Living on campus

Leaving home and thinking about living alone can be an intimidating experience. Whether you are an in-state, out-of-state, or international student, it is challenging to navigate life after high school. Living in the residence halls is the first step in how a student adapts to college life. To ease this transition, ASU offers various resources to help freshmen navigate college life. 

At ASU, we follow a residential life model where students are grouped based on their major. This setup allows students to live with peers in the same major, fostering a supportive environment. The residential communities also have student leaders, Community Assistants (CAs), who are upper-division students, available to assist incoming students.

CAs are crucial in helping students connect with resources and navigate college challenges. They are responsible for student safety and contributing to student engagement. Each floor and hallway has individual CAs who monitor an assigned area, interact intentionally with students and serve as resource referrals to enhance the students’ journey on campus. After hours, there is always a CA on-call to monitor the building and respond to emergencies. Each residence hall has a front desk that operates 24/7, where students can address any questions or safety concerns with a desk assistant. A CA on-call, along with a professional staff member, is notified for noise complaints or safety issues. CAs also organize events to enhance residential life, providing opportunities for students to socialize, meet new people and access meaningful support systems—at no extra cost.

The live-in communities also have mentors from each academic college who act as mentor figures and assist with questions related to academics. Mentors help students connect with faculty and address academic concerns.

Another key support system is the Residential Council President, part of the Residence Hall Association. This organization serves as a residential government liaison between the student body and university housing. The Residential Council, a paid position, advocates for residents, organizes large-scale events within the community and recruits a Vice President during the first month of move-in. These opportunities offer first-year students a chance to get involved, gain leadership experience and learn more about Residence Hall Association positions. 

There are also live-in professional staff positions, such as the community director and the area director, who oversee the development of the communities and supervise the Community Assistants. 

There is a community of Sun Devils ready to welcome you to campus!

By Ash Sharma, a computer science graduate from ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.