Residential Education

A useful education includes the life skills around communication, living with others and resolving conflict which are all common pieces of the residential experience for students.

Within each traditional residence hall there are student staff who work to develop a relationship with each student.  Resident Advisers, also called RAs, are intellectual, academic and social role models who work to create an intellectually engaged diverse student community.  In addition, each area has a Community Adviser, also called CA) who is a Senior student that works to develop a larger sense of community within each area.  Student staff complete a competitive selection process and received specialized training in community development, communication, conflict resolution and crisis response.

 2011-2012 Residential Education Staff 

If you are interested in applying for a RA position and would like to learn more about the RA selection process, click to be linked to the RA Selection page. 

First year students live in one of the three residential neighborhoods - Adams, Drayer or the Quads.  Students living in these areas also have the opportunity to participate in a learning community which means students live with other students in linked First Year Seminar Courses around a common theme or academic interest.  In the Fall semester, Learning Community programs are shaped by First Year Seminar faculty working with Learning Community Coordinators, also called LCCs. 

For more information regarding learning communities, please visit:

 http://www.dickinson.edu/academics/first-year-programs/learning-communities/ 

Students living in small houses and apartments receive facility support through House and Apartment Managers, also called HAMs.  HAMs are upper-class students who have previously been RAs and are assigned to assist students who are living more independently. 

Groups of students living in Special Interest Houses are led by Special Interest House Managers.  The House Manager serves as a liaison to the Office of Campus Life and facilities charter development and implementation to provide individual and group engagement with the college community.

 Community Governance/Responsibility 

Dickinson's residential communities promote individual responsibility and accountability through the creation of community standards.  Community standards are agreements created by and for the residents concerning how they will relate to and treat each other and their living environment.  These standards are decided upon via consensus and revisited at floor and building meetings.  It is a process that involves dialogue, compromise, and commitment.   

Enforcement of Standards 

Members of the community are expected to adhere to the standards of that community.  Residents must hold themselves and one another accountable.  If a resident violates a standard, he or she may have to address the floor to account for his/her behavior.  Resident Advisers, Community Advisers, and Department of Public Safety officers are there to assist when needed or when policies are violated. 

Community Billing 

The purpose of community billing is to promote individual responsibility and to hold students mutually accountable for the condition of their shared living spaces.  Areas covered under the community billing policy may include but are not limited to, lounges, hallways, laundry rooms, kitchens, common bathrooms, etc.  Instances that may result in billing include vandalism, stolen or broken furniture, or housekeeping charges in a common area when it is not possible to determine the responsible person(s).  Residents of a suite, wing, floor or building will share the financial responsibility in such instances.  For more information about community billing please contact the Office of Campus Life.