Students and families are encouraged to use the following information and resources regarding housing at Colby College.
Colby College and the Office of Residential Experience are committed to supporting students with various living styles and needs. This includes the College’s housing accommodations processes. There are different types of requests and accommodations associated with the residential experience: ADA Accommodations, Gender & LGBTQIA+ Requests, Religious and Cultural Identity Requests, and Title IX Accommodations.
The Office of Residential Experience collaborates with several key offices to review and support possible housing accommodations. Below is a reference for the accommodation/request type and the office/contact information affiliated with it.
Students seeking housing accommodations support for Access and Disability needs (ADA accommodations) may utilize the Office of Student Access and Disability Services.
Students seeking housing accommodation support for Gender-Based and LGBTQIA+ requests, may utilize the Title IX Office.
Students seeking housing accommodation support for Title IX requests, may utilize the Title IX Office.
Students seeking housing accommodation support for cultural and identity-based requests may utilize the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life.
Generally speaking, each selection process will provide students with directions and any necessary forms to complete to request a housing accommodation. After completing this form, students will continue to work with the specific office that supports the selected type of accommodation request. If students are approved for an accommodation or request, they will receive more information about the placement and assignment process.
Students may reach out directly to the identified resource(s) above to make a request when the college is not formally in a selection period.
All College-owned residence halls are closed during official break periods (except Fall Break). Closing dates are published on the academic calendar and communicated to students via email, community meetings, and postings in the residence halls. Students are expected to vacate the halls by the designated time. When residence halls are closed, no students are permitted to reside in or enter these areas unless authorized by the Office of Residential Experience. Students may ONLY be in the residence halls during Thanksgiving, Winter and/or Spring break if they have prior authorization to remain on campus as outlined by College-communicated procedures.
Each year, Colby College publishes key dates for the academic calendar. The 2024-2025 academic year dates can be found here. Important dates for students include:
Thanksgiving Break
Winter Break
Spring Semester Move-In
Spring Break
Students who are unable to make arrangements to leave campus during a break, and need to stay on campus for the duration of the break will be permitted to remain after receiving approval.
Students who find it necessary to remain on campus are required to complete the specific Break Registration Form for their needed break stay. Please see below for the form submission deadline and links.:
Unfortunately, due to the processes required to prepare the College for break closings and openings, the College does not accept requests and late departures/early arrivals are not permitted. Students, families, and support persons must determine what options and alternatives might exist outside of arriving early on campus. This includes altering travel arrangements, seeking hotel accommodations, etc.
The Colby College Student Handbook provides fairly comprehensive information about a variety of aspect of life at Colby, including resources, rules and policies. These are necessary for our community to function successfully and safely. Students are expected to know and abide by all policies outlined in this handbook.
Please click here to access to Colby College Student Handbook.
Colby has a variety of teams and processes established to help students during difficult times and respond to incidents in the community.
We encourage all members of the community to report concerns so that the appropriate resources and responses can be provide.
This reporting page provides links to the appropriate reporting form for:
Students may make a report using one or more of the above listed reports by clicking here.
Quiet Hours: Students may not cause disturbances or make significant noise during designated quiet hours. With the exception of any residence halls where residents have agreed to comply with extended quiet hours, the following is considered standard across campus:
Other temporary exceptions to quiet hours may be made in advance for sanctioned and College-approved events on a case-by-case basis. This flexibility, in accordance with College policies and procedures, ensures that students can still enjoy campus life while respecting the needs of others.
Twenty-four hour (24-hour) quiet hours apply in all campus residence halls throughout the entirety of examination periods, beginning at noon on the first reading day and concluding after the final scheduled examination session.
Courtesy Hours: All residence halls have “courtesy hours,” which are designed to foster a sense of community and respect among residents. This means that residents of neighboring rooms have the authority and right to reasonably request that music and/or other noise be reduced at any time and any day of the week. Students are expected to show respect for their fellow residents, and to comply with all requests from neighbors, Community Advisors, Faculty-in-Residence, Residential Experience staff, and Security to turn down music or to disperse a gathering.
