FAQ

Returning students select their housing in a selection process held in March or April of the preceding year. First-year student housing preference forms are due in June. Letters are sent to students via Denison email notifying them of their roommate’s name, phone number, and mailing address during the summer, by the first week of August.


We will be removing carpet as part of the ongoing Housing Master Plan. At present, our residence hall rooms with carpet are Taylor House, Preston, Moshier-Huchison, Morrow House, Kappa Sigma, Shepardson, East Hall, King Hall.

The University does offer limited housing during official break periods (Thanksgiving break, semester break and spring break). This is available to international students, athletes who are required to remain on campus due to their sport’s schedule, those with verified financial need, and to those students who are needed on campus for employment purposes.

Students must complete a break housing request form by the deadline to be considered for housing.

Yes! While a number of students bring their own computer, some students take advantage of the computer labs located on campus. There are computer labs located in several academic buildings. In addition, students often use the printing stations located in or near the Huffman Center or Curtis Community Center on the residential quads.

Adjusting to a new roommate is a process that involves time and effort. First, we encourage you to try to talk with your roommate about any issues or concerns. If this is unsuccessful, then please speak with contact your Community Advisor, Community Coordinator for assistance. Room changes are permitted only after all other options have been considered and a conversation between roommates has occurred.

Only students required to be on campus by the university may return before the scheduled arrival date. We must adhere to this guideline to facilitate the completion of scheduled renovation projects, summer housing transitions, and final preparation for students’ arrival.

Depending upon your needs, the answer to this question may vary. However, below is an itemized list of items that current students suggest you bring:

• Alarm clock
• Backpack
• Batteries
• Bedding (extra long sheets, blankets, comforters, mattress pad/cover, and pillow)
• Can opener
• Comfortable shoes and boots
• Clothing (seasonal items including winter coat and gloves)
• Desk lamp/study light
• Dishes (coffee mugs, drinking glasses, eating utensils, etc.)
• Electric fan
• Entertainment needs (Books, TV, DVD player, games, stereo/radio, sports equipment, bicycle, etc.)
• First aid kit
• Flashlight
• Formal and semi-formal attire (for special events)
• Hangers, drying rack, iron, laundry supplies
• Posters
• Refrigerators (no more than 4.0 cubic feet)
• Scissors
• Stacking crates, storage boxes
• Stamps/stationer
• Study aids/classroom supplies
• Surge protector or power strip with automatic shut-off; no extension cords, please
• Toiletries, including something to carry items to the showers
• Tool kit
• Towels and washcloths
• Umbrella and/or rain coat
• Trash can

Each residence hall has a laundry room for the residents of that specific hall. Laundry fees are included in room costs. Students need to supply their own ironing board and iron if needed.

Beds may be adjusted up or down within the frame, including to “raised height” or a full loft. Students may do this on their own with provided kits or may request help by contacting Physical Plant. Students may not build lofts in their rooms.

Housekeeping services are not provided for individual student rooms, suites, private baths, or suite baths. Students are responsible for cleaning and maintaining these areas. All public areas and public bathrooms are serviced Monday-Friday, with limited cleaning services provided on weekends. Students are responsible for emptying their room trash in the dumpsters adjacent to their residence hall.

Mattresses in the residence halls are 36x79.5 (twin XL size). These are longer than standard sized mattresses. Extra long single bed sheets can be obtained in most big box stores. Students are responsible for supplying their own bedding, including pillows.

All students are required to participate in a meal plan except those students who reside in certain residence halls that have apartments with kitchens. Students may your meal plan from a handful of options. A student may change their meal plan option during the first two weeks of each semester. Check out Dining Services for more information on meal plans!

All the residence halls are locked 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Students may always access their own residence hall. They may access other residence halls from 8AM through 12AM daily. After 12AM, the access doors will not permit entry to non-residents of the buildings. It is very important that students not allow persons whom they do not know to enter the residence halls.

Students are responsible for ensuring that their room doors are kept locked. It is important for roommates to discuss the importance of keeping their possessions safe by keeping the doors locked.

The Office of Campus Safety and Security has “safe walkers”. These are student employees of the University who are willing to provide a walking escort to any student at night. Simply call the operator to request a safe walk escort.

No animals are permitted within University facilities except for fish in an aquarium of a 10-gallon or smaller size, or service or Emotional Support Animals that receive advance written approval from the Academic Resource Center after completing the application the semester prior.

The University works with Grad Guard for tuition and personal property insurance. Questions regarding Grad Guard renters insurance can be directed to their customer service team at 1-866-985-7598. This includes information about starting a policy, canceling your policy, coverage information, billing, and more! You can also log into your Grad Guard account here. If you have questions regarding your specific policy, please have your policy number ready. Customerservice@gradguard.com is the preferred email address for written inquiries. The link to their FAQ page can be found here. Denison University Residential Communities and Housing staff are unable to answer questions regarding insurance products, but happy to connect you with the Grad Guard team.

Refrigerators are not provided in the rooms. Many students choose to buy their own refrigerators (the University does not sponsor or recommend a rental service). If students choose to buy a refrigerator, please be sure it’s no larger than 4.0 cubic feet. Often, this is an area where roommates might decide that one will bring a refrigerator while the other brings something else that could be used by both.

The best way to report a maintenance concern is to by submitting a work order via TopDesk in MyDenison. It is important that students are as detailed as possible when reporting maintenance issues. Critical items to include are: the location, specific problem, and a contact number and name.

Students may make requests, including environment type, room occupancy (number of roommates) and roommate. We attempt to honor requests when possible. It is important that students talk with one another prior to indicating a preference to live together. We are not able to honor requests when there are discrepancies in the housing preference. Roommate requests cannot be honored unless both roommates make the request. Space is limited in some buildings. We cannot honor all requests.

There are roughly one hundred single occupancy bed spaces on the Denison campus. There are very few singles in areas in which first year students are housed. Students hoping to obtain single rooms should indicate this desire on their housing preference form.

No, all residence halls are smoke-free.

Community Advisors (CAs) are students who have been employed by Residential Communities and Housing to work with students on the residence hall floors. CAs fulfill a variety of roles. They are charged with helping students to form strong communities on the floors; acting as a resource to students with personal and/or academically related problems; positively shaping community behavior and helping students build community.

Summer housing is available for a fee to students who are researching with faculty members or working for the University during the summer. The process for summer housing is completed during the spring semester (March). Space is limited and not guaranteed to those requesting housing after the summer application deadline.

There is a Greyhound bus station in downtown Columbus (approximately 30 miles). John Glenn Columbus International Airport is located on the east side of Columbus (approximately 25-30 minutes travel time). While there is no official University shuttle service available, students most frequently carpool, share a taxicab, or use Columbus Transportation (1-800-476-3004).

The Student Activities Office will offer limited Denison van shuttle service to and from the airport (CMH) during the Thanksgiving, Winter Holiday and Spring Break. Advance registration for these shuttles is required, a list of shuttle times is available in the Campus Services.

Since our residence halls are renovated or are utilized during the summer to house student employees, athletes, and summer conferences, it is not possible for students to see and/or measure the rooms. The University does not keep specific room dimensions.