Housing FAQ’s

I’m hearing a lot about Residential Education Coordinators … who are they?

Residential Education Coordinators (RECs) are professional staff members who are the leaders of your halls. RECs all have their master’s degrees or significant experience in on-campus housing. The REC offices are located within the halls and one of them always carries an on-call phone, which is available for you to call 24/7 in the event of an emergency. In addition to working in your buildings, the RECs live with their families within the buildings, too, so they are available after hours as needed.

And what about Peer Assistants? Are they like RAs?

Yes, NWU Peer Assistants (PA) are very similar to “RAs” at other schools. They are trained returning students who live in your building to help you with your transition to college. They will facilitate introductions, plan programs and events, be available to answer your questions and also ensure that residents are safe and connecting. Your PA is very important—make sure to get to know them!

Can I smoke or vape in the halls?

Nope. NWU’s residence halls are smoke free. We ask all students to keep a distance of 20 feet or more when smoking outside of our buildings.

Can I stay in the halls over breaks?

Yes, with a little paperwork if you live in the traditional-style halls or the Heim/White Suites. All students who require housing over the winter or spring breaks need to fill out a housing contract by the assigned deadline. The information for these contracts are typically emailed to residents three to four weeks before the deadline. If a student is required by NWU to stay on campus for the break there will be no cost to the student as long as they complete the contract on time. All other students will be charged a modest nightly fee to remain.

Students who live in the townhouses or apartments have 10-month contracts and can remain over breaks with no additional paperwork or cost.

What safety features do the halls have?

We use many different safety features. All students are assigned a key that is coded in a way that doesn’t identify the room, building or organization it belongs to. Each residential student is assigned a fob that allows them entrance into their residence hall amongst other things—eating in the dining hall, checking out library books, etc. If you lose your fob, contact Residential Education right away as we can have it shut off and a new one assigned to you in a matter of minutes. All of our exterior doors on the residence halls are locked 24/7 and we utilize safety screens on ground-level windows. Residential Education staff complete nightly building rounds and our professional Residential Education Coordinator team have a 24/7 on-call rotation.

Can I come see my room before moving in?

We know you’re so excited, but no, we will not be providing tours of residential spaces over the summer. However, check out our social media pages for various photos, videos and information about rooms this summer and review our room measurements and information in the Housing section of the website.

I’m an incoming new NWU student and I didn’t get assigned to the building/room that I really wanted to live in. I’m sad!

We’re sorry to hear that you’re disappointed! When we place first-year students, we place via deposit date and some buildings and floors fill very quickly. Rest assured that your experience in housing is entirely dependent on what you make of it—the building or room has very little significance if any.

I’m an incoming first year student. Should I rent a loft? How about a microchill?

It’s completely up to you. If you can’t decide, or you want to see how you use your room first, you can rent either of these items at any time throughout the year. Remember, you can only have one microchill or minifridge in your room and if you live in Johnson or Pioneer, no loft is needed.

Students who live in the Heim/White Suites, Townhouse Village or on-campus apartments are not allowed to bring their own fridge or rent a microchill, as they already have a fridge provided in their units.

Are my room items covered by NWU’s insurance?

Your personal belongings are not covered under any Nebraska Wesleyan University insurance policy. We encourage you to check and see if your parent or guardian’s homeowners’ policy will cover your belongings. If not, check into purchasing renters’ insurance. One company you may purchase through is NSSI at nssi.com.

Can I bring my pet with me?

The only animals allowed in our buildings are fish that are in tanks that are 10 gallons or smaller and Emotional Support Animals that have been approved by our Coordinator for Services for Students with Disabilities. Most of our Residential Education Coordinators’ families have a pet that lives in their apartments. You might see them outside playing or going for walks but you won’t see them out and about in the building.

I heard that NWU is “alcohol tolerant”. What does that mean?

You are correct—we are. What that means is that residents who are 21, and whose roommates are also all 21, can have beer and wine in their residence rooms after being approved to do so. While alcohol is present, no minors may be present and there can never be more than double occupancy in the room. If you’re not 21 or haven’t been approved to be alcohol tolerant, you are not allowed to possess, consume or be in the presence of alcohol on our campus.