Residence Life

Utilizing the Residence Hall Application for new residential students, all rooms are assigned without regard to race, creed, or national origin. New students are assigned in order of deposit date. Mutual roommate requests will be honored. Room assignments and roommate pairings will begin to be made in December (for January) and in June (for August) and will be emailed to you soon after.

Roommates are assigned by the Residence Life Office. Assignments are made using the information supplied on Residence Hall Application. Individuals are matched according to that information. Likewise, mutual requests for roommates and other specific requests are considered on a case by case basis. Every effort will be made to place together mutually requested roommates.

All residents assigned to suites are issued one room key which opens the suite door and individual room door to which he/she is assigned. If you lose your key, you must report this to the Residence Life Office immediately. This will help to assure that the safety and security of you and your fellow residents is protected. If a key is lost or not returned, the student will be charged $275 to cover the cost of lock changes and production of new keys. All keys issued must be returned to the Residence Life Office. The keys cannot be duplicated and are property of Belmont Abbey College.

You should keep your individual room door as well as your suite door locked at all times. Do not leave cash, jewelry or other valuable items in the open.
To guard against theft, record serial numbers of your personal property and mark all items such as laptops, stereos, cameras, etc. with your name or college ID number. Also, if you notice anything or anyone unusual in your building, please report this immediately to a staff member or Campus Safety and Police. In the event that you are the victim of a theft, please notify Campus Safety and Police immediately.

Please remember you are also responsible for any damage done within your suite whether you are present or not. If you keep your suite door closed and locked, you minimize the opportunity for other students to cause damage or enter your room without your permission.

Lastly, all goods and property of students upon the property of the college shall be the sole responsibility of the students, and in no event shall the college be liable for any loss or damage to said goods or property for any reason whatsoever. Students are advised to check if their belongings are covered under their parents’ homeowners insurance while at college or to obtain personal property insurance for their belongings.

Living with others in a residence hall setting is often a learning process. There are Residence Life staff members in each building to assist you. Communication is the key to a positive living situation. Make the time early in the year to talk with your roommate about your living environment. As soon as you get your housing assignment you should start getting to know your roommate with the information provided. You will find that this is an important foundation for a successful year. Roommates will complete a roommate contract in August after Orientation that will assist in establishing guidelines for living together. This process will assist in the”getting to know you” phase of this new important relationship.

Should you have valid personality conflicts that cannot be overcome through mediation, a room switch may be considered. You will be required to attempt to repair the relationship through your RA and/or a professional staff member. Every effort must be made to find a resolution first.

Because most students bring cell phones, the College no longer provides telephone lines in student rooms. It is vital that all students keep the college informed of any change in cell number. You can update your contact information through Self-Service.

Suites in Poellath, O’Connell and Raphael Arthur residence halls have a bathroom with one toilet, one shower and two sinks. Suites in St. Benedict and St. Scholastica residence halls have one toilet, one shower and two sinks.The Cuthbert Allen apartments also have private bathrooms with one toilet, one shower and two sinks. Students are required to store their personal toiletries in their own rooms. The Housekeeping staff cleans each suite bathroom daily and cannot clean the bathroom if personal belongings are in the way. Cuthbert Allen, St. Scholastica, and St. Benedict’s bathrooms are cleaned by Housekeeping twice a week.

Poellath, St. Scholastica and St. Benedict halls each have a full-service kitchen facility. Students are responsible for cleaning up after themselves after using the kitchen. Each Cuthbert Allen apartment also has a kitchenette therein.

Laundry facilities are located in the lower level of O’Connell, the back of the first Cuthbert Allen apartment, and in each St. Benedict and St. Scholastica halls. There is no need to bring quarters to operate the washers and dryers; students are provided with an unlimited laundry card at check-in. Loss of your laundry card is $50. You must bring/use your own laundry detergent.

At any time, students may use laundryview.com to monitor the status of washers and dryers. Students can also view when are peak use times in the laundry room and when usage is slow.

For all Maintenance issues, please contact your Resident Assistant or the Office of Residence Life immediately to have the repairs addressed. You can also report a problem at laundryview.com.

Yes! All buildings on campus, including residence halls, are equipped with wireless internet. For help, please contact the IT Support Center. There is no hard-wire internet in any dorm; internet is via high-speed wireless only. Wireless routers are strictly prohibited. They interfere with the signals and bring down the service for the hall.

