Stony Brook University student housing

The State University of New York at Stony Brook is the largest residential campus in the SUNY system,^[1] with approximately 54.5% of its students living on campus.^[2] Housing at Stony Brook is issued and controlled by Stony Brook University Campus Residences, which provides 9,445 spaces in its 11 corridor style buildings, 17 suite style buildings, and 23 apartment style buildings ^[1] to Undergraduate students, Graduate students, and student's families. The large majority of on-campus housing is provided to students on the university's west campus, but housing is available to those on east campus, and for Stony Brook Southampton students.

Campus Residences is tied to Stony Brook's Undergraduate Colleges initiative in order to provide a better residential experience for the undergraduate community, especially for those in their first year. As such, the placement of all first year undergraduates and transfers is based on their Undergraduate College assignment (based on student interest, not major).^[3] Graduate students are not placed in the same manner, and are instead assigned housing based on preference and availability of space.

Quad Housing

There are six quads that make up the residential areas for undergraduate students at Stony Brook. They offer suite style floor plans or corridor style floor plans . The quads are:

• Eleanor Roosevelt Quad (Corridor)
• H Quad (Corridor)
• Kelly Quad (Suite)
• Mendelsohn Quad (Corridor)
• Roth Quad (Suite)
• Tabler Quad (Suite)

Corridor style housing includes single, double, and triple rooms lined down a unisex hallway, with approximately 36 residents and one to two bathrooms per hallway. Suite style housing includes suites of six same-gendered people in three double bedrooms with a shared common space and bathroom. Bedrooms in suite style housing are smaller than corridor style, which are 150 sq. ft and 180 sq. ft respectively.

In Quad Housing, special living options exist based on student preference or need: Cooking (CO), 24-Hour Quiet (24Q), Modest Living, and Substance Free (SF). Students who choose these options are expected to adhere to the rules in the Terms of Occupancy as well as additional rules for the community such as no noise beyond room doors for 24 hour quiet, no alcohol paraphernalia for substance free living, and stricter rules regarding cleanliness for cooking buildings.^[4] There are also gender-inclusive living options available by request.

Corridor Style

Eleanor Roosevelt Quad

Roosevelt, Kelly, Schomburg and West Apartments

Eleanor Roosevelt quad, commonly abbreviated as ERQ, is made up of 5 residence halls: Greeley, Keller (SF), Stimson (24Q), Wagner and C.N. Yang Hall.^[5] All of these halls have a corridor style floor plan except for CN Yang hall, which is suite style. Residents placed in Roosevelt quad are part of the Global Studies undergraduate college (GLS) and as a result, there is a large emphasis on the global experience in residential programs put on in ERQ.

H-Quad

H-Quad and Mendelsohn Quads

H-Quad is made up of 3 buildings: Benedict, James (24Q & CO) and Langmuir (SF).^[6] The floor plan in all three buildings is corridor style. Residents placed in H quad belong to the Leadership and Service undergraduate college (LDS). The residential programs put on in H-Quad are largely focused on community service and community building.

H quad is home to two Living and Learning centers: the Community Service LLC in James college, and the Leadership Development LLC in Langmuir college.^[6] The Community Service LLC combines academics with community service via a minor in community service learning. The goal of this LLC is to build on research and methods of community service and involvement. The Leadership Development LLC combines academics with leadership strategies via a minor in Leadership development. The goal of this LLC is to create students who are grounded academically, and who know enough about leadership strategies to motivate the work of others in meaningful ways^[7]

Mendelsohn Quad

Mendelsohn Quad and surrounds Mendelsohn Pit and is made up of four buildings: Ammann (24Q), Gray (SF), Irving (CO) and O'Neil. All buildings have a corridor style floor plan composed of doubles. Mendelsohn quad residents belong to the Undergraduate College of Information Technology Studies (ITS), resulting in residential programs that emphasize technology in society.

The Red Dragon Labyrinth is located just south of Gray college. It is a seven-tier circular labyrinth, around 30 ft in radius, made of grass and red tree bark. It was donated to the university in 2004 by the United University Professions, the Protestant Campus Ministry, Radiation Protection Services, and University Hospital’s Department of Nuclear Medicine. Its goal is to help students achieve perspective and balance.^[8]

Suite Style

Kelly Quad

Kelly Quad is made up of six buildings: Baruch (SF), Dewey, Eisenhower, Hamilton, Schick (24Q) and Lauterbur.^[9] All buildings have a suite style floor plan composed of double rooms and common areas - these are the only suites on campus with balconies. Programing and residential learning in the quad is focused on identity exploration and human development, as per the Undergraduate College connected with the quad is Human Development (HDV)

The Health and Wellness LLC is offered through Schick college, and is meant to provide students with a foundation in the concepts of healthy living and help those looking for a career in the health professions via a minor offered through the LLC.^[10]

Roth Quad

Roth Quad

Roth quad surrounds Roth pond and is made up of 5 buildings: Cardozo, Gershwin (24Q & CO), Hendrix, Mount (SF), and Whitman. All buildings have a suite style floor plan composed of doubles. Residents in Roth quad are part of the Science and Society Undergraduate College (SSO), placing and emphasis on the implications of not only science on society, but society on science. The buildings in Roth quad are the only quad style buildings that have air conditioning other than the Nobel Halls.

