Room & Residence Hall Information

What will be in my room when I arrive?

Hollins provides each student with a desk, chair, dresser, standard-size twin bed (mattress and frame), and a closet. If you would like to see a list of suggested items that you should bring, or to know what items are prohibited in student rooms/apartments, please look at our Packing Made Easy list.

Will my room be cleaned?

All residence hall rooms are cleaned and inspected prior to student arrival. Once you arrive, it is your responsibility to clean your own room.

What if there is furniture missing or a problem with my room when I arrive?

Please contact your Resident Assistant (RA), who will help you with any immediate concerns like missing furniture. Additionally, your RA will meet with you individually to go over a Room Condition Report (RCR) or Apartment Condition Report (ACR) which records the condition and contents of the rooms when you arrive so that you are not billed for missing furniture or repairs needed prior to your arrival.

Are the rooms carpeted, and will I have curtains?

The main hallways in all residence halls are carpeted. Tinker rooms and Apartment bedrooms have tile floors. West and East hall rooms have hard wood floors. All other residence halls (Carvin, French House, Main, Randolph, and Sandusky) have carpeted rooms. In all buildings, the windows have mini-blinds already furnished.

Will I have cable and Internet access in my room?

Every residence hall room is furnished with one cable outlet; it is the responsibility of the student to provide the television and the cable that connects it to the wall outlet. In addition, an Ethernet outlet is provided in the room for each student, which includes a direct connection to the Hollins University network. Students are responsible for bringing their own Ethernet cables. Additionally, all residence halls are wireless.

Will there be a telephone in my room??

The university provides a working telephone line in every student room or apartment. Students are responsible for providing their own telephone sets. These phones must be touch-tone and compatible with the standard telephone modular-wiring jacks. Each room or apartment is assigned a nontransferable telephone number. The telephone line will be connected when you arrive on campus but is restricted to local and credit card or authorization code long-distance calls. Problems with phones should be reported to STC Services at x6567.

How do I make calls from the landline in my room?

• For calls to other rooms or offices on-campus, you only need to dial the last four digits of the number (also known as the extension).
• For off-campus calls, you must dial 9, then the number as you would normally dial it.
• For long-distance calls, if you wish to use a calling card, you still have access to 1-800 lines and you can always place collect or charge calls to a calling card or major credit card. Direct-dial (1+) calls require special access numbers, and you will need an authorization code to place a direct- dial long-distance call. Long-distance authorization codes may be obtained from Anna McLaughlin, Assistant to the Dean of Students, on the 3rd floor of the Moody Student Center. Anna may be reached at x6588 or amclaughlin@hollins.edu. Hollins will bill each student monthly for long-distance service, and this amount will be automatically added to your account. Students cannot contract individually for long-distance service with another company or for a private telephone line. Hollins has contracted with a long-distance company to provide all long-distance services on campus.
• You will not be able to accept collect calls in your room or charge long-distance calls to your room phone from another number.

Can I bring a refrigerator?

• Students may bring their own refrigerators. We require that the refrigerators are no larger than 4.5 cubic foot capacity.
• Students may also rent refrigerators from the university for $25/term ($50 yearly). These refrigerators (limited number available) have a two cubic foot capacity and a freezer. If a student changes rooms during the year, she may take the refrigerator with her. Students who do not clean their refrigerators before leaving campus for the summer will be fined $15. To reserve a refrigerator, please contact Gloria Bryant in Physical Plant at (540) 362-6485 or gbryant@hollins.edu. Please allow two weeks for delivery.

What buildings are air-conditioned?

The Apartments, Carvin, French House, Tinker, and Sandusky are all air-conditioned. Randolph does not have air-conditioning in each room, but the hallways are cooled. East, Main, and West are not air-conditioned.

How do I adjust the heat in my room??

• Tinker residents
  There is a thermostat in each room so you can monitor the temperature of your room. To adjust the heat, lift the door on the heater and find the switch that can be adjusted from off, slow, medium, or fast. Adjust this switch to the level of heat desired.
• Randolph residents
  There should be a black knob on the heating unit in your room. Turn this knob to adjust the amount given off by the heater.
• Buildings with radiators
  At the base of the radiator there should be a knob with a plastic covering. Turn this knob to adjust the amount of heat entering your room.
• Apartment residents
  Follow the directions posted near your thermostat.
• If you continue to have trouble adjusting the heat in your room, please submit a maintenance request

When will the heat come on (or be turned off)?

