Projects

Blogging has been slow the last week due to a lot of busy work at the Resident Student Association. We've been hard at work on many projects, and some of the projects that are going to be big focuses this year are:

- Electronic guest sign in
- New roommate matching for first-year students and upperclassmen
- Increasing the guest limit
- Adding new dining hall options
- Working to get move to/from information on the myNEU Portal
- Adding printing to residence hall spaces using the printq uota

There are also many smaller projects, and new ones that will pop up. Keep checking this blog and our Twitter accounts to learn more.

Problems? We Can Help

Have a problem on-campus? If so, e-mail NortheasternRSA@neu.edu and you'll get an answer by the end of the next business day, but often much faster. With 80 percent of e-mails responded to within 8 hours, the Resident Rapid Response Team is here for any student living on-campus at Northeastern who has any question, problem, or concern. The Resident Rapid Response Team has produced quick results, solutions, and answered questions for hundreds of students already, and looks forward to serving many more.

Recycling Bins

If you live in an upperclass apartment-style residence hall and don't yet have a recycling bin, check with your RAs. If they aren't able to help, e-mail RSA (at) Northeastern.edu and we'll try to help out.

Move-In Going Well

Reports from all of the residence halls we have talked to so far (Stetson Hall West, West Village A, West Village B, West Village C, West Village G, West Village H, Speare Hall) indicate that move-in is going well. Elevators are working and there are no serious backlogs. Traffic around campus is orderly, and the weather couldn't be better. There are no major issues with ResNet/HuskyCable, and the dining halls are in good shape. If you notice anything amiss, let us know! E-mail RSA (at) Northeastern.edu.

Biggest Day of Move-In

Today is the biggest day of move-in at Northeastern University. The weather is great, the moving bins were being unloaded as early as 7 AM, and the dining halls were open at 6 AM for breakfast. The Resident Student Association is here for you during move in. Feel free to e-mail us at RSA (at) Northeastern.edu with any issues or for faster response send tweets on Twitter to @RSALive.

Profiler Plan Bonuses

Two students who purchased Profiler meal plans noticed that the 10% bonus of meals did not show up on myNEU. They contacted the Resident Student Association, and we got answers.

Dining Services says the bonus meals should be added in the middle of September.

If you haven't signed up for a meal plan yet, you can still get the bonus meals by signing up before the end of this week. It's now easier than ever to sign up for a traditional or profiler plan thanks to the implementation of the Banner system for meal plan sign ups. Just click the link on the right side of the myNEU Portal's self-service tab.

Another Bin Update

During the move to/from period, there was a major shortage of bins around campus. We have found out that the reason for this shortage was partially due to students who in the past had used the moving bins to move off-campus and then never returned the bins. There currently is no mechanism to actually bill people or charge them for not returning the bins, which results in a lack of money being available to replace bins that are not returned.

Last month I visited the Renaissance Park Garage with the President of the Student Government Association where we found tons of bins that were being unused. Knowing that these bins would be helpful, we asked if they could be transported to the residence halls for student use. We were told that those bins, unfortunately, needed to be cleaned and made available for the general move-in period coming up.

Going forward, the Resident Student Association is going to work with Campus Life to see what can be done to ensure that bin shortages aren't a huge problem in the future. This may include working to get approval from University Senior leadership to actually charge for unreturned bins, and then put the money collected into replacing the unreturned bins. Additionally, it may include allocating funding towards purchasing more bins, and looking at what options exist to acquire cheaper moving apparatuses.

Update on Bins

This morning I learned from the President of the Student Government Association that stockpile of bins is being kept in the Renaissance Park Garage right on-campus at Northeastern University. I had to wonder, "with many students complaining about a shortage of bins, why are there more than 100 bins sitting here instead of being at the bin locations at Davenport B and West Campus, Building A?" You can see a photo of the bins here.

The bin complaints began last Friday when move to/from kicked off. Students on the weekend faced lines that were as long as twenty people at one point, with waiting times exceeding 90 minutes! When we found out about the problem, we contacted Housing Services to see what could be done. They were supposed to look into the situation and see what can be done.

The solution, however, seems clear: transport the bins in Renaissance Park Garage over to WCA or DCB. By doing this, the bins can be put to use to benefit the students who have paid thousands of dollars in tuition and housing fees to the University.

