Residence Hall Living

Residence Hall Living

The Office of Residence Life is charged with supervising all college residence halls. The Coordinator of Residence Life oversees all Residence Life staffing, training and evaluating, and has trained staff to provide support for students making the adjustment to community living, while helping them to understand the regulations necessary to build and support residential communities. The Coordinator of Residence Life, who lives within campus housing, is on-call 24 hours a day. The Coordinator is responsible for residence hall programming, designated residence hall initiatives, and is a judicial designee.

Our residence halls offer a variety of housing environments that support and enhance the college’s academic mission. Students will be offered the opportunity to be part of Paul Smith’s vibrant, healthy college community. Individual growth is supported through activities based on the College’s Values. Residential students are encouraged to take part in residence hall activities in order to learn, grow and become involved in College life.

On Campus Living

Campus Living is designed to support the development of communities in which students can meet their educational and personal goals. In a group living situation, guidelines exist to insure the rights and personal liberties of each individual, while promoting a community atmosphere conducive to learning and living. These policies serve to protect the rights, health and security of others, as well as to protect the property of the college. Any student who violates these standards is subject to a disciplinary action possibly resulting in removal from the residence halls. The Office of Residence Life is responsible for the day- to-day operation of the residence halls and supervision of College paraprofessional staff (Resident Assistants).

Students are expected to know and follow all subsections of the Student Code of Conduct so they may better promote the mission, values, and goals of on-campus living. These guidelines along with others pertaining specifically to the residence halls are enforced to ensure that all students are provided with a living environment conducive to academic and social success.

The College believes on-campus living is one of the best ways for students to learn and practice essential life skills. By stressing care for the individual, the living environment, academics, and a good social atmosphere, we develop a strong sense of community values among residents. Community living also helps students experience diverse cultures and thoughts, helping them to better understand of people with different views.

For these reasons, all students are required to live on campus and take their meals in the College dining hall on one of the approved meal plans. In certain cases, and after meeting specific standards, students may reside off campus.

Residence Hall Services

Resident students are provided with a full range of services within the residence halls. Laundry facilities (washers and dryers) are provided in each building for residents’ use. Basic cable access and internet access is provided in all residence hall rooms. Each room is furnished with beds, desks, chairs, dressers, and closets or wardrobes. Bed linens may be ordered through the Residence Hall Linen Program in which students order sheets, comforters, mattress pads, pillow cases, and towels. Unless noted, all buildings have quiet hours from 10:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. on weekdays and 12:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on weekends. Courtesy hours are in effect at all times. Students seeking additional living accommodations should contact Accommodative Services at 518-327-6414.

Residence Halls

  • Blum Residence Hall - Located on the West end of Campus, this residence hall is a unique, historical house that houses approximately 17 students. Every two rooms share a bathroom. A kitchen and lounge are located on the first floor. Students must have a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0 and no disciplinary record to live here.
  • Clinton Residence Hall - Clinton houses approximately 38 students; this hall has a community bathroom on each floor, contains a small lounge on the first floor and has one resident assistant.
  • Currier Residence Hall - A co-ed, first year hall, this building houses approximately 100 students and is located in the center of campus. In traditional residence hall style, this building consists of long hallways and common bathrooms and lounge.
  • Essex Residence Hall - Essex Hall is an upper class, co-ed hall. It houses approximately 36 students. Each room has its own bathroom; a lounge and laundry facility are located on the first floor. The first floor accommodates students with disabilities.
  • Franklin Residence Hall – Franklin is our transfer student Hall. It Houses approximately 38 students and is a co-ed residence hall. It also accommodates students with disabilities. This building has a lounge and laundry facilities on the first floor.
  • Hillside Residence Hall - Hillside is 24-hour quiet, housing approximately 50 upper class students. Every two rooms are connected by a bathroom. Kitchen, lounge and study area are also available to students in this hall.
  • St. Regis Residence Hall - Upper and Lower buildings: This upper class, apartment style building has four single-occupancy bedrooms, two bathrooms and a full kitchen with a stove, microwave and refrigerator. There is an increased cost per semester for this building.
  • Lakeside Residence Hall - This co-ed, freshmen 24-hour quiet building houses 43 students. Rooms in this building are carpeted, and each floor shares a common bathroom. There is a lounge and kitchen on the first floor, which consists of tripled male rooms. The second floor consists of double female rooms.
  • Lambert Residence Hall - Housing approximately 20 upper class students. Lambert is our Osgood Farm Homestead/Sustainability Living Learning Community. Each room has its own bathroom, and there is a lounge and kitchen on the first floor.
  • Livermore Residence Hall - As one of our first year student residence halls, this building houses approximately 100 students in 53 carpeted rooms that share two common bathrooms for each gender, one on each floor. A lounge is located on the first floor, and laundry facilities are provided.
  • Lydia Martin Smith (LMS) Residence Hall - Located along the Lower St. Regis Lake, this building houses a majority of our first year students in quad rooms. One wing contains our Emerging Leaders Living Learning Community. With a population of approximately 184 students, this co-ed building provides students with a lounge, kitchen and laundry service along with common bathrooms on each floor.
  • Overlook Hall - This upper-class, apartment-style building consists of units that each have four-single occupancy bedrooms, two bathrooms and a full kitchen with a stove, microwave and refrigerator. There is an increased cost per semester to live in this building.
  • Saratoga Residence Hall - Located at the highest elevation on campus, this building houses approximately 100 upper class students in double and triple rooms and provides them with a lounge, kitchen and laundry service. It also contains 5 pet- friendly rooms.

