Applications and Assignments

The University of South Carolina is committed to the educational development of its students in the classroom and in the 26 residence halls (6,700 spaces for full-time undergraduate students) on campus. The residence halls vary widely in size, style, location on campus, arrangement of bathrooms, closets, cost, and other features. Special-interest housing options such as international living/learning apartments, honors spaces, a residential college, and other options are available upon application.

Although all freshmen are required to live on campus (as long as space is available), the University may make exceptions based upon marital status, commuting status, military experience, course loads, age, or individual circumstances. Requests for exemption need to be made to University Housing. In addition, priority to live in a University residence hall is given to degree-seeking students carrying a full-time course load.

After students are officially accepted and have paid the required initial application and advance room fees, they will be assigned a room, if available. Applicants who wish to live on the campus should apply for admission as early as possible. Housing applications, contracts, and detailed information are mailed with a student's University acceptance.

Housing contracts are issued for a full academic year. Room assignments, however, may be changed during the official room-change period. Yearly housing contracts may be cancelled only if a student does not enroll for the spring semester or graduates. Private rooms may be available in all nonapartment residence halls (depending on time of year and space availability) for an additional 50 percent of the room rate.

Assignments are determined according to the priority of the applicant, i.e., freshmen who apply by May 1 are guaranteed housing, continuing residents receive the next priority for housing. Transfer students from a USC regional campus receive third priority. If available, transfer students from other institutions are assigned any remaining spaces. Whenever possible, written requests for a specific residence hall and roommate are honored, but the University reserves the right to make whatever room assignments are considered to be in the best interest of the institution and the student body.

If a resident fails to occupy space assigned on or before the first day of classes, the assignment may be cancelled if proper notification of late arrival is not given to University Housing. A resident who enrolls and fails to occupy assigned space, however, will be required to pay full rental rates. Residents who withdraw from the University at the end of, or during, the fall or spring semester must officially check out of the residence hall with University Housing. Cancellation of applications must be made through University Housing as well as the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Please refer to the "Fees and Refunds" section of this bulletin for a schedule of housing costs.

May/Summer Sessions

All summer session students desiring rooms in University residence halls for May and/or summer sessions should make requests for accommodation to University Housing by the May 1 priority deadline, clearly indicating the term(s) of planned attendance.

Students need only be enrolled the previous spring semester and the upcoming fall semester to be eligible for summer housing. All regulations pertaining to residence halls during the regular academic year apply to the summer sessions as well.

International Student Housing

University Housing works closely with the Office of International Programs for Students to provide on-campus housing opportunities. Students needing assistance in locating off-campus housing should contact Off-Campus Housing Services. Those who live in University residence halls should note that many buildings are closed during Thanksgiving vacation, winter break, and for spring vacation. Specific information regarding each break period is distributed to students prior to the break.

Disability Services

Those who may need special consideration in campus housing should apply for admission and for campus housing on the usual application forms but request special assistance by calling 803-777-6742, the Office of Disability Services. The Office of Disability Services assists disabled students in their college life experience by integrating on-campus services. This office was formed to ensure disabled students accessibility to all University programs and promote independent living skills.

Family and Graduate Housing

The University provides housing for families and single graduate students. Facilities available for families include 72 apartments in Carolina Gardens and 104 apartments in Cliff Apartments. Single graduate students are eligible for Cliff Apartments. Application should be made to University Housing, which maintains and assigns apartments according to date requested. Please refer to the "Fees and Refunds" chapter for costs.

Residence Hall Staff

All residence halls are supervised by full-time, professional staff members from University Housing. In each building there is a coordinator/hall director who lives in and has overall staff responsibilities for the entire residence hall. To provide additional support, resident advisors live on the floors. Their major responsibilities include counseling, social/educational programming, and hall administration. In addition, each area of buildings is supervised by full-time professionals who coordinate all facility and student development needs and issues. The services and programming within each residence hall are designed to create a sense of community so each resident can gain the utmost from the educational opportunities at the University of South Carolina.

