Community Living

Educational Priority

Recognizing that each student has unique needs and goals, Residential Life & Dining Services is committed to enriching the student experience beyond the classroom through a holistic approach that emphasizes self-authorship, growth through critical thinking, and engagement with an inclusive community. Students who actively participate will have a strong foundation for success as community members of Plymouth State University and on the path that takes them further.

Commitment to the Habits of Mind

Plymouth State University’s approach to developing students in the classroom supports student success and beyond related to exposure and development in Habits of Mind. Habits of mind are a set of four usual ways of thinking or ways of engaging with the world. The Habits of Mind focused on at Plymouth State University are:

• Purposeful Communication
• Problem-Solving
• Integrated Perspective
• Self-Regulated Learning

Residential Life & Dining Services, through the focus of the Educational Priority, has adopted the general education Habits of Mind as overarching Residential Learning Goals. In order to best develop students through these Habits of Mind, the following definitions through the lens of living on-campus have been developed.

• Purposeful Communication is the understanding and sharing of ideas, information, and experiences.
• Problem Solving requires the ability to think creatively, adapt, and extend one’s thinking to develop effective solutions.
• Integrative Perspective is the ability to distinguish the identities you and others hold to bring together experiences, ideas, and beliefs. It is discouraging the singular viewpoint.
• Self-Regulated Learning encourages students to intentionally take ownership of their own learning & experiences by setting goals & self-reflecting to navigate obstacles.

At PSU, we recognize that classroom learning is just part of the picture, along with extracurricular and co-curricular activities, internships, and community involvement. We’ve re-imagined our Residential Life Program to create a First-Year Residential Experience (FYRE) that enriches student engagement and the transition to PSU.

Classes typically represent only one-third of a student’s time on campus; FYRE adds important value to the other two-thirds with special programs, increased access to faculty and University services, and experiences that help students find their personal path at PSU.

FYRE benefits first-year students by:

• Having students live together in traditional-style halls to support social and community development
• Introducing campus resources and instilling Habits of Mind that help students achieve academically
• Fostering new and different perspectives that support skill development required for future success
• Fostering connections with alumni and community members, who share career advice and wisdom
• Providing a great start to college for all students, including transfer and commuting students, who are invited to group activities.

Study Rooms and Lounges

Need a quiet place to study or want to hang out with friends? Check out the study rooms located in each residential community. Lobby and floor lounges are provided to residents and their visitors for studying, meetings, programs, and community-building activities.

Recreational Equipment

Most communities come equipped with billiard and/or table tennis (ping-pong) tables. To use these pieces of equipment check with the front desk of your residential community, as staff members can sign-out pool sticks, ping-pong paddles, and balls.

Kitchenettes

Community kitchens enable residents to prepare and share meals. Residential Communities have a limited number of pots/pans and other cooking equipment available for checkout. Connect with the front desk of your residential community for assistance.

Laundry facilities are located in each building. Washer prices are at $1.75. Dryer cycles may be purchased for $.60 per 20 minutes. Pricing is accurate as of July 2021 and subject to change.

Laundry services are paid for and controlled through the use of the Speed Queen app available on the Android or iOS app stores. This service requires funds to be deposited by students or families using credit, debit, or Apple Pay. The machines do not take cash or coin.

Deposits to the SpeedQueen laundry app are administered by our laundry services contractor and will be reflected on debit / credit card statements as “PSU-Manchester NH”.

In accordance with the SpeedQueen Terms of Service, the value on the Speed Queen app is nonrefundable and may not be redeemed for cash.  This means students should monitor the amount of money they load onto the application and use up their balance when they will no longer need to utilize on-campus laundry services.

Deposits to the SpeedQueen laundry app are administered by our laundry services contractor and will be reflected on debit / credit card statements as “PSU-Manchester NH”.

In accordance with the SpeedQueen Terms of Service, the value on the Speed Queen app is nonrefundable and may not be redeemed for cash.  This means students should monitor the amount of money they load onto the application and use up their balance when they will no longer need to utilize on-campus laundry services.

*Important: The location code for Plymouth State University within the app is PSULND

All washers are high-efficiency, front-load machines. Please use only detergent designed for this style machine.

Students living in the White Mountain Apartments, laundry rooms are located near apartments: 48, 61, 78, 124, 141

Special Notes & Considerations

International Students or students without a device able to access the SpeedQueen App can check out an iPad in their residential community to use when they need to do laundry. To access this service, students just need to connect with their residential community front desk.

