Office of Residence Life
College at Florham - Fairleigh Dickinson University
285 Madison Avenue; M-FT0-01
Madison, NJ 07940

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Guide to Residence Hall Living
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Welcome To Fairleigh Dickinson!—

Welcome to your first semester at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s College at Florham. Although we cannot hope to replace your home, we do try to provide a comfortable, safe and fun living environment for you while you pursue your studies.  During your stay on campus, your room will come to mean many things to you.  More than just a place to sleep, it will provide an opportunity to forge new and long lasting friendships, interact with students and staff from various backgrounds and cultures and become a place where college memories will be woven and your college experience will be most rewarding.  

This webpage will provide information on not only the physical space, but how to make the most of your residence hall experience.

About the Office of Residence Life—

Simply put, we are here to help.  Your room, your home away from home during your years at Fairleigh, is the responsibility of the Office of Residence Life.  We are responsible for all aspects of on-campus living, including room assignments, programming, mediation, and policy enforcement.

We could never accomplish this task for over 1500 resident students alone!  That is why our office is comprised of several different components.  By far the most visible staff for residents are the Resident Assistants. These graduate and undergraduate students  have been selected and trained to assist in your halls.  They are the ones you turn to if you have questions or concerns.  Besides being on your floor to support the residents, they also provide assistance with programming, administrative duties and  policy enforcement.

The various professional staff members have offices in Hamilton Twombly Hall.  Their responsibilities vary from fiscal management, housing placements, facilities management, supervision of the RA staff and programming.  Your Area Coordinator, the supervisor to your Resident Assistant, is available to assist you when your RA is unavailable or in the event that a more serious situation arises. 

What is a RA?—

The RA on your hall was selected from a well-qualified pool of applicants to work for the Office of Residence Life and are the administrative liaisons to our office.  More importantly, they have been selected to assist, support and provide a friendly atmosphere for their residents.  If there is a concern related to your residence hall experience you should first contact your RA.  They can assist you in resolving the situation or point you to the right office or staff member for further assistance.

Your RA is also someone who has been  extensively trained in counseling and intervention, is a good listener and wants to help.  Sometimes just talking problems out with someone not directly involved is the best way to come to a solution.  Also, remember your RA has been at Fairleigh longer than you and has probably dealt with similar situations or problems in the past.

With your assistance, your RA is also a resource to organize and plan programs for your community.  At your first hall meeting your RA will survey residents to get an idea of the type of programs that will be a hit in your community.   In the past our office has sponsored trips to Broadway shows, Yankees’ Games, inter-hall competitions, cultural theme nights, charity events and that’s just the start of a long list of ideas.  If you show interest and help in planning the program, the RA and the rest of your community will be sure to get excited and come out to the program.

Your Room: Home Sweet Home—

Whether you are a first year student, living in our traditional style residence halls, Florence and Hamilton Twombly, a Florham Scholar living in suite style accommodations, or a new transfer student living in one of our three styles of upperclassmen housing, your room will become the center of your campus life.

Nearly all bedrooms are double occupancy.  There are a handful of triple rooms in the freshmen area, that are traditionally used only in the event of a particularly large freshmen class.   Bedrooms average 15’x12’ in most areas. For specific descriptions on each residence hall configuration visit the residence life website at http://alpha.fdu.edu/reslifeflorham/. 

Each resident is provided with an Ethernet port for access to the University Network.  Residents wishing to access the network from their residence hall, must supply their own computer with Ethernet card.  Each computer connected to the network must be authenticated via the Clean Access software package.  Currently, there is not widespread wireless access in the residence halls.  Wireless connectivity is available in Twombly Lounge and throughout many non-residential buildings on campus.   For more information on computing services in the residence halls visit www.fdu.edu and click the computing link located at the top of the page.

Each residence hall area is wired for Cable TV.  Cablevision of Morris currently supplies this service which includes HBO.  Residents must supply their own cable ready TV and cable wire.

Vending machines, telephone service, student mailrooms and card access are just some of the additional services offered to residents by the University.  Washers and dryers are available free of charge for student use.   For detailed information on these services and more visit the services section of this site.

Your New DIVERSE Community—

For many of you this may be your first experience living away from the structure of your home environment and family.  For others it may be the first time living in New Jersey or even the United States.   But for nearly all of you this will be the first time you are surrounded by such a diverse mix of people in your community— and not just diverse in race, but ideas, cultures, experiences and beliefs.

This can be overwhelming and confusing at first, but take advantage of it.  That’s not to say you must change to conform to someone else’s mode of thinking, but take the opportunity to learn about a new way to think or a different style of learning.  Open yourself up to hear about how life is the same or completely different in the next county over, on the west coast, or around the world.  This growth and learning within your living environment will only better prepare you to be a better global citizen in the future.

With learning about new ideas and philosophies come an understanding and respect for diversity.  Just because you do not understand or agree with a certain way of living, does not make it wrong.  With respect, not just tolerance, all members of our community can come together to provide an exciting, dynamic and educative living environment. 

Remember, you will spend nearly 80% of your time on campus outside the classroom and most of that will be in your residence hall.  You can lean as much from a conversation with your neighbor down the hall as you can from a lecture in the classroom.

Life with a Roommate—

For many of you this will be your first experience sharing a room and you will be doing it, for the most part, with a complete stranger!  Life with a roommate can be very enjoyable and rewarding, but it takes work, respect and communication.  You may not always turn out to be best friends with your roommate, but working together most students can live together without major conflict.

Remember that students who attend Fairleigh Dickinson University come from a variety of backgrounds and values.  What may seem like common sense to one student, may be a new concept to another.  Try to be as understanding as possible, especially early in the relationship and communicate expectations on an on-going basis.

