Housing and Residence Life

Residential students who have not completed three years living on-campus are expected to participate in housing selection.

Rising fourth-year and fifth-year students may participate in housing selection.

To be eligible to participate in the 2023-24 housing selection process, students must:

• Read, agree to and electronically sign the 2023-24 Housing and Dining Services Contract on or before March 3, 2023.
  • Students who submit a contract late may not be permitted to participate in room selection and they will be administratively assigned by University Housing.
• Ensure your housing deposit balance is at least $100.
• Register as a full-time undergraduate (12 credits or more) for the fall 2023 semester.
• Be in good standing with the Business Office. Any delinquent accounts may cause you to be ineligible to participate in the housing selection process.

• The contract is for one complete academic year.
• We expect students will participate with honesty and integrity during the housing process.
• University Housing reserves the right to interpret any and all rules as it relates to the housing process.
• These rules pertain to the 2023-24 housing selection process only.
• Students who currently live off-campus are not eligible to participate in the housing process
• Students who were unable to select their preferred or backup room type should contact housing for assistance.
• Students who want to have a random roommate or random assignment should contact housingdamin@cnu.edu to notify us of this and any housing preferences you would like us to consider.

Deadline: March 3, 2023

Visit myCNU, log in, select MyLinks, then select Housing.

Optional requests include:

• Renew housing accommodations through Disability Services
• Return completed Room Retention Request Forms
  • Available to students in 12-month to 12-month units where at least 51% of the current residents request to retain.
  • Students retaining at less than 100% are expected to find the other student(s) to fill any vacant rooms in the unit.
• Apply for a James River Theme Unit designed for 15 people with a full kitchen and two full bathrooms in unit each with multiple fixtures.

Note: If the online contract process is no longer available, please submit a contract acceptance form to housingadmin@cnu.edu from your university email.

March 24 and 25, 2023

Time tickets are sent to your university email address the evening of March 16, 2023. Room availability is distributed the afternoon of March 22, 2023.

Day 1 of room selection: March 24, 2023, starting at 10 a.m.

• Rising Seniors who are current PLP, Honors, and Commitment to Serve Scholarship recipients

Day 2 of room selection: March 25, 2023, starting at 9 a.m.

• Juniors who are current PLP, Honors, and Commitment to Serve Scholarship recipients
• Remaining juniors
• Remaining seniors and fifth year students

Reminders/Notes

Many units are 4-person units. If you are not finding your preferred room type, be prepared to adjust your roommate groups quickly while room selection is open.

A few alternative options to keep in mind:

Groups of five or six may want to consider James River apartments where some units include one or two shared bedrooms. If you prefer this option, please contact housingadmin@cnu.edu for additional instructions.

Groups of two should plan to work with another group of two in order to fill a full four-person apartment, or consider Potomac River South where one floor is designated as single room suites in the event a two-person apartment is not available to select. (Meal plan requirements would still apply).

Contact housingadmin@cnu.edu with any questions.

March 31 and April 1, 2023

Time tickets are sent to your university email address the evening of March 16, 2023. Room availability is distributed the afternoon of March 29, 2023.

Day 1 of room selection: March 31, 2023, starting at 10 a.m.

• PLP, Honors and Commitment to Serve Scholarship recipients.

Day 2 of room selection: April 1, 2023, starting at 9 a.m.

• Remaining sophomores

Reminders/Notes

Most units are 4-person units. If you are not finding your preferred room type, be prepared to adjust your roommate groups quickly while room selection is open.

Contact housingadmin@cnu.edu with any questions.

Students who did not select a room will be placed based on time ticket order and remaining availability.

If you did not find your preferred space and would like to change units in the event your preferred space becomes available please email housingadmin@cnu.edu.

Students eligible to participate in the Housing Process will receive an individual appointment time (a.k.a. time ticket). Appointment times are randomly generated and indicate the date and time during which the student can log into StarRez and make his/her room selection. Appointment times will be generated in StarRez and sent in a message to the students CNU email address from StarRez.

If you have a conflict and must switch your time ticket with a member in your group, you may make that request by emailing housingadmin@cnu.edu.

Students should determine with whom they would like to live and form a group. Students should compare individual appointment times and determine who in the group has the earliest time. This is the time the group will log in to StarRez and make a room selection.

Groups must consist of students with the same legal sex.

Rising third- and fourth-year residents cannot form groups with rising second-year residents.

Any group member can select a room on behalf of all members of the group; however, all members must have requested and confirmed one another in StarRez.

Students are encouraged to have alternative group plans at the time of room selection. In the event their preferred room size is unavailable at the time of selection, an alternative option will be needed. Students will not be permitted to forego their housing obligation because their preferred room configuration was unavailable.

During the housing process, all apartments and suites must be filled to 100% capacity. For example, a group of three students must select a three-person unit and will not be given the option to select a four-person unit. Students will select an individual space (room) within a suite- or apartment-style unit and must occupy the selected space.

Rising third- and fourth-year residents will select from apartment-style units in James River Hall, CNU Apartments, CNU Village, Rappahannock River Hall and Presidents Hall. The optimal group size is four students, although two-, three- and five-bedroom units are available in small numbers.

