Residence Life, Housing and Dining Services Blog

Fall 2025 Living-Learning Community Newsletters

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The Living-Learning Communities (LLC) program at Missouri State University welcomes you to the 2025-2026 academic year! Residence Life, Housing & Dining Services is proud to partner with faculty and staff across campus in our LLC program. You will find a welcome newsletter for each of the LLCs linked below. We encourage students and parents to read their LLC’s newsletter to learn more about the LLC experience, your RA(s) and faculty/staff partners, events and resources related to the LLC theme, Welcome Weekend, and the day and time of your LLC Welcome Social. We look forward to seeing you in August!

Find Your Living-Learning Community

Spring 2024 Semester Closing Information

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While you begin to prepare for finals, we want to share information about the move-out process and what steps you may need to take, as well as information regarding summer housing options. 

Our buildings close at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 11. 

All Resident Assistant (RAs) will be hosting closing floor meetings between April 25 and May 2. It’s important you attend because they will cover everything you need to know to check out and avoid being charged for damages / cleanliness. Also, ensure your forwarding address is updated for mail and package processing.  

All residents have two different ways they can checkout: 

Option #1 – Check out with an RA. 

You will need to sign-up for a day and time to be checked out by an RA.  Please do this as soon as possible, but at least 24 hours before you plan on checking out. Information should be available for you on your floor and throughout your building. On the day you plan to depart, please remove your belongings, clean your space, and then meet with the RA you signed up with so they can inspect your room and take your keys and access card. 

Option #2 – Express Checkout Process. 

On the day you are ready to depart, remove your belongings, clean your space, and then report to the front desk. Inform the desk you are wanting to do an Express Checkout. You will then be provided with an envelope to fill out. Follow the instructions on the envelope to return your keys and access card. Please note that your living space will still be inspected by a staff member after you are gone. Please note that you will not have the right to appeal any charges if you complete an Express Checkout. 

Failure to properly check out using one of the two options above prior to 10:00 am on Saturday, May 11 will result in various fees: 

  • Improper Checkout: $75 
  • Keys & Access Card Replacement: $95 
  • Packing Fee: $150 minimum (if necessary) 
  • Damages/Cleanliness: varies based on the condition of your room 

Starting May 3, 2024 at 10:00 p.m., 23/7 quiet hours are in effect; this means quiet hours are 10:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. daily for the remainder of the semester. 

If you are taking intersession classes and need to request housing beyond 10:00 am on Saturday, May 11: 

You will need to fill out the Summer 2024 housing application and specify the dates you need housing. All students with a summer housing contract will move to Hutchens House (unless you currently live in Sunvilla or Monroe). You will be emailed your room assignment and move-in information prior to May 11. 

You can find the housing application by going to the following: 

My.MissouriState.edu, Discover the Housing card, Housing Application link, Summer 2024 

We wish you good luck on your finals. Please let us know if you have any questions. 

Residence Life, Housing and Dining Services
(417) 836-5536 / ResidenceLife@MissouriState.edu

Barbie Privilege Bulletin Board

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Thank you for engaging with our Barbie privilege bulletin board! Here are campus resources for further engagement:

