It’s that time of the year when the housing office is flooded with calls about furniture and futons, and dimensions and decorations. Here are some helpful resources as your student plans their move to campus: 

Room plans 

Once your student knows their building and room number, they can view their specific floor plan on the housing website. These are as accurate as we can make them, but measurements may vary from room to room—especially in older buildings.  

Floor plans 

Floor plans show where a room is in the context of the larger building. Students can view floor plans by logging into The Dawg House and using the drop-down menu on the left. 

Hanging things on the wall 

Students can either use thumbtacks or poster mounts/Command Strips on their walls—depending on the building. For information specific to your student’s room, check the online Community Guide. Nails and screws are not permitted in any building. 

What to bring 

We’ve compiled a list for you: What to Bring. The online Community Guide has specifics related to appliances and other items not permitted in University Housing. Here are some highlights: 

Permitted:

• Extension cords may be used under the following conditions: 
  • Only one extension cord is permitted to connect an appliance with an electrical outlet. Extension cords may not be connected in a series 
  • Only properly grounded extension cords may be used with appliances that require grounding 
  • Surge protectors must be UL listed 
  • Multiple outlet adapter strips with built-in circuit breakers should be used when the desired number of outlets exceeds the available number of outlets in student rooms or apartments 
• Resident-owned refrigerators are allowed in residence hall rooms and apartments provided they do not exceed the following electrical requirements: 
• They operate at 118 volts (plus or minus 5 percent), 60 Hz and do not draw more than 1.5 amps or 180 watts of power 
• Other appliances such as radios, stereos, desk lamps, computers, televisions and electric blankets are permitted, provided the total power requirements do not overload the room’s electrical system 
• Irons may only be used with ironing boards 
• Microwaves (not to exceed 1 cubic foot and 700 watts) 

Not Permitted: 

• Electrical appliances with an exposed heating element 
• Resident-owned air conditioners 
• Resident-owned space heaters 
• Outside antennas and satellite dishes 
• Resident-owned humidifiers, essential oil diffusers and plug-in air fresheners 
• Use of halogen light bulbs due to the danger of fire associated with these types of bulbs 
• Resident-owed internet routers 
• Essential oil diffusers 
• Contact paper (removeable wallpaper is permitted) 

The following appliances may be used in apartment kitchens only:  

• Hot pots and crock pots 
• Toasters and toaster ovens 

For more complete information, please reference the online Community Guide.