OHIO Housing and Dining Webinar

Hi everyone welcome will give another minute or so and let people get in a minimal get started, but welcome, we're glad to have you.

Alright, will go ahead and get started. So Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for taking the time to join us today. We appreciate it and we're glad that you're here. My name is Sam Markham and I am a graduate assistant for the housing ambassador program. I earned my bachelors degree at Northern Kentucky University and I am now working towards my Masters degree here at Ohio University and I just come to Ohio for my graduate studies. Because of the beauty of campus and the care that our faculty and staff have for making sure that students are successful in their needs are met.

Emma first generation college student and so college was really scary for me at first.

I I found that it can be really overwhelming, but Ohio really does a great job of supporting and guiding students through their college years. And even through these uncertain times that we are all experiencing right now, Ohio put students first and hope that helps and build a network so that you feel connected to the bobcat community. No matter where you are.

So today will be covering a variety of topics, including a brief overview of the residential campus, how to complete a housing contract, meal plan options, and how to select a room in the value of the bobcat experience. And so with me today I have housing staff that will be answering questions in the chat section, so feel free to send questions now or at the end of the presentation as well.

So I don't have University. We offer a variety of on campus housing options for over 7000 students. Students are required to live on campus for the first two years after high school graduation and research would show that students who live on campus are more connected, more involved in academically perform better as there is more opportunity for growth through many Co curricular experiences that we offer. However, we do offer some exceptions for students to reside on campus. As an example, for students who live within 50 miles of commuting distance to Ohio University's main campus.

And the students who choose to take advantage of academic pursuits such as study abroad, internships in other opportunities.

We also have over 33 residence halls, which may sound like a lot, but we do take pride in the fact that we were able to make a large campus feel small. We want students to have to be connected in have a sense of belonging here in Ohio and within the residence halls. We have configured them to be either a first year or second year building because we know that there is a big difference between the transition between students first year in their second year, some of our buildings are mixed, and with both first and second years due to a specialized living experience.

Associated with the building, such as the Ohio honors program, women's leadership in global living. Another operate opportunities.

All of our halls are spread across three different greens, East, South and West green. Someone asked which is the best green. However, our students have varying responses to that question. Typically their favorite green is the first one that they lived on during their first year because they built so many memories there. During such a new and exciting transition.

And so, within a residential program, we offer a unique educational experience referred to as the bobcat living experience. So the three main components include well being interpersonal, communication, intercultural communication. So students have the opportunity to learn more about themselves, how to effectively communicate with others, and how to learn more about others. As we all come from a variety of different backgrounds. at Ohio University, we do value diversity and we want to prepare students on a personal and professional level.

So this residential program is designed to continually develop these skill sets in qualities as they are what we know students need and what many employers are now looking for employees. So attending University of higher education. That place is a focus on investing in a student, whether it be in the residence Hall classes or career development is significant.

And so within the halls are dedicated in trained professional staff and students. Staff create an intentional programming that is relevant to the student. An what research would suggest that a student needs to be successful during a time of transition? We also have a business operations team who offers support with billing, adjusting meal plans, contracts, assignments and really any question that you may have. We also if we don't have the answer we will do whatever we can to get the students to.

Connected you appropriate resource. Last thing. We also have three councillors and residents who host let's talk hours at our main office between 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM Sunday through Friday and we really do suggested students take advantage of those resources that are available.

I'm so our culinary services program is one that has received national recognition and his won awards for facility designs, culinary programs, and their menu options. They provide a diverse cuisine to meet the nutritional and dietary needs of students, and they also do it in a sustainable manner.

We offer four dining plan options for first year students. Traditional 14 or 20 Anna Flex 14 or 20. And so the difference between the flex in the traditional is that with the Flex plan, you're able to use your meals in. All in all, you care to eat dining venues or in the markets on campus. So with the flex meal plans, you can swipe in multiple times during the same meal period. An you will be given $225 in Flex points per semester, which can be used at various on campus dining service venues. So the number.

Associated with the meal plan indicates how many meals you'll receive per week. At the end of each week, the meals don't roll over in your meals will reset at either 14 or 20 depending on the meal plan value.

So coloring also has a great app. It shows the menu for the day along with nutritional content, allergy information in hours of operations and more.

And so for many of you, we know that this can be a really exciting and scary time, so we recognize the importance of choosing a college that best fits your needs. An is my bias. Hope that you choose Ohio for those of you who are admitted and are ready to commit, you will need to complete your housing contract, which can be found on your housing self service page. And so when you go there you'll select the contracts in applications tab and then the appropriate contract which is the first year contract 2211.

And so during this time you will be able to select your meal plan and up until the Wednesday before moving, you are able to change your meal plan. But once you move onto campus you will only have the opportunity to increase your meal plan.

