Resident Student Handbook - General Information

FYS – First Year Suites

LC – Living Centers

PG – Pine Grove

RA – Resident Assistant

RD – Resident Director

UV – University Village

The central office staff is comprised of directors, associate directors, assistant directors, administrative assistants and student employees. For assistance during business hours, contact Residential Life at (989) 964-4410 or Housing Operations at (989) 964-4255.

Duty staff and live-in-staff are professional and para-professional employees who reside in each residential complex.
Resident Assistants (RAs) are part-time student employees who live in assigned areas of student housing, they report to Resident Directors (RDs), who are full-time professional members of the university staff. A Resident Director is on duty at all times, twenty-four hours a day seven days a week.   

A Resident Assistant is always "on duty" after business hours and during weekends when the central offices are closed. 

Monday - Thursday 4:30 p.m. - 8:00 a.m.

Friday - Monday 4:30 p.m. - 8:00 a.m.

These staff members are available to handle student concerns, lockouts and other complex-related activities. On-duty staff can be found using the front desk operations or by calling duty telephones. Monthly duty calendars are posted on each residential complex Vspace account, RA doors and at front desks. If you are not able to reach the RA on the duty phone, please leave a message and your call will be returned as soon as possible. If you have an emergency, call (989) 964-4141 for University Police or dial 911.

• First Year Suites: (989) 964-2988
• MJ Brandimore House: (989) 964-2987
• Living Center Southwest: (989) 964-2986
• Pine Grove: (989) 964-2985
• Southeast Community (LCS & UVE): (989) 964-2983
• University Village West: (989) 964-2984

For urgent items, such as water issues or power failures, dial Campus Facility Operations directly at (989) 964-4080 (twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week). 

For life-threatening emergencies, call University Police by dialing 911 from any phone.

For assistance on non-urgent service requests such as lighting, heating or air conditioning concerns select the following link to schedule new service or view the status of your current maintenance requests. 

Please contact the Housing Operations Office for any items that have not been attended to or completed.

Residents are encouraged to be environmentally responsible and participate in the recycling program.

In an effort to protect our residents and comply with FERPA, Housing Operations will not disclose directory information except to students of SVSU. Students may also elect to remain unlisted by contacting the Registrar’s Office.

Students may access their housing assignment and roommate information directly in the Housing Portal. 

Residents are instructed to provide the following contact information to family members and friends in cases of emergency or concern.

Emergency Situations – contact University Police at (989) 964-4141

Non-Emergency Situations during normal business hours contact:

Housing Operations
(989) 964-4255

Monday – Friday 
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Desk operations are located in the lobbies of all Living Centers. Desk staff can assist with contacting on-duty staff. Any customer service issue can be reported to the desk operations staff. 

Residents may check out vacuum cleaners, brooms and other items through the Front Desk Operations.

MJB Front Desk: open 10am-10pm everyday (exceptions include winter break, spring break, university closure, etc.)

LCS & LCSW Front Desks: open 4pm-10pm Sunday-Thursday 

Mail & Package Services

Mail and packages are delivered to SVSU's main campus Monday through Friday when the University is open. SVSU does not participate in Saturday delivery.

Because SVSU participates in a centralized mail operation with Delta College using the 48710 ZIP code, delivery times may be extended. Express shipping is not recommended, as expedited services do not guarantee delivery directly to the intended recipient.

Once mail or packages are received and processed by the Housing Operations Mailroom, residents will receive an email notification with pickup instructions. Items will either be placed in a package locker in the MJ Brandimore House (MJBH) lobby or made available for pickup at the MJBH front desk.

Housing Operations cannot control shipping methods, carrier services, delivery timelines, tracking information, mis-deliveries, or the condition of items upon arrival. Questions regarding delayed, damaged, lost, or missing shipments should be directed to the sender or shipping carrier. 

Address Changes and Forwarding

A campus mailing address is considered a temporary address and cannot be forwarded through a USPS Change of Address request. Residents are responsible for updating their mailing address directly with businesses, organizations, and personal contacts.

Upon moving out of university housing, residents must update their mailing address immediately. Housing Operations does not forward mail or packages after a resident departs campus housing. Mail and packages will only be accepted for current residents.

Residents are also responsible for ensuring their permanent and current mailing address is accurate with the SVSU Office of the Registrar.

SVSU Mailing Address:

Name
Complex, Building and Room Number (*see below)
7400 Bay Road
University Center, MI 48710 

*Example of how to address:
First Year Suites A-1A
Merry Jo Brandimore House 101A
Living Center South 1101A
Living Center Southwest 2101A
University Village 405-1A
Pine Grove 7570-1A

Unclaimed Mail and Packages

Residents are responsible for retrieving mail and packages within the designated pickup period as instructed through campus emails. Items not claimed within 30 days of arrival will be processed as follows:

• USPS mail and packages: Returned to Sender
• All other carriers: Considered abandoned property and may be donated or disposed of

Same-Day Deliveries and Personal Drop-Offs

Housing Operations does not accept responsibility for, nor assume ownership of, items delivered through same-day delivery services (e.g., DoorDash, Uber Eats, Instacart, Shipt, Walmart Delivery) or personal drop-offs from friends, family members, or other individuals.

Residents are expected to meet delivery drivers directly and accept these items in person. Because these deliveries are not received through established carriers and often lack a documented chain of custody, Housing Operations cannot verify ownership, guarantee notification, monitor item condition, or assume liability for lost, damaged, delayed, or perishable items.

Items left at a mailroom or front desk contrary to this protocol are left at the resident's own risk. Housing Operations may attempt to identify the recipient when possible, but responsibility for tracking, retrieving, and resolving issues related to these deliveries remains solely with the resident.

This will be used to access meal plans, reserving library materials, access to main entrances for select housing locations, among other purposes throughout campus.