110th St cable modem outage

Yesterday (Thursday, November 19th), Time Warner Cable experiences a problems with a damaged "node" that caused a neighborhood-wide Road Runner cable modem service outage. They report that the problem has now been fixed. Residents of 110th St with cable modems, however, need to follow the reboot instructions at http://www.barnard.edu/resnet/roadrunner.html in order for their modem to receive a signal and connect to the internet.

If you continue to have problems with your cable modem after following the reboot instructions, please contact help@barnard.edu for troubleshooting.

Spring Room Change & Buy Out Request Forms

Spring Room Change request forms will be available to download from http://barnard.edu/reslife/roomchanges/ starting Mon, Nov 23.  Request forms will be due no later than 1pm on Thur, Dec 3.  If you are granted a room change, you must be willing to stay until the end of exam week (10am on Thur, Dec 24) to complete your room change before Winter Break starts.

If a vacancy opens up in your double or triple, you may submit a request to "Buy Out" that space (and not get a new roommate).  Buy Out Request forms will be available to download from http://barnard.edu/reslife/roomchanges/ starting Mon, Nov 23. Otherwise, the vacancy will likely be filled through a room change or by a new spring student.

If a vacancy opens up in your room/suite, you may encourage a friend to request the space through a Room Change Request or by specifying your room/suite on their housing application (i.e. students returning from abroad, readmitted, etc). You will need to submit a Roommate/Suitemate Request Form (http://barnard.edu/reslife/roomchanges/Roommate_Suitemate_Request_Form.pdf) mutually requesting your friend, no later than 1pm on Thur, Dec 3.

40+ visiting international students will be coming this Spring from Denmark, Italy, China, South Korea, and Singapore. If you have a space opening up in your room/suite and would like to request one of these students, please email housing@barnard.edu.

RA Applications

Would you like to be an RA next year? The RA Selection Process is quickly approaching! To apply, you MUST attend one of the following Information Sessions. At these sessions, you will learn more about the position, the interview process and pick up the application packet.

Information Sessions:

• Tuesday,12/1, 5:00-6:00pm -- Lewis Parlor (1st Floor of Brooks)
• Wednesday, 12/2, 9:30-10:30pm -- Lewis Parlor (1st Floor of Brooks)
• Thursday, 12/3, 7:00-8:00pm -- Lewis Parlor (1st Floor of Brooks)
• Friday, 12/4, 1:00-2:00pm -- Lewis Parlor (1st Floor of Brooks)
• Sunday, 12/6, 5:00-6:00pm -- Lewis Parlor (1st Floor of Brooks)

You can find additional information about the RA position by visiting the RA Selection information page, downloading the RA Information Packet (PDF), or visiting our Facebook Group.

If you have questions after reading the Information Packet and visiting the Facebook Group, please email the RA Selection Committee at raselection@barnard.edu. We hope to see you at one of the information sessions!

Best,
The RA Selection Committee
Julia Tolentino, Sulz Tower RA
Leonore Waldrip, FYF RA
Chera Reid, 110th St. Graduate Hall Director
Liz Smith, S/X Graduate Hall Director
Jody Wecht, Assistant to the Associate Dean
Steve Tolman, Associate Director

Heat information from Facilities

The weather has begun to turn cold and the heating system in all college-owned buildings has been activated (effective 10/1/09 as required by the NYC code). The boiler in your building is set to automatic operation and will turn on to provide heat whenever the outside air temperature falls below 55 degrees. We try to maintain interior room temperatures in a range of 68-70 degrees.

Please follow these helpful hints to help conserve heat:

• Close all windows to prevent drafts and heat loss. If you are having troubles closing a window or if you feel air entering around a window, please submit a work order or contact the Facilities Office.
  
  
• Keep radiators clear of furniture, bedding and clothing to allow unrestricted air flow around your radiator. This helps keep warm air circulating and distributes heat throughout the room.
  
  
• If your room feels cold or a radiator appears not to be working properly, please contact the Facilities Office at 854-2041 (8am-5 pm). After 5pm, please call 854-3362 (Public Safety) to report a cold complaint. A mechanic will immediately be dispatched to check and address the problem(s).
  
  
• If you live at 601 W 110th St and your room feels cold or a radiator appears not to be working properly, please contract the 110th St Front Desk or dial 0 on your intercom (facilities concerns are handled in-house at 110th St).

Julio Vazquez, Director
Office of Facilities Services

Winter Break Housing Requests (due Dec 21)

Barnard College's residence halls will close officially for Winter Break at 10am on Thursday, December 24, 2009 and reopen at 9am on Saturday, January 16, 2010.

Students may not return to or live in the residence halls over Winter Break UNLESS they have received permission from Residential Life & Housing and have a valid 09/10 Winter Break sticker on their ID. Only students living in the residence halls for BOTH the Fall & Spring semesters may request Winter Break Housing.

Winter Break Housing Request Forms will be available to download from the Res Life website (http://barnard.edu/reslife/winterbreak/) on Monday, November 23 and must be submitted no later than 1pm on Monday, December 21.

Students approved to stay over Winter Break will be billed $100 on their student account, regardless of length of stay. The fee will be waived for the following students only: seniors, international students, athletes competing over Winter Break, and/or students participating in approved workshops the last week of break (for the length of the workshop only).

Permission may be granted for the following reasons:

• You are a Senior (Seniors still MUST submit the request form to receive permission & get a WB sticker)
• You are working for a Barnard/Columbia office over winter break
• You are conducting research with a faculty member
• You are working at an internship in the city
• You are an international student or have a conflict with an international flight
• You are an athlete whose team is in practice and/or competition

If you are NOT a Senior or an international student, you will be required to provide documentation w/ your request form (ex. a memo on letterhead from your employer, printout of your international flight itinerary, etc).