Living and Learning Environments

The University of South Carolina's residence hall program strives to contribute to the educational objectives of the University, in part, by offering a variety of living and learning environments. Courses such as University 101 are taught in the residence halls each semester. These regular classes are designed for resident students who may select classes in their respective living areas. Additionally, students will be able to study with others who are roommates or fellow hall residents as well as classmates. These classes often provide smaller enrollment and closer student/student and teacher/student relationships.

The Honors College of the University offers special housing which allows honors students to be housed together to further achieve the aims of this program.

Carolina's Global Community offers selected upper-division students (those who have earned at least 60 credit hours) an opportunity to live in an international environment in which 50 percent of the occupants are from outside the United States. Special programming geared to meet the interests of the residents is provided.

The Preston Residential College provides students with the opportunity to live in a setting that promotes academic and personal development. A faculty "principal" lives in the building and, along with other faculty and staff members, provides a variety of living and learning opportunities.

The Engineering Community in Bates House is an on-campus residential community designed to enrich the educational environment for first-year engineering students by fostering student/faculty interaction and student peer relationships in and out of the classroom. The community represents the collaborative efforts of University Housing and the College of Engineering and Information Technology. Students who live in the Engineering Community have access to programs and services developed specifically for them.

The Moore Pre-Medical Community represents collaborative efforts between the Office of Pre-Professional Advising and University Housing. The Pre-Medical Community provides a living and learning environment for students who want assistance preparing for academic success and career guidance as part of their premedical curriculum.

The Teaching Fellows Community is an intimate learning environment in Moore and Patterson residence halls that seeks to enhance the development of the skills, knowledge, and attitudes associated with the field of education. This community is a collaboration between the College of Education and University Housing. All S.C. Teaching Fellows are encouraged to live here. Education majors who are not selected as Teaching Fellows may also request this community and will be assigned as space permits.

The Wellness Communities in Columbia Hall, Bates West, and Moore Hall offer programs focusing on a holistic approach to wellness. Residents agree not to smoke, drink, or bring alcohol into the building or on the designated floor. Columbia Hall also holds the Student Wellness Center, equipped with Nautilus machines, free weights, and several cardiovascular machines.

The Academic Center for Excellence provides writing and math tutoring services in Sims, Bates House, Columbia Hall, and the Towers.

Community Standards

A primary goal of the residence hall program is to promote the high standards of ethics and integrity stated in the Carolinian Creed.

Another goal is to provide an environment that is conducive to the academic endeavors of all residents. Opportunities for involvement exist within the hall governments wherein elected student representatives serve to establish and maintain standards that each resident is expected to uphold. Residence hall rules and regulations pertaining to visitation, quiet hours, and acceptable behavior within a community are designed with respect to the city, county, state and federal laws. Specific information on all rules and regulations is contained in the Carolina Community, the student policy manual.

Post Office Boxes

All resident students in single student housing are assigned post office boxes in the Russell House University Union. Mail service begins only after the official opening of the residence halls.

Phone Service

The University offers Columbia resident students phone services that include special long distance telephone service prices and a voice-mail service. Long distance dialing is provided to anywhere in the world, with no service or reconnect fees (students provide their own telephones). Students receive a monthly bill at their local address. Voice mail is a computer-based system that, in addition to receiving phone messages, provides the ability to save messages and access messages from any touch-tone telephone. It comes with its own password, assuring privacy. There is a per-semester fee for the voice-mail service. Call 803-777-1800 for additional information.

Technology

All student rooms have direct access to the campus network and the Internet. Currently, all connections have been upgraded to high-speed switched 100 systems, which provide data transmission speeds unsurpassed in a college residence hall environment. Our closed-circuit TV system provides opportunities for a variety of educational and entertainment offerings. In our four residential computer labs, students have computer access 24 hours a day. These labs are located in Bates House, Columbia Hall, Patterson, and the Towers. Additionally, the University has partnered with the Career Center to install career placement software for students' use.

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