we put the bed on cinder blocks to create storage space underneath or bring in my own bed lofting materials? Unfortunately, no. You may use bed risers such as those available at Bed, Bath & Beyond as long as you are not also bunking the beds. May we bring our own refrigerator or MicroFridge? Yes, as long as they meet college housing agreement guidelines: Refrigerators must be no larger than 4.5 cubic feet, and Microfridges must be no larger than 3.6 cubic feet, and be energy star compliant. Learn more about renting a microfridge on page 6 of this newsletter. Will I have cable television in my room? Yes, all rooms are cable ready. You will need to bring a coaxial cable in addition to your television, but it is a good idea for roommates to discuss this. Will I have a phone service in my room? Yes, but you will need to bring your own phone to campus. You will have free local calling, and a room phone number. You will receive more information about this service once you arrive on campus. Can I see pictures of the rooms before I come? Check out the Photo Gallery on the Residence Life Webpage to find pictures of rooms similar to yours. Also available on the website are partial floor plans of the buildings. What is the mattress size? All mattresses at Simmons are standard twin mattresses. Where do I do laundry? There are washers and dryers in each residence hall. You can use quarters or purchase Fenway Cash on your ID to use the laundry machines.Fenway Cash is like dollars connected to your ID. You can add points that can be used for vending machines, laundry, and food in the Fens or Quadside, etc. To add points to your account go to the Campus Card Office located in the basement of the MCB or access our account online at http://www.fenwaycard.com.

Can we have pets? The only pets you may have are fish in properly maintained bowls smaller than five gallons.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can sign up or change my meal plan? The deadline for changing meal plans for the 2011 semester is Wednesday, February 2nd. To select or change your meal plan, first login in to your account at aarc.simmons.edu. Select the “Student” menu then click on “academic profile”, under which you will find another link to select your meal plan. You have the option to pick from the three choices. Remember, you must go onto AARC to select a meal plan in order for your meal plan to be active when you arrive. Is parking available for resident students? Unfortunately parking on campus is not available for resident students. Visitor parking is available at the garage that is accessible from Avenue Louis Pasteur. If you have family or friends visiting on the weekend, be sure to pick them up a discounted parking pass during weekday hours at the Campus Card office. Call x2289 with questions. Is there bike storage? There is a bike park on the side of Bartol Hall. You may also keep your bike in your own room. Bikes may not be stored in hallways or other public areas of the residence halls. We recommend that you register your bike with Public Safety and keep your bike locked when not in use.

Simmons Residence Life Spring 2011

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Items for roommates to discuss, as you may decide you don’t need duplicates: • standing lamps (no halogen lamps) —

FYI: Morse & Simmons have no overhead lighting • curtains (we suggest waiting to purchase until arrival) • rugs (again, we suggest waiting to purchase until arrival) • stereo • T.V. and cable cord • Computer Things for Your desk:

• desk lamp • stapler with extra staples • 3-hole puncher • glue • stationary and stamps • calculator • erasers • crayons, markers, colored pencils • calendar/planner • pens, pencils, pencil sharpener, highlighters • scotch/masking tape • scissors • ruler • note pad Bathroom and laundry: • laundry basket/bag • laundry detergent • drying rack • soap/soap dish • hair dryer • comb/brush • flip flops for shower • Towels • shower basket - while in some halls there are small cubbies in the bathroom where you can leave your soap and hand towel, we recommend that

students choose to use shower baskets to carry everything back and forth from their rooms. • shampoo/conditioner • deodorant • shaving cream/razors

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What to Bring

Due to fire safety, the following are NOT allowed in the residence halls: • tapestries and cloth wall hangings • microwave/any cooking appliances • halogen lamps • candles and incense, or any other type of flame or burning unit • coffee machines without automatic shut‐off • NonFlame Retardant Furniture is not allowed. For more information on this and other fire safety regulations please see pg. 4 Other items to leave at home… • car (there’s no student parking available for residents, and it is extremely difficult to find street parking, as well as expensive to finance parking options) • hammer, nails, and power drills as they will damage the walls Final suggestions: • Bring your bicycle (with a secure lock system) and roller blades • Make sure you have local access to your bank account, or consider opening a new account at a local bank. • Remember to write down your friends’ addresses (e‐mail and traditional mail) and give them yours. • Don’t forget to bring any tools you may need to put together small furniture items on move in day!