The following items are prohibited in and around residence halls. Other items may be deemed inappropriate for safety or other reasons.
When living in a community, students have a responsibility not only to themselves, but to their fellow students. The following list provides examples of unsafe behavior, but other behaviors may also be deemed unsafe on a case-by-case basis.
Unsafe Behavior examples include, but are not limited to:
Health, Fire, and Safety Inspections occur each semester during the academic year. These inspections aim to ensure that students live in healthy, clean, and safe environments and understand the importance of fire safety and campus living policies within the Colby community.
Members of the Office of Residential Experience inspect individual rooms in plain sight, ensuring there are no fire safety or overall health concerns. Residents do not need to be present for these inspections.
Residents will be notified if they have passed the inspection or have one or more violations present. These notifications will be left on a student desk or common shared piece of furniture.
All students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the health and safety expectations outlined in the Colby College Student Handbook. As students look around their living space, should they see any of the prohibited items or behaviors taking place, these should be discontinued and rectified immediately.
Residents will be notified if one or more violations are present. This notification will be left on a student desk or common shared piece of furniture. For violations that do not represent an immediate safety concern, students will have 24-hours to remove the violation. Instances of fire safety that pose a risk to student life and building damage (such as covered smoke detectors, items hanging from sprinkler heads and sprinkler head pipes, etc.) will result in the notification to Colby Security to remove the items. Students with violations related to weapons, underage or hard alcohol, drugs, and smoking paraphernalia, will result in the notification to Colby Security to remove the items.
Instances of violations will result in a report generated and provided to the Office of Community Values.
All full-time students are required to live in College-owned residential facilities (either on the Mayflower Hill campus or elsewhere in the City of Waterville) for the entirety of their enrollment at Colby College,
All full-time students are required to live in College-owned residential facilities (either on the Mayflower Hill campus or elsewhere in the City of Waterville) for the entirety of their enrollment at Colby College, except when granted permission, in writing, by the Dean of Students or their designee, or through official off-campus housing processes administered by the Office of Residential Experience.
Per the Colby College Student Handbook, students with a room assignment [all students expected to live on campus] may not simultaneously hold an off-campus lease; students must occupy their on-campus room assignment as their full time living space during the academic semester unless they are approved for off-campus housing.
Generally speaking, approvals for off-campus living are for junior and senior class year students only, and are made on a year-to-year basis. Any approval is for one academic year only. Students who wish to live off-campus for a subsequent year must complete the outlined process (if applicable) at that time. Future consideration of off-campus housing by the College is not guaranteed.
The College does not accept requests for off-campus housing for the spring semester only. Students returning to the College for the spring semester (e.g. leave of absence return, return from study abroad experiences, etc.) will be expected to live on campus upon their return.
Students should remember this and not secure a lease without first receiving approval from the College through designated processes.
For information about the current housing selection process and off-campus updates, please visit the 2024-2025 Housing Selection website.
Colby-owned buildings that are not located on the main campus are not considered off-campus housing.
During Jan Plan, students may only live on campus and be eligible to participate in intercollegiate athletics, campus organizations, or other co-curricular campus events if they are enrolled in an on-campus Jan Plan course, local (non-remote) internship, or an independent research that requires the use of Colby campus resources and materials.
Summer housing is available during the 10-week campus summer employment period for students who meet the following criteria:
Due to the high need, all graduated seniors are ineligible for on-campus summer housing.
During the summer months, all first-year students at Colby receive information about the housing assignments process. At that time, GES participants are instructed that they will receive separate instructions and processes in early November for their return in January.
Deadlines, forms, and process information will be communicated to GES participants through their Colby email accounts.
This process occurs in November-December for sophomore, junior, and senior class year students returning to on-campus housing for Jan Plan and/or Spring semester.
Current on-campus residents (for the fall semester) may not participate in this process to secure a room change. The College’s Open Room Change Process will occur in mid-February and is designed to support all room change requests.
