University Housing & Dining NSE Presentation

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05/15/2025 Added

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[00:00:00.980]Greetings from Housing and Dining here at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
[00:00:04.800]My name is Matt Nelson. I serve as the Director of Residence Life here at UNL.
[00:00:09.760]And on behalf of all of us here in Housing and Dining, welcome to UNL and
[00:00:14.400]the Husker family. Today I'd like to walk you through life on campus here at UNL. A
[00:00:20.440]little bit about what it's going to be like and what you can expect here at
[00:00:24.640]your Husker home. So let's get started. Today I hope to cover a few different
[00:00:29.040]things right. One, what the experience of living on campus will be like. I want to
[00:00:33.600]talk a little bit about dining and meal plans as well. And finally I want to talk
[00:00:38.460]about move-in and that experience and what you can expect. Now depending on
[00:00:43.480]what point in the summer you're reviewing this video, you may very well
[00:00:46.920]already have your housing assignment. You may very well already have selected
[00:00:51.280]your meal plan and that's great. You're on the right track. If those things don't
[00:00:55.780]sound familiar please at the end of our presentation
[00:00:58.080]today I'll share our email address. Please feel free to reach out with any
[00:01:02.760]questions that you might have. So let's get started. What's it going to be like
[00:01:07.620]to live on campus at Nebraska? Well many of you already know all of the positive
[00:01:14.580]and wonderful reasons why you might choose to live on campus. You've learned
[00:01:19.020]a lot about UNL and you've made your choice and we're just so delighted that
[00:01:21.780]you'll be joining us on campus in the fall. The truth is students at
[00:01:27.120]Nebraska, first-year students, they just live on campus. That's what first-year
[00:01:31.280]Huskers do. And not only is it just kind of part of the culture, our students, you,
[00:01:37.500]are better for it. You're, you know, when we think about academics, our students
[00:01:43.260]who are living on campus do better academically. Why? Lots of good reasons.
[00:01:47.880]One might be that the convenience of location, right, proximity to classes and
[00:01:53.400]resources and faculty members, that could be one reason.
[00:01:56.400]You're surrounding yourself with folks of similar mind and who are committed to
[00:02:01.280]their studies too, right? Not only academically, but our students who live
[00:02:05.440]on campus are more engaged, whether that be in a club or organization, maybe it's
[00:02:10.440]internship, maybe it's service learning and volunteerism, perhaps it's a research
[00:02:16.020]agenda that you're pursuing in the lab. Oh goodness, it could be a club sport,
[00:02:20.700]right? Our students are involved because of their on-campus residency. They
[00:02:25.680]have access to so many things, right? Right at their fingertips. And so you,
[00:02:30.360]you'll get to experience that, which is very exciting. And the last thing I think
[00:02:34.080]I should mention, right, is our students who live on campus, especially students
[00:02:38.040]who live on campus longer, do better academically, yes, but also they persist
[00:02:43.920]and they graduate at higher rates. Sounds like a good deal to me. For all these
[00:02:48.760]reasons and more, this is why the university has a first-year live-on
[00:02:52.560]requirement. Now let me tell you a little bit about
[00:02:54.960]that, right? So UNL so firmly believes in the on-campus residency experience that
[00:03:00.580]all first-years are required to live on campus in university residence halls. Now
[00:03:06.120]there are a couple exceptions, so I want to walk through that. So all students, all
[00:03:09.900]incoming first-year students, are required to complete one of three things
[00:03:13.740]by August 1st, and all three can be found in MyRED in the housing portal. So
[00:03:20.360]option one: complete a housing application to live in a residence hall
[00:03:24.240]on campus. Second option: maybe you're considering a fraternity and wish to
[00:03:30.060]live in the fraternity house. Totally fine, what you'll do is you'll confirm
[00:03:34.740]your residency in a university-approved Greek house, again by August 1 in MyRED.
[00:03:40.000]Or the third option would be that you could complete an exemption to the
[00:03:44.280]on-campus housing requirement, again that's done in the housing portal by August 1st.
[00:03:49.020]So every student's got to do one of those three things. Now let's talk about, you know,
[00:03:53.520]what's it going to be like? I'm gonna, I chose, I'm gonna live on campus excited
[00:03:58.560]for what that's gonna feel like and look like, but tell me more, right? So let me
[00:04:04.320]let me share, right? Living on campus, living in a residence hall, it's more
[00:04:08.520]than just a roof over your head. It's a place to call home or maybe home away
[00:04:13.120]from home, right? You're surrounded by folks with similar interests and goals.
