All About Aquinas Hall

Named after Saint Thomas Aquinas, Aquinas Hall holds roughly 430 first year students.  It was recently renovated in 2014, which added a fourth floor to the existing building.  Each suite consists of two rooms and one bathroom.  There are up to five people in a suite.  Each floor has three or four lounges, with a pool table on the first floor.  The front desk is staffed 24 hours a day, there are 12 resident assistants and 2 professional staff members.  Tutors in Residence have a lounge on the third floor dedicated to their tutoring.

Resident Assistant applications are due tomorrow!

Any student who has expressed interest in becoming a Resident Assistant for the 2018-2019 academic year should submit their application and resume by tomorrow, Friday, January 26th by 12 noon.

E-mail invites to Group Process will be sent no later than Monday, January 29th.  Group Process will take place on Friday, February 9th from 5 pm to 8 pm.

Students who perform well in Group Process will be invited to sign up for an interview the week of February 12th for an interview held the week of February 19th.

All candidates should check their Seton Hall E-mail periodically for updates, including any changes in scheduling due to inclement weather.

Good luck to all out interested students!

Meet January’s Featured RA’s!

This month, meet two of our returning Resident Assistants.  Over the past few months, we’ve shone the spotlight on student staff who are serving in their first year as Resident Assistants, but we also have RA’s who choose to apply for a second or third (maybe even fourth!) year to continue to serve the students in our residence halls.

Meet Jen Hobeika!

Jen, originally from Lebanon, entered her second year as an RA in the Complex.  Jen is no stranger to hard work, as she currently manages a Biology major, a Psychology minor and a Catholic Studies minor.  When she isn’t pursuing her career and applying for accelerated Nursing Master’s programs, she is actively involved in Campus Ministry as a work study and as an active participant in St. Paul’s Outreach programs.  Jen believes she is “called to help people” and puts that calling into action by serving at a local soup kitchen weekly and putting her energies into the RA position.  Jen also has an adventurous side, having bungee jumped last summer and planning to skydive for her 21st birthday.  In the RA position, Jen loves building community and creating unique, positive, and quality relationships with and between the students on her floor.  Jen reflects on her first program ever as an RA as one of her successes in the position.  Hosting a “Detox and Destress” program, she invited over 100 residents to enjoy smoothies, bubbles, and other stress relief activities.  Jen loves the RA position because it’s constantly evolving and unpredictable. If you want to join Jen as an RA next year, she recommends knowing who you are and being uniquely you throughout the entire interview process.

Meet Dwyght Pena!

Dwyght is a rare RA, potentially looking to return for a fourth year.  Having served the students in Complex for two years, he has embraced working with first year students in Aquinas Hall.  Dwyght is proud of his membership in Sigma Pi fraternity and is actively engaged in the entire Seton Hall Greek community as the Vice President of Marketing for the Inter-Fraternity Council here at SHU.  Dwyght, who is originally from Massachusetts, credits his RA, Doug Stringham, with influencing him to apply for the position.  Dwyght, with Doug’s encouragement, was able  network on his floor and throughout the building, stepping outside the comfort zone of his room.  Dwyght applies this lesson in helping his eager first year students make the most out of their Seton Hall experience.  His desire to return to the position for a fourth year is driven by the desire to impact students’ lives.  As for those who want to be an RA, Dwyght wants you to know that you don’t need to be a social giant, but you need to have a genuine desire and ability to build meaningful relationships with students in your building.

Housing and Residence Life will be hosting two more information sessions in January for students who want to be like Jen and Dwyght!  They will be held on Thursday, January 18th at 6 PM in the Chancellor’s Suite and on Friday, January 19th at 2 PM in the Nursing Amphitheatre.

Meet December’s Featured RA’s!

Housing and Residence Life is happy to introduce this month’s featured Resident Assistants.  Zachary Case and Jonathan Veenstra each joined staff this fall and work in Complex and Xavier Halls respectively.  As fate would have it, they are both founding fathers of Phi Delta Theta fraternity here at Seton Hall!

