BSC College Catalog
Birmingham-Southern College Catalog

LIVING ACCOMMODATIONS


Residence Halls

The residence halls at Birmingham Southern are student oriented activity centers that offer opportunities to build lasting friendships and to become involved in a variety of activities that will broaden and supplement the total educational experience. The Residence Life staff stands ready and willing to assist students in making their living experience both enjoyable and rewarding.

Birmingham Southern is fortunate to have a complex of seven air conditioned residence halls. Students are assigned to a particular hall according to the dates of their confirmation to enroll and the visitation option they choose. Each hall is staffed by a House Director and a House Advisor who are responsible for the general supervision and management of the assigned residence hall. In addition, a Resident Advisor lives with the residents on each floor. Resident Advisors are student staff members selected on the basis of their skills, interests, and activities that enable them to assist and advise their residents in obtaining the most from their residence hall experience. Maintenance staff regularly clean the common areas in all of the residence halls; students are expected to maintain their individual rooms. In addition, there are coin-free laundry facilities and vending machines for snacks in each hall. Birmingham-Southern College's residence halls are smoke-free environments.

While living in a residence hall, students are in a contractual agreement with the College. Students are given a copy of the Student Handbook upon arrival on campus. This handbook contains all regulations pertaining to residence hall living. Students are expected to maintain the standards of behavior expected by the College in exchange for the privilege of living in college facilities.

The visitation program at Birmingham-Southern College promotes a sense of personal and social responsibility within the student. Students, with the consent and advice of their parents, are allowed to select an option that will ensure them as much privacy as possible without restricting the enriching social experiences that are such an important element of college life.

All unmarried students who are less than twenty-one years of age are required to reside in campus housing facilities except those students who reside with parents or close relatives in the greater Birmingham area; those students who, in the judgment of the College, have off-campus responsibilities or special circumstances; and those students who are in their junior or senior year.

Residence Hall Assignments

Those desiring residence hall assignments should make a request in the space provided on the application for admission. Once an applicant who desires to live in a residence hall has been offered admission, he or she should send a room reservation fee of $100 to the Office of Admission. This fee is non-refundable in the event the applicant does not attend the College. Assignments are made according to the date the completed form and reservation fee are received.

The room reservation fee of $100 will be applied as a damage/room reservation deposit at the time of enrollment. This fee is refundable, less any damage charges, when the room is vacated, if the student follows the proper check out procedures. The deposit is also used as a reservation fee for residence hall occupancy during the years a student requests College housing.

In keeping with College policy, residence hall assignments are made without discrimination by reason of race, religion, color, national origin, or handicap.

Roommate Assignment

Every effort is made to honor hall and roommate preferences. Residence hall space is allocated as room reservations are received, and specific roommates must request each other on their applications to be assigned together. New students for the fall term will be notified in July of their hall and roommate assignment. The College reserves the right to change a room assignment whenever the change is deemed advisable. An offer of admission does not carry with it a guarantee of space in a College residence hall.

Room Furnishings

The College furnishes beds, desks, wardrobe unit or closet, chests of drawers, chairs, and venetian blinds in each room. Sheets, pillows, pillow cases, blankets, towels, bedspreads, and other decorative items are furnished by the student. The College assumes no responsibility for the personal property of students, although reasonable care is used to safeguard it. Students are responsible for their own laundry, and laundry rooms are available.

Opening and Closing of Residence Halls

College residences are open for occupancy on the dates given in the academic calendar printed in this catalog. The residence halls are closed when classes are not in session.

Physical Fitness and Recreation

The Department of Physical Fitness and Recreation offers a variety of activities and programs to the students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the College. Intramural sports, aerobic and fitness activities, and various other programs are coordinated through this Department.

The Department of Physical Fitness and Recreation is located in the Larry D. Striplin, Jr., Physical Fitness and Recreation Center. The department utilizes the facilities that are housed within the Center, which include an indoor swimming pool, two racquetball courts, a multipurpose gymnasium area, an indoor running track, a weight and cardiovascular workout room, an aerobics/martial arts studio, and a recreation room with pool tables, table tennis tables, and a foosball table. Showers and lockers are also available for use.

Counseling and Health Services

Health Services focuses on all health related concerns. The Office provides on campus evaluation and treatment for minor illnesses and injuries. Major illnesses or emergencies are referred off campus to the hospital or doctor of choice. Services provided include allergy injections, nutrition consultations, health promotion, health problem management, and health education. Individuals and groups are encouraged to access information or treatment by calling to make an appointment or by walking into the clinic. All visits and records are strictly confidential.

The Counseling and Health Services Office, located in Norton Campus Center, provides counseling and related services to the Birmingham-Southern community. The Center offers individual and group counseling, focusing on personal and/or career issues. Individual sessions are available by appointment and may address such issues as academics and adjustment to college life, study skills, career development, decision making, as well as any other personal concerns you may have. Counseling provides individuals opportunities to explore their concerns in a non-judgmental and confidential atmosphere.

Other continuous services provided by the Center include assessment and evaluation, résumé referral, job listings, campus interviews, and various groups and workshops on college-related topics. Additionally, counselors can present seminars to campus groups in their various meeting places. A complete list of current seminars may be obtained by calling the Counseling and Health Services.

Campus Safety

Birmingham Southern College employs its own campus police department with the responsibility of keeping everyone safe and sound. The Birmingham-Souther College Campus Police patrol on foot, mountain bike, and in patrol vehicles. They are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Additional security measures include assistance phones located at the entrances of the residence halls, and at strategic locations on campus. Residence halls are secured by use of combination door locks. Students can contact the Campus Police for vehicular assistance (battery jumps, keys locked in vehicles, etc.) or to unlock rooms after hours


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