ABCs of Residential Life
As you have probably seen during your time at San Jos茅 State University, we love a
good acronym! School can be tough enough as it is, but if you don鈥檛 know the language,
it can sound like we鈥檙e talking in riddles.
We know our lingo can be a little overwhelming at times, so here鈥檚 a short guide to
get you started!
BLT - Building Leadership Team
Not just a delicious sandwich, the BLT is comprised of the RLC(s) and the SRA for the building. This group is overall responsible for the day-to-day administrative and programmatic of each building.
Classics
The Classics are comprised of Joe West Hall and Washburn Hall. While they are two of our buildings who have seen the most years, their vibrant communities are second to none!
Commons (formerly the Dining Commons or DC)
The main all-you-care-to-eat dining facility on-campus, this is where you go to use your meal plan! Operated by , you can enjoy a wide variety of meals whenever you're hungry.
CV - Campus Village
The Campus Village complex is made up of four separate buildings:
- Campus Village A (CVA) and Campus Village B (CVB) house sophomores, juniors, seniors, graduate, and transfer students and even some faculty and staff; collectively, they're referred to as 鈥渢he Apartments鈥�.
- Campus Village C is home to some sophomores, our transfer student community, as well as first-year students. CVC is set up as a suite-style residence hall, with up to eight students sharing a common area and two bathrooms in each unit.
- And our newest building, Campus Village 2, is home to first-year students, and is set up to have two people per room and common area bathrooms on each floor for all residents to use.
Door dec
Ok, so this isn鈥檛 technically an acronym, but you鈥檒l hear our staff sometimes refer to the 鈥渄oor dec鈥�, a decorative or thematic item that has you and your roommate(s) names on it, affixed to your residence hall door. We make these to help you and the other residents get to know one another, and we think door decs add a festive touch to our hallways!
Dorm
A word we don鈥檛 use here at 91猎奇鈥hile not truly an acronym, we believe it is short for 鈥渄ull ordinary room for me鈥濃�� please see our definition of 鈥渞esidence hall鈥� down below.
FERPA - Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
Passed into law in 1974, FERPA is a federal law which protects the educational records of our students. Click to learn more about FERPA.
FIR - Faculty in Residence
FIRs are faculty members who live in our residential communities and partner with UHS staff for educational and social activities. At least one FIR will be assigned to work with each residential community and they will have office hours within their building for you to drop by and chat! Getting to know faculty outside of the classroom can be an amazing opportunity, so stop by and say hi to your FIR!
HOC - Hall Office Coordinator
Assigned to a specific Residential Life Coordinator, HOCs provide administrative support to the communities in which they are assigned. HOCs are current undergraduate students who help ensure the buildings stay organized and help out with projects for the BLTs.
HG or Hall Gov - Hall Government
Each building community has its own Hall Government, an advocacy and programmatic group comprised of current residents. Set up like a Student Government or Associated Students, this is a group of student in elected and non-elected positions who advocate for change and plan social and educational events for the building communities. Hall Governments are funded by $10 a semester from your housing fees and are advised by an RLC. Learn more about Hall Governments here (LINK to get involved page).
NRHH - National Residence Hall Honorary
NRHH is the premier leadership organization of residents who have lived on-campus at least one semester, have excelled academically, and have a passion for recognition and service. To learn more about NRHH, please visit .
OA - Office Assistant
Student employees of UHS who work at each building鈥檚 hall desk.
RA - Resident Advisor
RAs are upper-division (sophomore and older) students who have been successful both inside the classroom and outside of it during their time at 91猎奇. Trained on mediation, conflict resolution, policy enforcement, and student engagement, RAs are there to help you grow and succeed. They serve in an on-call rotation that goes from 7pm-8am Monday through Friday, and 24-hours on Saturday and Sunday. Each floor has 1-3 RAs on them (depending on the floor configuration).
Residence Hall
Another non-acronym, but this is a concept we strongly believe in. We call our buildings residence halls because we want this to be your home-away-from-home. Residence halls are places where students can feel included, safe, and valued as people. The caring staff we employ want our halls to be a place you鈥檙e proud to call home and where you want to spend your time exploring and growing.
RHA - Residence Hall Association
RHA serves as the collective voice of all 4,100 of our residents. The Executive Board is comprised of six students elected at the end of the spring semester and serves as the mentors to our Hall Governments RHA is a campus-wide advocacy, programmatic, and engagement group. Visit their to learn more about RHA.
RLC - Residential Life Coordinator
Each residential community has 2-3 RLCs who oversee the operations of their communities and serve to support students in their 91猎奇 experience. Each RLC has an extensive background in student development theory, mediation/conflict resolution, social justice advocacy, and community development. RLCs are masters-level professional staff who live in the building communities as well, available and accessible to residents.
SCB - Student Conduct Board
Another way to be involved with housing is to be a part of the SCB! This is a group of current residents who adjudicate conduce cases that happen within the residence halls.
SRA - Senior Resident Advisor
SRAs are some of our top staff members, all having served at least a year in the RA position. Now, as part of the leadership for each BLT, they oversee our courtesy desks and Office Assistant staff, as well as serve as a mentor and resource to our RAs.
91猎奇
San Jos茅 State University: A pretty obvious one, but we鈥檙e trying to cover all the bases!
TCs - Theme Communities
TCs are floors whose residents have expressed an interest in either an academic or personal passion area.
TCRA - Themed Community Resident Advisor
TCRAs live in our Living Learning Communities and share either a major or a passion for the interest of their community鈥檚 theme. Their engagement efforts will focus more on the interests of the residents on the floor and the central theme of their community.
UHS - University Housing Services
Comprised of four departments (Residential Life, Facilities Operations, Organization & Planning, and Administrative Operations), all UHS staff offices are located on the second floor of Campus Village B, with the exception of the individual building leadership, which can be found in their respective buildings.
VM - Village Market
Another area operated by Spartan Shops, the VM is located on the first floor of Campus Village B. This is a great "grab-and-go" option with everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to frozen meals, to fresh-baked pizza!
