Here's a list of parents' most Frequently Asked Questions. If you don't see the answer you're looking for, please contact us!
Students planning to live on campus during the 2012-2013 academic year may apply online beginning October 1. Students applying for Spring Semester only of the 2011-2012 academic year may also apply online beginning October 1.
Your student's TechID and PIN are used in combination to access services such as registration, financial aid, and their E-services account.
TechID
This is an 8-digit student identification number, which is printed on your student's MavCARD and is printed in the lower right corner of your student's acceptance letter. Your student can also find their TechID online.
PIN (Personal Identification Number)
If this is the first time your student is attempting to use their PIN, it has been preset to one of the following:
Students are required to change their PIN after their first successful log-in.
Page address: https://www.mnsu.edu/its/userid/reg/logininfo.html Your student can also find their PIN online.
If your student is having problems finding their TechID or PIN online, please have them call the Registration Help Center at 507-389-2252.
If you would like us to send your student a paper copy of the housing application to complete and send back, we'd be happy to! Just let us know: Fall/Spring housing. Spring only. Summer housing.
We have five Residence Communities for 2012-2013. Crawford and McElroy are four-level halls on the northern edge of campus, and have many renovated floors and choices. Julia Sears, on the west side of campus, opened in 2008 with semi-suite style housing on four co-ed floors. Preska, also on the north side of campus will open For Fall 2012. This building will have renovated (previously McElroy I Hall) and new semi-suite spaces. Learn more about housing options.
Residence hall rates vary, depending on the type of room your student lives in and the meal plan he or she chooses. Learn more about rates.
No, but about 85% of first-year students at Minnesota State Mankato typically do. Research shows that students who live on campus have higher grade point averages and are more likely to stay in school. The added mentoring and support, amenities and convenience of living on campus gives students significant advantages, so they can focus on their academic success and make the most of their university experience.
Learning Communities provide an opportunity for students to join a residential setting that supports their academic success and transition to college life and encourages students to involve themselves in the many opportunities we have to offer on campus! Communities are grouped by areas of academic interest or other specialized interest.
Learning Community students take some of their semester classes together and the students in each community live on the same residence hall floor, providing an excellent opportunity to connect with other first year students. Each Learning Community has their own Learning Community Coordinator (LCC) who is dedicated to the academic success of every member as they transition to college life at Minnesota State Mankato. The LCC assists each student in setting academic goals, develops study groups for the community, and plans service work, cultural appreciation, and other events. The Minnesota State University, Mankato Learning Communities Program is managed by the Office of First Year Experience. McElroy Residence Community is typically where students in Learning Communities are housed. Learn more, and enroll online in a Learning Community.
The list of what a student should bring is different for every student. Minimally, your student should bring bedding for an extra-long twin bed, towels and other shower necessities, and clothing for the current season. While our rooms are comfortably furnished, most students choose to enhance their rooms by adding their own personal touch. More ideas about what to bring.
No carbon monoxide is generated by our heating system, which is located in a separate building from the residence halls. Combustibles, small engines, and other items that would emit carbon monoxide are prohibited from the residence halls.
We make every possible effort to honor your student’s roommate preferences utilizing the information they provide on the Room Preferences Survey. If two people would like to room together, both parties must write each other's name and TechID on the form provided. It is helpful if requests for both residence community and room type match. If they do not, it is possible that neither request can be granted. Roommate requests should be submitted by the date designated on the Room Preferences Survey. We attempt to assign smokers only with other residents who smoke; when space is limited, however, exceptions must sometimes be made.
The roommate agreement is a helpful resource in creating a positive roommate relationship. It is a tool, a conversation starter, rather than a binding agreement. It may help to think of it as a flexible "work in progress" that develops along with the roommate relationship. Students will receive the roommate agreement form from their CA at the first floor meeting, and it can be downloaded here (68K PDF).
CAs, Hall Directors, and Area Directors are all resources that can help students further navigate their roommate relationship.
During the summer, before the academic year begins
Your student may request a change in his/her room assignment by completing a room change request form. They should submit their form to the Department of Residential Life by fax, mail, or in person. Your student and a friend may also use this form to request to be moved to an available room so that they may be roommates. Room change requests will be considered until August 15.
If we are not able to accommodate their request by this date, they will have the opportunity to change rooms during Room Change Days. If your student's room assignment or roommate changes, we will notify them by mail. Your student can also check their room assignment online anytime.
Downloadable Room Change Request Form (PDF)
During the Academic Year
Residents may change rooms after the tenth day of classes each semester, with Residential Life approval. Residents are first allowed to change rooms during Room Change Days. During Room Change Days, room changes are processed in the Residential Life Office. After Room Change Days, residents who wish to change rooms or residence halls should pick up a room change request form at any front desk. This includes moving from one room to another within the same suite in Julia Sears.
Students can request a meal plan change through the second week of class each semester by filing a downloadable form, filling out a form in our office, or filing an electronic change request. After this date, change requests will take effect the following semester.
Complete details on meal plan options, flex dollars, and other dining information can be found here.
We recognize that some students will remain in Mankato for the entire academic year. Consequently, all of the residence communities remain open during Thanksgiving, winter, and spring breaks. Housing is also available for students attending summer session classes. A fee is charged for the winter break period, summer session, and summer interim housing. The dining halls are closed during academic breaks and summer. Break housing in students' current rooms is available only during the regular academic year. Students may be required to move to another room or residence hall for the summer months.