The living learning center in Roth quad is the Environmental Studies minor. It is based in Hendrix College and is meant to unite ecology, meteorology and oceanography in order to understand human impact on the environment.^[11]

The Roth Pond Regatta is an annual boat race held in Roth Pond since 1989. It is typically held during the last Friday of April, and the goal of the race is to get from one side of Roth pond to the other in a boat made of only cardboard, duct tape and paint. The event is judged by the Roth Pond Yacht club, and is funded by the Undergraduate Student Government. A fan of the event is Samuel L. Stanley, the university president.

Tabler Quad

Tabler Quad

Tabler quad surrounds a meadow and is made up of 5 buildings: Douglass, Dreiser (24Q & SF), Hand (CO), Sanger and Toscanini. All buildings have a suite style floor plan composed of doubles. Residents in Tabler are part of the Undergraduate College of Arts, Culture and Humanities (ACH), placing a large emphasis on music and art and its relation to other disciplines.

The Media Arts LLC minor is located in Tabler quad's Douglass college. The goal of this LLC is to help students better understand the types of media available in today's world and how art can be expressed through them, and involves working with the types of media available on campus, like SBUTV and WUSB.

The Tabler Center for the Arts, Culture and Humanities is also Located in Tabler, and is a common place for students to gather. There is a performance space and an art gallery present that displays artwork form both students and outside artists, such as Francisco Donoso and Jarred Beck, the two most recent artists in residence in the center.

The Nobel Halls

The Nobel Halls are the two interconnected buildings of Lauterbur Hall and Yang Hall. They are newest residential buildings on the university's campus, and the most energy efficient buildings, having been awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design award^[12] for their eco-friendly design and high efficiency operation. They both consist of suite style floor plans, but belong to separate quads: Lauterbur is part of Kelly Quad, Yang is part of Roosevelt quad.

Apartment Housing

West apartments, Chapin apartments, and Schomburg apartments make up the three apartment style living areas on Stony Brook University's campus. Within Chapin, West and Schomburg, there are options of one and two bedroom apartments for couples and families, four to six bedroom apartments for undergraduate students, and three and four bedroom apartments for single graduate students and students in the Health Sciences Center. Each apartment also includes a kitchen area, a private bathroom, and in most cases, a large shared common-space.

West Apartments

The West apartments are a group of nine buildings, comprising a total of 230 apartments. All buildings except West G are reserved for junior and senior undergraduate students in good academic standing. West G is reserved for masters and doctoral degree students. West apartments is broken up into three areas, each with a different living arrangement:

• West I (West A, C, & D) is composed of unisex apartments, each containing six people in two single rooms and two double rooms
• West II (West B, E, & F) is composed of unisex apartments, each containing six people in a mixture of single and double rooms
• West III (West G, H, & I) is composed of unisex apartments, each containing five or six people in single rooms

West apartment residents may be students of West campus or of the Health Sciences Center

Schomburg Apartments

There are 72 apartments in the two buildings that make up the Schomburg apartments. These apartments are designed for graduate students and married couples. There are three floor styles available: one bedroom studio apartments for married couples, two-bedroom apartments for two single graduate students, and four-bedroom apartments for four single graduate students of either West campus or the Health Sciences Center.

Chapin Apartments

Chapin Apartments

Chapin apartments are designed for graduate students of the Health Sciences Center, and are located near the University Hospital. There are a variety of floor plans across the 12 Chapin apartment buildings: There are 1-bedroom apartments for couples and families, 2-bedroom apartments for 4 students, 3-bedroom apartments for 6 health sciences students, and 4-bedroom apartments for 4 health sciences students.

Criticism

Since 2001, Stony Brook University's Campus Residences has been accused of overbooking residence halls and assigning two people to bedrooms designed for one person.^[13] Commenting on earlier claims that the buildings are "poorly maintained",^[14] a member of the Schomburg Rent Review quoted that "the Chapin Complex was built [in 1981] to last 10 years."^[15] Also, protests broke out in 2010 over the fact that rent was increasing when graduate student stipends remained unchanged.^[16]

References