[00:04:16.960]You've got access to supportive staff and resources to help you thrive. It's a
[00:04:20.940]great community.
[00:04:22.800]On-campus housing is just a natural place for you to meet others, find friends.
[00:04:27.520]You know, you're close to those resources and events and activities and really all
[00:04:31.920]of those things help you build a support network
[00:04:34.720]for you here at UNL and that's key to your success here
[00:04:38.000]in college. Now let's talk about the sense of community a little bit.
[00:04:42.080]This might very well be the only time in your life that you're
[00:04:45.360]living around folks of a similar age as you,
[00:04:49.680]similar interests and motivations, and similar
[00:04:52.080]point in their life, right? When you go out and you're
[00:04:55.600]finished with your time in college and you go take that first job and
[00:04:59.280]have a have a new apartment or home, the people around you are going to be at
[00:05:03.120]different stages of their lives. And so this, if I may offer, might be a
[00:05:08.000]once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which is pretty cool if you think about
[00:05:12.800]it. Now let's talk about staff. The
[00:05:16.320]experience is, gosh, one in a million because
[00:05:21.360]of the staff that work here as part of Housing and Dining's team.
[00:05:25.840]And so I want to share with you a little bit about the team that I have the
[00:05:29.040]pleasure of working with. All 400 of our full-time staff who work
[00:05:33.680]across Housing and Dining have a commitment to you, have a
[00:05:36.960]commitment to caring for you and your experience. It's,
[00:05:41.440]you know, I'm not bashful to say that someone's going to know your name.
[00:05:44.640]Someone wants to, we, our team wants to make sure that you have a safe
[00:05:48.240]community that you can call home. We
[00:05:50.640]want you to be able to connect with others and find friends and
[00:05:54.000]find the folks that, you know, you can make a lasting relationship with.
[00:05:58.960]And ultimately we want to set your sails up
[00:06:02.320]for what comes next too, right? And support you in whatever step
[00:06:06.480]is next. So that staff, gosh, ranges from folks who are
[00:06:11.360]living with you in community in the building, like a resident assistant,
[00:06:14.560]right? It includes the front desk staff who are
[00:06:17.200]welcoming you as you walk into the building.
[00:06:19.920]It also includes staff, our housekeeping, our hospitality staff who are
[00:06:24.800]making sure that physically the community that you're living in is
[00:06:28.800]clean, safe, well maintained. They're literally tending to the roof
[00:06:32.320]over your head, right? But I'd be remiss if I didn't also
[00:06:35.840]mention our dining team. Some of these folks are gonna, gosh,
[00:06:40.720]make strong connections with you as well and they're gonna be the the smile you
[00:06:44.400]see when you go in for dinner and they're gonna remember
[00:06:47.280]that you said you had a test and want to check in.
[00:06:49.200]So that's the secret sauce here with on-campus housing is the people,
[00:06:53.680]the staff that are here to support you. They could work a lot of places.
[00:06:57.200]They choose to work here and be part of your story, which is pretty exciting.
[00:07:01.280]Beyond the staff, let's talk about what else you might experience
[00:07:05.440]as part of living on campus, right? A critical person in this
[00:07:08.800]enterprise is your roommate. Many of you probably haven't lived with someone else
[00:07:14.880]in the same bedroom before and so you're going to navigate the complexities of
[00:07:18.960]sharing a shared space, right? And negotiating things that, you know, you took for granted when
[00:07:25.360]you were growing up and that might be new and different with another person.
[00:07:28.640]And so it is an excellent opportunity to learn, to communicate really well.
[00:07:34.160]It's an excellent opportunity to get to know someone who might be very similar or very
[00:07:38.480]different from you. And ultimately, hopefully, it's a relationship that continues to grow
[00:07:43.840]throughout the year. Each roommate comes in with their own set of expectations.
