The Experience
Residence on campus allows students to live the Rider experience
Options for Living at Westminster
On the Westminster campus, all full-time freshmen, sophomores, and new students are required to live on campus, and on-campus housing is guaranteed for the first two years. Westminster offers housing in three residence halls, each of which provides a unique living environment for its residents. Single-sex floors are available, as well as halls that are co-educational by floor or by suite. Most rooms are designed for two occupants, but some triple rooms are available. Each hall has its own laundry facilities and practice facilities. For more information, visit the Westminster Associate Dean of Students Office.
Options for Living at Lawrenceville
On-campus housing options at on the Lawrenceville campus are varied: twelve residence halls and six Greek houses provide opportunities for students to live among their peers in well-kept, secure, and supportive environments that promote their well-being and their educational experience. Most residence halls are located at the northeast edge of campus, enclosing a quadrangle of paths and lawns, while three residence halls and the fraternities and sororities are situated around the lake at the other end of campus.
Residence halls offer both single-sex and co-educational housing that varies in size and scope. Each residence hall has an office where students receive mail and one or more lounge facilities, which are used as study or recreation areas. Each hall has a renovated area with facilities such as recreation rooms, kitchens, and TV lounges.
All Rider residence halls have trained residence staff, including a Residence Director and student Resident Advisors, and all of whom are supervised by the professional staff of the Residence Life Office, which also helps students resolve problems, makes room assignments, and oversees maintenance and upkeep of the facilities. Student staff handle peer counseling and programming, and serve as liaisons with the Residence Life Office.
Residence Hall Village
A new Residence Hall Village was opened during the fall semester of 2005. It creates a presence and a community along the campus mall. The new facility provides an additional 186 suite and apartment style living arrangements as well as new computer rooms, study lounges, and meeting rooms. The Ziegler and Hill residence halls were renovated as part of this master design.
Special Interest Housing
Rider offers a number of living experiences within its residence halls to accommodate students’ needs and preferences.
Learning Communities
A select group of students may be invited to participate in residential and academic Learning Communities. Students will live with, take classes with, and study with a core group of fellow Learning Community students; their professors work together to coordinate core coursework, as well as serve as their advisors for their first two semesters, helping to solve problems, select courses, and choose a major. Movies, trips, dinners, lunches, and informal parties will be planned to help students get acquainted. The transition to campus life is made easier because students are able to make friends with whom to socialize, discuss assignments, work on papers, and study for exams.
- Freshman Year Experience is housed in Conover Hall - A residence hall designated for freshman only. The Freshman Year Experience program is designed to provide a bridge between the formal academic program of Rider University and the out-of-classroom learning and development activities of residents. The Faculty-in-Residence help create a climate conducive to academic achievement, scholarship, and intellectual stimulation. Living among the students, they are in a unique position to be a role model and to provide counseling and leadership to the Conover community. Residence Life staff in conjunction with the Faculty-in-Residence plan social and academic programs specifically designated to assist new students in their transition to university life.
- University Studies Learning Community is housed in Kroner Hall - A learning community established to provide a unique living/learning experience for entering undecided students to provide additional support to help you succeed at Rider. Advantages include enrolling in two programatically-linked core courses (along with Freshman Seminar), assignment of a faculty advisor teaching these courses and living together in the same residence hall to aid in developing a close teaching and learning relationship with the faculty members and student life staff life staff. In addition to the courses, the Faculty and Residence Life staff coordinated extracurricular activities that encourage the exploration of academic interests and options.
- Science Learning Community is housed in Switlik Hall – Provides social activities, speaker programs, coordinated tutoring and supplemental instruction and study groups. The Science Learning Community works to promote interaction between science faculty and students in order to support science majors.
- Wellness Floors are housed in Olson Hall – Provides an intentional community for students who desire a smoke-free and substance-free environment. Residence hall staff work with students to create programs and community development opportunities focusing on a well-ness lifestyle.
- Wright Hall is an all-female residence hall - That provides an option for female students interested in residing in a single gender living environment.
Tutoring in the Residence Halls
A collaborative effort with the Education Enhancement Program allows for a variety of tutoring services to be offered in the residence halls. These services include, writing and math tutoring, supplemental instruction and walk-in tutoring as well as workshops on time management, note taking and study skills.
Greek Houses
Fifteen percent of the undergraduate population is in a social fraternity or sorority. Eight of the Greek organizations have houses on campus located near Sorority and Fraternity Rows, near Centennial Lake. Many of the Greek houses have their own dining facilities, run by members of their organization. The Office of Greek Life provides regulation, discipline, and resources, and guidance to the Greek houses, and all Greek houses have a student house manager, who acts as a liaison with the Office of Greek Life. For more information, contact the Office of Greek Life.
