The primary purpose of residence life is to create a sense of community within the residence halls by valuing, supporting, challenging, and empowering traditional students to discover their unique potential and celebrate human differences through their relationships with others in accordance with the Salem College mission.

The Salem College residential experience requires students to explore balancing their individual needs with those of a larger group and to become aware of their role in the greater Salem College community. Residence halls will expose students to many people who are different than themselves, culturally, ethnically, and socially.

Residents will learn:

• to explore their personal identity through recognition of the similarities and differences in others through guided experiences with residence life staff (i.e., personal communication, mediation, and the participation in residence life programs).
• to articulate residence life and College policies and understand how their behavior affects both themselves and the surrounding community through the participation in residence life programs.
• to integrate the principles of wellness in their daily lives as a method of discovering individual self-care needs through the participation in residence life programs.

Living on Campus

Salem College is a residential campus. All traditional undergraduate students must live in College residence halls on campus unless they make their home with members of their immediate families or legal guardians. Students living in College residence halls must be full-time students (registered for a minimum of three course credits). Students must submit a residency requirement waiver to the Dean of Students (located in Shober House) in order to be approved to live off-campus.

• Residence Requirement Waiver

Residential Coordinators (RCs)

The Residential Coordinators are Salem College staff members who live in the residence halls. Their role is to holistically support academic and social success by connecting residential experiences with personal development. The RCs will challenge and support students through the practical application of college student development theory.

Resident Assistants (RAs)

The RCs supervise a trained staff of student leaders called Resident Assistants (RAs). The Residence Life staff strives to provide programming and events that help students connect classroom learning with their living environment. RAs also provide programming aimed at developing students socially and building community within the residence halls. RAs are an additional resource for academic, personal, and social concerns.

Programming

Each residence hall plans events and programs that are specific to the community in the building. These programs range from fostering social interaction and development to educating residents about multicultural awareness and life skills. From dance parties and ice cream socials to service projects and leadership training, Residence Life provides social interactions that appeal to many personalities and interests.  

Visitation

Residential students are able to invite guests on campus for overnight visitation. Upper-class students have 24-hour visitation privileges and need to register guests in their residence halls. First-year students and upper-class students living in Babcock Hall and Gramley Hall have extended visitation privileges on weekends and need to register guests in their residence halls. If you have questions regarding the visitation policy, please refer to the Salem College Student Handbook.