Never try to change your roommate to fit your style of living.  This doesn't’t work with boyfriends/girlfriends and it doesn't work with roommates.  The area you share is just as much his or hers as it is yours.  What works for you may not work for them.  The key is to compromise, establishing an environment which is conducive to both your lifestyles.  

As is key in any relationship, communicate early and often with your roommate.  Early in the semester your RA will give each roommate pair a roommate agreement.  This form serves as a good starting point for communicating expectations established by both roommates.  If a problem arises that has not been previously discussed, seek out your roommate to discuss the situation in a calm and mature manner.  Avoid confrontations that happen in the heat of a moment or with other parties present.  This can only compound the issue.

Friendships take work.  If you’ve found you and your roommate have not naturally gravitated toward the same groups, invite them to come along to dinner or the movies.  By no means do you need to be connected at the hip, but you will only be able to understand each other better by spending time together, both alone and in groups.

Finally, remember that a little consideration goes a long way.  Don’t let problems fester and remember that the room belongs to each of you equally.  Sometimes people just need alone time or times to visit with others independently.  During these times, arrange to spend time at a friend’s room for the day, or even overnight.  Your flexibility will be rewarded with a strong roommate relationship.

Communication in Your Community—

Learning to talk directly with your roommate or other community members, especially if they are not a close friend, can be tough.  How do you approach certain topics? How do you stand up for yourself with out putting others down? 

Maintain Eye Contact: Look directly at someone when explaining your perspective does a great deal to strengthen your message.  Eye contact communicates connectedness, assertiveness and confidence in your message. 

Use “I” Statements: Sitting down with your roommate, (or other community member) and saying “You never give me my messages” is very different than saying “I was upset when you didn't tell me Mark called.”  Taking ownership of your feelings removes the potential for an accusatory tone and will tend to not put the other person on the defensive. 

Keep it Between the Two of You: Keep problems among the concerned parties.  Don’t rely on friends to tell your roommate or neighbor that something is wrong.  Receiving blame from an outsider only fosters resentment and will put them on the defensive. If you need the support of the 3rd party, your RA is always available to assist you. 

Avoid Gossip: The rumor mill runs rampant in the residence halls, so make sure you keep your problems between the parties effected.  If you need a third party to help guide you, your resident assistant is available to help you.

Deal with it face to face: Many times it is easier to confront someone using IM or simply post a negative comment on the internet.  Don’t allow this to happen. “Hiding behind the screen” will very rarely solve your issue and usually only serves to complicate matters.  In some cases, students are emboldened by this passive aggressive form of communication and say things in the “virtual world” they would never consider in the real world. 

Residence Hall Safety—

In a true community, people look out for each other.  They are concerned with one another’s well-being and safety.  Residents are reminded they share in the responsibility for the security of their rooms and residence halls.  It’s the “neighborhood watch” approach to living: keep an eye out for trouble or suspicious activity and proactively report concerns to your RA or the Department of Public Safety.  Even if the University was able to employ hundreds of security personnel, they can never be in all areas at all times, only with your cooperation and assistance can we achieve the safest community possible.
Here are some strategies on being part of the safety solution:

Stop! Don’t Prop!: Some of the most notable campus crimes around the country start with a perpetrator entering a residence hall because the exterior door was propped.  Unprop doors when you walk by and report doors that do not latch properly. 

Err on the Side of Caution: If someone or something looks suspicious, call Public Safety immediately.  Don’t shrug off your feelings— there is something to be said for trusting your instincts. 

Keep Your Room/Suite/Apt. Doors Locked : It seems simple enough, but given the friendly and comfortable community atmosphere on campus, it’s not long before many residents fall into the “I’ll only be next door” or “I’m only running over to the Student Center” mentality.  While thefts on campus are rare, do not tempt fate.  Always carry your keys and ID card and secure your living area. 

Offer to Go with Someone: While incidents are few and far between, our campus is not immune to problems you might face in other communities.  Just as you probably wouldn't walk around late at night by yourself in the “outside world” it’s not the best practice to do so on campus, especially if you are headed to an isolated area.  Offer to walk with friends, especially at night. 

Get to Know Public Safety Officers and Hall Staff: Stop and chat with the officers and hall staff in your community.  A stronger relationship will most likely help you work together toward the creation of a safer living and learning environment.  And don’t forget— their job is not an easy one.  Knowing that residents appreciate their efforts goes a long way to make a better community for everyone.

Personal Responsibility—

For many of you, your college experience will be the first time you are truly challenged as an adult to take responsibility for your own living environment and actions.  Your parents will no longer be hovering over you ensuring homework is done, you’ve cleaned your room or met an important deadline.

While the Office of Residence Life is here to assist all students in any way possible, we expect each student to live up to community expectations, meet deadlines and fulfill contractual obligations.

When student actions are contrary to university policy or standards, students are expected to accept responsibility for their behavior, usually pursuant to the University Judicial Process.  Likewise, deadlines for applications, deposits, and certain requests must be met.  Failure to do so, just as in the “real world,” means students may face outcomes which they are not 100% satisfied with.  While this is unfortunate, the University views this approach as an important step toward instilling responsibility in our students. 

One Final Thought—

Living on campus is not just something you do, it is a life altering experience.  We could not possibly sum it all up in 1,000 pages, let alone this small booklet.  College will be the beginning of a new life and a time of challenge and growth for you.  The Office of Residence Life is here to offer assistance in any way we can.  Please feel free to contact us at (973) 443-8586 with any questions or concerns you might have.