FAQ
Why should I live on-campus?
How do you assign rooms?
What if I need an air-conditioned room?
What if I need other special housing accommodations?
May I have a single room?
May I bring furniture or decorate my room any way I please?
What is the size of the bed?
Will I have telephone service in my room?
Is there cable in my room?
Are there internet hook-ups?
Where can I do my laundry?
Where can I park my car?
What should I bring?
What is furnished in my room?
Who will clean my room?
May I change my room assignment?
What is consolidation?
Will residence halls remain open during breaks?
Can I get an email address?
What kind of security does MacMurray offer?
What is a Resident Advisor?
Q: Why should I live on-campus?
A: Students who live on campus are at a great advantage. On-campus students are more likely to make faculty, staff, and student contacts, join organizations, and develop study groups. Students learn life skills that will benefit them in the future. They learn people skills, tolerance, the art of compromise, appreciation of differences, and they build friendships that will last a lifetime. MacMurray values the residence hall living experience so much that they require students to live on campus until they are 21 or have 90 credit hours (senior status). Exceptions to this policy are for those students who live with their parents, are married, have children, or live and work at ISD (Illinois School for the Deaf) and ISVI (Illinois School for the Visually Impaired).
Q: How do you assign rooms?
A: Returning students sign up in the Spring for their rooms. Housing assignment for new students begins on July 1. At that time, students are matched up with roommates based on preferences indicated on the housing form, interests, and hall preference. Students requesting a specific roommate may do so by indicating this on their housing form. Please keep in mind that the request must be mutual. After a roommate has been assigned, both students will be assigned to a room. Room assignments are made on a first-come-first-serve basis. Some halls fill up quickly, so apply early! Housing staff will try to accommodate each student's first or second choice of residence hall, but sometimes this isn't always possible. Once roommate and room assignments are made, a packet will go out via email to the students giving them all the information they will need to live on-campus. It will include a roommate's name, address, and phone number, and room information. If at that time, there are still questions, students are encouraged to call the Housing Office at 217-479-7129.
Q: What if I need an air-conditioned room?
A: MacMurray has a few rooms in each hall which are equipped with air-conditioning. Students who require air-conditioning must provide a doctor's note indicating the medical need and pay an additional $300 per year. Once all required needs are met, students who wish air-conditioning may apply for it on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Q: What if I need other special housing accommodations?
A: The housing officers will do their best to meet everyone's housing needs. Please keep in mind, however, that we cannot guarantee that every student will be accommodated due to space and resources. Students should indicate their special needs on the housing form so that housing staff is fully aware prior to making a housing assignment.
Q: May I have a single room?
A: Single rooms are available for an additional $378 per semester. However, due to space constraints, single rooms are limited and usually not available to new students.
Q: May I bring furniture or decorate my room any way I please?
A: We encourage each student to make his/her room their own; however, certain restrictions apply. No college furniture (including beds, frames, and mattresses) may be removed from the room . In addition, students are responsible for any damage which occurs to the walls inside their rooms. Therefore, care should be taken when hanging items on the walls. Decorating which can be removed or undone by the student at the end of the year is encouraged.
Q: What is the size of the bed?
A: All beds in the residence halls are twin size extra long.
Q: Will I have telephone service in my room?
A: No. Students must use a cell phone to make local or long-distance calls. Emergency phones are located in Resident Advisor rooms.
Q: Is there cable in my room?
A: There is cable in each room provided as part of your residence hall package.
Q: Are there internet hook-ups?
A: All rooms have internet access through the school's internet lines. The student must provide their own computer, including an Ethernet card. All residence halls also have wireless internet access.
Q: Where can I do my laundry?
A: Each residence hall is equipped with laundry facilities.
Q: Where can I park my car?
A: Any student may have a car on campus. Students must register their car and purchase a parking sticker in the Office of Student Life. Parking stickers are $50 per semester.
Q: What should I bring?
A: Students should bring those items that will help them to feel at home, comfortable, and ready to learn. Students may want to make arrangements with their roommate to avoid duplications and to decide who will bring what. Here are some suggestions:
- laundry and cleaning supplies
- small waste can
- hangers
- toiletries and small bucket to carry them in
- alarm clock
- towels
- bedding (sheets, pillows, etc.)
- address book and addresses
- mattress cover
- basic medications and prescribed medications
- plants
- iron
- throw rugs or carpet
- radio/stereo
- TV/DVD
- dishes
- study lamp
- fan
- computer
- extension cords (14 gauge)
- message board
- games
- banking items
- camera
- recreation equipment
- cell phone
- tools
- stationary
- pictures
MacMurray College does NOT allow waterbeds, high-wattage microwaves, fireworks, or any weapons. In addition, candles, incense, and burner plates are not permitted.
Q: What is furnished in my room?
A: Residence hall double rooms are equipped with two loftable/bunk beds, two dressers, two desks and chairs, mirrors and closets for two, and internet access in all halls. There are screens and blinds for all windows; some students may also wish to hang curtains. In Jane Hall and Rutledge Hall, the shared bathrooms contain a sink, shower, toilet, and medicine cabinet with mirror.
Q: Who will clean my room?
A: Students are responsible for cleaning their own rooms. Students living in Jane or Rutledge (suite-style) are responsible for cleaning their bathrooms. Custodians clean the public areas of each hall. Students are responsible for cleaning the stove and sinks in the kitchen areas (where applicable).
Q: May I change my room assignment?
A: Yes. During each semester, there is a specific time period set aside for room changes. Students may request a room change by completing a room change request form available in the Office of Residence Life. Room changes are granted if space is available. Each room change will result in a $100 charge.
Q: What is consolidation?
A: Students who live in the halls without a roommate may be subject to consolidation. Often students are living without a roommate because their roommate moved out or they may not have been assigned a roommate in the beginning. To be fair to those students who pay for a single room, we may consolidate those students who are not.
Students living without a roommate will be required to do one of the following:
- pay for a single room if space is available
- find their own roommate from among friends or the list of people needing roommates
- move rooms at the discretion of the housing staff
- be assigned a roommate (who is also living alone)
Students are asked to move based on seniority by class. If students are unwilling to cooperate, they will be billed for a single room and /or face discipline action.
Q: Will residence halls remain open during breaks?
A: Residence hall calendars are published prior to each academic year to allow sufficient time for students to make travel arrangements for breaks. Residence halls may remain open during breaks for qualifying students. However, the safest measure is to plan early for travel arrangements!
Q: Can I get an email address?
A: All MacMurray students are issued a MacMurray College email address. Email accounts can be accessed from any MacMurray College computer lab, through the school's website on student's personal computers, or by logging on to webmail through MacMurray College's website. Most students will receive their email address at their MAC First Day or at orientation in the fall.
Q: What kind of security does MacMurray offer?
A: Security officers are on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Security officers can provide student escorts for those who do not wish to walk alone. Residence hall entrances are locked 24 hours per day. Students should keep their rooms deadbolt locked at all times and make sure all exterior doors of their building are properly closed behind them when they enter or exit the building. Propping outside doors to residence halls compromises the safety of others. Students caught propping doors are in violation of MacMurray College policy and subject to disciplinary action and fines. If other issues of security arise, students are encouraged to contact the Student Life Office, Resident Advisors (RAs), and Resident Directors (RDs), or security staff.
Q: What is a Resident Advisor?
A: Resident Advisors are upper-class students assigned to a residence hall floor. RAs are responsible for building community on their floor and in the building by scheduling social and educational programming, assisting in conflict resolution between students, being peer counselors, advising students about services on campus, and serving as a referral source in disciplinary or crisis situations. RAs are the first link between students and the administration and staff.