• Switchover from Heating to Cooling
  Plant Operations personnel perform the required changeover from heating to air-conditioning in the spring. Because of the varying equipment installed throughout campus, buildings must be changed over individually. Plant Operations performs the changeover on the basis of priorities established to (1) provide comfort to students living in residence halls, (2) maintain required temperatures to protect equipment and research in progress, and (3) serve the greatest number of individuals and activities. Air conditioning may not begin until outside temperature has reached 75°F for seven consecutive days. Temperature projections are also considered. Special problems or hardships with this policy should be addressed to the vice president for finance and administration.
• Switchover from Cooling to Heating Plant Operations personnel perform required changeover from air-conditioning to heating in the Fall. Because of the varying equipment installed throughout campus, buildings must be changed over individually. Plant Operations performs the changeover on the basis of priorities established to (1) provide comfort to students living in residence halls, (2) maintain required temperatures to protect equipment and research in progress, and (3) serve the greatest number of individuals and activities. Heating may not begin until the high outside air temperature has dropped below at least 55°F for seven consecutive days. Temperature projections are also considered. Special problems or hardships with this policy should be addressed to the vice president for finance and administration.

How do I turn off the heat in my room?

Tinker residents
There is a thermostat in each room so you can monitor the temperature of your room. To adjust the heat, lift the door on the heater and find the switch that can be adjusted from off, slow, medium, or fast. Adjust this switch to the level of heat desired.

Randolph residents
There should be a black knob on the heating unit in your room. Turn this knob to adjust the amount given off by the heater.

Buildings with radiators
At the base of the radiator there should be a knob with a plastic covering. Turn this knob to adjust the amount of heat entering your room.

Apartment residents
Follow the directions posted near your thermostat.

If you continue to have trouble adjusting the heat in your room, please submit a maintenance request.

How do I submit a maintenance request?

Where will I do laundry?

In Tinker, there is a laundry room on each floor. In Randolph, there is a laundry room located on the first floor. Carvin, East, French, Main, Sandusky, and West residents use the West laundry facility, located behind West hall. For Apartment residents, there is a laundry room on the 2nd row of the apartments.

Will I have access to a kitchen?

Yes, all residence halls have at least one kitchen. In Tinker and Main, there is one kitchen on each floor. For the other residence halls, there is a kitchen near the building’s main lounge. Each apartment has a full kitchen, including appliances.

Can I smoke in my room or apartment?

Hollins University is a smoke-free community. Smoking is prohibited in all apartments, houses, and residence hall areas. This includes individual rooms, restrooms, and common areas.

Roommates & Housing Assignments

I’m a new student – will I have a roommate, and if so, when will I find out who she is?

• All first-year students are paired with a roommate based on the information they provide on the New Student Housing Information Form. New transfer students can be placed in doubles or, if space is available, in single rooms on the transfer hall (located in Tinker).
• You will be notified of your housing assignment, roommate’s contact information, and any other essential information via your Hollins University email account over the summer in July. We strongly encourage new students to contact their roommates (using contact information included with your housing assignment) to coordinate large room items, such as refrigerators, televisions, etc.

What if I need a single for medical reasons?

• The University has a limited number of single rooms, none of which are specifically designated as medical singles. Housing accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis by the Director of Housing & Residence Life, the Dean of Students, the Director of Health & Counseling Services, and the Counseling Coordinator. Additionally, the Director of Physical Plant Operations may be consulted regarding the feasibility of a requested accommodation.
• Accommodations are approved only in response to appropriate documentation of the medical condition and/or physical/psychological disabilities. Reasonable accommodations will be made to meet the documented need on a space-available basis. Specific location requests cannot be guaranteed. Medical singles are limited to designated single rooms.
• Students requesting a medical single MUST complete the Housing Accommodation Request Form and must have their health care provider fill out the Health Care Provider Form. Both forms can be obtained from the Director of Housing & Residence Life. The student may be asked to execute a medical release form provided by Health and Counseling Services; if the student is under the age of 18, the parent or legal guardian would be asked to execute the medical release form.

What should I do if I’m experiencing conflict with my roommate(s)?

If you find yourself in a conflict or difficult situation/conversation with your roommate, we ask that you talk to both your roommate and your Resident Assistant (RA) about the issue(s). Your RA is available to assist you in communicating your concerns to your roommate, and will work with all residents involved to mediate the situation. If these initial steps are not successful, your RA will ask for involvement from the Residential Learning Coordinator, Graduate Assistant, or Director of Housing and Residence Life as needed to find the most appropriate/safe solution for all residents involved.

