Freedom Hall and Patriot Hall: RBC's new Student Village

The Office of Residence Life at Richard Bland College supports the College's academic mission by providing safe, secure, and comfortable living environments that help our students explore the world they live in, prepare themselves academically and socially, and grow intellectually and personally.

Important information for you to remember in spring 2012:

CURRENT RESIDENCE HALL STUDENTS: If you plan on returning for 2012-13 and would like to choose your room assignment in April, you must pay your 2012-13 $500 deposit no later than March 30, 2012. Students in good academic standing may still return if they pay their deposit after March 30, but they will miss out on choosing their assignment, including our premium apartments (1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom apartments) and will instead find out their room assignment in July when we mail out room assignments for new students.
Do yourself a favor, give yourself some peace of mind, and get your deposit in by March 30!

Here is the criteria we will use to establish room selection order for those students who choose to pay their $500 deposit by March 30:

NOTE: 17 returners were ultimately not able to live in the halls this past August because they simply waited too long. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND DON'T WAIT!!!

    1) There will be no squatting of rooms.
    2) On April 2 we will take all of the students who have paid their deposit by
        March 30 and rank them according to GPA, and will break them into the
        following groups:
                a. 3.0 and above
                b. 2.5 to 2.99
                c. 2.0 to 2.49
                d. < 2.0
    3) Within each grouping we will assign random numbers to the students in that
        group. So the 3.0 and above group will go first, and so on. We will contact
        people in order using the phone information on your application - make sure
        that info is correct and up to date!
    4) So you don't have a 3.0 GPA or better - why bother going through all this
        hassle, right? No need to hurry, right? WRONG! The person who chooses
        first may not want that 1-bedroom apartment. They may simply want a
        four-bedroom apartment on the 4th floor of Patriot Hall facing the courtyard.
        Or they may want a second-floor apartment facing the savannah in Freedom
        Hall. Either way, by going through this process you guarantee for yourself that
        you will know where you will be living before you go home for the summer, as
        opposed to having to wait until July when the new student room assignments
        are mailed out.
    5) The person choosing their room can pull in their roommates, regardless of the
        roommates' GPA, as long as all have paid their deposit.
    6) If you have questions about this process, please contact ORL at 804.862.6161
        for more information.

Spring Break
Students are expected to vacate their apartment no later than 7:00PM on Friday, March 16 for Spring Break. Students will not be permitted access to their residence hall apartment during Spring Break. The halls will re-open on Sunday, March 25, 2012 at 12:00 noon. When leaving for Spring Break, you should unplug everything in your room except for your refrigerator and aquarium (if applicable). You should also close and lock your windows and blinds, take out all trash to the outside trash dumpsters, clean and put away all dishes in the kitchen, and turn off all lights.

Exam Week: 24-hour Quiet Hours begin at 10:00PM on Friday, April 27, 2012. Non-graduating students are expected to check out of their room within twenty-four hours after their last final exam. Graduating students and those assisting with graduation must check out of their room no later than 5:00PM on Saturday, May 12, 2012. Students assisting with graduation must have prior approval of the Associate Director for Residence Life to stay in the halls during Graduation Week.

NEW AND PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS: Students who are accepted to RBC will receive a Housing Application in their acceptance packet (also available for download here: http://www.rbc.edu/resforms.php). Please remember that priority for housing will be given to those students who have achieved a cumulative high school Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.5 or better. The primary consideration we use for priority when assigning rooms is the date that we receive the COMPLETED application file, which includes the paper application plus the $500 deposit. Your $500 deposit is applied to the cost of your fall 2012 rent charge. We encourage you to submit your application and deposit as soon as possible because we anticipate being full with a substantial waiting list, and the earlier you get your application and deposit in, the better your chances for joining us in the fall!

Damage Deposit
The College does not charge a damage deposit, however, if damages occur in your apartment, bedroom, or applicable common area (lounges, hallways, stairwells, etc.) the costs for repairs will be charged to your student account. Charges for damages must be paid within two weeks of the charge being posted to your account or by the start of exam week, whichever comes first, to avoid dismissal from the residence halls.

Meal Plans
Meal plans are NOT included with the cost of housing. However, meal ticket books may be purchased through the RBC Business Office at 804.862.6213 in increments of $100.00.

Finally, we would like to clear up some common misconceptions about the Residence Life program at RBC:

    1) The RBC residence halls are coed. While each individual apartment is
        single-gender, it is common for an apartment of men to be next door to an
        apartment occupied by women. We do not have single-gender buildings
        or floors.

    2) There is no "curfew" for residence hall students. We respect the fact
        that many of our students work part-time jobs or have family and friends in
        the area. We do NOT require that all students are in the buildings by a
        specific time. We do, however, have limits on when guests can visit the halls.
        Please familiarize yourself with the Student Handbook for details.

    3) The $500 deposit is only paid ONCE per academic year. Students are
        not expected to pay a second $500 deposit for the spring semester.

    4) Students do NOT need to take everything home with them at Winter Break.
        As long as students are planning to return for the spring, they may leave as
        many things in the apartment as they desire. Room assignments are given in
        the summer with the full expectation that students will stay in that space for
        the entire academic year. We will, however, communicate our closing
        expectations so that when students do leave for Winter Break their
        apartments are clean and left in good condition.

Best wishes for a successful spring 2012! Please feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions!