Create your future. Shape your world.
We are eager to make your transition to EC as smooth as possible! Of course, we can't cover all student and parent questions here, so if you have one of your own, please contact our office directly!
Q: How are the housing assignments made?
A: Once you confirm your attendance with the Office of Admissions, you will gain access to a number of resources and questionnaires via “The Heart” (the College’s student portal). One of these resources is the housing questionnaire. The housing questionnaire gives you an opportunity to tell us more about yourself and personality, your concerns, and the things that excite and interest you. Residence Life staff utilize these questionnaires and other information you provided during your admissions process to match you with your roommate(s) and our communities. In mid-July, you will receive an assignment confirmation message that includes information about your room assignment and your future roommate(s).
When you receive this information, we encourage you to make contact and begin the process of getting to know one another. You will find that you have many traits in common and several differences. This is intentional and part of what we believe helps begin giving students the opportunity to grow and develop. College is a transformative experience and living with a roommate is one of those experiences that will help you grow to find new interests and begin to see the world from a variety of perspectives.
Q: How is my roommate selected? I am often shy/homesick/grumpy and sometimes I snore/stay up late/forget to go to class. I want to make sure that my roommate will be able to live with me.
A: Residence Life knows that your first-year roommate plays an important role in your first year at Earlham. We take the information you provide on your Housing Questionnaire and do our best to make a good match, taking into account academic interests, extracurricular activities, region, and living habits. We hope you will find a common bond with your roommate in order to form a friendship. The differences you discover along the way will provide you with valuable opportunities to learn about and from each other. Finally, please remember that although we do all we can to make a good match, not all roommates end up best friends and you will not spend 24 hours a day in your room. You and other students will branch out, meet other students, and get involved around campus during the year. Plus, you have got a whole floor of students to meet and get to know.
Q: When do I find out the name and address of my roommate?
A: You find out the name and contact information for your roommate in mid-July. We encourage you to begin forming a relationship with your roommate before the beginning of school. Contacting each other in advance of arriving on campus can ease anxiety. Call each other and discuss academic and social interests, summer plans, packing lists etc.
Q. What will my room look like?
A: It is important to remember the size of residence hall rooms when purchasing items and planning what to bring. An average room size is approximately: 10.5' x 16.5’, window: 5' x 5', and ceiling 9'. Your room is already equipped with twin-sized beds, desks and chairs, dressers, towel rack or hook, a bookcase and a mirror. All residence hall rooms are equipped with Ethernet connections and a telephone jack. Telephones are not provided in all of the rooms so please bring a phone with you if you intend to use the landline.
Your residence hall has a community kitchen, limited storage facilities, laundry facilities, vending machines and a TV/Study Lounge.
Q: What should I bring to campus?
A: Many students bring basic essentials (clothes, alarm clock, etc.) at first and have bigger items shipped later once they have met their roommate. Others choose to buy larger items here at local stores. It is a good idea to contact your roommate in advance to arriving on campus to discuss who is bringing what. You do not always need two of everything in the room.
This link gives you a list of things that you should bring to campus.
Here is a list of items you cannot bring to campus:
Please be aware that Earlham College is an intentional living community. Alcohol, drugs and/or drug paraphernalia are forbidden on campus.
Q: What is an AD?
A: An AD is an Area Director. ADs are administrative faculty members who are responsible for the management of the facilities and the supervision of the Resident Assistants and programming within their assigned residence halls. ADs are your initial contact with Residence Life, Maintenance, and Housekeeping. Anything that happens in a residence hall is under the purview of the Area Director assigned to that hall. Signage indicating the location of the office of the AD is located in the lobby of each residence hall.
Q: What is an RD?
A: An RD is a Resident Director. RDs are administrative faculty members who assist with the creation and facilitation of social programming in the first year area. RDs work part-time within the Office of Residence Life and serve as an Assistant Coach within the Department of Athletics.
Q: What is an RA?
A: An RA is a Resident Assistant. RAs are professionally trained students who work to build community within the halls. RAs are there to help you navigate situations and issues in your room, in the hall, and with the College. RAs are your primary resource in the residence hall community. Wise students speak with them often.
Q: I am a new student and I need to make my flight reservations for next fall right now. When should I plan to arrive on campus? When are Thanksgiving Break and Winter Break?
A: First year and transfer students should arrive on campus on Friday, August 16th. Do not arrive early unless you have alternate housing until the 16th. Your room will not be available until Friday. Thanksgiving Break starts Saturday, November 23th. Winter break starts on Friday, December 13th - housing closes at 5 p.m. For more detailed information, refer to the Academic Calendar. The Office of Residence Life offers shuttle service to the Dayton Airport during the fall, winter and spring breaks.
Q: I would like to ship some boxes early so that they will be ready for me when I arrive on campus. How should I go about doing this?
A: Most students find bringing only the essentials on the plane and having the larger items arrive over the course of the next few days is a good choice. When shipping with UPS include your name, your residence hall assignment, and Richmond, IN 47374.
Q: I'd like to think about what student organizations I'd like to participate in before I arrive. What should I do?
A: Check out our student organization website to get an idea of the tremendous opportunities for involvement at Earlham.
Q: Is there an ATM on campus?
A: Yes. There is one US Bank ATM located in Runyan Center.
Q: I'd like to set up a bank account. What should I do?
A: To find a list of local banks please refer to the Waynet website. If you want to set up your account early, you can contact them directly or you can wait until you get to campus. The Waynet web site will also provide interesting links to other local information. Local information can also be found at the Earlham Guide to Richmond.
Q: I'd like to bring my family to the Earlham campus over the summer to visit. Where can I stay?
A: There are a number of hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts in Richmond. Refer to our accommodations page in the Earlham Guide to Richmond for a list of local lodging information.