For information about this housing selection process, please visit the Mid-Year Housing Selection website.
This process occurs throughout the Spring semester, with selection dates in April. All students who plan to reside in on-campus housing during the fall semester and satisfy all requirements and expectations of the process can participate in this process.
Please visit the General Housing Selection website for information about the process.
All full-time students are required to live in College-owned residential facilities (either on the Mayflower Hill campus or elsewhere in the City of Waterville) for the entirety of their enrollment at Colby College, except when granted permission, in writing, by the Dean of Students or their designee, or through official off-campus housing processes administered by the Office of Residential Experience.
Per the Colby College Student Handbook, students with a room assignment [all students expected to live on campus] may not simultaneously hold an off-campus lease; students must occupy their on-campus room assignment as their full time living space during the academic semester unless they are approved for off-campus housing.
Generally speaking, approvals for off-campus living are for junior and senior class year students only, and are made on a year-to-year basis. Any approval is for one academic year only. Students who wish to live off-campus for a subsequent year must complete the outlined process (if applicable) at that time. Future consideration of off-campus housing by the College is not guaranteed.
The College does not accept requests for off-campus housing for the spring semester only. Students returning to the College for the spring semester (e.g. leave of absence return, return from study abroad experiences, etc.) will be expected to live on campus upon their return.
Students should remember this and not secure a lease without first receiving approval from the College through designated processes.
For information about the current housing selection process and off-campus updates, please visit the 2024-2025 Housing Selection website.
Colby-owned buildings that are not located on the main campus are not considered off-campus housing.
The following is a list of important and helpful student housing-related dates for students and their families to use when planning for the academic year. Students and families are responsible for using this information to properly plan all travel, internships, work, etc. around these dates.
Each year, Colby College publishes key dates for the academic calendar. The 2024-2025 academic year dates can be found here. Important dates for students include:
Thanksgiving Break
Winter Break
Spring Semester Move-In
Spring Break
End of Year Move-Out
It is important to note that the College does not permit late departure or early arrival requests for College breaks.
Official dates of occupancy align with the published academic calendar provided by the College.
Returning students may generally occupy their assigned room 48-hours before the first full day of classes in any semester. New students may generally occupy rooms on the first day of Orientation (during the fall semester) and 48-hours before the first full day of classes in Spring semester. Students are expected to vacate their rooms no later than 24-hours after their last scheduled exam or by published residence hall closure dates, whichever is first.
Unfortunately, due to the processes required to prepare the College for break closings and openings, the College does not accept requests and late departures/early arrivals are not permitted. Students, families, and support persons must determine what options and alternatives might exist outside of arriving early on campus. This includes altering travel arrangements, seeking hotel accommodations/AirBnB, etc.
Students and families may find information about the residence hall opening and arrival processes for the fall semester available on our Fall Semester Arrival Information page.
Students and families may find information about the residence hall opening and arrival processes for the fall semester available on our Spring Semester Closing page.
Please note this information will be updated during the academic year.
Upon check-in, students will receive a key to their room, as well as an additional key to a suite or apartment main door, if applicable. These keys will match the room, suite, or apartment assigned to the student according to the Office of Residential Experience records. It is the sole responsibility of the student to whom the keys are issued to take care of them. Only students assigned to a specific room are allowed to pick up the corresponding key(s) in person. Keys cannot be picked up by friends or family members.
When checking out, students must remember to return their assigned key(s) to the Office of Residential Experience. Failure to return the keys according to the communicated deadline or process will be considered as lost keys, and charges associated with a lock change will be applied. Unreturned keys will not be accepted via mail.
For your own safety, always remember to lock your room or suite door whenever it is left unattended. You are responsible for carrying your assigned key at all times. If you ever find yourself locked out of your room, follow these steps to regain access:
1. If applicable, try to find your roommate to let you into the room.
2. Between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, visit the Office of Residential Experience to request a spare key. Note that spare keys are a short-term solution. If the assigned spare key is not returned within 24 hours or the communicated date, it will be considered lost, and charges associated with a lock change will apply. When returning a spare key, you must present both the spare key and the key to your assigned room, suite, or apartment. If the originally assigned key cannot be found, it will be considered lost, and charges associated with a lock change will apply.
