Student Housing

The university provides residence hall housing facilities for approximately 3,000 single undergraduate women and 4,000 single undergraduate men. In addition, more than 1,000 apartments are available on campus for families and for single students.

Each newly admitted student to the university will receive a housing application form following his/her admission. The student's name will be placed on a list for room assignment according to the date on which the completed application and application fee are received in the Department of Residence Administrative Office. Admission to the university is necessary before a housing application will be accepted.

Address correspondence concerning residence halls or single student apartments to the Administrative Office, Department of Residence, 2419 Friley Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50012. For information regarding family apartments, contact the Director of University Family Housing, 100 University Village, Ames, Iowa 50010; e-mail: halls@iastate.edu or apartments@iastate.edu, or phone toll free: (800) 854-9050. Additional information may be obtained via www.public.iastate.edu/~residence_info/.

Undergraduate Residence Halls
Most of the rooms in residence halls are planned for double occupancy, however, some rooms accommodate three persons. In addition, a limited number of private rooms are available. All rooms are furnished with single beds, innerspring mattresses, chests of drawers, individual study desks, chairs, telephones, and cable television connections. An Ethernet connection is available for a fee. Students provide their own bed linens, throw rugs, blankets, pillows, towels, and study lamps (except in Maple, Willow and Larch Halls, where study lamps are furnished). Students are responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and order of their own rooms.

Housing options include (1) room provided for academic year, excluding academic breaks; (2) room provided for academic year including breaks; and (3) room provided for full calendar year including breaks (Union Drive-Friley only).

Cafeteria-style food service is provided for all residents in the halls. Students living off-campus may also purchase a residence hall meal plan by visiting the Administrative Office at 2419 Friley Hall. Meal plan options include the following:
20 meals per week (three meals per day, except Sunday evening meal)
15 meals per week (three meals per day, Monday-Friday)
14 meals per week (any two meals per day, Monday-Sunday) 
10 meals per week (any two meals per day, Monday-Friday)

A single student who resides in an undergraduate residence hall must sign a contract for room and board for the academic year or the remainder thereof if contract is signed after fall semester begins. All charges are subject 
to change. The rate for the academic year 2000-01 was $4,378 for a double occupancy room and full meal plan.

Students may move out of the residence halls at any time during the academic year upon payment of room and board for the term of occupancy plus forfeiture of the prepayment and a charge of 8 percent of the remainder of the contract if the student remains enrolled. For additional information concerning the residence hall contract, students should contact the administrative office (2419 Friley Hall) before making the final decision.

In addition to the basic necessities, several special facilities are available for use by residents. These include house dens for informal get-togethers and relaxation, student government-purchased TVs, newspapers, magazines, lounge areas for meeting and entertaining guests, vending areas for snacks, hall desks with fax and copy machines, entertainment and recreational equipment, mail delivery and check-in and check-out location within the residence halls, indoor and outdoor recreation areas and intramural equipment owned by student government, fitness centers, coin-operated laundry facilities in each hall, special study areas in each complex, private dining rooms for specially- prepared house and organization dinners, meeting rooms and offices for student organizations, music listening and practice rooms, computer labs and parking lots assigned to the residence halls.

The residence halls are organized geographically into three autonomous student associations: The Towers Residence Association (TRA), the Richardson Court Association (RCA), and the Union Drive Association (UDA). The students in each of these coeducational associations elect a group of executive officers to be responsible for coordinating association 
events and activities. Each association funds and maintains a social program, an intramural program, and numerous committees that supplement the total social educational development of the individual residents. The three associations also are joined in an Inter-Residence Hall Association (IRHA) with an all-residence hall parliament; they jointly sponsor the KURE FM stereo radio station, Residence Hall Week, weekly movies, scholarships, leadership conferences, and more.

Each association is further organized into smaller living groups called houses. These houses of 55 to 75 members are the foundation of Iowa State University's residence hall program. Members of the houses elect their own officers, and the majority of all programs are planned on a house participation basis. The individual's educational experience is augmented by active participation in the total house program.

Students who choose to do so may live in a coed house. These houses have male and female students living at opposite ends of the house. They have separate bathroom facilities, but share lounge facilities and house activities.
A variety of special interest housing options is available within the residence halls. Special interest housing includes coed houses, quiet houses, nine- and 12-month continuous occupancy houses, a cross-cultural house, alcohol-free houses, and smoke-free houses. Learning communities, which bring together students who have similar academic goals, are also available in the residence halls. 

