Residential Life at binghamton
Our Residential Life program is based on two principles:
1. Provide a small college atmosphere within the larger university:
We have 24 halls and 2 apartment complexes divided into 6 communities. Each traditional community has 4-6 residence halls housing 180-350 residents witha suite or corridor layout, a dining center, and recreational space, including: computer pods, basketball & volleyball courts, recreation fields, and lounge space.
A full-time live-in professional Resident Director (RD) manages each traditional building. An RD's main focus is to provide a living environment conducive to learning. They accomplish this by managing the facilities, supervising student staff, and developing mentor relationship with their residents. Each floor has at least one Resident Assistant (RA) to help develop community and assist with issues that arise.
In all, we have 26 live-in professionals and 198 RAs on staff, resulting in a 1:32 staff/student ratio. Our small buildings and large staffs ensure that we get to know our residents and can offer them personal attention.
2. Provide residents with a rich living-learning environment:
Our goal is to provide our students with learning opportunities in all aspects of their on-campus experiences. Whether through their daily interactions in the halls, government involvement, or attending programs, residents learn about diversity, communication skills and how to be productive community members.
A Faculty Master works as a member of the staff in each community outside of the classroom. The Faculty Master encourages faculty and staff from the University to be active in the residential communities through the Faculty Fellows program. Additionally, they work with the RAs in their programming efforts.
While all of our residential options offer a living-learning environment, three of our halls offer Learning Communities. The Learning Communities offer an intensive living-learning experience that allows students and faculty to have more intentional interaction through a clearly established link between what they are learning in and out of the classroom. The students live and take classes together, providing a more seamless marriage of in-class and out-of-class discussions.