3. If you are unable to gain access to your room between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, or at any time on Saturday and Sunday, please contact Colby College Security at 207-859-5530 to request a lockout. Depending on the time of day and day of the week, a Community Advisor On-Duty or a Colby Security Officer will assist with the lockout. Please allow up to 60 minutes for the lockout process, and be prepared to show photo identification.
If you request an excessive number of lockouts, a member of the Office of Residential Experience may request to meet with you and/or refer you to Community Values.
Because of the security risk involved, if a key is lost or stolen, it must be reported to the Office of Residential Experience and to Colby Security immediately.
When a room/suite/apartment key is lost or unreturned, a $150 lock change fee plus an additional $10 per replaced key (e.g., keys needed to replace the full set per room/suite/apartment door) will be assessed. The total number of keys replaced will vary depending on the type of key and the total occupants of the particular space (i.e. single room key replacement is two replaced keys; a seven-person suite/apartment main door is eight replaced keys). In all lock changes and key replacements, a spare key is made. If a new key is replaced/issued and the original key is subsequently found, no refunds of assessed fees will be made.
For the 2024-2025 academic year, Colby College and E&R – The Campus Laundry, will once again partner to provide optional laundry and dry-cleaning services to all interested students. E&R has been providing professional laundry service to over 100 preparatory schools, colleges and universities throughout the northeast and has partnered with Colby College for the last 15 years.
E&R’s laundry plans are designed to allow students to make the most of their free time on campus by saving between 80 and 100 hours per school year. With their laundry service, students will ensure that their linens are cleaned weekly, along with their weekly personal laundry.
E&R offers several efficient and practical programs. To enroll, visit their website trycampuslaundry.com/colby and select the plan that best suits your needs. The sign-up process is simple and will take just minutes.
Through our partnership with Mule Mob Rentals, Colby now has a MicroFridge rental program for students. The MicroFridge combo units are specially designed for residence hall rooms and are equipped with a microwave, freezer, and refrigerator – an all-in-one attached unit. Students who live on campus can rent this essential appliance easily and avoid the hassle of purchasing or transporting one to and from campus!
Complete the order online by clicking here
That’s it! If ordered on time, your MicroFridge will be delivered to your room before move-in.
Orders can be canceled anytime before delivery and up to 30 days after delivery for a no-questions-asked full refund.
Parking space is limited on campus. To better help manage parking space available, students will be assigned a specific parking lot to park based on the residence hall they live in. Students that live off campus will be assigned a commuter permit and must park in commuter parking only.
Colby College Security administers parking on campus and more information about parking regulations and parking permits can be found here.
The Office of Residential Experience offers break transportation shuttles to/from Portland. Students may purchase tickets (the cost is $30 per ticket).
Transportation resources, including Colby-sponsored shuttles to/from Portland, can be found on the Colby Transportation Webpage.
Students and families may view our residence hall amenities chart to learn more about the various offerings of each building.
Students may store bicycles, at their own risk, at approved outdoor bike racks or residence hall bike rooms located in select campus residence halls. Residents are responsible for providing their own bike locks.
Indoor bicycle storage is not available in every residence hall and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Only person-powered bicycles may be stored in the residence halls. Bicycles must be removed from campus during the summer break. Bicycles left over the summer will be considered abandoned and will be confiscated and discarded.
Bicycles may not be stored, chained or otherwise, to doors or in entrances, exits, corridors, and stairwells. Bicycles stored improperly will be removed daily and chains, cables, or locks on those bikes may be cut if necessary at the owner’s expense. Removed bikes will be donated or discarded, if unclaimed, on a weekly basis.