We have recommended this solution to Housing and are hoping to hear back from them today. Hopefully, we'll get a response that is positive and will help the student body out as they try to move in/out/to/from.

New Room / Apartment Issues

Every year during move in/out/to/from time the Resident Student Association is bombarded by students who report problems in their new living space. Whether it's air conditioning not cooling to 68-degrees Fahrenheit, something that wasn't cleaned, a light that won't turn on, or a screen with holes, problems tend to pop up. When something does happen, the easiest way to get it resolved is to enter a work request with Facilities online. You can also call them at 617.373.2754. If you find that your work request is not fufilled and you don't get an explanation from Facilities, let us know by e-mailing the Resident Rapid Response Team at NortheasternRSA (at) neu.edu.

Bins

Do you need a bin to move in, move out, or move to/from? If so, bins are available at Davenport B and West Campus, Building A - North during the following times:

Aug .15th: 9am-9pm (Returned by 8pm)
Aug. 16th: 3pm-9pm (Returned by 8pm)
Aug. 17th: 3pm-9pm (Returned by 8pm)
Aug. 18th: 12pm-9pm (Returned by 8pm)
Aug. 19th - 28th: 3pm-9pm (Returned by 8pm)

The Resident Student Association is aware of the bin shortage that presently exists and is trying to find out what can be done to improve the situation for students who need to make moves. To help the situation, residents should attempt to pack everything and then make bin trips as quickly as possible and return their bin immediately.

Residence Director Listing

If you need to contact your Residence Director and aren't sure who it is or how to contact them, Residential Life has a listing online. You can find it here.

MBTA Public Meeting Monday

On Monday, there is a public meeting being held regarding the proposal for fare hikes put forth by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The meeting is at the State House (Gardner Auditorium, specifically) on Beacon Hill right in Boston, and students are encouraged to attend and let their voices be heard. The meeting starts at 4:00 PM.

Following this meeting, the Resident Student Association will be working on preparing an opinion on behalf of the resident students at Northeastern. To be involved in this process, you can attend next week's General Council meeting at 7:00 PM in 270 West Campus, Building F.

Status of 337 Huntington Avenue for Fall 2009

This week the Resident Student Association heard mixed messages about what was going to happen to 337 Huntington Avenue (also known as “The Fairwoods”) this Fall. After hearing from students, we contacted Student Affairs to figure out what the correct story was and want to share it with the community so students who are directly affected, students-at-large, and others can know what is happening.

Around August 1st, letters were issued to students with their Fall 2009 housing assignment. Students who received a letter assigning them to 337 Huntington Avenue should ignore this letter. Housing and Residential Life is re-assigning all students who were assigned to 337 Huntington Avenue to alternative locations on-campus for both the Fall 2009 and Spring 2009 term. This is due to what Housing and Residential Life calls a "more likely than not" possibility that repair to 337 Huntington Avenue will not be completed for Fall 2009 opening.

Students who were moved "up" in housing style (for example, from a double to a single or from standard to enhanced) will be billed the rate that they had in 337 Huntington Avenue. However, Housing and Residential Life has stated that this is only valid provided students “do not seek re-assignment.” One problem with this policy is that in the re-assignment process, some roommate sets were split, and if a student has the opportunity to live in a situation that they would be more comfortable with, Northeastern University is effectively charging as much as $2,000 a semester for a student to do this. The Resident Student Association will be investigating why this policy was created and see what can be done to enable students to seek re-assignment to available spaces without being charged more than their 337 Huntington Avenue rate.

Students who are currently living in Davenport B (displaced due to the "337 Huntington Incident") will conduct move to/from/in/out similar to how any other resident student does so. Students should e-mail their current Residence Director and the Residence Director of the building they are assigned to move into if they will be on-campus in the Fall 2009 term. If moving off-campus, students need to just e-mail their current Residence Director. A list of Residence Directors and contact information can be found here.

Contrary to any previous statements by Northeastern employees or rumors that existed, students in Davenport B will not have to move into consolidation housing during intersession, nor will these students be charged extra to remain on-campus during intersession.

