Frequently Asked Questions

Campus housing is available and guaranteed for all freshmen, and available to upper-class students on a space-available basis. Freshman students at WCU will be required to live on-campus for two academic years. We also guarantee housing for transfer students who have been out of high school for less than one year at the time of their initial term of enrollment at Western.

Freshmen are required to live on campus for two academic years and new transfer students for one academic year. The majority of freshmen students will participate in Western Carolina PEAKS, our transitional living-learning community. Living on campus means you will live in the heart of all the activity on campus and everything will be easily accessible. The residency requirement may be waived if the student is married or lives with parents or legal guardians in Jackson County or any county contiguous to Jackson County provided he/she completes a “Residency Exemption Form” and submits it to the Department of Residential Living. More information on this requirement can be found in Policy #96.

Instructions to apply for on-campus housing can be found in your acceptance packet. You will be sent an email to your Catamount account letting you know to fill out your Residence Hall Agreement on our online system.

Room assignments are made via our automated system. Our room assignments coordinator makes every attempt to meet the requests of all residents. Assignment priority is determined by the date on which both the non-refundable housing deposit and the Residence Hall Agreement is received. If you request to live with a particular person, we will make every effort to honor this request provided we also have received a request from the preferred roommate. Both students wishing to room together must submit mutual requests and each person must indicate a preference for the other through our online system.

Room assignments for the fall semester are made in mid to late July, and for the spring semester, they are made in mid to late December. All room assignments will be sent to your Catamount email address.

The Area Coordinator (AC) has responsibility for the operation of his/her area of buildings. Each AC is a full-time professional staff person with a master’s degree in counseling, human services, or related area. The AC lives in one of the buildings for which he/she has responsibility. His or her responsibilities include counseling/advising residents, supervising staff, administering the disciplinary process for in-hall behavior problems, coordinating residence hall programs and activities, promoting community and leadership development, and administering paperwork and reports.

Each floor has a Resident Assistant (RA). RAs are upper-class residents who have been through a thorough selection process and an intensive training program. The RA is responsible for developing a community environment among the residents on the floor; providing opportunities for interaction among the residents through programs and activities; being a peer counselor/advisor: monitoring and reporting behavior problems to the Area Coordinator. The primary responsibility of the RA is to assist you.

The residence life program at WCU offers many opportunities for personal growth and development to residents through various recreational, social, educational, cultural, developmental, and community service activities. In addition, you may take advantage of many other services offered in the residence hall. Each residence hall room is furnished with two loftable or bunkable beds (all beds are extra-long standard size), two desks and desk chairs, two drawer sets and closets, desk lights, overhead lights, window blinds, two Ethernet ports with a high-speed internet connection. Digital cable TV also is provided. Located in each residence hall are laundry facilities, which are free to the resident; snack and drink vending machines; study lounges; and public area lounges, equipped with wireless Internet.

We encourage you to personalize your room. You may bring small end tables, shelves, television, refrigerator (of no more than 4.6 cubic feet or 5 amps), microwave oven, plants, pillows, rugs/carpet, and wastepaper baskets. You are not permitted to paint your room.

• Computer
• Refrigerator (4.5 cubic feet or = 5 amps)
• Microwave (= 800 watts)
• Surge protector
• Television
• Extra-long twin sheets, mattress pad, pillow and pillowcases
• Blanket
• Bedspread
• Towels and washcloths
• Bathrobe
• Soap, toiletries, shower bucket
• Alarm clock
• Clothes hangers
• Laundry detergent (HE only)
• Laundry basket
• Iron/ironing board
• Umbrella
• Fan
• Wastebasket
• Small recycling bin
• Sticky poster mounting gum (look-for-Poster Gum)
• Study supplies
• Sewing kit
• Flashlight
• Can openers
• Plants
• Bookshelf (free standing)
• Carpet or rug
• Camera
• Decorative items (pictures, posters, etc.)
• Cleaning supplies

We recommend that only one of the following items be in each room:

• Refrigerator
• Microwave
• TV
• VCR
• Fan

• Air conditioner
• Amplifiers
• Aquariums (larger than 10 gallons)
• Archery equipment
• Ceiling fans
• Cooking appliances with open coils (toaster, toaster oven, coffee maker, hot plate, George Foreman grills, etc.)
• Darts
• Duck tape
• Electric blankets
• Electrical items that are not U.L. approved
• Explosives (including gasoline, kerosene, or other combustible substances)
• Fireworks
• Halogen or incandescent lights/lamps
• Hoverboard
• Indoor grill or broiler
• Kegs, party balls, funnels, bongs, and other drug paraphernalia
• Pets (other than fish)
• Power tools
• Refrigerators larger than 4.6 cubic feet or > 5 amps
• Space heaters (electric, ceramic, or kerosene)
• Waterbeds
• Weapons including, but not limited to: knives, bb guns, air/gas pistols or rifles, firearms of any type, pressurized guns, paintball guns, stun guns, martial arts weapons, and ammunition
• Weight lifting equipment
• Smoke/fog machines

This list is not all-inclusive. If you have an item you’d like to ask about specifically not listed on the to bring or not to bring lists, please contact the Department of Residential Living at: housingquestions@email.wcu.edu or via phone at: 828-227-7303.

U.S. Mail is collected and distributed to the Student Mail Center Monday through Friday, and delivered to each resident's mail box before the end of the day.

The Mail Center is located on the second floor of A.K. Hinds University Center and is open 10:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

To ensure that your mail reaches you as quickly as possible, make sure that your correspondents have your correct address as indicated:

Your Name
Western Carolina University
245 Memorial Drive
Suite ________
Cullowhee, NC 28723

If any part of your address is wrong, your mail will take longer to reach you.
Should you have questions about your mail you can contact the Student Mail Center at 828.227.3241 or resmailsup@wcu.edu

Yes, your guests are welcome to visit you in the residence hall. Guests of the opposite gender are allowed to visit you Sunday – Thursday from 12:00 noon until 12:00 midnight. On Friday and Saturday, the visitation hours are from 12:00 noon until 2:00 a.m. You must escort any guest of the opposite gender at all times. He or she must use restroom facilities designated for their gender. Public restroom facilities are located in the main lobby of each residence hall. Violation of this policy will result in loss of visitation privileges.

Western Carolina University takes your safety very seriously. Since residence halls are public buildings that serve as private residences for a large number of students, security is an important concern. All exterior doors remain locked at all times. Electronic access is provided for residents of each building. You are encouraged to always carry your CatCard and room key with you, and to always lock your door when you leave your room. You must also take responsibility for safety and security of community by assisting with keeping doors locked at all times and never propping doors.

Smoke detectors are located in public areas and fire alarm pull stations on every wing of each residence hall floor. Fire drills are conducted the first of each semester. Your residence hall staff has been trained to assist you with evacuation procedures. AS A SAFETY PRECAUTION, BURNING CANDLES AND INCENSE (or any open flame), OR ANY OPEN COILED COOKING APPLIANCES ARE NOT PERMITTED IN THE RESIDENCE HALLS. As an added safety measure, all residence halls have sprinkler systems.

Your residence hall staff will conduct various safety programs in the residence halls related to theft prevention, self-defense, rape awareness, fire safety, and others. Emergency call boxes are located at the main entrance of each residence hall. University Police Officers patrol the campus and are only a phone call away. They are available to assist you if and when the need arises. For further information regarding campus safety and security, please visit the University Police website at: police.wcu.edu.