Take a tour: Campus housing selection

Every year, students looking to live on campus go through the housing selection process. The buildings open for selection are any apartment-style building on campus. This includes the buildings Clare, La Verna, Rose, Treacy, Canticle and McDonald. On Feb. 26, from 6-7 p.m., Viterbo students can tour a room in each building before selection begins.  

Viterbo requires all first- and second-year students to live on campus. First-year students have a requirement to live in the Bonaventure or Marian dorms. Those buildings are reserved exclusively for first-year students. Although second-year students are required to live on campus, their housing options are furnished, apartment-style buildings.  

Students looking to live on campus need to have signed and submitted a housing contract. The housing contract can be found on Viterbo’s website under the Residence Life subsection. Apart from having the housing contract submitted, students are also required to turn in a small housing deposit, also found under the Residence Life subsection.  

Once students have satisfied both prerequisites they can begin searching for or confirming potential roommates. Viterbo has a self-service site built specifically for this process. The site gives students the opportunity to build a description of themselves and what they are looking for in roommates. This includes anything from noise level preferences, preferred quiet and social hours, to sharing what hobbies or interests they have.  

The actual building selection process occurs differently for returning students and incoming first-year students. For returning students, this year’s selection process takes place between March 20-22. Currently, a student’s year in school determines when they are able to select housing. Seniors and juniors are permitted to select first, followed by sophomores. Incoming first-year students must have the same prerequisites before requesting their dorm and roommate preferences.  

With many housing options available on campus, some students may find it difficult to choose a building to live in. This year Residence Life is sponsoring an Open House night on Feb. 26 from 6-7 p.m. Students will be able to visit a designated room in each of the apartment buildings. The open house allows students the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the layout and style each building has to offer.  

Residence Life offers images and general layouts of what the rooms in each apartment look like. However, the Open House will give students a way to physically see the spaces. In the past, a typical way that rooms were previewed was that students would have to know someone in a specific building and hope they would be able to visit their room. The Open House permits everyone to have an opportunity to preview rooms.  

Viterbo encourages students to stay on campus, claiming, “Both national and institutional research show that students who live on campus earn better grades, graduate faster, and have a more satisfying college experience.” Requiring both first- and second-year students to live on campus was not always the case. Second-year students became required to stay on campus starting the fall semester of 2020.  

If you are currently living on campus, an email from your Resident Assistant may have been sent to your inbox about having your room be the show room. Residence Life is sponsoring a giveaway for residents that volunteer their room for the Open House night. The giveaway enters each room selected for Open House night a chance to win $100.