Housing and Residential Life has noted that housing assignments may change if circumstances change. They have stated that they will contact students who are affected to make them aware of these changes, if they happen.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let the Resident Student Association know by connecting with us on Twitter (@RSABlog and @NortheasternRSA), e-mailing the Resident Rapid Response Team at NortheasternRSA (at) neu.edu, or posting a comment on this blog.

MBTA Fare Hike Hearings

An MBTA spokesperson has informed us that later this week they should be announcing the details of public hearings on possible fare increases and possible service cuts. The fare increases could raise the cost of taking public transit in the Boston area by as much as 20%, which would have a financial impact on students relying on the T to get to class, co-op, and other activities. We'll update once we have details later in the week.

Move In / Out / To / From Problems

Did you, your friends, or fellow residents have problems this summer or last year with move in, move out, or move to/from?

If so, we want to know so we can work on fixing moving problems at Northeastern University. Please let us know by e-mailing RSA (at) Northeastern.edu or posting on the blog. Anonymous posts are not identifiable by IP Address, so you can rest assured your identity will be truly anonymous if you post on this blog.

Equipment Borrowing

One of the great things that our Hall Councils do in the residence halls is purchase equipment that residents can borrow (as well as fixed equipment like table tennis tables). This includes items such as billiards balls and sticks, movies on DVD / BD, and video games and systems.

At present, it is difficult for residents to tell what exactly their hall has, and it is even more difficult to see what other halls have. What this can result in is a single DVD movie being purchased 5 or 6 or even 10 times over, when only 2 or 3 residents will want to simultaneously have it. Likewise, when residence halls want to do video game tournaments and want to see what other halls have a Wii (for example), they don't have an easy way to tell who does.

Even worse, the process for borrowing & returning equipment is not consistent campus-wide. Some residence hall staffs have created their own procedures which have limited accessibility to equipment for students. Others have no documented procedure.

The potential solution that was looked at by the Advocacy Subcommittee is to have a database of what equipment is owned by each hall, and where it resides, which would be accessible to all residents. This would help cut down on wasteful purchasing and let students know what is available. Also, developing a unified policy campus-wide for equipment borrowing is the other idea we have looked at, as well as looking at ensuring that students are billed for items they fail to return.

We want to know what you think, so post on the blog about it!

Committee Notes

A few quick notes & questions from committee last night:

• If you have had any issues with move in/out or move to/from, please e-mail them to RSA@Northeastern.edu or comment here. If you want to be anonymous, just post a comment on this blog as an anonymous user. The blog system does not provide us with your IP Address or any other identifying information, so rest assured that you'll be anonymous.
• Do you think International Village should have a display of flags from around the world? If so, how should it be arranged? Send your thoughts to RSA@Northeastern.edu or post them here.
• On an average cross-campus walk, count the number of outdoor recycling bins you see on the way. Odds are, you'll see zero or one if you go by Snell Library. Trash cans are plentiful, however. If you had just as easy an opportunity to recycle a bottle or can versus trashing it, would you?
• Your residence hall probably will lose power on July 4th, for some part of the day, due to electrical inspections and testing.
• Audits are being done to see if people actually moved in. We still don't understand why Residential Life & Housing Services use a better method for this process, but will be working to see if it can be improved.

International Village To Have Trays!

The Huntington News this morning has printed a story about yesterday's news that International Village will have trays available to students, along with modifications to make it so that students won't need a tray to return their dishes. You can read more here.

This news brings to a conclusion a months-long debate in which the Resident Student Association worked to defend the integrity of student opinion and defend the rights of students living in the residence halls. We are going to be continuing work on educating students about sustainable practices in the dining halls, while still ensuring that students' rights are being protected and preserved.

How Can We Reach You?

On Wednesday, with President Naegeli, I attended a meeting about how we market events and other items to the student body. We're going to be working through the summer on this, and it includes the Residence Hall flyer posting policy and process. If you have any ideas about how we can best reach out to you and about flyering in the Residence Halls, let us know.

Legislation Passes

The Resident Student Association passed legislation last night regarding the topic of trayless dining and reassessing student opinion to ensure that the right decision is made. You can read the legislation here [SC: S1-09-1]. Our plan will be to create a new survey and collect actual data, working collaboratively with other student groups. If you have any ideas, let us know.