And then so it kind of my best recommendation for that is to start off with the lower meal plan, and then once you arrive to campus and can't figure out your schedule in your habits, you can increase that meal plan. If you need too. And then the cost would be prorated.

So, uhm, once you complete the housing application, Congrats. You've officially declared your intention. Rollan will welcome you to the bobcat family and after that, what's next? So after completing your contract, students can search for roommates and prepared to select a room in May.

And so we offer a roommate finding and student engagement platform called my college roommate. And so the best way that we've kind of found it described this is a mix between Facebook and Match.com, and so students will be able to create a profile and complete a questionnaire of preferences for both themselves in a potential roommate. And so once the question has been completed, the system will show a list of compatible options and students concert to friend request other Bobcats with the hope of either finding a roommate or just finding friends and expanding your bobcat to bobcat connection.

Before stepping foot on campus in the fall, even if you know who you'll be residing within the fall, we still encourage you to visit the my college roomie as we will also have current housing Masters in resident advisers engaging with are Bobcats as a great resource to your transition to campus. If you have not had the opportunity to search for a roommate or you're choosing to have random roommate, that's code. That's OK too.

We have our students choose to take that path and they also report similar numbers of experience and satisfaction.

So we offer a room selection process which gives students the autonomy in the choice to select not just your Hall but your room on the exact room will be in, and so students that have completed the housing contract by May 1st will receive an email with their room selection date and time by May 12. So if a student has a roommate that they would like to room with, both individuals would need to be mutually matched prior to selecting a space. And if a student has a part, is part of a mutually matched group.

The student with the earliest selection date and time will select a room and pull in Max roommates into that room as well.

And so if you were thinking about kind of where to live, we don't really encourage you to put emphasis on a specific Hall. We know that students love their residential experience, regardless of where they reside at, as it's not really the Hall that makes your experience rather than community that we've built inside of it, and that will play significant impact on your experience. So each bobcat kind of really finds their sense of home in any of our residential experiences.

And so we also offer a variety of leadership opportunities so the residents action council also noticed track strives to Unite students in the residence halls by giving them an active voice and improving relations with the Ohio University administration. So track provides and supports social, cultural, recreational and educate.

Programming for on campus students. We also have the National Resident Hall honorary in RH and that's a national organization that recognizes exceptional students, programs and community services within the residence halls. In RH members are acknowledge as like the top leaders on in residence halls on campus.

And we also have student employment opportunities such as becoming NRA, which is as soon as staff member who serves as a resource, mentor and leader within the residential community and on the business side of housing. We have a team of housing ambassadors who are responsible for creating a welcoming experience to incoming Bobcats at are welcome desk and during admissions events.

And so while we know that you have many choices and based on my experience at Ohio, I can say that we truly care and we want to make Ohio home. And so I hope many issues Ohio today you have been given a lot of information and some of you may have more questions as time progresses and as it relates to contracts how you select a room and how you select a roommate when you select your room. All of those questions. So please know that you can reach out to our office at anytime and our dedicated staff would be happy to help you.

The remainder of our time now will be used to answer any questions that individuals may have, so feel free to post in the chat down there and our director, Janine Hacker, will be joining to help answer some of those out loud with everyone. But thank you for your time. I'm happy to be able to spend this with you all and hope to see some of you in the fall.

Good afternoon everyone, hope you're all doing well on behalf of Housing and residence life. We would like to extend our appreciation for you all joining us today. Hopefully you had a lot of questions answered, but once again at Sam had mentioned we have a dedicated team here today and beyond today to answer any questions that you might have. As sham had mentioned, my name is Janine Hacker an I have the privilege in the pleasure of serving as he director for business operations for housing and residence life. I have the best job ever.

But not only am I an employee of Ohio University, I am actually a two time and I'm not step foot on campus 29 years ago. Way back in 1991 to join the bobcat community and I have to say that it has been such such a transformative experience for me. I love everything about Ohio University. I love everything about my experience. I've done everything in regards to how we contribute to towards our students in our student success. I would be remiss if I did not mention that I'm also the proud momma of 1/3 year bobcat finishing.

Up his third year and so happy to answer any questions that you might have in regards to the housing application. The room selection experience, dining plans, the residential experience, or anything else that you might have. So feel free to send the questions forward. If by chance your question has not been answered, please feel free to post it again, but I'm going to go ahead and take over some of the questions and hopes of answering all the questions that you might have.

Show shack, thank you for your question. What happens if you haven't committed by May 1st? How does that affect housing? Why University undergraduate admissions they have actually extended the deadline in which students can declare their intent to enroll until June 1st, and so we will.

Base our room selection experience in May, based on the May 1st application deadline. Just because we have the program and do some things behind the scenes to allow students to select a room. However, when you are ready and when you declare your intention, roll by completing your housing application. If it is May 1st if it is, May 2nd if it is June 1st. If it is August 1st, we will ensure you that each and every bobcat will have a home on Ohio University's campus and so I know sometimes students are a little bit concerned in regards to making that.

