Frequently Asked Questions About Living in the Residence Halls
About half or our beds are in Air Conditioned Buildings. The only Air Conditioned beds we have are in Parkside North, Los Alamitos, Los Cerritos, Pacific, and Atlantic Halls. All others (A, B, C, D, E, F, I-House, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q) do not have Air Conditioning. With our climate and location fairly close to the ocean breazes, most students are able to live comfortably with a window fan.
Unfortunately, students are not permitted to bring their own AC units. The electrical system does not have capacity to allow for this extra electrical load and window ACs, if not installed correctly, can create a safety issue.
All rooms are furnished with a bed, dresser, desk, chair, bookshelf, wastebasket, closet and mirror for each resident.
Residents must provide their own blankets bedspreads, towels, sheets, pillow(s)/pillowcases and study lamps (no halogen lamp).
All mattress beds are 80 inches x 34 inches. Be sure your bed linens are "twin extra long."
Other than the provided room, we do not have additional storage spaces available.
All the rooms, either in the suite or in the traditional halls are approximately 15 feet x 11 feet. Suite design style halls are a cluster of three, four or seven rooms with a shared bathroom. This style of housing can be found in Parkside and Hillside Colleges.
Traditional style halls have double rooms along a long hallway and common bathroom facilities which are shared by all residents who live in that wing.
Traditional style halls are located in Hillside College - Los Alamitos & Los Cerritos Halls.
Beachside College offers a hybrid of both designs with long hallways and a bathroom for every two rooms.
Please visit our Residential Villages page for additional hall information.
The ratio is approximately six to seven residents (Hillside-Suites) for a bathroom with 1 toilet, 1 shower, and 1 sink; twelve to fourteen residents (Parkside) for a bathroom with 2 toilets, 2 showers, and 3 sinks; four to five residents (Beachside) for a bathroom with 1 toilet and 1 shower, with the sinks in the student rooms, and approximately twenty to thirty residents per wing (Hillside-Traditional) for a bathroom with 3-4 toilets, 4-6 showers, and 4-6 sinks and approximately thirty four students (Parkside North) for a bathroom with 6 toilets and 6 showers.
That may sound congested, but remember that your hall/suitemates will probably be on different schedules. Rarely will this present a problem.
NO HOT PLATES. Nothing with exposed hot surfaces. Coffee makers, like Kuerigs are okay as long as the heating surface is not exposed. Each room comes with a microwave and mini fridge unit; therefore, students are not allowed to bring these appliances as they are already provided. Please be selective in bringing small appliances as your bedroom electrical infrastructure will not support a large number of appliances. Try to coordinate with your roommate when you move in to eliminate duplicate items.
Listed below are some essentials.
- Towels & washcloths
- Alarm clock
- Toiletries
- Sheets (twin extra long 80" x 34")
- Pillow(s)/Pillowcase(s)
- Blankets/Bedspread
- Laundry basket/detergent
Wireless internet is available in all Residential Colleges using Beachnet+ and using your ID credentials for login. Wireless printers will not work on Beachnet+, we recommend a printer that will allow an usb connection.
Digital cable television is available in all Residential Colleges. If you plan on bringing a television, it will require a QAM Digital Tuner for it to work with the cable tv system.
There are mailboxes in each Hall office. The mail is delivered to each Residence Hall Service Center, Monday through Saturday, and placed in mailbox by the Service Center staff. All those who get mail or packages would be notified by email.
The term "dorm" or "dormitory" is a throwback to the 1940's, 50's and 60's when 18-year-olds were not legal adults and facilities looked and were operated rather like military barracks. On-campus housing has gone through a tremendous period of development since then.
Today, residents live, study, interact and grow through a wide range of social and educational programs. So the term 'Residence Hall' truly reflects on-campus housing in the present times.
Yes. To see a typical room and suite arrangement, we invite you to take a Residence Hall tour. The tour takes approximately 30 minutes and reservations are not required. View additional tour information.
Absolutely! Living in University Housing is by far the easiest, most convenient way to get acquainted. Many free or inexpensive programs and events sponsored by the Residential Life staff and the Residence Hall Association (RHA) will help you get acquainted, become involved, and have a great time.
Residents who are in need of special accommodations, which cannot be met by gender-inclusive housing options, and are requests regarding medical or physical accommodations will need to be sent to the Bob Murphy Access Center (BMAC). In collabration with BMAC, the University Housing will review the nature of the request and let you know if your request can be fulfilled. Students should send an email to BMAC at bmac@csulb.edu & the Housing Office at housing@csulb.edu with their name, Campus ID (CID) number, phone number, and the nature of their special accommodation request.