Self-serve laundry room facilities are located in each residence hall. The total number of washer/dryers available will depend on the building.
Doing your laundry in Colby residence halls couldn’t be easier. Laundry is included in your general services fee, so you don’t need quarters or tokens to operate machines.
Residents should keep residence hall laundry rooms clean, and dispose of trash properly. As part of living in a respectful community, residents must remove personal clothing and items promptly after the end of each cycle. Residents must not remove other students’ clothes from washers or dryers. If a machine is in use, please wait until the cycle is completed before using the machine.
Laundry rooms are considered public locations, and as such, are subject to regular cleaning. Items left unattended in the laundry room for an extended period of time may be removed and discarded without resident notice.
In the event of any issues with laundry machines, residents are encouraged to fill out a work order to help maintain the facilities in good working conditions.
Colby offers cable TV streaming via SpectrumU. While connected to Colby’s network (wired or wireless) you can follow these steps to stream cable TV from a variety of devices.
Trunk rooms are storage rooms located within residential spaces that are available for current students’ convenience. Use is on a first-come, first-served basis during select periods of the academic year.
Storing of items in a trunk room is only permitted after a student has applied and been approved by the Office of Residential Experience. Items must be stored in pre-approved containers such as boxes, plastic totes, luggage, or storage tote bags. Only properly boxed and approved items may be stored. No furniture (sofas, chairs, futons, mattresses, etc.) carpets, or appliances (refrigerators, vacuums, etc.) are permitted in these locations. Any unapproved items, or improperly stored items are subject to be removal and disposal without warning or notification.
Students must use the specific labels provided by the Office of Residential Experience on their property with their name, class year, and date stored. Items that are not properly labeled may be periodically discarded. Items left behind by a student at the end of the year will be discarded unless a student has received prior permission to store items over the summer months.
The College does not assume responsibility for loss, theft or damage to students’ personal property kept in storage rooms and will not reimburse students for items.
Trunk room access will be limited to the residence halls’ opening and closing periods. During the Fall Opening, residents may only remove items. During the Spring Closing, residents may only put items in trunk rooms. All items must be removed by the second Thursday of the Fall Semester (unless approved as fall semester study abroad).
The College’s residence halls offer students a variety of locations, styles, and options. These include single, double, triple, quad, suite, and apartment styles.
Room types vary by residence hall.
The size and type of furniture vary by residence hall and room. However, each room provides a bedframe, mattress, set of dresser drawers, closet space, desk space, and desk chair.
Beds: Except for the Alfond Main St. Commons, mattresses located in all other residence halls are twin-XL (approximately 38” x 80”). Depending on the room and the residents’ choice, beds may be bunked or unbunked. The majority of beds may be raised and lowered within their adjoining bed ends, offering some under-bed storage opportunities. Students assigned to unbunked beds may purchase bed risers from local retailers to provide additional height for underbed storage. As each room varies in dimensions, type, and occupancy, some beds may need to remain bunked to accommodate the students and furniture in the room.
Furniture Additions and Removals: Students may not move common room furniture into personal rooms. All college-issued furniture must remain in the room in which it was assigned and cannot be removed or reallocated to other student rooms or spaces in the residence halls.
Unused Furniture: If a room is not filled to capacity, students must keep the unoccupied space available to receive a roommate at any time (“roommate ready”) and may not disassemble furniture or occupy more than one set.
Windows: All student windows are outfitted with screens and blinds/curtains. Students may not remove the screens, blinds, or curtains from the windows.
Students may access floor plans for each residence hall by visiting the Colby Housing Portal.
Once logged in, students should select the “More” tab and then “Documents.” Students will then see the “Housing Selection Floor Plans – 2024” document.
Students should use caution when affixing items to the walls to limit damage and potential charges. Command hooks, command strips, and masking tape should be the only items used to hang items on the walls. Duct tape, glue, or any other permanent or semi-permanent adhesive cannot be used.
For student and community safety, no items can taped, strung around, or in any way hanging from electrical fixtures, sprinkler head covers, pipes, or smoke detectors.