The following reasons will NOT be approved:

• You want to attend a fabulous New Year’s Eve party in the city
• You want to bring your friends to the city for vacation
• Your domestic flight home leaves after the check-out deadline
• Your parents can’t come on the scheduled check-out day to pick you up
• Your bedroom at home is now a guest room
• You scheduled a vacation flight out of a NY airport and want to stay over
• You will not be in housing for the Spring semester (or were not in housing for the Fall semester), ex. students going abroad for the Spring or graduating in February

Please note that students with approval to stay over Winter Break are limited to a maximum of one (1) guest at a time during Winter Break (other Barnard students who did not receive permission to stay during Winter Break do count as guests).

For more information, visit http://barnard.edu/reslife/winterbreak/.

Note:  Barnard students living in Columbia residence halls are subject to CU Housing policies relating to Winter Break housing.

Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Saving Time ends this Sunday (November 1) at 2am, so set your clocks back an hour before going to sleep on Saturday night.

Yeah for an extra hour of sleep!!!

Cot rentals suspended during Flu Season

Quad Residents:

Please note that Residential Life & Housing needs to temporarily suspend cot rentals for the time being. We will be using all available cots for students who have a roommate(s) that has the flu. Once the flu season has ended, I will send you an email to let you know that we are resuming the cot rentals. Also, please know that we will no longer be able to loan out vacuum cleaners.

Thank you for your understanding with this matter. Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the beautiful weather!

Best, Steve Tolman, Associate Director

Fall Academic Holiday (Fri, Oct 30 through Tue, Nov 3)

What a great time for a break!  As you plan for the Fall Academic Holiday (Friday, October 30 through Tuesday, November 3, 2009), please read below for information about office closings, etc:

• All residence halls will remain open throughout the break; however, please note that all College offices (including Residential Life & Housing in Sulzberger) will be closed on Tuesday, November 3 for Election Day, and will reopen on Wednesday, November 4.
  
  
• Primary Care Health Service and the Columbia Health Services will be closed on Tuesday, November 3.  If you have a medical emergency please contact the Clinician on Call at 866-966-7788 or go to the St. Luke's Emergency Room for Urgent Care.
  
  
• Hewitt Dining Hall will be closed after lunch on Friday, October 30 through Tuesday, November 3.  Hewitt will reopen for Late Night Service on Tuesday, November 3 at 8:30pm to 11pm.  Java City will close at 3pm on Friday, October 30 through November 3; it will reopen on Wednesday, November 4, at 8am.
  
  
• Student Mail Services (Altschul mail room) will close at 6:45pm on Monday, November 2, and will be closed all day Tuesday, November 3.  The mailroom will reopen for regular hours on Wednesday, November 4.
  
  
• The Barnard Library will be open regular hours during the break.
  
  
• There will be a residential life staff person on call during the entire break period. You can contact the staff person on call through the front desk of your residence hall.

Have a safe and restful Fall Academic Holiday!

ELL/HH/SUT AD on maternity leave for rest of semester

We are happy to report that Amy Hargrave Leo (Associate Director for Elliott, Hewitt, and Sulzberger Tower) has given birth to a beautiful baby boy! As a result, she will be out of the office for the remainder of the Fall 2009 semester.

If you have questions that cannot be answered by your RA or your building's Graduate Hall Director (Elliott: Victoria Passarella; Hewitt & Sulz Tower: Angela Whitenhill), please contact the following AD for the remainder of the Fall semester:

• Elliott Hall: Onika Jervis (600s AD), ojervis@barnard.edu or 212-854-4241
  
  
• Hewitt & Sulz Tower: Steve Tolman (FYF AD), stolman@barnard.edu or 212-854-7682

Room Change Request Forms (due by 1pm on Monday, September 21)

Your opportunity to request a room change for the Fall semester has arrived! Students may download & print the Room Change Request form at http://barnard.edu/reslife/roomchanges/.  Completed forms are due to the Residential Life & Housing office (110 Sulzberger) no later than 1pm on Monday, September 21.

This is your only opportunity to request a room change until the Spring Room Change Request Process (forms for which will be available in late November).

Students who submit a Room Change Request form are expected to inform their roommate(s)/suitemates(s) of their request, in order to give them an opportunity to either submit a Room Change form of their own or to recruit a new roommate/suitemate.  Residential Life & Housing will not notify students if their roommate/suitemate submits a request form.

Priority for room changes is both by class year and/or for students who received an assignment from the Wait List.  Please note that “buying out your room” (paying the single room rate to keep a double to yourself) is not an option for the Fall semester.

WHAT IF THERE IS A VACANCY IN MY ROOM/SUITE OR MY ROOMMATE/SUITEMATE GETS A ROOM CHANGE?
You will more than likely be assigned a new roommate/suitemate.  If you would like to recruit a new roommate/suitemate, they should submit a Room Change Form requesting your room/suite and you should submit a Roommate/Suitemate Request form (available at http://barnard.edu/reslife/roomchanges/) to the RL&H Office no later than 1pm on Monday, September 21, mutually requesting them.  The names and signatures of all roommates and/or suitemates must be on the form.  No late forms will be accepted.  Also, please note that not all applicants will receive a room change (so your roommate/suitemate may not get a room change and create a vacancy).

If a space remains open in your room/suite after the Fall Room Change process is completed, you must continue to keep this space open and ready for occupancy at any time.  Vacancies may be used later in the semester for emergency/temporary room changes and/or relocation of the healthy roommates of sick students.

For more information and a list of important dates related to the Room Change process, please visit http://barnard.edu/reslife/roomchanges/.