The Department of Residential Life is one of the largest employers of students on campus. The leadership opportunities we provide through our Student Staff positions go beyond just a convenient way to earn a paycheck, by giving students experiences that help lay the groundwork for career and for life. We employ students in a variety of part-time positions during the academic year and summer terms including Community Advisors, Maverick Mentors, Desk Managers, Administrative Assistants, Office Assistants, Desk Workers, Overnight Safety Monitors, Painters, and Conference Assistants.
Student staff opportunities are updated here as they become available. Student employment opportunities in Residential Life and campus-wide are listed on mavjobs.com.
A number of security measures are taken to assist residents in maintaining a secure residence hall environment. All student room doors have peepholes, so residents can see who is at their door before opening it. Bathrooms are locked, so that only residents of that floor can gain entry. Guests who are not residents of the residence community they are visiting must be escorted by their host resident from 10:30 p.m. until 9:00 a.m. In addition, each residence community is staffed by Overnight Safety Monitors from 11:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. The Overnight Safety Monitors lock all outside access doors to each of the residence communities and monitor doors during the nighttime hours. MavCARDs provide entry to Crawford and McElroy for residents of Crawford and McElroy, to Preska for residents of Preska and to Julia Sears for residents of Julia Sears. Security programs and access hours are subject to change.
If you have specific questions, you are encouraged to contact either the Area Director of the Community where your student lives or the Residential Life Office.
Area Directors:
Crawford - Nicole Faust 507-389-6090 nicole.faust@mnsu.edu
Gage - Kenney White 507-389-1023 kenneth.white@mnsu.edu
Julia Sears - Matt Burns 507-389-5633 matthew.burns@mnsu.edu
McElroy - Jamie Van Boxel 507-389-6893 jamie.vanboxel@mnsu.edu
Residential Life Office - 507-389-1011 reslife@mnsu.edu
We recommend contacting your student's Area Director to share your concern.
We recommend talking directly with your student first. If you have further concerns, please contact the student's Area Director or the Residential Life Office. We will listen to your concerns and can provide some general information. We can talk more specifically if we receive permission to do so from your student.
Parent concerns sometimes center on the use of alcohol or other substances. The University's policy on alcohol and drug use, along with helpful tips, municipal laws and regulations, and other resources, can be found here.
The Department of Residential Life bears responsibility for the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against a student living in a University residence hall for:
1. Alleged violation of University and/or residence hall policy, which may not result in suspension or expulsion from the University.
2. Alleged violation of the Residence Hall Contract.
3. Incidents of alleged misbehavior occurring in the dining hall.
Community Advisors and all other staff members must address every violation of which they become aware. Residents may also be referred to the Director of Student Conduct for disciplinary action.
Complete details of the Student Conduct Code, rights and responsibilities, procedures and sanctions can be found in the Residence Hall Student Guide, available here.
Address all mail using the student's name as listed in the University directory and a complete address using the proper format, room number, and street address.
Address formats for each residence hall, including their unique street numbers and zip codes, are available here.
For parcels, the student should contact the shipper using appropriate tracking or insurance numbers. Address all mail using the student's name as listed in the University directory. This is particularly important when mailing items purchased from another vendor, such as an online merchant. Do not use parents' or others' names in the "Ship To" field on such parcels. Please refer to the address information above for specifics on how to address packages to student residents.
Free one-day Yellow “Guest” parking permits are available from the front desk of each residence community. These permits are good for 24 hours from the time received, and are only for guests of Minnesota State Mankato residents and not for University students themselves.
From 6:00 p.m. Sunday to noon Thursday, Yellow permit holders may park only in designated Guest stalls in the specified lots adjacent to the residence halls. From noon Thursday to 6:00 p.m. Sunday, Yellow permit holders may park in designated Guest stalls or in any stall in the specified lots adjacent to residence halls.
Questions about guest parking should be directed to residence hall front desks or to University Security, 507-389-2111.
A variety of parking-related maps and driving directions to the campus can be found here.
All mattresses provided in the residence halls are 80" x 36" (203cm x 91cm). These mattresses require extra long twin sheets, available at many retail locations.
Students must provide their own bedding, pillows, towels, and other personal items. Residence Hall Linens, a Residence Hall Association fundraiser, provides an opportunity to purchase the hard to find extra-long linens needed to fit specially-sized residence hall beds. Through this easy and affordable program, students can have linens and accessories shipped directly to their homes over the summer. More information on the Residence Hall Linens program can be found here.
Students may submit an online maintenance request here. Students experiencing any difficulties with this reporting procedure should contact their front desk for assistance. If a requested repair is not addressed within seven days, students should contact their Area Director.
To get connected to the wired Internet in residence hall rooms, students will need:
1. A computer with an Ethernet adapter or card.
2. An Ethernet cable (Cat 5 10/100Base-T cable with RJ-45 connectors) in order to connect their computer to the network port in their room.
To access the Internet through wireless connection in the public areas in each residence community; rooms in Crawford, McElroy, Julia Sears and Preska Residence Communities; On-Campus Apartments, and elsewhere on campus; they should bring a computer (laptop) that has a wireless Ethernet adapter or card.
Check current University-recommended standards for PC and Mac desktops and laptops.
ResTech Services provides expert help at no charge for students living on campus who have computer issues. Students may bring their computers, by appointment, to the ResTech facilities located in Carkoski Commons. More details and a link for students to set up an appointment can be found here.
