Living at RWU FAQs
Do you have a question about living at RWU?
Someone else may have raised the same question! Please take a look through the Frequently Asked Questions – and answers – on this page; questions are grouped based on the topics below:
Community Engagement
How can I get involved within the residence halls to meet people and make friends?
Roger Williams has a lot of opportunities for its students to get involved, both within and outside the residence halls. Each hall has between 8 to 14 Resident Assistants (RA’s). Each RA puts on community building activities twice semesterly and encourages their residents to come out and get to know each other. RA staffs, along with their professional staff members also put on building wide programs each semester. Residents are invited to attend any and all events and we encourage them to follow hall Instagram’s for information on the time, dates and locations. If you have any questions about in hall programs please reach out to your Area Coordinator or Graduate Community Director.
Another great opportunity to get involved is joining Roger After Dark (we call it RAD). RAD is the late-night, substance-free programming initiative, which is usually held every few Fridays from 10pm to midnight in the GHH Atrium or at Upper Commons. There’s always awesome food and good times to be had by all. If you prefer a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle but still like to have fun on the weekends then RAD might be a great opportunity for you. Planning meetings are Tuesdays at 5:00 pm in the East Conference Room in the Center for Student Development. For more information you can contact Area Coordinators, Mikaela Calcagni mcalcagni@rwu.edu or Emma Spezeski espezeski@rwu.edu.
Click the following link for a complete list of every club and organization Roger Williams has to offer, there’s bound to be something that interests you!
Guests
How do I address a guest policy with my roommate?
At college, you may find your roommate likes to have guests over in your room and while you may also enjoy having people over, you also use your room as a private place to study and sleep.
How should you talk to my roommate about finding the right balance in our room when it comes to having guests over?
The best thing to do is to communicate with your roommates; sometimes they do not know something is a problem if you do not first bring it to their attention. As an independent college student it is important to clearly say what you need in order to help ensure those needs are met. It is also important that you listen to your roommate in an attempt to help them make sure their needs are also met. Try to set up a reasonable time of night in advance where guests are no longer welcome in the room. If you plan to have a guest spend the night, make sure you give your roommate advance notice as a courtesy since you both would be sharing the same space.
The Roger Williams Guest Policy can be found here.
Connecting with Roommates
How do I view my roommate?
Follow this link to view instructions for seeing who your roommate is: How to find My Roommate.
What happens if I don’t end up being best friends with my roommate?
A lot of students enter college with the idea they will be best friends with their roommates. Although that does sometimes happen it is also not uncommon for that not to happen and that is OKAY! Some people are just not looking for a best friend in their roommate and only want their roommate to be someone with whom they share their space. If it turns out you and your roommate do not end up being best friends that does not mean you both still can’t get along; maintaining a civil relationship will help the both of you be as successful as possible during your time together. As long as you and your roommate are able to communicate about the expectations you have for your room and how you can both live comfortably, then that alone also creates a healthy and successful roommate pair.
What to do if you have a roommate conflict?
College is a place where people from different backgrounds and lifestyles come together to learn new things and live under one roof. Throughout your time at Roger Williams University, it is possible you may end up having a conflict with one of your roommates. Before assuming the worst and immediately trying to seek a room change, talk to your roommate to see if compromises or solutions can be made. Again, many times your roommate may not even be aware there is a problem; appropriately and cordially bringing it to their attention is a great first step in working towards a solution.
If you tried talking to your roommate on your own and a reasonable and fair solution is unable to be reached, seek the support of your RA as they are trained to help facilitate roommate conflicts. A mediation between an independent third party (the RA) will allow all roommates involved to openly express how they feel and allow the RA to recommend changes to your previously agreed upon roommate agreement and offer any applicable advice. Click here to refer to a sample roommate agreement.
If the RA is unsuccessful in mediating the problem, have them seek the help of the Community Director. Each Community Director also receives an extensive amount of training in roommate mediation and conflict management; they may be better equipped to help find a solution. If a solution is eventually reached, give it a couple of days to work itself out; problems cannot change overnight.
What happens if my roommate is too clingy, or wants more of a friendship than I do?
If you feel your roommate wants to do everything together and isn’t giving you enough of your own personal space, it would be beneficial for the both of you to sit down and have a conversation so you can express your concern and need for more personal space. Set some boundaries ahead of time about things you like to do on your own and things you like to do with some company. It is okay to voice your concerns to your roommate because if you don’t they may never know anything is wrong. If you think you will need help voicing your concerns, feel free to ask for help from either your RA or Community Director.
Room Changes
Can I request to have my friend move in with me after the year has already started?
The Department of Residence Life and Housing always does its best to try and accommodate room change requests that may affect more than one person as long as it falls after the designated room freeze period. However, all parties involved must agree to a room change before permission is granted.
For example, if Bobby and Frank live together and Seth and Steve live together and Bobby wants to live with Seth, then all four parties involved must agree to the room switch in order for it to be approved by the Department of Residence Life and Housing. If every party does not agree to the switch then the room change will not be granted.
What to do if you want a room change?
If you would like to explore a change in rooms after you have exhausted all available resources to solve the initial room problem, you must contact the Community Director of your building via email or schedule an appointment with them by clicking the link on our Meet the Staff page.
As a reminder, room changes do not take place during the first two weeks of each semester so that we can confirm each residential student has moved in and is living where they are assigned. We can then take note of any potential room vacancies within the residence halls. This process is known as a “room freeze.”
Please remember room changes not authorized by the Department of Residence Life and Housing are not permitted and may result in fines.
Facilities, Meal Plans, and Mail
How do I submit a maintenance request?
If a university-owned piece of furniture is to break or not properly function in your bedroom or your suite or apartment’s common area, students can submit a maintenance request to get that fixed or replaced.
**Please note: The request system asks for a password with each request made. The password for every request submitted is simply “password.”
Need help completing a work order? Here are some tutorials!
Video TutorialWritten Instructions
How do I change my meal plan?
Follow this link to view instructions for completing your meal plan change: Change My Meal Plan.
How do I get mail at RWU?
Follow this link to view instructions for receiving mail: How to Receive Mail at RWU.