  • Watch Barbie
    • As a student living in one of our residence halls, you can stream Max on your phone, tablet, computer, or TV by way of RoKu. Since December 15, 2023 Barbie is available for streaming exclusively on Max. There is an American Sign Language version where Deaf actress Leila Hanaumi is overlaid on the screen interpreting Greta Gerwig’s entire film into ASL and an English language version. “Being able to provide ASL access is a way to just level the playing field and allow a Deaf viewer to access the movie with cultural conceptions that we are able to understand in a more natural way.” – Leila Hanuami
  • Counseling Center
    • Workshop calendar
    • Crisis Services for after-hours mental health crisis assistance, call 417-836-5116 then press 0 (zero) to speak to a crisis counselor or contact MSU Public Safety at 417-836-5509.
    • Togetherall is a safe, online community for MSU students to share feelings anonymously and get support to improve mental health and wellbeing. In the community, people support each other, safely monitored by licensed and registered mental health practitioners. Join the Togetherall community today.
    • welltrack boost free online tools and courses using aspects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy available to MSU students to help identify, understand and address issues that you are having.
    • Online screenings are available for general mental health concerns
    • Mental Health Ambassadors are trained to listen attentively, provide unbiased feedback, make appropriate referrals, and share useful resources that benefit their peers.
    • BodyU self-guided, educational program for our happiness and wellbeing
    • You can Help a Friend is an online resource center.  Friendship is all about looking out for each other. We’re in a unique position to notice when our friends are having a hard time, and to take action to support them. If you’re worried that a friend is struggling emotionally, trust that instinct. Use the tips and tools below to help you recognize a problem, start a conversation, and follow through with your support.
    • Ask Listen Refer online educational training program designed to help prevent suicide by teaching you identify people at risk for suicide, recognize the risk factors, protective factors, and warning signs of suicide, and respond to and get help for people at risk.
  • Magers Health and Wellness
    • Lisa Drabinowscz Women’s Center offers services including GYN exams/PAP tests; contraception; emergency contraception counseling and prescriptions; vaginal infection assessment and treatment; UTI assessment and treatment; pregnancy testing; STI testing and treatment; vaccination review & updates, HPV vaccine
  • Mary Jean Price Walls Multicultural Resource Center
    • LGBTQ+ Resource Center: lounge, library of books & movies
    • Trans@MSU gender neutral restrooms map & policies
    • The LGBTQ+ Safe Zone Program is an awareness and practical-skills certification program for educators and administrators working with LGBTQ+ and queer-identified individuals.
    • Transition Closet
    • Melaqueer is a student organization geared towards creating a close knit community among students of color within the LGBTQ+ Community, and are welcoming of all cultures, sexual/romantic orientations, and gender identities. We meet to discuss topics such as mental health, the coming out process, and navigating your identity around family and friends. We also go on social outings like going out to eat, having game nights, or having movie nights.
    • Advocacy & Alliance has a purpose to provide a social group for support, advocacy, and to provide resources to LGBTQ+ individuals and allies.
  • Gender Studies Minor is available at MSU. You’ll gain insight into the human ability to learn, modify behavior and develop identity in reaction to various societies’ expectations of gender. Developing a more sophisticated understanding of gender will prepare you for success in education, activism, counseling, business and many other fields. Comparative study in history, politics, and economics will strengthen your critical thinking skills, providing a strong foundation for graduate school.
  • Disability Resource Center Missouri State University is committed to providing an accessible and supportive environment for employees and students with disabilities with the continued goal of providing professional and respectful support to both our students with disabilities and employees who work closely with them.
  • Student Success We support students by empowering them to reach their academic, personal and professional goals. We support students in and out of the classroom, through excellence in student advising, teaching and high-impact learning experiences. We support the campus community by providing essential professional development support through advising workshops, in-class learning presentations, forums and proactive advising outreach.
  • The Resilience Project It is a natural response to want to keep a setback in life to yourself, however, the best way to work through difficult experiences is to combine self-reflection with being in a community with others. In the video testimonies below, members of MSU faculty, staff and community share a time they faced a setback. Our list of campus resources may also help you along. If you have feelings of rejection, failure, setback or are struggling with how you may be successful, please contact the Dean of Students office, DeanOfStudentsOffice@MissouriState.edu.

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Spring 2022 Return to Campus Information

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COVID-19 MOVE-IN REQUIREMENTS: COVID-19 safety continues to be an important part of the campus experience.  Every student living in the residence halls for the Spring 2022 semester is required by the university to be tested unless they meet one of the exceptions below. There is no cost to students for the on-campus testing.

At this time our records show you have NOT met the move-in requirement and require further action to move in to the residence halls when you return from winter break. 

You will need to visit the Testing/Verification location on the day of your arrival.

  • Wednesday, January 12, 2022 from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. in the Plaster Student Union 2nd Floor
  • Thursday, January 13, 2022 from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. in the Plaster Student Union 2nd Floor
  • Friday, January 14, 2022 from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. in the Plaster Student Union 2nd Floor
  • Saturday, January 15, 2022 from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. in the Blair-Shannon Grand Lounge
  • Sunday, January 16, 2022 from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. in the Blair-Shannon Grand Lounge
  • Monday, January 17, 2022 from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. in the Blair-Shannon Grand Lounge
  • Tuesday, January 18, 2022 from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. in the Blair-Shannon Grand Lounge

Notes

  • Plaster Student Union Testing/Verification is on the 2nd floor by Bear Necessities.
  • Parking is not allowed in the Madison Circle in front of Blair-Shannon.
  • You cannot test if you eat, chew gum, smoke or drink (including water) within 30 minutes prior to testing.

Exception 1 – Have tested negative for COVID-19 taken within 72 hours of arrival. You are allowed to get tested prior to your arrival. The documentation must be brought at the time of move-in to the Testing/Verification location. Documentation MUST include the following:

  • The type of test (PCR vs Antigen rapid test) (at-home tests will NOT be accepted),
  • The student’s name
  • The date the test was taken (NOT the date results are received) and that the test was administered not more than 72 hours prior to arrival.

