Residence Life, Housing and Dining Services Blog -

Beware of Vampire Energy

November 17, 2022 by Kallen A. Brown

What is Vampire Energy? Vampire energy is the term given to electrical appliances that consume energy, even when they are shut off. Every cord that remains plugged into an outlet uses an electrical current waiting to be turned on. These devices are known as remote-ready appliances and include desktop computers and displays, printers, TVs, microwaves and video game consoles. Devices such as your cell phone and laptop also consume energy when left on the charger after fully charged. According to the National Resource Defence Council, Americans spend about $19 billion per year on vampire energy costs. Unplugging devices that are not in use can help prevent the consumption of vampire energy.

Help us conserve energy during Thanksgiving and winter break by unplugging your devices from outlets and turning off powerstrips.

Thinking ahead – Thanksgiving, Winter Break, and Spring 2023!

November 9, 2022 by Jared A. Grimsley

What is your plan for next semester?

Please complete the Spring 2023 Planning Form by November 19. Responses are used to help us to plan for Winter Break and the upcoming Spring semester.

SkyFactor Survey Requests – we want to hear from you!

Residence Life, Housing and Dining Services wants to hear from you! On November 7, you received an email from “wess@webebi.com” inviting you to follow a unique link to your personal satisfaction survey. Complete the anonymous survey and you’ll be entered into a drawing to receive $50 in Dining Dollars.

Blair-Shannon, Freddy, Wells and Woods close for Thanksgiving & Winter Breaks.

Important Dates to Remember:

November 19: Thanksgiving Break; Blair-Shannon, Freddy, Wells and Woods will close at 10a.m.; all other halls remain open
November 27: Blair-Shannon, Freddy, Wells and Woods reopen at 8:00 a.m.
December 10-15: Final Exam Period
December 17: Winter Break; Blair-Shannon, Freddy, Wells and Woods will close at 10:00 a.m.; all other halls remain open
December 17 – January 21: Dining Centers will be closed
December 22 – January 4: University offices will be closed
January 21: Blair-Shannon, Freddy, Wells and Woods reopen at 8:00 a.m.

Live in Blair-Shannon, Freddy, Wells or Woods? Need housing over Thanksgiving and/or Winter Break?

A limited number of spaces are available on campus for $25/night. If you are interested, please visit our page for break housing to submit a request. Also, a discounted rate is being offered at the University Plaza Hotel located at 333 S John Q. Hammons Parkway, one block north of Sunvilla Tower. The cost is $83/night which can be split by up to four people. You may make arrangements by calling 417-864-7333. Remember to tell them you are a Missouri State Student to qualify for the special rate.

No Mail Service During Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks

Please be aware that mail service to residence halls will be suspended during Thanksgiving and Winter breaks. Mail service will not be available until the residence halls reopen in November for Thanksgiving and January for Winter break. Your mail will not be forwarded during these breaks. There will be no access to mail during these times, as all reception desks are not staffed. If you are expecting an important piece of mail or package, please make sure it is mailed to you before the residence halls close or make other arrangements for delivery.

Dining Dollars

Your Dining Dollars will be recharged for Spring semester in January. Also, any Dining Dollars left over from Fall Semester will carry forward to Spring Semester. If you are not returning to the residence halls for the Spring semester, you will lose any unused Dining Dollars.

TV Streaming

Make sure you are taking advantage of our on-campus TV streaming services & free access to HBO Max. More information can be found on our website

How to Submit a Work Order

November 3, 2022 by Kallen A. Brown

Do you need a lightbulb replaced? Is your sink not draining? Is the laundry machine not working correctly? Submit a work order! Work orders are non-emergency requests that you can send to our Facilities and Operations team to let them know if there is an issue that needs maintenance in your room or building. Once our team receives the request they will follow up with you shortly to fix the issue! You can also ask your RA or front desk to submit a work order for you.

If it is an emergency situation tell your RA and Front Desk staff immediately.

To submit a Work Order Request go to: https://www.MissouriState.edu/Facilities/WorkManagement.htm and click the “Submit a Work Request” button. This will take you to the work order request portal.

Once there you will click “Submit a Request.”

Follow the prompts by filling in the correct information:

Facility: Missouri State University
Building: (Select your residence hall)

Next, fill in your name, phone number and student email address. Under the “Area” drop-down, select the room when the issue is (ex: Room 216A, Bedroom). Leave Account # blank. “Department” should be prefilled, but if not select “Residence Life Housing & Dining Svc.” “Task” will remain blank. In the “Request” box, you will detail the issue you are having or the broken item. Please provide as much information as possible so that we can provide the best assistance.

When you are finished, click the “Submit” button.

Time to complete requests varies. If you have questions about the status of your request or the work order process, please contact ResidenceLifeFacilities@MissouriState.edu.

Is Your Room Too Cold?

October 17, 2022 by Nadezhda Y. Pshonyak

If you live in Blair-Shannon, Hammons, or Sunvilla, you are in a two-pipe building which means that it cannot have heat and air conditioning at the same time.

Your Hall Council votes on when to transition to heat. The chosen date will be in the range when the outside temperatures are consistently in the high 50s or low 60s and the lows are in the 30s and 40s.

Here’s a couple tips to keep your room from getting colder in the meantime:

Turn your thermostat off
Turn the fan for your air unit to the off position

Once your building transitions to heat, air conditioning will not be available until heat is turned off in the summer.

Any questions can be directed to our Residence Life, Housing, and Dining Services inbox at ResidenceLife@MissouriState.edu or to our office at 417-836-5536.

Finding the perfect roommate!

October 3, 2022 by Jared A. Grimsley

Room with a Friend

Do you already know who you would like to be your roommate? First, complete your housing application, then invite that person to be your preferred roommate using the “preferred roommate selection” feature in the application. They will receive an email and will need to accept your request before it is confirmed.

Being paired with your preferred roommate is never 100% guaranteed so to increase your odds of being paired together in the same room, make sure both you and the other person complete your housing application as soon as possible.

Meet Someone New

Do you want to choose your roommate, but don’t know anyone who would be a good fit? No worries! Once you have been admitted to Missouri State for the 2023-2024 academic year, you can download and join the new student community on the ZeeMee app. You can access the “Find a Roommate” quiz and various chat channels through the ZeeMee app to be able to meet and talk with other incoming students who might also be looking for a roommate.

To get started, download the ZeeMee app, create a profile, and submit the “Find a Roommate” quiz to be matched with compatible students who have also taken the quiz. If you and someone else mutually decide that you would like to live together next year, you will need to make sure to request each other using the “preferred roommate selection” feature in your housing application. ZeeMee is a great tool to find someone, but to make it official, make sure to list that person as a preferred roommate in the housing application and be sure they accept.

Let Us Match You

“Random” roommates are anything but, so if you don’t have a preferred roommate, let us help you! Residence Life will use a set of questions in your housing application called the “roommate matching questions” to pair you with someone who has similar living preferences and personality traits. 70% of the incoming students from the previous year didn’t have a preferred roommate and let us match them with their roommate!