By Sonovia Pryor
Trinity Times Correspondent

As the 2023 spring semester ends, resident students at Trinity Washington University are beginning to pack up their belongings to prepare to move out for the summer, but the Office of Residence Life and Campus Housing is already preparing for the fall move in.

There is a lot for the housing staff to get done and returning students have a lot of questions before they can begin to get a room assigned to them and check back in this August, said Naz’hae Singleton, Trinity’s director of Residence Life and Campus Housing.

To address the questions and concerns for students who want to live on campus again in the fall, the housing office hosted an April 13 Returning Resident Room Selection Information Session in the Payden Academic Center.

The information session gave new and returning students answers about the many issues concerning living on campus, such as upcoming changes to housing arrangements and first-time residents living with a roommate, which had been suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was an overall opportunity for students to ask questions about how changes to on-campus life would affect the housing process and what residents can expect when returning to campus in the fall. 

The session was also an chance for residents to meet and connect in person with potential roommates.

The number of first-year residents fluctuates, but there are currently about 40 applications for new students who want campus housing, and about 120 returning residents have also submitted applications for the fall, Singleton said. 

The deadline for campus housing applications was April 14.

Something else that’s new about campus housing is its director.

Singleton arrived at Trinity in March and has big plans for campus life for the 2023-2024 academic year.

“I love it here so far,” she told Trinity Times. “Honestly, the best part about ‘Res life’ in general is just being there for students in a time when they need someone the most. I feel like that’s what students often forget. We’re not only here to assign you to a room. We’re here to make sure that you’re safe. If you need any support, we’re here for that too.” 

Student housing is spread out through four buildings on Trinity’s campus.

Incoming first-year and transfer students are housed in Cuvilly Hall; sophomores, juniors and seniors are assigned to Kerby Hall, juniors and seniors reside in Alumnae Hall; and seniors, graduate students and non-traditional students live on the fourth floor in Main Hall.

Students must be enrolled full-time (12 credits or more) in Trinity’s College of Arts and Sciences to be eligible for campus residence, though a limited number of rooms may be available to students enrolled in the School of Professional and Graduate Studies, School of Education, and the School of Nursing and Health Professions. 

Resident students are required to be in good financial and academic standing, maintaining a minimum 2.0 Grade Point Average, and must frequently attend class. 

Living on campus is not supposed to be like staying in a hotel, but an opportunity for resident students to fully immerse themselves in university life, Singleton said.

Students living on campus are encouraged to involve themselves in the scores of extra-curricular university clubs, associations, causes, Gospel choir, cultural activities and student government, as well as work at the student news organization, Trinity Times.

Trinity’s Office of Residence Life and Campus Housing typically communicates upcoming events through the weekly university-wide email blast sent each Monday by Karen Gerlach, vice president for student affairs.  

Future events and information about campus life are also listed on the Trinity Website and through social media. 

There is an Instagram account residents can follow for important updates and information.”We have flyers put up all throughout the residence halls and we also have our new social media account @trinitydcreslife (on Instagram), where we post all of the flyers, all the info sessions,” Singleton said. “We even have frequently asked questions for housing selection, just trying to answer any questions students may have. We just bring that information to them.”