If you are traveling from a distance, we recommend you consider the potential benefits of this option to avoid testing positive on campus and immediately being required to move into isolation or having to return back home.

Exception 2 – Be fully vaccinated at the time of move-in. Students are considered fully vaccinated when it has been at least two weeks since receiving the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or two weeks after the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Those who were vaccinated at any location other than at Magers Health and Wellness Center must provide their documentation to Magers. The documentation must be submitted to Magers in any of the following manner at least 72 hours prior to returning, or it must be brought to the Testing/Verification location:

Exception 3 – Have been diagnosed with and recovered from COVID-19 within 90 days of move-in. If you were diagnosed with COVID-19 within 90 days of move-in, documentation must be brought to the Testing/Verification location. The university will accept either a dated copy of the positive test result OR a dated copy of the isolation release letter from your local public health department. Documentation must include: student’s name and date the test was taken, which must not be more than 90 days prior to arrival OR the date the student was released from isolation, which must not be more than 90 days prior to move-in.

Exception 4 – Quarantine in our campus COVID housing for 10 full days from the date of arrival. If a student is not vaccinated and does not want to be tested, they have the option of completing a 10 day on-campus quarantine prior to moving into your spring assignment; however, this must be scheduled with Residence Life, Housing and Dining Services at 417-836-5536 prior to your arrival.

Continue to check your email and our website for additional details.

Questions about COVID-19 move-in requirements?  Contact the COVID-19 Response Team at COVID19@missouristate.edu or 417-837-3737.

Residence Life Diversity Committee Consider This: April 23, 2021

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Diversity Committee Consider This Logo

Corporate Social Justice

Corporate Social Justice is a reframing of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that centers the focus of any initiative or program on the measurable, lived experiences of groups harmed and disadvantaged by society. CSR is a self-regulated framework that has no legal or social obligation for corporations to actually create positive impact for the groups they purport to help. Corporate Social Justice is a framework regulated by the trust between a company and its employees, customers, shareholders, and the broader community it touches, with the goal of explicitly doing good by all of them. Where CSR is often realized through a secondary or even vanity program tacked onto a company’s main business, Corporate Social Justice requires deep integration with every aspect of the way a company functions.

“Our employees and your customers expect you to engage, and not just verbally. They expect you to do something,” says Lisa Osborne Ross, who next month will become the first Black person to serve as chief executive officer for the US division of Edelman, one of the world’s largest and most influential public relations firms.

The release of the 2020 Edelman Trust barometer revealed that brand trust and brand reputation ranked second and third behind price as the most important factors for consumers deciding which new products to purchase. Edelman’s August 2020 special report on “The Fight for Racial Justice in America” found 54% of Americans surveyed had a “continued expectation” for the brands they support to speak out about racism.

“Consumers, customers and employees will buy or boycott based on how they feel about your actions,” Ross said of US business leaders. “The counsel we’ve given clients throughout the summer and that we are giving clients right now on this issue is, ‘Silence is not an option.'”

Consider what social justice causes are significant to you and evaluate how the companies you patron stack up to your expectations. Questions to consider before you do and/or continue to do business with a company – Are they…

  • Speaking out and taking a stance…do their actions back up their words?
  • Spending money in philanthropic efforts and supporting suppliers owned and managed by diverse folks…how much, what percentage, and who benefits?
  • Are they training themselves and their employees on diversity, equity, and social justice topics…is this effective, mandated, and ongoing?
  • Creating policies, procedures, and benefits packages that are inclusive…who is included in making these decisions?
  • Educating, advocating, and using their influence to create positive social change…are they involving the voices of those they are serving as they do this and compensating them appropriately?
  • Criticized for lacking diversity amongst its leadership …ist blind spot failures, where they donate profits, who they liaison with, etc.…is this repeat criticism, what is their response?
  • Intentional about their culture…living their values, focusing on impact and responsibility, holding themselves accountable, employee and customer satisfaction, etc.?

Corporate Social Justice is a new paradigm that imagines a healthier and mutually beneficial relationship between companies and the communities with whom they interact. It is driven by the growing desire of socially-aware consumers and employees for companies, especially socially-conscious and forward-thinking companies, to do better. Companies have an opportunity to rise to the occasion and leverage their influence to build a better world for all — including themselves.

Resources and further learning:

Diversity Committee Logo with embedded Twitter