Residence Life

Face masks/coverings will be required in all areas of the residence halls (common areas) that are outside of the personal living space. This includes, but is not limited to (hallways, elevators, lounges, laundry rooms, lobbies, trash rooms.)

Residence Hall guest sign-in will resume in phases.

Phase 1: Through 9/14/2021- Restricted Guest Visitation

As we transition from the summer ‘21 session into the first week of the Fall ‘21 semester, out of an abundance of caution, there will be no guest visitation, even within the building, to room spaces other than a student's personal living space.

Phase 2: Within Residence Hall Visitation Resumes

Beginning 9/15/2021 SVA residential students, who live in the same building, may visit another residential student’s room, within the same building. The visiting resident must wear a facemask, when outside of their personal space and while visiting spaces. 

Phase 3: SVA Current Community Members (Residential & Non-Residential) Guest Sign In Resumes

Beginning 9/22/2021 all current SVA community members may be signed in as guests within the SVA residence halls (all guest sign-in protocols must be followed). The visiting SVA guest must wear a facemask at all times as a visitor to the space.

Phase 4: Non-SVA Affiliated Guests to Residence Halls: Restricted/Pending Review

The Office of Residence Life, in conjunction with the college’s Emergency Management and COVID-19 planning task force, will re-evaluate the policy for external (non-SVA community members) guests within the Residence Halls during the first week of November. Determinations regarding the policy will be guided by public health guidance and COVID-19 transmission rates and safety of the residential community, overall. External guests are permitted to sign in currently for the purposes of assisting with check-in and checkout processes.  

All of the policies noted above are subject to change, based on health guidance, transmission rates, and health forecasting. We hope to move as closely as we can to Pre-Covid Residence Hall policies as soon as we can do so safely for the residential and SVA community.

Beginning 9/15/2021, residents of the 24ST Residence may resume use of the gym facility within the building. Face masks/coverings will be required while present in the gym as well as all common areas of the building.

The college will continue to monitor and follow guidance from the CDC and New York State regarding practices and requirements for quarantine advisories for travel into NYC.

Definitions from the CDC

Isolation- separates sick people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick.

Quarantine- separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick. CDC recommendations for restricted action for quarantine is to: (1) Stay home until 10 days after your last exposure. (2) Check your temperature twice a day and watch for symptoms of COVID-19 (3) If possible, stay away from people who are at higher risk for getting very sick from COVID-19.

• Residents who are required to self-quarantine may do so: off-campus or on-campus.

• Residents who are required to self-isolate may do so: off-campus at their permanent home or in a location outlined and allocated through the NYC Department of Health or on-campus pending space availability and safety considerations.

• For self-isolating on campus, Residence Life will coordinate access to meals, medicine and additional support as needed. For convenience and possible necessity, it is highly encouraged to set up accounts for food delivery, transportation, and laundry. Some apps that provide such services in NYC include: Seamless, Grubhub and Uber. Students are encouraged to bring an adequate supply of their prescribed medications and other medical supplies.

• Roommates/suitemates of a resident who is confirmed to have COVID-19, who are NOT vaccinated, will be considered exposed and will be required to quarantine, the length of the quarantine will be determined by a medical professional.

• Roommates/suitemates of a resident who is confirmed to have COVID-19, who ARE vaccinated, will NOT be required to quarantine but will be advised by the college's Office of Student Health & Counseling Services, to monitor for symptoms.

• Spaces within each Residence Hall have been allocated and set aside for cases of residential student self-isolation.

We will continue to implement and modify cleaning protocols to address COVID-19 in the interest of minimizing the spread of disease. The College will educate and inform residential students on the appropriate cleaning protocols within their assigned spaces to reduce the possibility of the spread of COVID-19 within campus housing

SVA Facilities will consistently disinfect “high touch surfaces and areas” within Residence Hall common areas including, but not limited to the below list:

● Door handles, push bars and knobs

● Light switches

● Handrails

● Elevator buttons

● Common restroom stalls, sinks, faucets and dispensers

● Vending machines 

● Common kitchens: refrigerators, stoves/ovens, appliance handles, cabinets and file drawer handles

● Security desks

Students will be expected to:

• Wipe down surfaces within their private bathrooms and kitchen/kitchenettes after each use as well as surfaces and appliances in common area kitchens and lounges 
• Follow public guidance regarding proper and frequent hand washing upon returning to their rooms/suites.  

Congratulations on your acceptance to SVA! If you have submitted your housing placement fee, you should expect to receive an email invitation to complete the housing application at your SVA email address during the first week of April. Look out for the invitation to complete the housing application at your SVA email address.

Housing assignment notifications will be sent to students during the first week of June and on a rolling basis, thereafter.

If you are a returning student, who is currently in housing and you are interested in selecting housing for the 2021-2022 academic year, we will begin the Returning Student room selection process during the last week of February 2021.

