Your New Home

What to Bring

No one residence hall is the same as another, so before you go and buy new stuff and pack up to head to UWRF, talk to your roommate so you can avoid doubling up on items.

• School Supplies and Backpack
• Driver's License
• Cell Phones and Charger (as we do not have land line phones)
• Insurance Information
• Alarm Clock
• Coaxial Cable for Television
• Fan
• Flashlight
• Carpet (unless you are in Johnson, Ames, or South Fork Suites, which have carpeting in the rooms)
• Message Board
• Shower Sandals
• Blanket/Comforter and Sheets (XL-twin size)*
• Clothes Hangers
• Laundry Basket/Bag and Laundry Detergent
• Dish Soap, Plates, Silverware, Glasses
• Permitted Appliances (clocks, radios, entertainment systems, computer systems, hair dryers, curling irons, shavers, coffeemakers, popcorn poppers, heating pad, electric blankets)**

*Specially sized sheets, blankets, and comforters are needed for the extra-long mattresses in the residence halls. The UWRF Residence Hall Linen and Bedding Program provides a huge collection of custom-sized linens that are guaranteed to fit.

**If you are unsure whether or not an appliance is allowed, please send an e-mail to reslife@uwrf.edu.

What NOT to Bring

For your safety and safety of others and because of the physical limitations of our residence halls, we ask that you do not bring the following items (this list is not all inclusive).

• Refrigerator and Microwave (a Microfridge unit is provided by the Department of Residence Life in traditional student rooms)
• Halogen lights/Lamps
• Hotplates or open heating coil appliances such as Toasters, Toaster Ovens, Pizza Ovens, Quesadilla Makers, or George Forman type grills
• Items requiring open flames, such as Candles, Oil Lamps, and Incense
• Fireworks or any other Explosives
• Dangerous Weapons including, but not limited to: Guns (Airsoft, Pellet, and Paintball), Rifles, Bow and Arrows, Crossbows, Large Sporting or Hunting Knives, Swords or Spears
• Foam-backed Carpeting or Foam Pads for use under carpeting
• Pets (exceptions are harmless fish in 20 gallon aquariums, but no reptiles such as frogs, turtles, snakes)
• Waterbeds

A full list of policies and room decoration restrictions is available for your reference.

Provided Room Furnishings

“The rooms at UWRF provide plenty of space for living and studying comfortably for 2 residents. The furniture in the room provides an exceptional amount of space for storage and studying.” --Sean, UWRF Student

In addition to the variety of facilities and services provided in our residence halls, we also provide the following in every room on campus (extended housing spaces may vary).

• Micro Fridge Unit-Includes Refrigerator and Microwave in one unit.*
  
• Loftable Bed Unit-bed frame can be adjusted to loft at various heights and requires no additional rental pieces. Homemade or rented lofts are not permitted in the halls
  
• Mattress
• Desk and Desk Chair
• Dresser and/or wardrobe

*Prucha Hall rooms have a Mini-Fridge and residents may bring their own microwave.  South Forks Suites apartments include a full size refrigerator, microwave, bedroom furnishings (loftable bed, desk, desk chair, dresser and wardrobe) and living room furniture.

Students are not permitted to remove or store any of the provided room furnishings outside of their residence hall room. 

A full list of room dimensions is provided on the Room Design webpage.

Roommate Guide To Success

Sharing a residence hall room in college can be a very difficult transition for many students. If this is the first time you will be sharing a room no larger than 11 feet by 13 feet, it doesn't matter if the person you are sharing the room with is your current best friend or a complete stranger, you will have to take some intentional steps to ensure that this new relationship is a success.

View the "Roommate Agreement Worksheet" in the Residence Life Student Guide >>

Common Sense Tips to Living With Your Roommate

While some of these may seem basic or silly, trust us, we deal with many roommate issues each year and they often come down to some of the following issues:

• Be polite; ask to use their stuff even if they said you can earlier. Often in the beginning of the year students want to make a good impression, sometimes at the cost of what they are comfortable with, so make sure to check in again if you want to borrow something just to make sure your roommate is still comfortable with sharing that particular item.
• Realize that sleep is a valuable commodity in college and you will want all you can get…so will your roommate, don't wake them up if you can help it, regardless if it's the weekend or not.
• A smelly room is a room no one wants to visit, clean up after yourself and TAKE out the garbage when it's your turn.
• Communicate with your roommate in person, not over text message or instant messenger…face to face chats will help eliminate any misunderstandings that electronic communication can cause.
• No roommates get along all the time. When stuff starts getting tough, treat your roommate with respect, even if you don't agree. The mature way to handle the situation is to discuss the issues in a calm and understanding manner, there is no reason to be hurtful or unkind just to make your point.
• Talk to your roommate about guests on day one. This is often a source of conflict, how much time friends hang out in the room, how late others can be over visiting, how much time significant others can be in the room, and when it is ok to have overnight guests. After your initial discussion on the issue make sure that you are checking with your roommate if you have a situation that wasn't discussed, let your roommate know if you are having issues with guests in the room and re-evaluate your agreement as necessary. 
• If you broke it, ate it, or lost it, tell your roommate sooner than later…the longer you wait the harder it's going to be to come clean.

We cannot stress enough that focusing on communication, compromise and consideration of each other will create a strong beginning foundation and will help you avoid many pitfalls others experience throughout the year. Please know that if you do run into issues along the way there are Resident Assistants in your communities to help.