• shampoo/conditioner • deodorant • shaving cream/razors • nail clippers • tweezers Things for you and your room: • pillow for your bed • sheets and comforter for standard twin bed • phone with Caller ID • power cords/surge protector • three‐prong outlet adapters (especially for Morse & Simmons) • storage boxes/crates • bulletin boards/dry erase board • flashlight • hangers • sewing kit • storm/winter boots • camera and film • umbrella/rain coat • bathing cap and suit for pool • dishes – a plate, mug, bowl, fork, spoon, and knife • can opener • facial tissues • paper towels • fan • first aid kit – Band‐Aids, antibiotic cream, etc. • cold medication/aspirin • easy care plants • alarm clock • Posters Other important things: • key chain • social security card • address book • money (but keep large amounts safely in the bank) • insurance card • prescription medication • 3M Command Adhesive or blue painters tape for hanging items on the wall (avoid damages at the end of the year!)

Simmons Residence Life

Spring 2011

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January 17, 2011 Residence Halls open for all new students, 10am-5pm ——————————————————————–————–——————————————————————————————————————————————————-

January 17, 2011 Academic College closed for Martin Luther King Day Holiday ——————————————————————–————–——————————————————————————————————————————————————- January 19, 2011 Classes begin for spring term ——————————————————————–————–——————————————————————————————————————————————————-

February 21, 2011 College closed for Presidents’ Day*

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March 7-11, 2011 Spring Break

Halls will remain open for any students who wish to stay on campus* ——————————————————————–————–——————————————————————————————————————————————————-

March 14, 2011 Classes Resume ——————————————————————–————–——————————————————————————————————————————————————-

March 16, 2011 Final Day to withdraw from residence for Fall 2011 ——————————————————————–————–——————————————————————————————————————————————————-

April 18, 2011 College Closed for Patriots’ Day* ——————————————————————–————–——————————————————————————————————————————————————-

April 29, 2011 Undergraduate Research Conference. Classes suspended.

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May 6, 2011 Final day of classes —————————————————————–————–——————————————————————————————————————————————————-

May 7-9, 2011 Reading and review —————————————————————–————–——————————————————————————————————————————————————-

May 10-14, 2011 Final examinations —————————————————————–————–——————————————————————————————————————————————————-

May 15, 2011 Residence Halls close at noon for all students except graduating

Seniors, Dix Scholars and Graduate Students. ——————————————————————–————–——————————————————————————————————————————————————-

May 20, 2011 Commencement ——————————————————————–————–——————————————————————————————————————————————————- May 21, 2011 Residence Halls close at noon for graduating Seniors, Dix Scholars

& Grad Students

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*Please note: when the college is closed there is a 24 hour

Professional Staff member on duty. Call Public Safety x1112 to contact the staff on duty.

Go to http://simmons.edu/sharklink

Sharklink is a great way to get involved on campus.

Find out information on student organizations

Find out about events and activities on campus

Create your own profile

Interested in renting a microfridge for the academic

year? To reserve a Microfridge for 2010-2011 please go

to the following website: www.collegerefrigerators.com

or call 1-800-637-7567. Students can rent these

combination refrigerator, freezer, and microwave units

for $191.25 for the academic year or $114.75 for the

semester.

The first round of orders must have been received by

January 10th to be delivered prior to your arrival on

campus. As we recognize this first deadline was very

early, the order period will remain open until

Wednesday, January 26th for delivery in early February.

An exact date delivery will be determined.

For more information, visit

www.collegerefrigerators.com

This academic year we are offering three meal plans so each student may choose the one the best meets their dining needs. All the meal plans are the same price and the meal plan is included in your room and board fees. The meal plans are:

225 meals & 100 dining points per semester + 10 guest meals

185 meals & 150 dining points per semester + 10 guest meals

145 meals & 200 dining points per semester + 10 guest meals The meals expire from semester to semester, but the points carry over each semester.

If a student runs out of dining points, they may add more money to their ID card in

the form of Fenway Cash. To find out more about Fenway Cash, visit the website at:

http://fenwaycard.com/

The meals work in Bartol Hall, for an all you can eat meal experience, and in the

Fens**, a pay as you go dining experience. Points work in a variety of locations

around campus. Please note that you may change this plan within the first two weeks

after arriving on campus.

** A Cash Equivalent meal is equal to the cash value of retail product/meal between $3.00 and $6.00 at the Fens Café only. Any amount under $3.00 or exceeding $6.00 must be paid with Dining points, Fenway Cash, Cash, Visa, or MasterCard.

Meal Plans

Did you know you can add money to your Fenway Card to make purchases on and off campus, at over 75 different locations? The card features a prepaid spending account – Fenway Cash – which allows you to make easy, cashless purchases with just a simple swipe! Watch your email for more information on how you and/or your parents can add money to your card and be ready for all your fall purchases. Visit www.fenwaycard.com for more info.

Microfridge Rental

We hope this information helped and we will see you

soon!