If you are a *returning student (*you began your studies/degree at SVA prior to this coming Fall 2021) and you are interested in housing for the 2021-2022 academic year, you can email the SVA Office of Residence Life to inquire about housing placement options/Room Selection for the coming academic year.

Check-in for the Spring 2021 semester is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, January 6, 2021.

Additional information on check-in appointments and protocols and schedules will be sent to newly assigned students in December.

The check-in process has been adapted to an appointment schedule allocated by the first letter of the residential student's last name which will occur over the course of several days. The check-in appointment schedule ensures adequate distancing for the move-in process.

Residents should refer to the instructions in their individual emails once sent for more detailed information and FAQs about the check-in process.

In order to minimize contact that occurs among individuals inside the campus residences and therefore, the potential spread of COVID-19, the only individuals permitted in an individual room, apartment or suite are the residents assigned to those spaces.

Guests:

Guests will not be permitted in the residence halls throughout the academic year (1 family member will be allowed to enter the halls for the check-in process only.)

Visiting Rooms Within Same Residence Hall:

The only individuals permitted in an individual room, apartment or suite are the residents assigned to those spaces.

Yes, face masks/coverings will be required in all areas of the residence halls (common areas) that our outside of the personal living space. This includes, but is not limited to (hallways, elevators, lounges, laundry rooms, lobbies, trash rooms.)

Please see the following page on our website: Housing Policies and Restrictions Related to COVID-19 for additional information about planning and policies for housing related to COVID-19.

***College offices are closed to visitors until further notice. In-person housing tours are currently suspended.***

You can sign up for a virtual housing tour on Mondays (11am), Wednesdays (11am & 3pm) and Fridays (11am) by signing up for a Live Virtual Campus tour on our Visit page.

This tour also includes an academic depart tour, however you can drop off of the session once the housing tour component is complete. Housing tours are at the beginning of the tour experience and lasts about 15 minutes.

Please note SVA administrative offices will be closed on the following dates and housing tours will not be available:

Wednesday, November 25 at 1pm- Friday, November 27- Thanksgiving Holiday

Thursday, December 24 - January 1, 2021- SVA Winter Break Holiday/College Closed, ResHalls open for occupancy for current residential students.

SVA housing costs in one of the College’s residences range from $16,600 to $19,950 for the 2021-2022 academic year. Housing room rates are based on room size and type. Prices for the 2021-2022 academic year are below:

New students will be placed in housing on a first-come, first-served basis and based on availability of options.

A nonrefundable $500 enrollment fee and an $400 housing deposit nonrefundable placement fee must be submitted to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. 

All students who elect to apply for housing are required to pay a $400 Housing Placement fee for each academic year that you choose to return to housing.

The $400 Housing Placement Fee is an annual, nonrefundable fee that students are required to pay when signing up for housing, and every year when renewing housing for the following academic year. This administrative fee is not refundable, even upon cancellation.

Residential students are responsible for any room damages, lost keys, etc, that a student may incur while living on campus and these costs are billed to a student’s account. 

The Office of Residence Life is committed to providing comfortable, welcoming, and safe housing options for all students. Gender-Inclusive housing (GIH) is an initiative that allows two or more students to share a multiple-occupancy room, suite, or apartment regardless of the students′ sex or gender. GIH furthers the College’s non-discrimination policy and provides housing options for students who may identify as transgender, are more comfortable living with another sex or gender, or do not wish to prescribe to gender classifications. Although the College respects the privacy of individuals and will not require students to reveal their reasons for opting into GIH, this option is not recommended for couples in romantic relationships. Further guidelines to the policy are outlined below.

GIH is available to all students. All eligible returning students, who participate in the “Returning Student Room Selection Process” receive a notification about the Gender Inclusive Housing (GIH) policy during the room selection process and the options, should they wish to select Gender Inclusive Housing.  Gender-inclusive housing is also available to first-year and transfer students. Incoming first-year and transfer students will have the option of selecting gender-inclusive housing via the student housing application. First-year and transfer students who indicate they are interested in GIH will be contacted by a Residence Life professional staff member so that the College can provide housing that best meets the needs of the student.

Placement into SVA housing is otherwise based on same-gender matching unless students specify and request Gender-Inclusive Housing (GIH). Below is the SVA Gender Inclusive Housing policy.

The following policy and conditions are applicable to students who elect to live in a gender-inclusive space.