Residency Requirement Policy

Residence halls at Paul Smith’s College provide students with a living/learning environment that is an integral part of the total educational purpose of the college. The residence halls provide educational support to the college by creating and maintaining a guided living experience for the personal, academic and social improvement of each individual resident. Students with circumstances requiring additional consideration or accommodations should contact the Director of Residence Life and Housing.

It is the policy of Paul Smith’s College that all students live on campus unless one of the following applies:

  • The student is 26 years of age or older by the first day of the semester.
  • The student’s housing has been revoked by the college.**
  • The student will be living with parent(s) or legal guardian within 30 driving miles of the campus.
  • The student is married.
  • The student has a dependent child living with them.
  • The student is a veteran with at least one year of active military service.

International students studying at Paul Smith’s College on an F-1 Student Visa are required to live on campus.

** A student whose housing has been revoked for disciplinary reasons is required to pay the room and board portion of the housing contract for the semester in which housing was revoked.

Students must submit an Off Campus Housing Application and receive approval from the Director of Residence Life and Housing before moving off campus. This approval must also include documentation for the above criteria that pertains to the student (ex. Marriage certificate, dependent child birth certificate, driver’s license, etc.)

Students who do not meet the above criteria are required to live in college housing. If a student’s living arrangements are in violation of the residency policy, the student may either move into the residence halls immediately or “buy out” the housing contract at the full semester rate of room and board.

Appeal

no later than April 1 of the spring semester preceding the academic year in which the student desires to reside off campus. The Appeals Committee will review all petitions and communicate whether or not the appeal has been approved. The ultimate decision of the Appeals Committee is final.

Unauthorized Housing

Any lease or arrangement to live off campus that the college does not have knowledge of and had not been approved by the Appeals Committee is considered to be unauthorized housing. Students who sign a lease with a local landlord prior to receiving approval to live off campus will be responsible for paying the housing contract at the full semester rate of room and board as long as they are enrolled at the college. The student will also be responsible for the obligations of their lease parameters. The college will not intervene on behalf of the student with any third-party proprietor or proprietors.

On and Off Campus Housing Policy for Students with a Temporary Disability

  • All students are subject to the policies, rules, and regulations in the Paul Smith’s Community Guide and College Catalog.
  • Any requests for off-campus or special housing as an accommodation for temporary disability will be reviewed by Health Services, Counseling, and Accommodative Services personnel and will follow the procedures for documenting a disability set forth on the Center for Accommodative Services portion of the PSC website. Their recommendation will be forwarded to the Director of Student Affairs and the Housing and Operations Manager.
  • Students with a temporary disability will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Permission for special housing accommodations will be granted for one semester only. Students should apply as soon as they realize they have a need. The College will need at least one week to process the request once the appropriate documentation has been received. Students who know they will need temporary accommodations (such as those who will be having surgery, etc.) should let the College know prior to their need so that a space may be reserved if possible. Requests can only be approved to the extent that space is available.
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