Residence halls at Kent State University are more than a place to live; they are communities that provide social, leadership, academic, and learning opportunities that will enhance your college experience! In addition to being conveniently located in the heart of campus with access to campus resources, research indicates that students who live in the halls transition more easily to campus life, get better grades, graduate faster, and are more involved than students who live off campus. It is for these reasons and many more that Kent State University requires all freshmen and sophomores to live in the residence halls and participate in the meal plan unless the student has been granted an exemption from the university housing policy.

The residential communities are home to more than 6000 students. These hall communities are divided into six geographical areas of campus: Centennial Court (A, B, C, D, E, F), New Front (Dunbar, Prentice, Verder, Engleman), Quad (Stopher, Johnson, Lake, Olson), Eastway FYE (Allyn, Clark, Fletcher, Manchester), Twin Towers (Beall, McDowell), and Tri-Towers (Koonce, Wright, Leebrick and Korb).

Each hall is broken into smaller floor section communities. Resident Assistants facilitate the development of just communities by helping students realize their connection to the floor and hall environment. RAs help students get acclimated to the university and provide information for resources needed to make a successful transition to college. The most significant ways RAs do this is by engaging each floor section in the development of a community agreement and by creating social interactions intended to foster connections between students. More important than anything else, hall staff will foster an environment that honors human differences by working to create communities that facilitate interaction and encourage understanding of all community members.

The residence hall environment is intended to provide the support needed to help students succeed personally and academically. Students can expect hall staff to talk to them about their course work and to provide resources to assist them. Residence Services also has many partnerships with academic colleges. These partnerships include a number of residential colleges and several living-learning and theme communities. These environments are offered to provide communities where cohorts of students who have similar academic goals can live together providing additional peer support both in and out of the classroom.

In support of the University and the Residence Services mission, each hall community has a commitment to a community agency in Kent City or Portage County. Hall staff will provide opportunities for students to learn about and volunteer at these agencies throughout the year. These are excellent opportunities for learning about community issues and being responsive to them!

Students in the halls are offered a variety of leadership opportunities to take advantage of during their time on campus. Each residence hall has a governing body (typically called a hall council) that allows students to become actively involved in addressing issues as well as planning events for the community. Kent Interhall Council (KIC) is the overarching organization for the hall councils and is made up of representatives from each council. KIC serves as the representative voice for campus students to the administration, plans campus wide programs, and participates in regional and national conferences. In addition to these opportunities, Residence Services is also committed to providing student employment opportunities. Over 250 students are employed in a variety of leadership positions including resident assistants, desk receptionists, security aides, computer assistants, and tutors.

Residence Services strives to be environmentally conscious by participating in recycling and energy conservation practices. Hall staff will reinforce this commitment through the educational initiatives provided in the halls.

To learn more about the residence halls at Kent State University, to review a copy of the Hallways Handbook which provides important information to students about community living at Kent State University, or to get an introduction to the staff, please visit the Residence Services website.