Residential Life

What is Residential Life?

The Office of Residential Life is responsible for the administration of and student life in the residence halls on campus at Mount Holyoke.  The 6 professional staff in the Office of Residential Life are responsible for hiring, training and supervising more than 90 student leaders (CAs and SCAs) who live in the halls and serve as mentors and resources for the students there.  There is a Community Advisor (CA) on almost every floor and a Senior Community Advisor (SCA) in every building or pair of buildings.  Residential Life is also responsible for building community in the residence halls through programming and maintaining community standards by addressing policy violations in the halls through restorative practices and the disciplinary process.  All roommate conflicts, room changes, room assignments and room lottery processes are through the Residential Life office as well.

Residential Life is many things, but it is not Facilities Management.  Residential Life does not do any of the physical work of maintaining a residence hall such as housekeeping or maintenance.  Although we often help students by advocating for them and helping them navigate other offices, if a student is struggling with a maintenance or housekeeping issue, they must contact Facilities Management directly.  We are here to help students build, maintain and enjoy vibrant hall communities in their residence halls.

Our Purpose

To partner with Mount Holyoke College students in creating and engaging in inclusive, compassionate and authentic communities.

Our Approach

The Office of Residential Life supports the academic mission of the College by providing a residential environment for learning that respects and appreciates individual differences and promotes a sense of community. The office is dedicated to challenging and supporting students as they progress through their college years. Residential Life staff in each hall fosters leadership, promotes understanding of diverse backgrounds and lifestyles, encourages cooperative decision-making and supports activities that allow students to uncover and broaden their interests. Each student's development is facilitated through the empowerment to solve problems, engage in and be active within a residential community.

• Conversation: We strive to work with students to engage in conversation and dialogue when dealing with conflict and the challenges they might encounter in their residential experiences.
• Equity: Our policies and procedures are applied uniformly and fairly with respect for unique student needs.
• Respect: Our Office is respectful, supportive and helpful to students as they navigate through their residential experience, even when the answer they receive is disappointing.
• Learning: We support the academic mission of the college through our policies and procedures. We teach life skills and create an environment for personal growth and development.
• Understanding: Our mission, philosophy, policies, and procedures are expressly communicated to student, staff, and faculty. We link the process to the learning.