How we house – Residence Life Policy

Pre-housing

St. Thomas More Hall lofts and suites

In February, all current female students are invited to apply for housing in the St. Thomas More lofts and suites. The lofts house 5 students and the suites house either 3 or 4 students. Housing in the lofts and suites is based on applications received. Each student applying must be a current student. Students are given points based on their GPA, age, the number of semesters they’ve lived in the residence halls, their current class status, household membership, and leadership activities that the student is involved in. Points may be subtracted for disciplinary violations. All groups must list an alternate in the event of a withdrawal. The lofts and suites are awarded prior to the Household housing in March.

Assisi Heights

In February, all current residents age 22 or older and all current resident juniors and seniors (over age 20 with more than 60 credits) are invited to apply to live in the Assisi Heights apartments. Apartments will be awarded on a group score based on points awarded for age and credits of each member of the group. All groups should list an alternate in the event of a withdrawal. Failure to list an alternate will result in a random roommate being assigned. Apartments will be awarded prior to early Household housing in March.

Early Household housing

In February, Household coordinators are given the opportunity to house up to ten students on their Household wing prior to other students being housed. Households are required to house at least three students on their wing to remain a household. Students who have accepted a space in an apartment in Assisi Heights are not eligible to live on wing.

Junior/Senior Leadership Housing Grant

In February, applications are accepted for the Junior/Senior Leadership Housing Grant. Eligible students are awarded a monetary grant toward their housing costs. Students awarded the grant are housed prior to the Housing Fair.

Applying to move off campus

Franciscan University has a residency requirement that all full-time students under age 22 who are candidates for an undergraduate degree must live in University housing while enrolled at Franciscan University of Steubenville unless:

1) they reside with their parents or legal guardian in the immediate area;
2) they are at least age 21 and have earned at least 88 credits; or
3) they have reached age 22 prior to September 15 of the current academic year

Every student, graduate or undergraduate, who has lived in campus housing and wants to live off campus must submit the Off Campus Request Form and permission must be granted before the student is allowed to live off campus.

The Off Campus Request Form will be available on MyFranciscan and in the Student Life Office by March 1st of each year.

The Off Campus Request Form is due by April 1st for the following academic year. Applications will not be accepted from April 1st until after the Housing Fair each year. Students who are granted permission to move off campus after signing their housing contract at the Housing Fair are charged a $250 contract cancellation fee in addition to forfeiting their housing deposit.

Students who have moved off campus may move back onto campus if space becomes available. Students will be put on a wait list for campus housing and will receive housing only after all other returning and new students are housed.

Housing Fair

In April we hold a Housing Fair to house students for the upcoming academic year. The Housing Fair will be held on a Friday evening. The date of the Housing Fair will be in the Student Handbook, which all students receive when they arrive in August. Attendance at the Housing Fair is mandatory for all current residents. Pre-housed students who have completed the housing process prior to the Housing Fair are excused. Graduating seniors may be excused from the Housing Fair by sending an email to the Housing Specialist asking to be excused due to graduation. Students who plan to withdraw may be excused by notifying the registrar of their withdrawal prior to the Housing Fair date. Students who do not attend and have not received prior approval to be excused are charged a fee.

Students are required to pay a $250 housing deposit before they can be assigned a room for the upcoming academic year. No bill is sent for the housing deposit. The deposit must be paid prior to the Housing Fair at the cashier’s counter in Starvaggi Hall, by mailing a check to Student Accounts, or by using the payment system under the Student Financial Services tab on MyFranciscan. The deposit reserves a space in the residence hall and is applied to their fall bill. Students must also register for full time (12 or more) credit hours before they can be assigned to a room for the upcoming academic year. NO student will be assigned to housing until their housing deposit is paid, they are registered for full time hours, they have electronically signed their housing contract, AND their spring bill is paid in full. Students in a payment plan are considered paid. Pre-housed students who do not have their housing deposit paid, are not registered for full time hours, have not electronically signed their housing contract, or do not have their spring bill paid in full will lose their pre-housing assignment immediately after the Housing Fair.

Students who are not pre-housed will be assigned a randomly generated lottery number, by class status, which will be emailed to their campus email address prior to the Housing Fair. Seniors will have the lowest lottery numbers. The email will also list the time the student should be in line at the Housing Fair. Students wishing to live with a specific roommate should be in line together at the time the lower lottery number is called, regardless of class status. Both students must be there to receive a room together. Students must either print the email OR have it pulled up on a smart device to gain entry to the Housing Fair when their number is called. An ID must be shown. Lottery numbers are non-transferrable.

Groups will be called into the Gallery by their lottery number. When their lottery number is called, they will then go to into the Gallery to the table for the hall they want to be in for the next academic year to try to get into their desired hall.

