Housing and Residential Life Background
Housing and Residential Life is a unique piece of the college experience. Many students at Stanislaus State live in the dorms, especially if they are not from the Central Valley. Students often move to the dorms as freshman to learn more about campus and figure out if staying in the dorms is the right decision for them. If a student is feeling homesick, there are even peer mentors are available to help them through it.
Right now they are hiring for similar positions in the department, which you can learn more about here. There are many benefits that come with working in housing and residential life, such as being provided with free housing as well as meal plans, and experienced staff members are available to help along the way. 
Rules
When living in the dorms, there are rules to follow. These rules include no animals that are not registered under ESA (Emotional Support Animal), no candles and no guests visiting past 11 p.m.
Dining Services
Although there are rules here as well, there are accommodations, such as the dining services offered. The Village Cafe offers breakfast and lunch, whereas the Warrior Grill offers lunch and dinner options. There is a Starbucks located on the outside of the Student Center where students can use their meal plans.
Peer Academic Coach Perspective
 Peer Academic Coach (PAC), Esperanza Portillo, explained what her position entails. 
“A PAC is helping residents with academic questions and also providing residents with important academic information, dates, deadline which we call community check-ins, and one on one coaching,” she said. “Each month we have study nights that different PACs host every Tuesday and Thursday.”
Portillo explained how this shows that if you are a student who is looking to live in a dorm or plan to, you will have support from the staff as they do check-ins.
Living Learning Peer Academic Coach Perspective
If a student is new to campus and far from home, Miranda Hernandez, Living Learning Peer Academic Coach, can help assist with the transition to college. Hernandez spoke about her position as a PAC and the benefits of working in the Housing and Residential department.
“As an Elevate community Peer Academic Coach, I assist my residents with their transition to college. I am here to help connect our residents to any tools they may need so that they are able to succeed academically,” she said.
She believes that some of the benefits of applying to be a resident in Housing and Residential would be the advantage of always being on campus.
“We can utilize any of the buildings on campus with just a short walk,” she said. “It is also amazing to live in a community that is constantly supporting your educational success through the events that they host to help motivate everyone.”
A Student’s Perspective
Ruben Marquez Jimenez (sophomore, Political Science and Spanish) shared his favorite part about living in the dorms on campus.
“My favorite part of living in the dorms is the people that are here and the ability to connect with other people,” he said. “It has opened up opportunities for me, especially since I live at the heart of the school.” 

More information about Stanislaus State’s Housing and Residential department can be found on their official website at www.csustan.edu/housing.