These communities offer a collaborative living and learning environment, increased student-faculty interaction, social and academic networks essential to student success, and a sense of membership in the ISU community. Currently, the following learning communities are available: ACES (Agriculture Community Encourages Success); ABE (Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering); Animal Ecology; BEST (Biology Education Success Team); Business; Casa Hispanica; CCLC (Cross-Cultural Learning Community); Computer Engineering; Design Exchange; Honors; HDFS (Human Development and Family Studies); IMSE (Industrial Manufacturing Systems Engineering); LEAD (Leadership Through Engineering Diversity); MLC (Multicultural Learning Community); and WiSE (Women in Science and Engineering). New learning communities are being developed. For an updated listing of special interest housing, please contact the Department of Residence, 1215 Friley Hall, Ames, Iowa 50012, or call (800) 854-9050. For the most up to date information on learning community opportunities at Iowa State, see www.iastate.edu/~learncommunity/ on the Web.

Undergraduate and Graduate Single Student Apartments
Hawthorn Court is a new and yet-expanding development at Iowa State, providing on-campus apartments to single students aged 20 and above, including graduate and upper-class undergraduate students. The apartments, which are brand new, include such amenities as central air-conditioning, living room and bedroom furniture, microwave, dishwasher and garbage disposal, as well as a washer and dryer in each apartment. The Hawthorn Court Community Center, which is scheduled to open soon, will aid in creating a community atmosphere in which students can learn and interact while enjoying the independence that comes with apartment life. 

The apartments, which are available in two- and four-bedroom layouts, accommodate four persons of the same gender. Rent for Spring 2000 was $1,530 per semester for a two-bedroom and $1,665 per semester for a four-bedroom. Rent includes electricity, water, garbage pickup, basic phone service, basic extended cable, and Ethernet, and rent is conveniently paid as part of the resident's university bill. 

University Family Housing
The university provides 760 apartments in University Village and Schilletter Village. As of December 1, 2000, rates for these apartments were $396-$424 per month for University Village, and $447 per month for Schilletter Village. The apartments are furnished with stove and refrigerator, and central air conditioning units are being added to the University Village apartments. Rental rates include cable television, high-speed internet connection, water and garbage removal service. Residents pay for their own gas, electricity and telephone.

Applications for University Family Housing will be accepted not more than one year in advance of the semester of assignment. Applicants must be admitted to Iowa State University to apply for housing.

To be eligible for a university family housing, applicants must be registered for classes during the semester of move-in. Preference for University Family Housing is given to the following groups in order of priority:

• graduate student families on appointment.
• single parents living with dependent children.
• legally married couples residing together with or without dependent children.

Address correspondence concerning family housing to University Family Housing, 100 University Village, Ames, Iowa 50010; Fax: (515) 294-0651 or e-mail: apartments@iastate.edu

Off-Campus Housing for Students
Availability and cost are factors to be considered when living off campus. Sleeping rooms in older houses, apartments, and duplexes make up the bulk of off-campus housing.

The Off Campus & Adult Student Services, B6 Memorial Union, keeps a listing of off-campus rental units. Other housing may be obtained through real estate agents, local newspapers, or by contacting individual owners.
It is best that the student come to Ames well in advance of the time he or she plans to begin academic work, as many units are rented 3 to 6 months in advance. The single occupancy room rental rates average $200 to $500 per month. Average rental rate per student sharing an apartment or house would be in the $250 to $400 range per month. Board for students 
living in off-campus rooms may be obtained in residence hall dining rooms, private restaurants, or the Memorial Union.

A meal plan is available in the Department of Residence to off-campus students that provides any one meal per day, Monday through Friday, while classes are in session. Information may be obtained from the Administrative Office, Department of Residence, 1215 Friley Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50012-0003.

Fraternities and Sororities
Of the 51 fraternity and sorority chapters on the Iowa State University campus, 43 have chapter houses, and provide housing for about 
1,800 undergraduate students. The seven historically Black Greek fraternities and sororities do not provide residential facilities for members, but are active in scholastic, service, and social projects. 

The chapter house facilities are similar to a private residence: living room, den, kitchen, dining room, laundry room, etc. The staff in the Office of Greek Affairs, a department in the Dean of Students Office, provide advising, programs, and services for the Greek chapters and organizations. Local alumni work with each fraternity and sorority to ensure that the chapter structure meets all the state and local building, safety, and fire codes that are required with incorporation under the State Law of Iowa. 

The average cost of living in a fraternity or sorority chapter house ranges from $300 less to $300 more per year than living in the residence halls, or an off-campus apartment. The cost includes room, board, and social dues. Fees average $50 for a pledging fee and $150 for the initiation fee. 
Men may move directly into a fraternity house at the beginning of an academic year if they pledge a chapter that has a house. Typically, they continue living there throughout their college years. Women pledging a sorority during formal recruitment or informally throughout the year generally live in the residence halls for the academic year. However, as space becomes available in a chapter house, sorority members often move into the house as sophomores or upper-class women. 

If a student moves into a chapter house from the residence halls and has to break a contract, the student will forfeit the deposit and owe a percentage of the cost of the contract. Most of the chapters compensate a student to a degree. Because the compensation amount differs among houses, a student should communicate with the chapter before changing residences. 

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