Week 2: Residence Life and OSCA

Ready, Set, Oberlin! A week-by-week guide to prepare for your arrival

Issue #2

Residential Education and OSCA

Students Socializing in a Residential Space

Welcome from Mark Zeno, Office of Residential Education

Welcome to Oberlin College & Conservatory! As you prepare for move-in day, I encourage you to visit the Office of Residence Life website for more information on housing and dining, what to bring to campus, important dates, and information about our Residential Curricular Model (RCM). At Oberlin, we are committed to supporting diverse communities that promote learning, leadership, and respect. Your ResLife team is a resource to help you learn, develop, and grow while you acclimate and contribute to our community. Living in a residence hall will help you develop interpersonal and leadership skills while supporting community-building opportunities that create a sense of belonging that you will use during and beyond your college years.

We hope you are excited to join us here at Oberlin! My team and I are looking forward to greeting you when you arrive on campus. If we don't see you that day, please feel free to visit us in Stevenson Hall, Room 115, with any questions or just to say hello!

Picture of Mark Zeno

 

Mark A. Zeno
Assistant Vice President and Dean of Residential Education and Campus Auxiliary Services

 

Housing Application Opens Soon

To apply for housing, starting May 2nd, 2024, please visit the Housing Registration website and follow the application instructions. This application is due by June 11th, 2024. Important application dates and deadlines are listed below. For more information about the application process, visit the First Year Student Housing Selection website.

Here are some more important resources and alternative applications:

Students who do not secure housing through the aforementioned processes will be assigned housing by Residence Life staff. If you are interested in living in a student-run co-op, please see the OSCA section below.

The Residential Curriculum Model (RCM)

by Melanie Hawkins, Director of Residential Engagement

The Residential Curriculum Model (RCM) is an intentional framework for living communities that furthers student learning and engagement at Oberlin. Residential Life focuses on the entire student experience and fosters learning beyond theStudents eating in a dining hall classroom. Living on campus will help you to:

  • build supportive networks
  • develop practical competence
  • engage in meaningful communities

You will receive regular newsletters with event invitations, links to campus resources, and other means of helping you navigate college. Other RCM strategies include community meetings, roommate/community agreements, and educational workshops. Click here to learn more about the Residential Curriculum Model! 

‌Consider a Co-op! 

by the Oberlin Student Co-operative Association Leadership

Consider living and dining with OSCA! The Oberlin Student Co-operative Association is an independent nonprofit entirely separate from the college. OSCA operates four living and six dining cooperatives and saves space for interested first-year and transfer students to either live-and-dine or dine-only cooperatively. Students in OSCA share community and labor, working 4-5 hours a week in various jobs—everything from head cook or crew member for any of our many weekly meals to president of the entire organization. OSCA offers at-cost room and board, tasty twice-daily meals made from locally-sourced organic food, frequent snacks and tasty things, the famed Jellyfish Parade, and more! Check out our website at osca.coop or email us at memsec@osca.coop to learn more! If needed, OSCA can provide financial support. Learn more here. OSCA also offers a program of time-aid, where work-study students need not work as many hours in a co-op, and other accessibility-based accommodations.

To apply for OSCA, please click this link!

Complete Your To-Do List in Engage

As a reminder, please complete your “To-Do” list in Engage! This includes Student Health forms, registering with the Office of Disability & Access, and submitting ID Card information!

How to review your checklist:

  • Access your Engage portal with your ObieID and password.
  • Click on the “To-Do Lists” Tile.
  • Review and complete items. Some are required and some are optional.
  • Mark each item as complete by clicking “Update.”
  • If you have questions, email or call the contact listed for each to-do list item.