An Education in Living

While some call college an ivory tower — removed from reality — any student will tell you that this is real life. Students have responsibilities, relationships, ups and downs, just like everyone else. The residence program allows students to make success at Rensselaer their priority, by making sure that other needs are met.

If you are like most students, your first priority is your academic success at Rensselaer. A close second may be your personal life-family, friends, activities, and so forth. To reach your goals and have the kind of college experience that you want, you need to have a living situation that meets your needs. For the majority of students, that means living on campus.

Approximately 2,800 students live on campus. All freshmen and many upperclass students list some or all of these following reasons for their decision to be part of our residential community:

• Convenient to the academic campus
• Furnished with utilities included
• Local phone service included
• Wired for ethernet and cable television
• Close to computer facilities
• Close to recreational facilities
• Close to dining facilities
• Live-in staff for assistance and guidance
• Academic year and summer housing available
• Living in a community of Rensselaer students with similar priorities
• Opportunities to meet other students
• Allows desired level of privacy or involvement

Student rooms are furnished with a bed, dresser, desk, desk chair, and a closet or wardrobe for each resident. Facilities for laundry, storage, parking, and limited cooking are available in all residential areas. Most areas also have lounges.

It’s All About The People

Resident Assistants (RAs) live in all residence areas, and work closely with students to assist in providing a positive educational, social, and emotional experience. Each RA is a peer advisor, informal counselor, group facilitator, policy implementer, program planner, and friend to the students in the community. They are the key to the success of the Residence Life Program.

Resident Directors are upperclass or graduate students with prior RA experience. They supervise RA staff and are involved in all aspects of residence living for their buildings, including programming, activity planning, and implementation of policies and procedures.

Apartment Managers live in Stacwyck and Colonie Apartments. They serve many of the same functions as RAs and are available to all upperclass students.

Learning Assistants (LAs) are upper-class or graduate students who live in predominantly first-year residence halls. The LAs teach study and time management skills as well as lead workshops and study groups. Additionally, the LAs provide academic assistance and referral to students in need.

The Teaching-Learning Assistants (TLAs) are graduate students who live in upperclass areas. In addition to the services provided by LAs, TLAs also provide tutoring support with a focus on upperclass student issues and they serve as Teaching Assistants in various graduate programs. The programs are co-sponsored by Residence Life, the Advising & Learning Assistance Center and Graduate Education.

Three Assistant Directors of Residence Life work with staff and students to foster community growth and are available to residents for assistance and counseling. They are experienced professional staff with master’s degrees.

All professional residence staff participate in the Institute Judicial System and share in weekly on-duty coverage. This ensures that someone will be available to assist with problems, whether they be administrative, personal, or disciplinary in nature.

Learn more about Residence Life.