FAQ
Please review our Room rates and styles.
Every on-campus resident is required to purchase a meal plan. If you wish to park on campus, parking permits can be purchased for an additional cost.
If you are trying to figure out if a futon and TV will fit in your room, you can find floor plans under the "Hall photos" and detailed room dimensions in the "Hall amenities" section on each residence hall page.
Take a look at "What to bring and what NOT to bring" under Guide for moving in.
Bed lofts are provided for no additional cost. Home made lofts are not allowed in the residence halls.
The mailing address for each residence hall can be found on your student’s residence hall web page.
Specific information regarding move-in procedures and dates can be found in the Guide for moving-in and moving-out.
We understand that when your gender identity/expression is not readily reflected when giving a preference for where you would like to live, it is difficult to determine what would be optimal for you. Residence Life staff are committed to assisting you to determine how our program can work for you. Please visit the Gender Inclusive Housing webpage. Feel free to contact the Office of Residence Life to discuss options.
Cable is provided in common areas throughout each residence hall. Students are allowed to stream entertainment services via the campus internet connection.
Most residence halls are not carpeted (exceptions below). Students are welcome to bring a carpet or area rug for their rooms but cannot affix the carpet to the tile with tape or glue. Common sizes for carpet are 8’ x 10’ and 8’ x 12’.
Eagle, Laux and Reuter Hall rooms are carpeted.
Quad rooms in Angell, Coate, Sanford, Wentz and O. White Halls are carpeted.
Three person residence hall rooms do not have the space (height) to loft all three beds. Two beds will come in a bunk-bed formation, while the third bed will have parts for lofting. If you have additional questions, please contact the Office of Residence Life.
In Reuter Hall, each apartment kitchen has a full-sized refrigerator. All other residence hall rooms have a 3.5 cubic foot refrigerator provided by Residence Life. Students may bring an additional refrigerator, but only one additional personal refrigerator (3.5 cubic feet) is allowed per bedroom. There is no charge for having an additional refrigerator.
To fit a futon underneath your lofted bed frame, futons should be no longer than 79" in length.
Be aware futon hardware often damages the bed stabilizing bars used to loft the beds. We encourage you to take measures to safe-guard this on the futon.
The twin mattresses are 80" long. We recommend you purchase Extra-long twin bedding.
All outside entrance doors are locked at all times (lobby, side and back doors). Students have access to their residence hall via their Student ID/University identification card. Students living in the residence halls are required to have their Student ID on them at all times. Contact the Campus Card Office (608.785.8891) immediately if you lose your student identification card.
All University provided furniture must be stored and present in your residence hall room.
Eagle and Reuter Residents: You have some ability to adjust your thermostat, however, there is a built-in maximum and minimum temperature. If your room seems especially hot or cold, submit a work request.
Angell, Coate, Drake, Hutch, Laux, O White, Wentz, Sanford Residents:
Controlling the heat - There is a black knob on the bottom of your heater. This (turned all the way to the left) opens the valve, thus heating your room. This (turned all the way to the right) closes the valve, thus turning the heat to your room off. Please either have the valve all the way opened or closed. Having it only halfway will cause the valve to wear out sooner. Your heater will always be warm to the touch, but should not be giving off heat when the valve is off.
If you are too hot:
While it seems like a simple fix to open your window to cool down your room, keep in mind that it impacts every room around you (including above and below you). So limit the time your window is open if you do open it, especially when the outdoor temp is below 30 degrees. Please be sure your window is closed (both window panes) when you are not in the room. This is especially important when you leave for extended periods of time.
If you are too cold:
Make sure your register/heater is clear of obstructions. Heat needs to be able to circulate in your room. No item should be placed directly above the register or cover up too much area in front of it. If your register is cold to the touch, then the steam is being blocked somewhere. You should submit a work request.
Here are some additional things to know when it comes to heat in the building and how you can help us troubleshoot some concerns. Know that the residence halls are heated through steam heat.
- A bit of clinking and tinkering sounds from your register are to be expected. There's nothing that can be done about these noises. It may sound like little critters are living in your heater. They are not. This is the sound of steam working through your heater.
- If the pipes are banging loudly, submit a work request online. You will need to share specifics about the sound. We should be able to resolve loud banging pipes, but we need to know it is happening.