Final commitment that's OK. This is a huge decision and we want to make sure that that you are choosing Ohio for all the value that it will provide to you. So we got this when you declare your intent to enroll, please know that you will have a home if it is after the room selection process ends. We will simply assign you an then allow you to be part of a room change process where you can change rooms at any point in time up until a given date, at which point in time we will start preparing for your arrival this fall semester. So thank you for that question.

Show Michaela I found a roommate, but it says I am not eligible to submit a roommate request for the term I paid. My housing contract. Is there something I did wrong? So at Ohio University what we do is we allow for a first year students to start matching with other first year students after May 1st because if your desired roommate did not complete their housing application and submit their deposit, you would not be successful with matching with them in our system. So come May 1st you will be eligible to match with your desired roommate.

The the goal is for you and your desired roommate in or any student that's part of your roommate group to be mutually matched prior to selecting a room. Because the student who has the earliest selection date and time will be the person responsible for going into our system, housing self service and selecting a space for all students who are part of that roommate group.

So what if we pay the housing deposit and find out after June 1st that I cannot attend? Whether deposit be refunded or not? So deposit will be refunded up until June 1st. However, we know that this is not a typical year. We know that Colvin has really created a lot of uncertainty and students are going to be making some choices and difficult choices beyond June 1st.

So this year, please know that Ohio University in housing and residence life we are going to make the best decisions in support of our students who are making those made decisions to not attend, because perhaps Cove it is put them in a position where they just cannot transition to campus fall semester. Now if the University through the direction of the governor, if by chance we are not on our on campus face to face instruction and we make the decision to go online or students will not be resigning with us fall semester. But we're hopeful that you will join us.

Spring semester so students at that point time will have choice. We can just roll over your deposit to spring semester an apply that towards your spring semester housing or we can refund if the University decides that we're going to make the decision for online learning in the fall.

So nice, thank you for your question. High we see the website that the deadline for housing contract has been extended from May 1st to June 1st. However we here May 1st as deadline for housing contract in the session. What is scrapped June versus the actual deadline for students to declare their intent to enroll?

At Ohio University, however, because we have publicized room selection to start May 18th for the general room selection experience, May 1st is the actual deadline in order for students to participate in the room selection experience. If you would happen to submit your housing application May 2nd May 3rd May 4th were still going to add you to that room selection experienced but impart the May 1st deadline is really a deadline for us to be able to go into our system and start programming.

In pulling students into that room selection experience, if students would happen to declare their intent to enroll complete their housing application and submit their deposit after the room selection ends or even after June 1st, we will go through the process of assigning you into a space. If we know your desired preferences, we will do our best to meet those preferences, but then we would also put you into a room change lottery where you could look for different options to change rooms. In the event that the space in which you assigned.

Is not the option in which you would you would prefer, so we're going to give you. Some options are going to give you some choices, are going to support you anyway, that we can, and this experience recognizing that the May 1st deadline is just to be included in the room selection experience and the June 1st deadline is the university's deadline to declare your intent to enroll at Ohio University.

So shade hello, can you go over the flax meal plan? Please? Absolutely so we have a flex 14 meal plan in a flex 20 meal plan. An what that allows for is either 14 or 20 meals per meal week. The meal week starts Sunday brunch. Do Saturday dinner and you can either have 14 meals or 20 meals during that meal week you are meals can be used as you swipe them and go into the culinary venues for and all you care to eat. Sit down dining then you.

Experience a meal swipe can be used to grab A to go box that is supporting or sustainable efforts. Grab A to go box, fill it up and take it to go and or any unused meal during that meal week. You can go to the convenience stores in any unused millwood translate to a $6 and 50 Cent nearly equivalent. See where you could go into our convenience stores and buy those novelty items to take back to your room. So that is a desired option on behalf of our students.

The caveat is for any of our dining plans is that you have to utilize the allotted meals during the meal week. If you do not use your 14 or 20 meals, they will expire at the end of the meal. We can then refresh with either 14 or 20 at the beginning of the middle week also attached to the flex points or 225 Flex points in those flex points can be used in any culinary venue. The coffee shops W 82 at Baker University center latitude 39 so there's flex points can be used across campus.

The other value of a flex dining plan is, it does provide flexibility to use multiple meals during the same meal period, so parents, if you're if you happen to come down and visit your student and your student wants to take you into any of our dining venues, they can actually swipe their ID twice an invite you in to have a meal with them. So hopefully I answered your question, said, if not, keep the questions coming.

So Anna I just saw the chat in the chat that Chevy dining Hall will be closed in the fall is just because of coded or is this just under construction? Is this the only dining Hall on East Green as well so we will still have three dining venues that will be open for the residential dining plans. We won't have the district located over on West Green and for any alumni that is Boyd Dining Hall we will have a Jefferson Marketplace which is located over on the.