Each hall on the upper campus (Trinity, St. Louis, Marian, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Clare, St. Elizabeth, St. Francis) is required to reserve 43 percent of their beds for new students. The remaining 57 percent of their beds are divided into beds for each class status based on the projected class status of all residents for fall. For example, if 35 percent of all students during the fall are projected to be sophomores, then 35 percent of all beds in each upper campus hall will be reserved for sophomores. Lower campus halls do not have to divide their rooms.

If the desired hall has space available for the student’s (and roommate’s, if a specific roommate is desired) class status, then the Residence Director of the hall writes the student’s name and preferred room down.

If there is no space available in the hall for the student’s class status, they will need to find a bed in another residence hall. If there is no bed available in any residence hall for their class status, they are put on an “unhoused” wait list for an available bed in any hall. The student may also be placed on a wait list for one preferred hall. ALL students on the wait list are housed as soon as space becomes available due to a dropout. The student will receive their housing assignment prior to the beginning of the semester. The wait lists no longer apply once the semester begins (and all students are housed).

Once a student has had their name written down in a room, their housing process is complete.

Students returning from Austria

After the main campus housing fair is completed, students returning from Austria are housed. These students may request the hall where they would like to live for the next academic year, but they are limited to the beds that remain for returning students after the housing fair. If they do not receive the hall they request, they are put on the wait list for that hall and will be moved from the wait list if space becomes available. The wait list no longer applies once the semester begins. Students in Austria are also eligible for pre-housing.

New Students

New students are housed next. Beds in each hall are assigned (on the above-described percentage basis) by the new student’s deposit date. Roommate requests are honored, if at all possible, but only if both students request each other. All requests must be received by May 1 to be considered for fall semester. New students receive their actual hall and roommate assignment in mid July. New students who attend a University Day will receive their hall and roommate assignment at University Day.

Transfer students and new students over age 20 are housed in the lower campus residence halls. New students and transfer students over age 21 or over age 20 with at least 60 credits are housed in Assisi Heights or lower campus.

As students withdraw, students on the wait list for the hall are housed (new students or returning students, depending on who was occupying the vacated space).

Mid-year considerations

Students returning from Austria after the fall semester are housed in spaces vacated by students who graduate in December, withdraw or go to Austria for the spring semester. Household members returning from Austria may trade spaces with another member going for the spring.

New students for the spring semester will be housed in available spaces.

Roommate Switch Periods will be held at the beginning of each semester.

Withdrawing from the University

Students who withdraw from the University must notify the Student Life Office and the Registrar’s Office of their withdrawal.

Students withdrawing during a semester must remove all personal belongings and officially check out of his or her room/apartment within 48 hours of official withdrawal. Students whose departure from the residence halls is the result of academic dismissal, disciplinary dismissal, withdrawal, or non-enrollment for the term of the contract will forfeit their housing deposit.

Students withdrawing between the spring and fall semesters may receive a refund of their housing deposit according to this schedule:

1. By June 1: full refund
2. After June 1, prior to July 1: $125 refund (50% of deposit)
3. After July 1, prior to August 1: Forfeiture of deposit
4. After August 1: Contract cancellation results in a $250 cancellation fee and loss of housing deposit.

Any resident who fails to withdraw or to check in to their Residence Hall or apartment while the housing contract is in effect will continue to have Housing and Dining fees applied to his or her account.

Housing Accommodations

Students needing a special accommodation for housing (air conditioning necessary due to allergies, elevator due to knee problems, etc.) must contact The Center For Success, Shelby Gianni at (740) 284- 5263. The student’s physician will need to fill out forms documenting a medical condition requiring an accommodation. This form must be completed by April 1st of the academic year for returning students and by May 1st for new students. Students submitting the form after the deadline may have to wait until the Spring semester for their accommodation to be considered.

Meal Plans

All students living in a residence hall are required to have a full meal plan. Students with special dietary needs are encouraged to contact Parkhurst by emailing [email protected]. Parkhurst will work with the student directly to meet the student’s special dietary needs.

Meal plan changes for the semester can be made during the first week of classes until 4 p.m. on the first Friday of classes. When the meal plan change period opens, the meal plan change form will be available on the housing portal. It is each student’s responsibility to check their meal plans for accuracy

Room Switch Period

The roommate switch period will begin once all students in the residence halls are moved into their assigned rooms and accounted for. All students involved in a roommate switch must sign the Application to Change Rooms, which is available in the Resident Assistant office. The Residence Director(s) of the hall(s) must also sign the form before any move can take place. Students are encouraged to be considerate in their moves.

Other questions??

If you have questions, please feel free to call (740) 283-6441 or email the student housing team, at [email protected]