- When your windows are closed, please keep both sets of windows closed and latched tight/locked to keep cold air out. If cold air gets in one window pane, condensation will form, which we don't want. Condensation can create mold issues in your room. If your windows are unlocked or left open, they may freeze open/shut.
- Keep the area above your heater free from obstructions. The heat/air needs to circulate throughout your room. If you have a counter or board across your desks without any space between it and the wall, the heat in your room will be impacted. Leave about 4 inches between your wall and a counter. Also ensure nothing is placed tight against the heater.
- Outside walls - Keep all items at least 4 inches away from outside walls to avoid condensation. This is especially important in corner rooms that have 2 exterior walls. Condensation can lead to mold over time.
- Heat Sensor rooms - There are 4 rooms on the 4th floor that control the heat to all residents of the rooms. These rooms have a laminated paper near the censor explaining what this is. If you are in one of these rooms, please follow the instructions posted.
- Because heat is controlled in heat zones, if you are cold/hot, your neighbors may be as well. Talk with them to see if they are experiencing the same issues. It may be helpful to include that information in the work request as it helps us pinpoint the problems.
Mold is a natural part of the environment and given a consistent source of moisture mold can grow almost anywhere. It is easy for mold spores to be transported indoors through clothes, shoes, open doors, and windows. When these mold spores are exposed to wet or humid conditions, they can begin to colonize and grow. Everyone is encouraged to learn more from resources such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Residence Life staff aims to provide suggestions to help ensure that mold does not have the chance to grow in individual rooms. Prevention works best of the residents of each room practice some strategies.
Tips for Mold Prevention
Below are a few strategies to keep in mind that will help prevent mold from growing in your room:
- Air circulation helps prevent mold so please do not pack your closets and storage areas too tightly. Keep items 4-5 inches away from exterior walls.
- Avoid storing wet clothes/towels for extended periods of time as that will provide an environment conducive to mold growth.
- When your windows are closed, ensure that both windowpanes are closed tightly. If one windowpane is not closed, it may lead to additional condensation between/on the windows.
- Keep your space clean (vacuum/sweep floors, wipe down shelves, clean up spills quickly, washout out refrigerators).
- Empty all trash and recycling regularly.
- Remove plants from the area, wet soil/plants and/or containers, such as wicker baskets, introduce moisture in the air and promotes fungal growth.
- Store food in airtight containers.
- Refrain from placing any furniture or solid items directly in front of the register/heating unit under the window. This restricts air flow.
- Most residence halls are heated by steam heat, which generally causes rooms to be dry. Therefore, ensuring your heat is on, generally decreases the moisture in the room.
- Leaving your room door open when you are there also increases air flow, which decreases the likelihood of mold.
Addressing Visible Mold
If you believe you may have active mold growth in your room, please share your concern on the “fix-it sheet” located on the custodial closet door in your community so that our custodial team is notified and can respond. You can also email your RA or Residence Director.
Our custodial team will clean and disinfect the area impacted by mold. They will also place a damp-rid bucket in your room which helps decrease the moisture level. Instructions on what to do when the bucket becomes full will be provided.
After initially addressing the concern, the custodial team will check in frequently to ensure that the mold growth does not return. If it continues, then we can explore more extreme options.
Two of our residence halls, Eagle and Reuter, have air conditioning.
Assignments are prioritized based on completed contract and application dates.
You can change hall preferences, update your roommate profile, or review available roommates by returning to the housing portal. This will not affect your original completed contract and application date. After your room assignment has been completed you will need to contact the Office of Residence Life directly to request a change.
Residence Life strives to provide (primarily) first year students the foundation for living in community and successfully engaging in their academic and social development. As students explore housing options within the greater La Crosse community, we want to ensure they have all the resources they need to make informed decisions that will meet their unique needs.
As such, we have officially partnered with College Pads to provide an off-campus housing marketplace for UWL students. The site includes renter education video modules to help students successfully navigate the transition to off-campus life, and become better educated on the local rental processes.
*Reminder-- all first year students are required to live on campus during their first year at UWL. For further details about this, please read the housing contract terms and conditions.
**Students who sign a contract to return to housing after their first year should pay close attention to the cancellation deadline that is noted in their housing contract terms and conditions. Signing a housing contract is a legally binding agreement.