Zach, who laughed throughout our entire interview and swears he is “always happy”, comes to Seton Hall from South Brunswick, NJ.  He is an Accounting major with a minor in Spanish.  When he isn’t serving as an RA or a founding father of Phi Delta Theta, which Zach says takes up the majority of his time, he enjoys watching “Riverdale” and “Survivor” and playing on his intramural volleyball team.  Zach credits his RA, Tim, helping him through the adjustment of living with someone for the first time as his motivation for applying for a position.  He wanted to help people like his RA helped him.  Zach also loves the community he has established among the other RA’s on his staff, knowing that he can always count on a fellow RA to grab a meal with him in the dining hall.  Zach, who works with students in our upperclass area, finds it easier to build relationships with his residents because they are familiar with campus and how they can utilize the RA.  Zach encourages anyone going through this year’s RA selection process to be confident through the interview process and acknowledges that being selected from the alternate roster and hired as an RA has helped him become more confident in himself.

Where Zach enjoys volleyball and Netflix, Jon is a true blue Pirate Blue fan, splitting his time between being an RA in Xavier Hall and serving as one of the managers of the men’s basketball team.  Jon’s passion for basketball is present in every aspect of his life, including academics, as he is a Sports Management major with hopes to take on Sports Media as a double major.  Originally from North Haledon, Jon always has a built in “fun fact” for icebreakers because he is a triplet.  Jon chose Seton Hall because of its reputable Sports Management program and can’t help but acknowledge his favorite color is blue, so SHU is a natural fit for him.  Jon doesn’t believe you need to be an “in your face” person to be a successful RA.  He channels his energies by being a quiet presence on the staff, making himself available and creating a safe space for his residents.  They’ve seen his efforts and celebrated him when his “12 Dogs of Christmas” bulletin board won bulletin board of the month which made him feel good about the community he has created.  Jon encourages anyone who is even considering the RA position to apply, because that’s the only way you’ll be able to learn about yourself throughout the interview process.

Housing and Residence Life will be hosting four more information sessions if you’re interested in joining the RA staff for 2018-2019.

Health and Safety Inspections will begin October 23rd

HRL Staff reserves the right to enter your room to conduct health and safety inspections.  These usually occur twice a semester but can occur as deemed necessary by the HRL professional staff.

Your RA will enter your room, whether or not you or your roommate are there, and will be escorted by a professional staff member – either an RC or an RHD.

They will look for any violations of our Health & Safety Policy and will confiscate and store any items that are in violation of our regulations.  Any violation may result in documentation and a judicial hearing.

If you have any questions, please speak with your RA or your RHD.

Switching to Heat in the Res Halls

In accordance with NJ state housing laws, Facilities Engineering will be monitoring temperatures in the next few days and nights and will be switching our HVAC units to the heating setting this week.

Residents of Boland Hall who feel their rooms are warm are still welcome to open their windows and let some cooler air in.  Residents in residence halls where the specific temperature setting can be set within their room should work with their roommates and suitemates to determine what is comfortable for everyone.

For any questions, please contact your RHD.

 

Lock Out Charges and Lock Changes

While it’s our expectation that you carry your key with you at all times, we understand things happen. If you find yourself locked out of your room (don’t worry, it happens) our RA staff is here to help! For a small fee added to your student account, an RA or any member of the HRL staff can let you back into your room.

Lock-out fees are as follows:

1st lock out = $10

2nd lock out = $15

3rd lock out = $25

If your key is lost, we will change your lock and replace your key for your own safety.  The charge for this service is $96 and will be added to your student account should this happen to you.

We recommend rocking one of those cool lanyards for sale in the bookstore or remembering to check your pockets/bag for your keys before you or your roommate leave the room.

Courtesy Checks

HRL staff (an RA and your RHD or RC) will be entering your rooms for the next two weeks to conduct Courtesy Checks.

During these inspections, staff will confiscate and give you a warning regarding any items in your room that do not meet our health and safety guidelines.  You’ll have a chance to bring the item home (or to somewhere else off-campus) at no penalty and without any judicial documentation.

Staff will leave behind a half-page form with the status of your Courtesy Check after it has been completed.

If you have questions about this process, please speak with your RA.