[00:07:48.720]So we'd encourage you to talk with your roommate about what they hope that relationship and
[00:07:54.320]experience will be like. The other thing that we should mention as part of the whole experience,
[00:08:00.960]right, is that you'll have lots of opportunities to get engaged with the community right in your
[00:08:05.200]residence hall. So whether that's attending educational or social events happening in or
[00:08:11.040]around your building, awesome time to meet folks, to engage, to take a break from studies,
[00:08:16.640]and to learn a new thing
[00:08:18.480]or two once in a while, right? That out of the classroom learning is equally as important as
[00:08:22.960]what's happening inside the classroom. So lots of opportunities at your fingertips. If you want
[00:08:28.000]to even be more involved, there'll be opportunities for leadership experiences within some of our
[00:08:32.960]housing organizations that we'd really encourage you to be part of. But I guess the bottom line
[00:08:38.160]here is that this is your experience. It is what you make up, make it, right? And you are
[00:08:42.880]in the driver's seat. You are in control. You are the owner of the experience. So now,
[00:08:48.240]let's turn our attention to dining. Let's talk about meal plans a little bit and what you can
[00:08:52.880]expect in the dining centers. First and foremost, you should know all of our meal plans and our
[00:08:59.280]dining options, they are meant to be very flexible, very convenient. We want you to
[00:09:05.760]use your meal plan to its fullest. There's lots of utility for it. That said, it can be a little
[00:09:11.840]overwhelming, the number of options and uses of your meal plan. And so what I often tell folks is
[00:09:18.000]make a selection for your meal plan. There is no bad decision. There's no wrong choice.
[00:09:22.400]Make a decision. Move to campus. Try out the meal plan and see how it works and what parts
[00:09:29.440]you feel like you're going to use more or less. And there'll be an opportunity for a change a
[00:09:34.400]couple of weeks into the semester. But give yourself some grace. It is a kind of a cumbersome
[00:09:39.360]thing to learn. You'll learn really quickly once you start doing it. So that's one thing
[00:09:44.640]you need to know. The next thing you need to know is we have lots of resources
[00:09:47.760]in our dining space to help make sure that you feel well-fed, with nutritious meals,
[00:09:52.960]and have access to food at any hour of the day. So one thing you should know, we've got our menus
[00:09:59.840]available publicly online. You can select by location and see what's being served each day
[00:10:04.960]for each meal period. All of that information includes nutritional information and dietary
[00:10:10.240]information as well. So specifically if you're thinking about maintaining a particular diet,
[00:10:17.520]or you have some limitations that you need to be mindful of, allergies or what have you,
[00:10:22.160]that is all at your fingertips. And I should mention, if you still are having a hard time
[00:10:28.960]navigating the dining experience, we have a registered dietitian on staff that's more than
[00:10:32.960]happy to help you. So now let's talk physically, right? Where am I physically going to eat?
[00:10:38.640]Great question. We have lots of options
[00:10:41.900]at your fingertips. One is what we call All You Care to Eat. That's available at Cather, Harper,
[00:10:48.070]and East Campus. This is, you know, you walk up to the entry, you swipe your card to gain access,
[00:10:55.110]and you can eat to your heart's desire whatever is being served that day. Multiple rounds if you
[00:11:00.830]wish. Once you're done, you return your tray and you move on with your day. Another option that
[00:11:08.090]our students have really found great value in is some of our mobile-first options as well. We have,
[00:11:14.730]you know, gosh, where's my phone here? You've got your mobile ordering app that you can use
[00:11:20.550]on your phone and customize your order to your specific specifications and put in that order.
[00:11:26.910]It'll tell you when it'll be ready and when you can go pick it up. Now that's available at Selleck
[00:11:31.470]and also at Abel and across our Husker Heroes sub sandwich locations as well, including some other
[00:11:37.770]areas.
[00:11:38.070]But in those scenarios, you're welcome to take that food and move on with your day. If you've got,
[00:11:44.910]you know, you're eating lunch on the go between things, this is a great option for you. But also
[00:11:50.210]you're welcome to stay and dine in, right? Maybe you're going to meet an Abel and you're going to
[00:11:54.690]meet a buddy and you want to try Slim Chickens and you're welcome to stay, right? Pick your order up
[00:12:00.550]and feel free to build community, you know, among friends and meet new folks that way
[00:12:06.150]among your shared meal here.
[00:12:07.910]So, what about the meal plan, right? As a first-year student, you have five meal plans to select from. Each are
[00:12:17.710]admirable in their own right. There's no bad choice here. There's just differences between each of them
[00:12:24.630]in terms of what comes with the meal plan. So, here we've got on the screen, we've got five different meal plans
[00:12:30.670]that you can pick from as a first-year student. The first number in each of the configurations is the meal swipe
[00:12:37.250]allowance.