You are welcome to bring a rug or carpet. Many students do since some of the rooms in the residence halls are not carpeted. The bedrooms in Cuthbert Allen, St. Scholastica and St. Benedict are carpeted.  There are many stores in the area that carry carpets and other furnishings, so you may want to consider waiting until you arrive, have a chance to see your room and talk with your roommate before you purchase items like this.

Local fire marshal and fire regulations prohibit regular extension cords in the residence halls. Students may use extension cords that have built-in surge protectors. If you use surge protectors, please make sure they are heavy duty with a self-tripping breaker. Your student handbook outlines in more detail what can be in the halls in order to be in compliance with the fire marshal and fire regulations.

Unfortunately, the residence halls do not have extra storage space available. If your items do not fit in your residence hall room or in your vehicle, please send them home with your parents.

Yes, each residence hall room is wired for cable. A wide variety of channels are provided including a Belmont Abbey College closed network channel on Channel 17.

Yes, but please note that all of the college-provided furniture must remain in your room. The college provides each student with a bed, mattress, desk, desk chair and a dresser. St. Scholastica and St. Benedict do not have dressers but a wardrobe with two drawers. Cuthbert Allen has wardrobes in addition to the dresser. The apartments also have a couch, chairs, side and coffee tables, and a kitchen table and chairs in the common area. Furniture cannot be disassembled or stored during the year.

Yes, bike racks are located around campus. If you choose to bring a bicycle to school, please be sure to lock it up when it’s not in use. For safety reasons, stairwells, hallways, corridors or other public areas may not be used for bicycle storage.

Students are not permitted to smoke in their rooms. In fact, you must smoke 30 feet from a residence hall.

If you would like to bring a fish to school – great! It must be kept in a regularly cleaned water tank. The tank size is limited to 15 gallons. For health and safety reasons, other pets are not permitted in the residence halls or apartments. Please note that this policy also applies to visitors.

There are two places to eat on campus. You may use your meal plan in the student dining hall, known as the Campus Restaurant. You may use your flex dollars or cash in Holy Grounds.

In Poellath, O’Connell, Raphael Arthur and the apartments, most mattresses are standard twin size – you will not need extra long sheets, but they are useful when you add extra cushion to the mattress. For students over 6′, you can request an extra-long twin bed for your room. You will need to have the longer sheets for these mattresses.

In St. Scholastica and St. Benedict, mattresses are extra long twin size – you will need extra long sheets.

All students may participate in the “Residence Halls Linens and College Bedding Program” provided by a third party company. Please visit their website for more information and to place orders.

We have only had a few isolated instances of bed bugs which have been contained quickly; however it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that bed bug breakouts are controlled and contained. Please read this information sheet: Proactive information regarding bed bugs

When you arrive on campus, your Residence Life staff will be able to answer any questions you may have. If they can’t help you, they will find the answer for you or put you in touch with someone who can. If questions arise before you arrive, please feel free to call, write or e-mail us:

Residence Life Office
Belmont Abbey College
100 Belmont-Mt Holly Road
Belmont , NC 28012
704-461-6893

e-mail: ResidenceLife@bac.edu

Each residence hall room is equipped with mini-blinds. In most cases you will need to bring a curtain rod with you if you wish to hang curtains in addition to the blinds. To minimize damage to the walls, students are asked to use tension rods instead of rods that require brackets.

Student Name: Ex. John Smith
Mailing Address: 100 Belmont Mount Holly Rd. Belmont, NC 28012

• Alarm clock, radio
• Area rug, trash can, cleaning supplies
• Blankets, bedding, pillows
• Can opener, pots/pans, utensils
• Computer, TV, gaming systems
• Curtains with tension rods
• Dishes, cups, flatware
• Multi-outlet extensions — must have UL listed surge protectors with a self-tripping breaker
• Flashlight and batteries
• Iron, small ironing board, laundry supplies
• Microwave, small refrigerator — also available for rent as one unit. Please click here for more info.
• Poster putty, removable wall hooks; products that won’t damage the walls
• Posters, family pictures
• Plants, small fish tank
• Shower caddie, toiletries, towels
• Study lamp
• Umbrella, rain boots

Belmont Abbey College is under the direction of the local fire marshal and the following are via their mandates.

Please keep these fire and safety regulations in mind

• Microwave ovens cannot exceed 700 watts
• Small refrigerators cannot exceed 2.5 amps
• Microwaves and refrigerators must be plugged directly into the wall outlet
• Microwaves and refrigerators must maintain reasonable standards of sanitation and cannot be placed in a closet or other enclosure
• There must be 24 inch clearance between the ceiling and anything near it.
• All surge protectors must be 18 inches off the floor.
• Radios, stereos, computers, desk lamps, small televisions, and other small appliances must be kept in safe operating condition
• All approved combustible materials (paint, paint thinner) must be stored in a metal box in a well ventilated area
• Sprinkler pipes and heads can not have anything hanging from them and must have a 24 inch clearance.