Iscream, and that is a complete and total culinary renovation, and it provides a lot.

Options for students as well as Nelson Dining Hall. Located on the South Green, so students dining plans can be used in any of those culinary venues. Students will find their dining venue of choice. Sometimes it's convenient if they have a class at Morton making just pop over to Nelson and have a meal, or if they have a class, it's over on the West Green. They at times will visit that venue as well. Now with shadley closing. Unfortunately, those are some difficult decisions may start based on declining enrollment.

And declining enrollment is not just happening here at Ohio University. Based on trends of graduating high school seniors nationally, a lot of institutions are experiencing declining enrollment, and so the University had to make a difficult decision to close a culinary venue to continue to provide the best support in culinary venue options for our students that are going to be on campus with with us is fall, so we are very hopeful that in future years, as we see an upswing with Bob tabs using Ohio University.

That that shot Charlie Dining Hall will be back in her inventory at some point in time in the future. So thank you for that question as well.

So Jo Ann Lee. Hopefully I answered your question. If not, feel free to ask you a question. Again, it was specific about Shibly.

So Anna I know it was asked earlier. However, How do I change my meal plan? It won't let me change it right now on the website. I thank you for that. We will certainly dive in and make sure that there is no technical difficulty preventing students from being able to change their dining plan. You should be able to change your dining plan, increase in or decrease at this point in time up until Wednesday prior to fall semester open, which would be Wednesday, August 19th, at which point in time students can only increase rate dining plan.

But as you Start learning more about the dining plan that I didn't plan options defects, flexibility as far as how those dining plans or use students are going to make choices and change their mind. The other thing to think about parents. I know that we as parents we try to make sure that our students have three meals a day. The reality of it is majority of our students will only eat 2 meals a day and students will be engaged and involved across campus and student organizations and student incident activities. And when they're together there's this tendency is to.

Order a pizza or grab Chipotle Uptown, and so, um, I would encourage you to think about your students patterns and habits in we going soon, how they eat, recognizing that those patterns and habits will change whenever they come to campus. And if you're debating between a 14 or 20 or a 14 and a flex 14, I would encourage you to go with one of lower price point encourages students to think about their eating patterns and habits when they're here on campus, and then make that adjustment upward if you failed at the flex meal plan, option is the one that's more suitable to.

To their experience.

Show Nathan, thank you for your question. I'm looking to live in Lincoln is part of the Fine Arts community. Any information as to how quickly this will fill up? This is a partnership that we have with the College of Fine Arts. He had some pretty cool administrators that are overseeing that program and provided that you are accepted into the Fine Arts learning community, you will have priority for selecting into Lincoln and you are able to pull in a non Fine Arts.

Learning community roommate. If you've already connected with somebody who's not part of the program, so you will be given some instructions to go in during a specialized living room selection experience, I believe that is May 12 through the 14th will you will be able to go into your housing self service and select a space into Lincoln and I have confidence that you will be successful in doing so.

It's a great program by the way.

Show Meg will, members of the marching 110, have access to the dorms earlier than the traditional move in date. Absolutely. So we will invite on marching 110 first year students back to campus. It is Saturday, August 17th. That is an early arrival experience between the hours of nine and 5:00 PM and it is a partnership that we have with the marching 110. I am confident that there will also be some upper class marching 110 members that will be at your halls ready to.

To greet you and help you unpack two vehicles and get your items up into the room so that you can then jump into all the activities that marching 110 has planned for you during that week prior to opening.

Is there all great questions by the way?

Do we have any alumni in the audience?

Any parents had her in the night?

Well, yes.

We can't wait to say Welcome home. Well to both you and Dad Tim.

May I guess?

Chair yes parents both parents.

That's Russian.

We don't start this year 1988 go Bob tax.

Spencer, both of your parents, or better, they can't wait to come home. Um, see you here on campus during parents weekend. Can exciting time.

So Grace both her parents 9899.

Draw great questions. Keep em coming.

Message Mom graduated in 1987.

Look for the senior on campus next man.

So at this point in time it does look like the questions are starting to wind down. We're going to continue to be part of the chat and will continue answering the questions through the chat system, so please feel free to continue asking these questions once again on behalf of housing and residence life. We really appreciate the time that you have spent with us today. We hope that you.

And a lot of your questions answered, but I would just like to reinforce once again that we have a dedicated team of housing residents like professional members and students, staff members that are here that are ready and waiting to answer any other questions that you have. So from one bobcat to another, we are hopeful that you have chosen are so high. University is such a great institution of higher education and the value that you will walk away will be irreplaceable. So I can't wait until I can say Welcome Home Bobcats. Welcome home. We look forward to seeing you all on campus this fall.

You'll have a good day.