[00:12:37.890]So, this is a scenario where if we look at the Big Red plan, there are 14 meal swipes per week.
[00:12:44.250]Those get loaded on Sunday, use them or lose them throughout the week, and then on the following
[00:12:50.410]Sunday, you get the next batch of 14. That's where you might go to your All You Care to Eat facility,
[00:12:56.250]swipe in 14 meals a week, right? The second number in that meal plan configuration is what we call
[00:13:03.290]dining dollars. So, in our Big Red example here, there are 200 dining dollars.
[00:13:07.770]For the duration of the semester, that is better to be referred to maybe as a declining balance
[00:13:14.050]account. So, at the beginning of the semester, you have 200 dining dollars. Use them or lose
[00:13:19.270]them throughout the semester. Then, when the semester, the next semester's meal plan begins,
[00:13:24.370]you'll get another load of dining dollars for the following semester. Now, where can you use
[00:13:29.770]dining dollars? Well, maybe it's better to say, where can't you use dining dollars? There are so
[00:13:34.490]many locations that you can utilize your dining dollars.
[00:13:37.330]A frequent favorite of our students is the Starbucks. So you'll figure out, again, when you
[00:13:44.610]get started here, you're going to figure out, oh, I'm going to, you know, gosh, I can use a meal
[00:13:49.550]swipe here. I can use a dining dollar. There are more ways to leverage both of those in different
[00:13:55.250]ways. And once you get here, we'll explain more of that once you arrive. Let's talk about move in.
[00:14:02.070]Talked a little bit about, you know, living on campus, what it's going to be like. We've talked
[00:14:06.530]about dining.
[00:14:07.310]What's that's going to be like and meal plans. Now let's talk about August move-in, right? It's
[00:14:13.150]probably on your minds. That's terrific. Move-in is on Sunday, August 17th through Wednesday,
[00:14:20.770]August 20th. Move-in information is available on our website here on the QR code. You're
[00:14:26.650]welcome to scan here. All of the information about move-in is available on our website.
[00:14:30.830]Move-in is very special here in Nebraska. We desire to provide you
[00:14:36.730]a curb-side move-in experience where you don't break a sweat.
[00:14:37.290]We want you to drive up and have our team unload your belongings and whisk them to your
[00:14:45.970]new room. That's what we hope to do. In order to do that, so that you don't have to lift
[00:14:50.670]too many fingers, in order to do that, we do need to place a few parameters on move-in.
[00:14:56.810]A couple things. The first thing you should know, we assign you a specific date and time
[00:15:01.710]for your move-in. You should already know the date because the dates are based on
[00:15:06.710]the particular hall you've been assigned. So you're welcome to go out to the website and see
[00:15:10.750]which day Shramm Hall is moving in. So you know the date already, but we won't be able to give
[00:15:16.630]you the time until July 23rd. We'll send you a specific date and time on July 23rd.
[00:15:22.230]The reason for this is because we, if you can believe it, we time things out and we know exactly
[00:15:27.630]how long it takes to move in a particular floor community. And so we prescribe that particular
[00:15:33.850]time for you so that we can provide a really efficient,
[00:15:36.690]curbside move-in experience for you. So that's one. You're going to be assigned a date and time
[00:15:41.590]for move-in. The second thing we put a parameter on is that we require you and all your vehicles
[00:15:47.650]to start at Memorial Stadium. So all vehicles should go to Memorial Stadium first. This is a
[00:15:55.470]change. If you've seen our move-in process in the past few years, this is a location change. So we'll
[00:16:00.950]be in front of iconic Memorial Stadium, which will be super exciting. The third thing we're
[00:16:06.670]going to do is we're going to move in. So the third parameter that we put around move-in is that we allow one vehicle to be unloaded at the hall. So once you check in at Memorial Stadium, we'll show you how to get to your residence hall. And just one vehicle will be eligible for curbside move-in. So, you know, say you've got two vehicles that will be joining for move-in, perfectly fine. Pack one of them to the brim and have that one be your curbside move-in vehicle. I did say vehicle, not U-Haul or horse trailer, right? So,
[00:16:37.010]But, you know, be smart about it. If you've got a Honda Civic and you've got a Ford F-350, pack that 350 up as much as you can and have that one be the one that goes through the unload line.
[00:16:47.790]So those are sort of the parameters of move-in, a little bit about what you can expect there. July 23rd is a date to remember. You'll check your email for your move-in time.