Prohibited Items

• NO extension cords
• NO open element appliances (i.e., hot plates, broilers, space heaters, immersion heaters, ovens, toasters, “George Foreman”-type grills, or kerosene heaters)
• NO power tools
• NO sun lamps
• NO outside antennae
• NO tampering with electrical systems
• NO placing cords under an item (like a rug) or taping them across the floor
• NO candles
• NO incense
• NO halogen or touchier lamps
• NO lava lamps
• NO paper lamps
• NO Christmas tree lights unless LED
• NO cords across floors or under rugs
• NO Kerosene lamps or any gas powered appliance
• NO firearms and other dangerous (knives with a longer than 2 inch blade, dangerous weapons, slingshots, explosives, air guns, paintball guns, unapproved inflammable fluids and materials, kerosene heaters, dangerous chemical mixtures, fireworks or propelled missiles or any item which is used in a threatening manner)
• NO painted walls or wallpaper
• NO nails, screws, or hooks into woodwork, walls, or ceilings
• NO contact paper, decals, and bumper stickers affixed to university property.
• NO personal lofts, waterbeds, and/or wood paneling
• NO items hanging from ceiling – including plants, netting, blankets, etc
• Ceiling tiles can not be removed
• Window screens can not be removed.  At least one window cannot be blocked.  There must be a clear space on the floor to get to the window without moving items out of the way.
• NO drug paraphernalia (this can cause removal from campus housing)
• NO alcohol, alcohol containers in Poellath, O’Connell, St. Scholastica, and St. Benedict
• No personal handheld vaporizers (this is different from e-cigs)
• NO alcohol or drug related décor or games
• NO open flame or ember devices such as candles, incense, hookahs or oil lamps
• NO trash or dirty clothes piled on the floor
• NO pets or pet paraphernalia (except fish)

For full policies of the Residence Life office, please refer to this document: Residence Life Policies and Procedures

Each student is provided with a copy of these Residence Life Emergency Guidelines.  Emergency Residence Life Guidelines – Flipchart

The professional staff (Director, Assistant Director, and Resident Director) are individuals who chose to work in this field for their career. They have several years of experience and advanced training in residence life. Remember that they were once where you are now, they were college students, too! The professional staff has a passion for residence life and strongly believes in what they do. They all came to the Abbey because they want to advance the College’s mission of educating students and fostering their holistic growth. They are here to serve you and make sure that your experience is formative, fulfilling, and fun. They will provide guidance and supervision to the HRAs and RAs, and are responsible for helping students connect to the campus. These professionals are responsible for management of the residence halls. They are happy to meet with students, so, if you have questions or concerns, just stop by! Their offices are located in O’Connell Hall in the Office of Residence Life.

HRAs and RAs are paraprofessional, current BAC student leaders who range from sophomores to seniors. All HRAs and RAs participate in an intense two-week training prior to students moving in, so they are prepared to handle a wide range of situations. Whether you need a shoulder to cry on, need to report a maintenance concern, or have a roommate problem, they are there for you. You will find them extremely willing to assist you in any way. They are student leaders, strong students, and believe in Belmont Abbey College.

HRAs and RAs live throughout the campus and are responsible for a certain number of residents. They provide peer support, community development activities, programming, and education on the intent behind BAC policies. Your RA is one of the most valuable resources for campus living at the Abbey.

Each residence hall and its RAs are supervised by a Head RA. The Head RA is a seasoned RA who oversees the hall’s RAs, programming, and support of the residents.

All of the RAs are supervised by the Assistant Director (AD) or Resident Director (RD). The HRAs are supervised directly by the Director. The professional staff are responsible for not only their supervision, but for the RA selection, training, RL programming model, and overall residence life management.

The Director of Residence Life provides overall management for the housing and residence life programs, ensuring that they advance the mission of Belmont Abbey College, and serves as a liaison between the Office of Residence Life and other campus partners. The Director also ensures that the AD, RD, HRAs and RAs receive the support they need in carrying out their duties. Finally, the Director is responsible for overseeing the campus judicial process for policy violations.

The Administrative Assistant is the general office manager who provides a warm welcome for all of our visitors and supervises work-study students.