A Guide to Freshman Dorms at SUNY Oneonta

SUNY College at Oneonta, serving central New York State since 1889, is a relatively small institution with approximately 6,000 students. It upholds SUNY's reputation for academic excellence and consistently earns high rankings among its northern regional peers. This guide provides essential information for incoming freshmen regarding residence halls, move-in procedures, and available amenities.

Campus and Surrounding Area

SUNY Oneonta is situated on the north side of the city of Oneonta, a small community located about halfway between Albany and Binghamton on Interstate 88. The campus is bordered by the Upstate countryside to the north and residential neighborhoods to the south. Rental rates near campus are generally affordable, with many houses, apartments, and condos within walking or biking distance. Wilbur Park, a sprawling green space, is a few blocks away, offering a tranquil environment for outdoor recreation. Downtown Oneonta features a vibrant Main Street corridor with popular restaurants, bars, and coffeehouses that cater to the local student population.

Housing Options and Special Interest Communities

SUNY Oneonta offers a variety of residence hall options to suit different preferences and needs. Several special interest housing communities are available, fostering supportive and inclusive environments.

Marsha P. Johnson Community Housing: This community provides a safe and welcoming environment for LGBTQIA+ students living on campus, offering social and educational programming and collaborating with other campus offices.
Gender Inclusive Housing: Designed to allow students of any gender identity to live together within one living unit.
Wellness Community: This community provides access to personalized well-being resources to nurture physical, mental, and emotional health, enabling students to thrive with like-minded individuals.
Oneonta Gamers: A welcoming, friendly community of gaming enthusiasts that hosts inclusive events and social activities.

Residence Hall License Agreement

The Residence Hall License is binding for the entire academic year (August-May) or for two academic years (four full semesters) for incoming first-time, full-time freshman students. Release from this agreement is only permitted under specific and/or exceptional circumstances approved by Residential Experience and Housing.

Release from Housing Requirement

Students may apply for a release from the housing requirement and Residence Hall License under certain circumstances, such as:

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Students who have housing needs that are not able to be met on campus (extraordinary circumstances).
Students that have experienced extraordinary circumstances, beyond their control, since entering this agreement. Documented evidence of the circumstances is required. As an example, this may include experiencing a disaster, such as home fire or flood, that has a severe financial impact.

Each request must be accompanied by relevant supporting documentation. The decision of the Director of Residential Experience and Housing is final. The Fall 2025 and the Spring 2026 applications are for students who wish to be released from their on-campus requirement for the 2025-2026 academic year. Students need to complete the Fall 2025 / Spring 2026 Application for Release from the Residence Hall License.

Medical Housing Accommodations

With advanced notice and appropriate documentation, the Office of Residential Experience and Housing can make medically required housing accommodations. Students should review the guidelines and download the Housing Accommodation Request Form from the Accessibility Resources "How to Register" page. The form is located at the bottom of the page.

Move-In Procedures

Parking and Unloading

Once students have moved all of their items into their room, they will need to move their vehicles to a remote lot to allow others access to park and move in. There are many students moving into every building each day during move-in week. The front door should be used. Limited carts are available for use; students are encouraged to bring their own if needed.

ID Card Pickup

As soon as students move into their building, they should head to the front (outside under a tent) of the RED DRAGON OUTFITTERS BUILDING to pick up their ID card.

Textbook Ordering

Students can order textbooks online and have them shipped to campus:

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Log into the myOneonta student portal and select the Student Schedule link.
Select the appropriate term.
Select the 'View textbook information for these courses' link.
Add any items to the cart that you would like to order.
Choose 'Ship to Campus' and place the order.

Shipping Packages

Yes. Trunks, boxes and packages can be sent by UPS or Parcel Post. Students can find their new dragon number in the directory and in Web Services through myOneonta.

Residence Hall Amenities and Policies

Elevators

Double-style residence halls do not have elevators. In quads/suites/apartments style buildings, elevators are available to assist with moving your belongings to upper floors. Students will not be able to ride in the elevators with their belongings because they are freight elevators. Please work with the professional staff of your building to coordinate this.

Prohibited Items

There are a number of items that are not allowed in the residence halls. These include extension cords, air conditioners, pets, cooking appliances (i.e. toasters, hot pots, hot plates and other appliances that use electricity to cook food), candles, firearms, ammunition, martial arts and archery equipment, and halogen lamps. Students should consult the Student Code of Conduct and their Residence Hall License for a complete list and more details.

Bed and Room Details

Most mattresses are regular length (80 by 36 inches), however, we do have some extra-long ones in the mix. Since most students like to bring egg crate mattress covers, we suggest twin size extra-long sheets to cover the extra bulk, but regular-size comforters and blankets. All of our residence halls have modified beds (that have the capacity to be raised and lowered) under which is approximately 3 feet of space at its highest point. In addition, you can purchase "risers" (risers with USB charging ports are not allowed) to provide additional space under beds. Students may use their own rug; rugs are not provided in the residence hall rooms. However, it is important to first measure the floor in your assigned room to determine an appropriate rug size. There are blinds covering all windows, but window sizes vary. It is best to measure first before buying curtains or valances for decoration. In many of our rooms, the closets have curtains. Students may bring their own rod/curtains to use for the closets. These curtains must be fire retardant and the certificate must be on file with the Residence Hall Director. The important issue is that at the end of the year, the room/curtains be put back in their original places. Huntington Hall does not have curtains on their closets.

Printing

The university does not do wireless printing for personal printers because personal printers cannot connect to EDUROAM (the university wifi network). ITS recommends student use the campus printers in each residence hall and various academic computer labs. Personal printers will work if connected via USB.

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ATMs

Yes. NBT and Community Bank automatic teller machines (NYCE, PLUS, CIRRUS, VISA, MASTERCARD, DISCOVER, American Express, Novus, Quest, Diner's Club Card) are located in the Hunt Union. There is a Sidney Federal Credit Union ATM in Mills Dining Hall.

Room Selection for Returning Students

The staff in the Department of Residential Experience and Housing is already working very hard to prepare for the 2025-2026 academic year. Room selection for the 2023-2024 academic year is starting soon, and we want to outline the process for you. The deadline to fill out this form is March 19. March 24-April 15; Room Selection will take place. During this time, you (or your group leader) will log into the housing system and select your actual rooms for next year. Blodgett, Grant, Hays, Huntington, Macduff, and Matteson Hall will be available for selection for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors for the 2025-2026 academic year. Quad, Suite, and apartment style living are very popular with our returning students.

Roommate Groups

Roommate group selection and verification needs to be completed before your room selection timeslot. After the Residence Hall License Agreement page, you will reach the roommate groups page. Create a roommate group including you and up to 5 requested roommates It is important to note that while you will be able to create a roommate group of up to 6 total students, there are a limited number of units that will accommodate groups of 3-6 students. You are not guaranteed to be able to select a unit to house up to 6 students, based on the spaces available at your room selection timeslot. Given this information, you should make multiple plans for room selection.

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