[00:16:58.850]But really what happens from there, you know, your car gets unloaded, you'll park your vehicles, walk into your new home.
[00:17:06.630]And then you'll start to unpack, which will be super fun.
[00:17:09.070]Some things you should know when you walk into the room, if you're sharing a room with another person, which all of our first years do have a roommate, your bed will be in the lofted position.
[00:17:20.310]All beds will be in the lofted position with a railing attached to the bed itself.
[00:17:24.850]You are eligible to request once you get here if you'd like a ladder.
[00:17:29.210]Most of our students like to just utilize the two ends of the bed because those are rated for ladder.
[00:17:36.610]For our students to climb up and down.
[00:17:38.350]So that's what's going to happen.
[00:17:40.410]You're going to walk in, all your stuff's going to be there, your bed's going to be lofted,
[00:17:43.210]and your job is to unpack and make memories with the people who are with you.
[00:17:46.790]Gosh, if I could ask one thing, try and find your resident assistant, your RA.
[00:17:52.370]They're going to be your resource and guide and just, gosh, a friendly face for you throughout the journey of the year.
[00:17:59.190]Now, I've talked about curbside movement.
[00:18:02.410]If for some reason the date and time that you've been assigned doesn't work for you and your family
[00:18:06.590]there are self-serve move-in options which we'll share with you in email form closer to move-in.
[00:18:13.150]But in the self-serve model, you'll rely on your own muscle to move in in that scenario.
[00:18:18.990]A couple tips and tricks as you prepare for move-in here. Five steps for you.
[00:18:24.430]The first one, connect with your roommate. Some of you already know who that person is and you've
[00:18:28.590]been lifelong friends maybe. Others are, you know, choosing to meet a new person.
[00:18:33.070]In either scenario, I'd encourage you to talk with that person.
[00:18:36.570]Consider, you know, what my expectations are of this relationship and if I may be so bold,
[00:18:42.330]use your vocal cords to do it, right? Talk to this other person and maybe it's on the phone,
[00:18:47.610]maybe you get together, maybe you FaceTime, but I'd encourage you to speak with them and get to
[00:18:52.890]know them and what they want that relationship to be like. That's the first step. Second step,
[00:19:00.570]check out our website for our suggested packing list that's found on our move-in web page.
[00:19:06.550]If I could, I'd encourage you to pack in reusable containers, totes, you know, canvas bags,
[00:19:12.790]lots of those sorts of options. Use your suitcase, right? Try and be thoughtful in how you're packing
[00:19:19.430]your items. Number three, on July 23rd, you'll receive your specific date and time for move-in
[00:19:26.390]along with specific directions, right? Here I should mention that this will go to
[00:19:31.590]likely your new Huskers email account. So students, you are going to be the one who are
[00:19:36.530]receiving this email. This is a good time to talk about parents, family members. You won't
[00:19:45.970]receive this email in the same fashion. And so this is a good time for the two of you to talk
[00:19:51.010]about communication now that we're entering a new stage of life, right? The student, students,
[00:19:56.830]you are in the driver's seat here. And so I often field phone calls from concerned family members
[00:20:02.790]who haven't received their move-in time when in fact the student has gotten it, right?
[00:20:06.510]So make sure you're talking to your family and your friends who are cheering for you as you
[00:20:12.270]start this new journey. They're not going to receive the same sets of information as you are,
[00:20:16.830]and so it'll be up to you students to communicate that with your friends and family.
[00:20:20.510]Okay, fourth tip here to prepare for move-in. On the one side of our screen here, we have two
[00:20:27.310]opportunities for webinars, which will go deep, deep dive into what the move-in experience will
[00:20:32.090]be like. For all you planners out there, I can resonate. For all you planners, be sure
[00:20:36.490]to stop by one of the webinar times here in July to hear more about move-in. And finally,
[00:20:43.450]watch for additional information about move-in, whether that's in your email inboxes,
[00:20:47.750]whether that's on our website, and also our social media channels as well.
[00:20:51.770]Speaking of social media channels and how to get in touch with us, here is our website,
[00:20:58.370]our email, phone number, and QR codes for our two social media accounts on Instagram and on Facebook.
[00:21:06.470]It has been a delight spending a little bit of time with you.
[00:21:10.310]I hope to see you on campus, hope to see you at move-in.
[00:21:12.690]If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out anytime, and we will see you soon. Take care.
[00:21:19.030]...

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