Rising second-year residents will select from suite-style units available in:

• Potomac River Hall South and James River Hall (optimal group size of four)
• Warwick River Hall (optimal group size of four, with some five- and six-bedroom options)

Students may choose to “overcrowd” an apartment or suite by adding an additional student to a group. Any student who has submitted a deposit and a contract by the deadline is eligible to overcrowd. Two students who overcrowd in a room will receive a discounted room rate. An example of an overcrowd is a group of five students who want to live in a four-person suite. At the designated appointment time, the group will enter four individual names. No more than one student will be allowed to overcrowd any given apartment or suite. All roommates must sign this form. Overcrowding is permitted in all buildings except Rappahannock River Hall and Warwick River Hall.

During the housing process, as other units are being selected by students, there is the possibility that there may not be any more units available to accommodate your group size. If this occurs, students must decide how to proceed.

If the group is unable to select a room because there are no available units for the group size, the group members will have to:

• Break into smaller groups
• Add another student to create a larger group
• Overcrowd a smaller unit
• Request to be placed as individual students in accordance with the procedure below

It is strongly recommended that alternate plans from these options be discussed and decisions made prior to the appointment time.

Information regarding residence halls and floor plans are available on the University Housing webpage.

Students who are not part of a group may request to be placed as an individual in any available space as determined by University Housing. At the conclusion of the housing process, open room spaces will be filled in the order of the student's time ticket.

Room retention allows current residential students living in certain locations the opportunity to keep their current unit and room assignment for the following academic year. Retention policies are revised periodically and may change.

Room retention from spring 2023 to fall 2023 is available to current spring 2023 residents in Rappahannock, Harrison or Madison. Students in these locations may submit a room retention form provided they meet the criteria listed in the form, and when the unit is being retained by at least 51% of the current spring 2023 occupants.

Residents who are approved to retain must remain in the same currently assigned bedroom and cannot switch rooms. They are responsible to fill any beds not retained in the unit and are required to keep common areas of the unit clean and ready for any new resident joining the retained unit. Move-in for any new resident joining the retained unit will be the fall move-in date for that building. Early arrivals may be considered but cannot be guaranteed.

Students in eligible retention buildings are emailed additional details near the beginning of room selection.

Note: Room retention options and lease terms are reviewed annually by University Housing. Eligibility and requirements to retain are determined based on the anticipated housing needs of the university. Therefore, the room retention options and lease terms may be subject to change and may or may not be different in any future housing selection process.

Under the current spring 2023 retention requirements, Harrison, Jefferson, and Madison are anticipated to be retainable from 2023-24 to 2024-25. All other buildings would not be retainable even if a building was retainable in a prior year.

Retention eligibility, retainable buildings, and requirements are subject to change.

Special-interest housing in James River Hall is available for Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs) and groups of students who share common interests and whose stated goals and objectives can be enhanced through a shared living environment.

Three theme units are located in James River Hall and can be single or mixed-gender. Each unit is designed to accommodate 10 residents as single rooms, or you can overcrowd up to a maximum of 15 residents. Theme Units remain part of the larger residence hall community and are bound by the same policies and regulations.

Priority consideration will be given to Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs) and groups of students in good standing who demonstrate a history of success and positive contributions to the Christopher Newport University community. Student academic success and past behavior may be taken into consideration when making roster selections for the special-interest housing / theme units. Letters from faculty/staff/advisers in support of the RSO or group are encouraged but not required.

Any individual wishing to occupy a theme unit must submit the corresponding Housing and Dining Services Contract Acceptance Form online. A Theme Unit Application must also be submitted to the Office of Residence Life in DSU 3125, according to the prescribed contract acceptance due date listed in the application.

For questions, or for the theme unit application, please contact reslife@cnu.edu.

Students who are participating in a university-approved study abroad program, or eligible internship, are held to the same three-year residency expectation and are offered housing upon their return to the university.

Students studying abroad or participating in an eligible internship during the spring semester are eligible to participate in the housing selection process if they meet these requirements:

• Programs approved by the Office of Study Abroad and International Programs, or provide proof of an eligible internship.
• Submitted a contract acceptance online by the due date listed above.
• A minimum housing deposit balance of $100.

Students who will participate in a fall study abroad program or eligible internship do not participate in the housing selection process. Upon returning to campus for the following spring, students are expected to complete their three years living on campus and must submit a contract acceptance form to housingadmin@cnu.edu. While we are unable to hold a specific room or guarantee a specific room type for that following spring term, University Housing will work with your preferences to help find the best match with the available spaces.

Reminder: Students who are studying abroad or participating in an eligible internship during housing selection must complete the steps by the due dates above, and they must confirm all members of their roommate group online through StarRez.

Students who will graduate in December of the next academic year can participate in housing selection as long as they have met the eligibility requirements. They are required to submit a Withdrawal From Residential Housing Form to University Housing by December 1 in order to cancel their contract for the spring semester.

Rising second- and third-year students who have not received an exemption must participate in the housing process even if they may not return to CNU. This requirement is to ensure the student has a room for next year in the event they do not leave the university.

Students required to live on-campus who do not select a room during the housing process will be administratively placed in a space. These students will not be given the option to request a roommate or select a residence hall. These students will be assigned based on their residential year and will be notified of their placement by University Housing.

Students who have completed three years living on campus or received an exemption and complete the contract or submit a Contract Acceptance Form but do not select a room during the housing selection process will be assigned as spaces become available.

Students who have completed three years living on campus or received an exemption and wish to cancel may do so per the terms of the housing contract. Full cancellation terms can be found in the Housing and Dining contract.