• Students may choose to request a roommate(s) of any sex or gender.
• Residence Life will only honor those requests made by all parties living within the same living space (i.e., room, apartment, suite).
• Returning students must select spaces with their prospective roommate(s) following the same processes and deadlines of all students entering the housing selection process.
• Students will not be required to reveal their reasons for opting to live in gender-inclusive housing, although romantic relationships within the same living space are discouraged.
• Students will not be assigned to gender-inclusive housing unless they have elected to do so. Although we feel that students are able to make decisions about their housing situation, we encourage students to maintain an open dialogue with their families about their decision to live in a gender-inclusive situation.
• As with any roommate situation, conflict between individuals may arise. We strongly encourage proactive conversation between roommates regarding room preferences, utilizing a roommate agreement. Your RA will be facilitating a roommate agreement with you. Room change requests due to conflict will follow the same procedure as any other conflict, using the student staff and/or professional staff members to aid the situation.
• When there is a vacancy in a gender-inclusive space, the student(s) remaining in the room may elect to pull in any new roommate whose age is appropriate for the style of housing, following other standard procedures within Residence Life. In the event of an additional resident moving into the space, all parties must be agreeable to the change.
• Any space in Ludlow, 23rd Street Residence, and 24th Street Residence can be gender-inclusive. This avoids segregation and offers students gender-inclusive housing within multiple housing styles. The default designation for a room, apartment, or suite will be single-gender unless the students selecting into the space opt to create a gender-inclusive pair/group. Once a room, apartment, suite is gender-inclusive that space will continue to be gender-inclusive as long as the residents can continue to occupy the living space.

Join us for a week of virtual wellness event options. See the schedule below and current residential students should see their email for access information:

• Saturday, 2/13/21- 2pm: “Just Be” Yoga For Balance & Wellness (Zoom)

• Sunday, 2/14/21- 5:30pm: "Self Love Letters: A Guide to Journaling Self Love in 2021" w/LGBTQSVA & ResLife (Zoom)

• Monday, 2/15/21- 12pm: "Lunchtime Dog Therapy Team Express" w/ResLife & NY Therapy Animals (Zoom)

• Tuesday, 2/16/21- 3pm: "Serenity Now” Stress Management w/SH&CS & ResLife (InstagramLive)

• Wednesday, 2/17/21- 7pm-8pm: “Guided Breathing, Meditation & Awareness” w/SH&CS & ResLife (Zoom)

• Thursday, 2/18/21- 2pm: 5-Minute Virtual Wellness Walk”- 23ST & 24ST Residence Editions (Facebook & InstagramLive)

• Friday, 2/19/21- 2pm: 5-Minute Virtual Wellness Walk”- Gramercy & Ludlow Residence Editions (Facebook & InstagramLive)

Responsible citizenship and environmental consciousness begins at home! At the end of each year, the SVA Office of Residence Life partners with City Harvest and reFashion NYC, as well are other NYC entities, to collect donations of non-perishable food and clothing/appropriate textiles for reuse. The Ethical Eco Move out program is a month-long initiative, meant to promote education and citizenship within our residential community as a component of the larger NYC community as well as our responsibility to be friendly to the environment.

City Harvest

At the end of the Spring semester, the Office of Residence Life teams up with organizations for Food Donation of unwanted food items.

Do you have unopened, non-perishable food items that you will not be taking home for the summer or wish to donate? Please donate your un-opened, non-perishable food to our City Harvest donation location in the lounge area of the designated SVA Residence Hall.

RefashionNYC

Donate your unwanted or worn clothing items for a good cause. Even worn/damaged clothing can be re-purposed and recycled. If you have clothing or textiles that you wish to; accepted items include: (clothing, shoes, purses, towels, curtains, bed-linens, torn clothing), donate them at our ReFashionNYC donation bins

Find designated areas in each residence hall to donate your unwanted clothing/textiles to our refashionNYC donation location in the lounge area of any SVA Residence Hall.

Food, Art Supplies, Appliances, Electronics, Plants, are not garbage! Donate, Sort, Re-use, Re-gift, Re-purpose!

At the end of the Fall and Spring semesters, residential students, in conjunction with their RA and Residence Hall Directors, prepare for the end of semester Universal Cleaning Deadline.

Before leaving for the winter break or summer break, residents are asked to work with their roommates and suitemates to divide and share the responsibility to ensure that their space is cleaned and organized prior to the end of each semester.

Current students may participate in Returning Student Room Selection (this year it will occur in March 2021) which is the process by which returning students may elect to enter SVA housing for the following academic year

Current housing residents can either choose to stay in their current room (unless currently residing at the 23ST Residence as a first-year student) or choose a different residence hall and room for the next academic year during the Returning Student Room Selection Process.

The Returning Student Room Selection Process generally consists of three parts

1) If students are not currently in housing, but wish to enter for the following academic year, they can initiate the inquiry process by emailing the Office of Residence Life at: reslife@sva.edu

Current residential students will receive direct outreach from the Residential staff in their buildings.

2) Submitting the $400, non-refundable, housing placement fee

3) Selecting a space (or accepting a housing placement offer) in one of the eligible SVA Residence Halls (based on availability.)

More information is available in your SVA email or by contacting your RA, RHD or the Office of Residence Life. Please email reslife@sva.edu with any questions, however current residents will receive email notifications about the Returning Student Room Selection process during the last week of February.