Housing Styles                                                                      

(Our housing styles have style!)

Breakdown by Housing Type:  If you know which type of housing you want for next year (i.e., a 4-person suite or a 6-person suite), this table will show you all of the available residence halls featuring this type of housing. 

Breakdown by Residence Hall:  Are you curious about which residence halls are suite-style buildings?  Or about whether or not Nassau Hall offers 4-person, 5-person, 6-person, or 8-person suites?  This type of information, ordered by residence hall, has been compiled for you here.

Corridor-style Rooms:  Corridor-style housing features a series of double rooms which open into a main hallway, or corridor.  Many students who live in corridor-style residence halls discover that it is easier to meet other people in this type of housing.  The bedrooms in corridor-style residence halls are typically larger than those in suite-style halls.  In corridor-style halls, you will be sharing a bathroom with up to 20 other students; these bathrooms are designed to accommodate this many students, as they are equipped with multiple sinks, showers, and stalls.  Our corridor-style residence halls are Jones, Livingston, Monroe, Steuben, Niagara, and Onondaga Halls, as well as Dante House (Wayne Hall). 

Eco-Housing (new in Fall 2010):  Are you passionate about sustainable living?  Or perhaps you're interested in learning about how sustainability relates to social justice and global change?  If so, the Eco-House, a new student-initiated housing opportunity, might appeal to you.  The Eco-House will be established in Putnam Hall and will be available to students of all class years.  Since space in Eco-House/Putnam Hall will be limited, those interested in this housing option must complete an application, which will be available on our Forms and Applications web site as of February 8.  A detailed vision of Eco-House, authored by current Geneseo student Hallie Miller, is provided below.  You are also welcome to join the Eco-House Facebook group.   

Description of Eco-House:  “The general idea for a Geneseo Eco-House is to utilize an already existing building as is and creating a community within it dedicated to living sustainably.  The students who live in this building would be responsible for creating their own rules, guidelines, and activities within the House, but would commit to creating and upholding these rules before they begin living there.  Hopefully, the Eco-House can provide Geneseo with some sort of model or a “think tank” of how to live sustainably on campus.  Some of the ideas the Eco-House generates may be useful in helping the college save energy or conserve resources.  The House’s main focuses should be on sustainability, education, and environmental awareness.” 

First-Year Housing:  Most of our residence halls welcome students of all class years, but Jones and Onondaga Halls as well as Dante House are reserved exclusively for first-year students.  If you are an incoming first-year student wanting to live around other students who are experiencing the same transition to College life, you might consider requesting to live in Jones or Onondaga Halls (marked as “First-Year Housing” on the Residential License Agreement survey) or completing an application to live in Dante House (Wayne Hall).  To learn additional information about Dante House, feel free to visit the Dante House web page.

Foreign Language Housing:  Co-sponsored by the Office of Residence Life and the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, La Maison Francaise and La Residencia Hispana are shared interest housing residences located in Ontario Hall.  La Maison (French House) and La Residencia (Spanish House) will offer you a language immersion experience.  Residents of La Maison and La Residencia frequently converse in French and/or Spanish even in their residence hall setting. 

Gender-Neutral Housing:  During the 2009 – 2010 year, we piloted a gender-neutral housing option in Genesee Hall.  Due to positive feedback from students living in this environment, we are pleased to offer gender-neutral housing again next year.  Gender-neutral housing has two primary purposes:  1. to accommodate students whose gender identity might not fit traditional societal labels, including transgender students; and 2. to provide a space for friends to share living quarters regardless of gender. 

Gender-neutral housing has actually been available at Geneseo since the Saratoga Terrace townhouses opened in the Fall of 2001.  Next year’s suite gender-neutral option will again be available in Genesee Hall, where suites will be designated as gender-neutral in accordance with student demand.  We respectfully request that all students who wish to live together in a gender-neutral suite complete a brief online application as a group, which will be available on our Forms and Applications web site as of February 8.

The Residence Director of Genesee Hall will work directly with all members of suite groups when spaces become available in their suite, respecting the intentions of the suite group.  Suite groups who prefer conventional “same-sex” roommates are also welcome in Genesee Hall, with the understanding that they will be living in a residence hall where other suite arrangements are possible. 

If you are interested in gender-neutral housing for next year, we suggest that you discuss this opportunity with your parents or guardians before selecting your room in April.  Our Dean of Residential Living will be happy to meet with any questions who have particular questions about gender-neutral housing. 

International Student Housing:  If you are an international student or if you have academic commitments to the College which require you to remain on campus during vacations, you should consider living in either Wyoming or Steuben Halls.  These residence halls, along with the Saratoga Terrace townhouses, will be open for all College vacations, except during the summers.  Dante House (Wayne Hall) also welcomes first-year international students. 

Residential College Houses:  Residential College Houses are distinctive and creative communities in which residents develop their own collective expectations and goals each year.  Each Residential College House has one or more Faculty Fellows who work with students in the community, planning programs, dinners, and service projects.  Students invited to live in Residential College housing will be encouraged to participate in the House’s unique culture and to support the community’s expectations and goals.  Our Residential College Houses are Writers House in Seneca Hall and Dante House in Wayne Hall.  Detailed information about Dante House and Writers House is available on the Dante House and Writers House web pages. 

Saratoga Terrace Townhouses:  The townhouses are designed to provide an on-campus alternative to off-campus living.  Although Saratoga Terrace RAs are happy to assist students with any problems which might arise, those who live in the townhouses are expected to be independent.  Each townhouse features a single bedroom for all housemates, 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen, a living room area, and storage space.  Unlike the living rooms in suite-style residence halls, the common areas in townhouses are furnished with 2 chairs, 1 sofa, 1 end table, and 1 coffee table, as well as another kitchen table with chairs for community meals.  Townhouses are available in 4- or 5-person units; several of the 5-person townhouses are wheelchair-accessible. 

Since townhouse living demands a considerable degree of autonomy, first-year students are not typically permitted to live in townhouses.  Most students who reside in townhouses are Juniors and Seniors, though current first-year students are welcome to submit an application to live in a townhouse during their Sophomore year. 

Substance-Free Housing:  As much as drug use and underage drinking are discouraged and are blatant violations of Geneseo policy, some students still choose to partake in illicit drugs and alcohol.  If you espouse a substance-free lifestyle (i.e., if you choose not to drink, smoke cigarettes, or use drugs) and wish to live around other students who also support this lifestyle choice, substance-free housing might be ideal for you.  Any returning students interested in this option should select a room in Livingston Hall’s B-section, while incoming first-year students identifying as substance-free will be placed in either Livingston Hall or Jones Hall.  

Suite-style Rooms:  Suite-style housing offers you the option to share an intimate living environment with a small number of other students.  Suite-style residence halls are popular amongst upperclass students who already know each other and wish to live together as friends, though first-year students can also request to live in suites.  A suite is comprised of 2, 3, or 4 bedrooms which open into a shared common space or living room area.  Each suite is also equipped with a bathroom.  Suite common areas are unfurnished, but you may choose to supply your own furniture (e.g., futons, chairs, T.V. stand), provided that it complies with the Residential License.  Our suite-style residence halls are Suffolk, Nassau, Allegany, Wyoming, Putnam, Erie, Genesee, and Ontario Halls, as well as Writers House (Seneca Hall).