• Overall, room changes will not be granted during the first two weeks of a semester, or in the months of December and May. Changes may be implemented after both roommates participate in the roommate mediation process with their RA and/or residential learning coordinator, which may result in a renegotiation of the roommate contract.
• If the mediation process is not successful, any student who still desires to change rooms will need to obtain a room change request form from their residential learning coordinator or the director of housing and residence life. Before a student is able to physically change rooms, she is required to fully complete the room change process, which is outlined in the current handbook. An unauthorized room change will result in a $100 charge to the student's account, and she may face possible judicial sanctions.

Room consolidation is the process by which Housing & Residence Life fills open spaces in multiple occupancy rooms. In cases where one of the occupants moves from the assigned space, the student(s) who remain will have the following options:

• Move to another room with a resident who is also without a roommate.
• Invite another resident without a roommate to move in.
• Move to a single room, if available ($400.00 additional per semester).
• If approved by the Director of Housing & Residence Life, pay to keep the room as a double-as-a-single ($1,510.00 additional per semester).
• Choose to have the space remain open, but at any time and at the discretion of the office of housing and residence life, a student may be placed in the open space. If, at the time a student is placed in the open space the resident of the room informs the new resident that she does not want a roommate, the original resident of the room will automatically be billed the double-as-a-single rate.

If needed, Housing & Residence Life will initiate the consolidation process in October and March of each academic year. At any time the HRL staff will be happy to assist students in trying to find a roommate.

Other Questions

United Parcel Service (UPS) is Hollins’ recommended carrier for cost and efficiency. UPS is the only carrier that delivers directly to the student residences. For correct shipping, use your campus route/street address indicated below. Only use your P.O. Box as an address for mailings sent through the U.S. Postal Service. When ordering catalog merchandise, be sure to ask how items are being shipped (UPS or U.S. Mail) since UPS does not deliver to P.O. Boxes.

All shipped packages should be addressed as follows:
Your name
Hollins University
Residence or Building (e.g., Tinker House)
Wing, floor, room number (e.g., C Wing, Second floor, #231)
Street address (e.g., 8212 Tinker Lane)
Roanoke, VA 24020

Residence Hall/Apartment Street Addresses:

• Carvin House - 8148 East Campus Dr.
• East Building - 8042 Quadrangle Lane
• French House - 8016 Hill House Court
• Hollins University Apartments:
  • Rows 1-2 - 7773 Williamson Rd.
  • Rows 3-4 - 7775 Williamson Rd.
• Main Building - 8060 Quadrangle Lane
• Randolph Hall - 8135 East Campus Dr.
• Sandusky - 8136 East Campus Dr.
• Tinker House - 8212 Tinker Lane
• West Building - 8040 Quadrangle Lane

Residential students are expected to carry their room and building keys with them at all times. For the purpose of safety and security, students must not loan their keys to any person for any reason. Students are expected to follow these procedures to gain entry if they get locked out of their building and/or room:

• Call a roommate for access to the residence hall and/or room.
• Between 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 a.m., contact the RA on duty if a roommate is not available. The RA on duty can be contacted through the RA Office (x6133) or through the RA duty cell phone (540-556-5747).
• If unable to reach a Housing and Residence Life staff member, contact Campus Security if a roommate is not available.

Students are allowed three "free" lock-outs each academic year. Every lock out after the third will have a $20 charge, billed to the student’s account. Continued abuse of the system may result in referral to Student Conduct Council for failure to comply with university policies. Please note that RAs are not given master keys.

• Please contact Campus Security to report missing keys. Campus Security will contact the on-call Housing & Residence Life staff to initiate a lock change. The core change cost for an interior room is $75. If an exterior door key is lost, the fine could be as large as $500.
• Lost ID cards can be replaced through Campus Security for a $20 charge. Campus Security has the final authority on charges for ID cards.

What if I have a question that isn’t on the FAQ list?

If you have additional questions before arriving on-campus, please contact Nickie Smith, Director of Housing & Residence Life at csmith3@hollins.edu or (540) 362-6281. Once on-campus, your Resident Assistant or Residential Learning Coordinator will also be available to help answer any questions that you may have. Please see the HRL Staff Duties page for professional staff member contact information.