Residential Life & Dining Services is in the process of identifying a new vendor for this service. Information on this page will be update in June.

Per the Residential Life & Dining Services Housing & Dining Lease, the University shall not be liable directly or indirectly for theft, destruction, or loss of money, valuables, or other personal property, belonging to, or in the custody of, the student for any cause whatsoever, regardless of whether such losses occur in the student rooms, storage areas, public areas, hallways, or in the baggage related to shipment or storage. The student is strongly encouraged to carry personal property insurance. Our office supports College Student Renters Insurance through National Student Services, INC. Please visit their website for additional information and details about their program.

Plymouth State University Students and Families,

We are pleased to announce that Plymouth State University will be partnering with Dorm Room Movers effective immediately to provide summer storage and shipping services to all students in need. We recognize that the end of the
year can be a particularly stressful time for students and parents alike. Between finishing exams, packing up, moving out and travelling home, students do not have much time to spare.

To help free up your student’s time, Dorm Room Movers offers a hassle-free summer storage and shipping solution. They will pick up your student’s items from their room, store them over the summer, and return them in the Fall. Not returning to campus? No worries! Dorm Room Movers can ship your items anywhere in the U.S. and to over 30 countries.

Over the years, Dorm Room Movers has demonstrated a proven and impressive track record of providing reliable, professional, and top-quality service to boarding schools nationwide. We are excited to offer their services this year, and we know that parents and students alike will be pleased with the value this service will offer them.

Learn more and register on their website to join over 85,000 students that have made life easier for themselves.

Have questions? Learn more, text (856) 369-3676 or call (888) 769-3676

Residential Life & Dining Services is a proud partner with Dormify, which serves over 900 campuses nationwide by offering products to help welcome students to campus and to assist with the transition to the university. This partnership helps to raise funds for activities and services for residents living in the halls that are organized by Residential Life.

Please visit dormroom.com/pls to get move-in day ready and create your dream dorm! 

Residential Life & Dining Services is committed to making sure your experience on campus and with Dormify is a positive one, so if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to any of the customer support resources below, with Dormify, our office, or review the Frequently Asked Questions information provided at the bottom of this page.

Dormify Customer Support is available by e-mail at help@dormdoorm.edu.  There is also a service form on their site https://www.dormroom.com/contact.

If you have any issues with Dormify Customer Support or have questions about the program or your student retrieving a package, please feel free to message Residential Life & Dining Services, ResLife@plymouth.edu, or by phone 603-535-2260. We do our best to respond within 24 hours during days we are in the office. If you feel you have not received a response within 24 to 48 hours, please make sure to check your e-mail’s spam folder for messages from campus. If you are unable to find any responses, please free feel to send a follow-up e-mail to request more information.

I ordered care packages for my student and wondered what is the general timeline of when they all should arrive?

Care package orders can vary from year to year per delivery and based upon when care packages are shipped by Dormify and received on campus. Below is a general outline of when we typically will receive each set of packages for students.

• Fall Welcome Care Packages—Last week of August
• Halloween Care Packages—Third week of October
• Out of the Blue Care Packages—Second week of November
• Fall Finals Care Packages—First week of December
• Valentine’s Care Packages—First week of February
• Spring Finals Care Packages—Last week of April

I spoke with my student and believe their care package should have arrived. Why have they not received it?

When care packages are received by our office, we sort each one by the hall they are scheduled to be brought to by our hall staff and cross-referenced with the order sheet that we received directly from Dormify. Then packages are collected by hall staff and stored in-hall and an e-mail is generated by the director of residential life & dining services to all recipients. Students will be provided instructions on how to collect the package from the front desk of their residential community. Students will need to connect with their hall staff to come to collect the package.

If by chance, your order was processed after Dormify’s deadline, it means the package may be sent in a second shipment to campus at least one to two weeks following the regular timeline listed above. If for some reason you are still uncertain about the arrival of the package, you can always feel free to contact Dormify Customer Support (information listed above) to ask questions about your order or contact our office directly for support.

How long do I have to retrieve the Care Package?

Students will have two weeks from the date of initial contact to retrieve their care package. Any package not collected within that window will be discarded by Residential Life as our office does not have the capacity to store packages for longer than that time period.