The mission of the Offi ce of Residence Lige aims to affi rm the College's mission as an academic institution both inside and outside of the classroom by supporting and promoting an active and healthy environment for intellectual and personal growth. We value community building, self-goverence, diverse life experiences and communication.

The mission of the Office of Residence Life aims to affirm the College’s mission as an academic institution both inside and outside of the classroom by supporting and promoting an active and healthy environment for intellectual and personal growth. We value community-building, self-governance, diverse life experiences, and communication.

The dean of students leads the residence life program and the associate dean and director of residence life supervises the residential life coordinators (RLCs) and student staff.

The seven live-in master’s degree–level staff members’ (RLCs) primary roles are building relationships with students by offering community-building activities and educational opportunities, managing crisis situations, advising students, speaking with parents, and acting as role models. The RLCs work collaboratively with the general College community.

In addition to building relationships with the general student body, the RLCs supervise a voluntary student staff (12–15 students) who act as peer mentors and community-builders. The student staff meets weekly with the assigned RLC and is instrumental in creating an environment that encourages student involvement, building of relationships, and belonging on campus.

There are 19 residence halls—six on south campus, nine on north campus, and four on east campus—varying in size from 40 to 115 students. All residence halls are smoke-free, as is the entire campus, pursuant to Iowa Code.

The outside doors to each residence hall are equipped with electronic locks that allow each student to access the halls using a Pioneer One-Card.

Student rooms are equipped with a study desk, chair, chest of drawers, and bed with inner-spring mattress and mattress cover for each occupant. There is one telephone for each room and an Internet port per student. At the end of the semester or year (as appropriate), the room is checked for furniture and damages against the inventory form placed in each room. All furniture and fixtures provided by the College must be present in the room and in good condition. Beds and mattresses are 36-by-81-inch (extra-long single). The College does not store College-owned student furniture. Waterbeds are permitted only in basement rooms. Students must provide and launder their own towels and linen in laundries. There are laundry rooms located in Main Hall, Loose Hall, Dibble Hall, Younker Hall, Rathje Hall, Rose Hall, Hannibal Kershaw Hall, and Lazier Hall.

Rooms vary greatly in type and size. Floors are covered with vinyl tile. Students may bring rugs or carpeting and additional small items of furniture. However, room dimensions are not available prior to arrival.

Windows are covered with draperies, shades, or mini-blinds. Wall are painted off-white and draperies are neutral. Walls may not be painted by anyone other than Facilities Management employees.

When choosing items to bring to campus, keep in mind that you will need to remove them from campus as well. Please be good stewards of the environment when choosing items for your student’s room.

Electrical appliances are not permitted in student rooms, including electric blankets, electric ovens, heaters, heat lamps, halogen lamps, and air conditioners. Students are not permitted to alter electrical wiring in their rooms. Students with medical conditions requiring air conditioning must submit a request to live in air-conditioned halls. Medical documentation must be provided to the Office of Residencce Life for all air-conditioned hall requests. Students may use their own free-standing air conditioner only with pre-approval from the Office of Student Residencce Life. Requests for free-standing units are only considered for students in need of medical accommodations. No window air conditioners are allowed in the residence halls or houses.

Pictures and posters may be mounted on the walls with picture hangers, small tacks, or double-stick tape. Nails are prohibited. Among items you may want to provide are an alarm clock, iron, bedspread, blankets, pillow, study lamp, wastebasket, and refrigerator.

An ironing board, vacuum cleaner, broom, and dustpan are available in each residence hall for student use. Cable TV is available in the main lounge of each residence hall. Hall kitchens are equipped with microwave ovens and major appliances for snack preparation. Small kitchen appliances may be used in kitchens where adequate wiring is provided. Smaller lounges and study rooms are available for studying on numerous floors of each residence hall.

Secure storage is available in each residence hall during the semester for luggage and boxes. Summer storage is available through a local storage firm, C&K Transfer, for a nominal fee. Boxes are kept in trunk rooms in the basements of the residence halls. Larger items are transported to the storage firm, which also handles long-term storage. C&K’s phone number is 641-236-3418.

Computer rooms are located in some residence halls and classroom buildings. Students are encouraged to bring their own personal computers. All halls are wireless and each student room has one high-speed Internet port per student. For more information on computers or how to link personal computers to Resnet, see the computer services paragraph in Other Offices and Services section on page 15.

All students living in the residence halls are required to be on a residence hall dining meal plan. Please contact dining services for more details.