Housing Orientation – Residence Halls

Each room has a mailbox that roommates share. It opens with your room key or a combination. Mail is distributed by 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Outgoing mail can be dropped off at the front desk. Package notifications are sent to your WMU student account. Bring your student ID to the front desk or the hall office to get the package. Your mailing address is a combination of your building name and street address. “Western Michigan University” should not be in the address.

Laundry is free! A laundry room with large-capacity washers and dryers is in each building. High Efficiency detergent (HE) is preferred. There's even a laundry app to track your laundry and get notices when it is done.

Our number one question is about linens, so pack twin extra-long sheets.

Here are some helpful links:

• Printable packing list
• What not to bring
• Wi-Fi compatibility – devices that do not work with our system
• Vendor items – order online and have delivered to your room before you arrive
  • Rug
  • Futon
  • EcoMax refrigerator (refrigerator-freezer-microwave combo unit) 

Click here for what comes in each building and notes about furniture. We are unable to provide dimensions of all furniture items in our housing system. The most common question we get is about lofts, so we can share: 

• Loft kits are provided 1/bed in all halls but Ackley/Shilling. Ackley/Shilling residents enter a lottery to request a loft kit.
• Lofts can be set to any height between 18 inches from the floor to greater than 5 feet in the adjustable track. 
• Standard futons that are 80 inches or less in width fit under the lofts.

Each building has a hall office open weekdays and a front desk open limited hours when the office is closed. From either you can check out gaming equipment, cleaning supplies like vacuums and brooms, kitchen equipment or games. Mail comes to the front desk, and you pick up packages there. The professional staff who run the hall work out of the hall office. Click here to read more about Internet, custodial, maintenance, recycling and pest control.

Housing staff are here to help when you need us. The person you will interact with the most is the Resident Assistant, or RA. RAs are upper-level students who have skills in connecting with others, listening to concerns, and knowledge of campus services. They create a floor community through hall activities, assisting students with personal and academic concerns, and helping in emergency situations. RAs are the first person to go to for questions, guidance and involvement in hall activities.

Buildings are supervised by a team lead by a full-time professional hall director who lives in the hall. Building leadership is responsible for creating a learning environment by working with students and hall staff, managing the facilities, and supporting students with crisis intervention, academic support and student engagement opportunities.

Living with a roommate is a great way to share your college experience with someone. Whether you're living with a friend or meeting someone new, we have tools to help have a successful roommate experience. They include things to think about before moving in, doing a roommate agreement once you're here, and staff who are great sounding boards and problem solvers.

If you are still looking for a roommate, you can use the Roommate Finder or read roommate profiles when you pick your room. If you click on already occupied beds, the student's responses about living habits, social habits, interests and their academic college shows.

If you have a roommate and neither of you have selected a room, you should create a Roommate Group in the housing portal. That links you together so when one person chooses a room, both are placed there.

Absolutely! Log in to the Housing Portal to begin. Those who sign up in June, July or August will receive directions within three weeks on how to choose your room and meal plan. All emails are sent to your WMU email account. Some housing options may be full the later we get into summer.

Fall room selection will begin the first week in June. An email with directions and your assigned sign up time will be sent to your WMU account on May 29. After choosing your hall and room, you will be promoted to choose your meal plan. If you have a roommate, Roommate Groups need to be completed before selecting a room.

Spring room selection is in December. Details will be sent to your WMU email account. Students who submit a contract after the University closes for winter holidays will be assigned a room.

From building doors locked 24 hours to staff living on each floor, safety is a priority for Housing. Click here to see what campus and housing do, as well as our expectations of students.

Your hall will have something happening almost every night the first few weeks you are here. Join in to meet people. We recommend leaving your door open when you are home. It lets people know you are home and to stop in to say hi. Explore what amenities are in your hall such as the game room, TV room, kitchen, study spaces and social lounges.

You can bring a car, even as a new student. Your parking permit will be for a lot located near your residence hall. There are free shuttle buses on campus through Bronco Transit, and the Kalamazoo Metro public transportation is free for students. For more information about parking regulations and permits, visit Parking Services.

Contact us at WMU-housing@wmich.edu or (269) 387-4735. Our office is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST.