STUDENT LIFE & SERVICES

Residential Life

Barnard maintains a diversified residence program. Residence options include traditional residence halls, a variety of suite arrangements, and apartments in College-owned residential buildings on or adjacent to the campus. In a cooperative exchange with Columbia College and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, a limited number of Barnard and Columbia juniors and seniors participate in a housing exchange program. In addition, some students live in independent housing they secure in the campus vicinity. The College offers all incoming first-year students the opportunity to elect to live in campus housing. On average, the residential rate among first-year students is 98%, while the average residency rate among upper-class students is 90%.

Facilities
All Barnard College owned or operated residence halls are completely smoke-free. Under the leadership of the Director of Residential Life & Housing, the College provides substantial supervision of student life. This includes associate directors, graduate staff and undergraduate student assistants, 24-hour desk attendant coverage, and regular security guard patrols.

Brooks, Hewitt, Reid, and Sulzberger Halls, or the “Quad,” at the south end of the campus, are operated as a single complex with space for about 920 students. This residential complex provides community amenities, including computer rooms and the Student Store. The first eight floors of Sulzberger Hall, Reid, and Brooks house first-year students, who are assigned to double, triple, and quad rooms. There are also wheelchair-accessible rooms located in the Quad. The “Tower,” floors nine through 16 of Sulzberger Hall, houses seniors in suites with lounges and kitchenettes.

“616” West 116th Street, an apartment-style residence directly across the street from the Quad, provides housing for 200 students in suites of single and double rooms. Each suite has a kitchen and bath.

“600” and “620” West 116th Street are College-owned buildings comprising a majority of student apartments of one to five single or double rooms with kitchen and bath and some apartments for community residents.

Elliott Hall, adjacent to the west side of campus, houses 96 students. Rooms are on common corridors in suites with shared baths, kitchenettes, and lounges.

Plimpton Hall, a suite-style residence hall on Amsterdam Avenue and West 121st Street, a short walk from the main campus, but adjacent to Columbia and Teachers College, provides housing for 280 students in suites of five single rooms. Each suite has a kitchen and bath.

601 West 110th Street has housing for approximately 165 Barnard students (mostly sophomores and juniors) who live in suites and seniors who live in studios. This option provides independent living with an active residential life program.

The newest member of our residential family is Cathedral Gardens. This building is located at 110th St. and Manhattan Ave. This community is the perfect location for mature students who are looking for a tranquil retreat from hectic campus life. It is also well-suited for groups of students with shared interests in community engagement and off-campus work experience and internships. Building residents will find lovely views overlooking Morningside Park or the Morningside Heights neighborhood. CG offers a community lounge, laundry facilities and a 24-hour security desk. Within each apartment, students will enjoy beautiful hard wood floors, new furniture and fixtures, as well as a dishwasher and full refrigerator in every kitchen. The spaces range from four to six-person apartments containing mostly single rooms and some doubles.

Eligibility
Eligibility criteria have been established in order to assign available space on an equitable basis. These regulations may be changed as needed at the discretion of the College, but insofar as possible, the following criteria will determine eligibility:

A student must be registered for a full academic program. Exceptions may be made upon review of appeals submitted to the Dean of Studies Office and the Director of Residential Life & Housing.

Assignments
Returning upper-class resident students select their rooms on the basis of a lottery number system and room selection process. Incoming first-year students, readmitted upper-class students, and transfer students are assigned rooms by the Office of Residential Life and Housing.

Requirements
The rules and regulations regarding payments and refunds, and the use and occupancy of rooms are in the “Terms and Conditions of Student Residence in Barnard College Housing,” which is given to students selecting College housing and which must be agreed to before they may accept an assignment. This document may be reviewed via the Residential Life & Housing webpage.

Board
The College offers all students meal plans, which include points that may be used in the recently renovated Hewitt cafeteria and in the Java City Cafe. Meal plans (not points) may also be used at Columbia’s John Jay cafeteria for some meals. All first-year students and all residents of the Quad (Brooks, Hewitt, Reid, and Sulzberger Halls) are required to be on a meal plan for the full academic year. Upper-class residents of Sulzberger Tower are not required to be on a meal plan.

Married Students
A married student, as a rule, will not be allowed to remain in College housing with her significant other. They will be subject to financial obligations which pertain to any student who withdraws from the residence halls or from the College during the term.

Financial Aid for Room and Board
All students who live on campus will have their financial aid based on the resident student budget. A student who receives aid from the College based upon the resident budget must live in College housing billed by Barnard. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the Office of Financial Aid when she decides not to reside on campus. Students who decide to live off-campus or commute from home will have their financial aid based on the commuter student budget. No resident student ever receives more financial aid for room and board than the average amount required to cover the costs of living and eating in College residences. This average is based on the cost of a multiple room and the maximum standard meal plan with unlimited meals per term. A student who chooses to reside in a single room must cover the difference between the cost of a single and double room from her own resources.

Resident Assistants

As part of the student support network, students in each residence hall are designated as Resident Assistantsto be a campus resource for resident students, to provide referrals to other services, and to aid in residential programming.

STUDENT LIFE & SERVICES

Residential Life

Resident Assistants

Barnard Catalogue 2008-2009