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Returning Resident Frequently Asked Questions 2015-‐16 Q A Does everyone have to complete a Notice of Intent? Yes. All residents of University Housing should inform us regarding their plans for the upcoming year by logging into My UW Housing. Notice of Intent opens on October 15th, 2014. We ask that you complete your Notice of Intent as soon as you know your housing plans for next year. If you have any questions, please contact the Assignment Office ([email protected]). Rooms Q What do I do if I want to return to the same room for next academic year? A When completing the Notice of Intent, indicate that you are interested in returning to the same room. If you want to return to the same room, you will also need to submit your contract and $300 deposit by October 27th, 2014. If you do not contract by this date, your room will be available for other students to select. Q I love my building! I just want a different room within that building. What do I do? A Simply submit your Notice of Intent; then beginning on November 12th, 2014 you will be able to browse available rooms online via My UW Housing. Find the new room of your choice within that hall, sign your contract, pay your $300 deposit and you’re all set! Q I am only interested in a single room for next year, and currently live in a double. What should I do? A Submit your Notice of Intent stating that you would like to return to the residence halls. The Notice of Intent does not obligate you to a contract but will allow you to access the online room selection process and browse available room options beginning November 12th, 2014. At this time you would be able to search for a single room in the University Residence Halls. If you see a space that interests you, select the room, then proceed to sign your housing contract. Once you sign your contract and submit your $300 deposit the single room is yours! Q Can I select a room in a Learning/Themed Community as a non-‐freshman student? A Absolutely! Returning residents are welcome to join any of our learning communities and the following have programs especially geared towards upper-‐class residents: o BioHouse Learning Community o New in 2015-‐Career Kickstart (Upperclassmen Only) o Chadbourne Residential College o GreenHouse Learning Community o Open House: Gender Learning Community o The Studio: Creative Arts and Design Community o International Learning Community § A Nossa Casa (Portuguese) § Baytunaa (Arabic) § Nihongo Hausu (Japanese) Language Immersion § Residencia De Estudiantes (Spanish) House Applications § Russkii Dom (Russian) available beginning § Norden House (Nordic) October 15th! § Piazza Italia (Italian) Returning Resident Frequently Asked Questions 2015-‐16 §
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Q A Q A Stockwerk Deutsch (German) New in 2015-‐Zhongwen Tiandi (Chinese) If I can’t find the room I wanted in My UW Housing, can I still change rooms? Yes, you can change your room online until March 15th, 2015. If you are hoping for a particular room after March 15th, be sure to visit the Assignment Office to complete a room change request. If a new assignment opportunity comes open during the spring or summer, we will contact you via your @wisc.edu account. We continue to make changes throughout the spring and summer to try to get residents into the best possible arrangement. How is it determined when I get to log on and select a room? All students looking to browse available rooms will be able to select a room beginning November 12th, 2014. This process will be first come, first serve. If you haven’t completed your Notice of Intent by November 12th, 2014 you will need to complete it before selecting a room. Roommates Q My friend and I want to live together. How do we make that happen? A It is really easy! All you need to do is complete your Notice of Intent in My UW Housing, and each of you must list the other as your preferred roommate. Then, whomever picks a room first will pull your roommate with you. Each of you then have one week from when the room is selected to sign your contracts and submit your $300 deposit. Q I want to return to University Housing but don’t have a specific roommate in mind. How can I find a roommate? A University Housing offers residents the opportunity to use Room Sync, a Facebook application to find a roommate based on interests and living preferences. Complete your Notice of Intent to receive your passcode and start searching! Room Sync will open on October 15th, 2014. Please note it typically takes 24 hours after you have completed your Notice of Intent to gain access to Room Sync. You and the new roommate you found through Room Sync would still be responsible for listing each other as preferred roommates in My UW Housing. Q How can I live with a group of friends? A The process is pretty simple. Gather your group of friends, designate a group leader, complete and return one Group Assignment Request Form (located in the My UW Housing portal), and the Assignment Office will work to place you in the hall of your choice. We will work with groups as small as 5 people to as large as 20! Group assignment forms are due by November 3rd, 2014 for priority and will be accepted on a first-‐come, first-‐serve basis. Please note group assignment forms will still be accepted after November 3rd. As long as everyone returns their individual housing contract and $300 deposit by the designated deadline you can live together next year! Q Can I live with an incoming first year student, transfer, or continuing UW Madison student? A Absolutely! There is an online form located in your My UW Housing portal you will need to fill out to let us know the name of your preferred roommate. During your room selection process, select the double room of your choice. Make sure the incoming first-‐year student lists that hall Returning Resident Frequently Asked Questions 2015-‐16 as their #1 preference and lists your name as their preferred roommate. Since you both are in different assignment processes, our office will handle it from here. Contracts Q I am not sure where I want to live, and I am considering moving off-‐campus. I figured I better return a housing contract as a backup. Is that allowed? A Whoa! Please wait until you have made your decision about where to live before you sign a housing contract. Our contract is a legally binding document, which means that we cannot release you to live off campus. Please take time to consider your options before you make a commitment to live in the University Residence Halls. Q Can I get out of the contract if I later decide I want to move off-‐campus? A No. The contract you are signing is a binding, legal document, so we do not release students to make other housing arrangements. You will be financially responsible for the terms of your contract for the next academic year. Q I’m thinking about studying abroad next year. What will happen if I leave UW-‐Madison for a semester abroad? A You are welcome to still sign a contract to live in the University Residence Halls. If you are studying abroad for spring semester, in November of the Fall semester there will be an online form on our website to let us know that you will need to cancel your housing contract. We will release you from your contract at the end of the semester. Please note that you will forfeit your $300 deposit, but you will not be responsible for any spring semester charges. Q I’m graduating in December – can I still live in University Housing? A Yes! If you are graduating in November of fall semester there will be an online form on our website to let us know that you will need to cancel your housing contract. We will release you from your contract at the end of the semester. Your $300 deposit will be refunded to you, and you will not be responsible for any spring semester charges. Q I found a room but can’t make up my mind by November 12th, can I still sign a contract later? A November 12th, 2014 is our priority date to select a room and available for students that know they want to return to University Housing. If you are still weighing all of your options, you can wait until later in the semester to make a decision. Just keep in mind that spaces become more limited as time goes on. Q What changes are happening with dining venues next year? A Renovations to the Elizabeth Waters dining center will be ongoing during the 2015-‐16 Academic Year and the dining center will be closed. We are updating the kitchen and serving areas to offer new marketplace dining venues and more study and social space. Elizabeth Waters residents will be able to dine at the nearby Carson Gulley, or any other dining venue on campus.