The Office of Residential Experience recognizes that a student’s housing preferences may have changed since the start of the semester. The Open Room Change Process provides students with an opportunity to request a potential change of housing.
Through the Open Room Change Process, students may elect to participate in one of three ways:
Students interested in the Open Room Change Process should:
IF the Office of Residential Experience is able to fulfill a request:
Students experiencing concerns related to their residence hall and room are asked to submit a work order through the Facilities Services website. A few examples of what you might submit a work order for are: your room is too cold/hot, there is a potential leak, your room door sticks, is there a draft around the windows, a leg on your desk chair is loose and wobbly, etc.
The College’s work order system is directly connected to Facilities Services and is the quickest way to notify anyone of the concern. The following steps will have your concern addressed quickly and efficiently.
When using the form, please make sure to have your pop-up blocker disabled for this site. This will allow the form to help populate the desired information.
For urgent requests and need for immediate attention during the weekends and after hours, students can contact Security by calling 207-859-5530. From there, a member of Security will contact the Facilities On-Call Staff.
Heating in the residence halls usually is enabled mid-October. This is when temperatures are less likely to fluctuate between high daytime and low evening temperatures. To help maintain individual comfort and full functionality of the building’s heating system, students should review the following helpful information:
If students are experiencing heating concerns in their room, the use of space heaters is an unsafe and prohibited solution. Additionally, use will negatively affect the overall operation of the heating system and the comfort of the surrounding rooms. Instead, students are asked to seek the support and assistance of Colby College Facilities Services. To do so, students must complete a Work Order using Facilities Services’ online reporting form provided above. This communication is important and helps inform and begin the process of resolving room/building concerns.
Each laundry machine has a label on the front that indicates the phone number and/or website for students to submit laundry machine work order requests. It will be important for students to know the laundry machine code found on the sticker, and the concern that the machine is experiencing.
Go to https://www.cscsw.com/
It is important to note that laundry machines are serviced by an outside vendor and are not serviced by members of Facilities Services or the College. Communicating the concern through the instructions found on the machine will help in expediting and correcting the machine issues.
Additionally, proper use of a machine (i.e. no overuse of laundry detergent, not filling a machine beyond capacity) will efficiently clean clothes and prevent continual need for maintenance.
Students and families are encouraged to use the following information and resources regarding housing at Colby College.
The following is a list of important and helpful student housing-related dates for students and their families to use when planning for the academic year. Students and families are responsible for using this information to properly plan all travel, internships, work, etc. around these dates.
Each year, Colby College publishes key dates for the academic calendar. The 2024-2025 academic year dates can be found here. Important dates for students include:
Thanksgiving Break
Winter Break
Spring Semester Move-In
Spring Break
End of Year Move-Out
It is important to note that the College does not permit late departure or early arrival requests for College breaks.
Official dates of occupancy align with the published academic calendar provided by the College.
Returning students may generally occupy their assigned room 48-hours before the first full day of classes in any semester. New students may generally occupy rooms on the first day of Orientation (during the fall semester) and 48-hours before the first full day of classes in Spring semester. Students are expected to vacate their rooms no later than 24-hours after their last scheduled exam or by published residence hall closure dates, whichever is first.
Unfortunately, due to the processes required to prepare the College for break closings and openings, the College does not accept requests and late departures/early arrivals are not permitted. Students, families, and support persons must determine what options and alternatives might exist outside of arriving early on campus. This includes altering travel arrangements, seeking hotel accommodations/AirBnB, etc.
Students and families may find information about the residence hall opening and arrival processes for the fall semester available on our Fall Semester Arrival Information page.
Students and families may find information about the residence hall opening and arrival processes for the fall semester available on our Spring Semester Closing page.
Please note this information will be updated during the academic year.
All College-owned residence halls are closed during official break periods (except Fall Break). Closing dates are published on the academic calendar and communicated to students via email, community meetings, and postings in the residence halls. Students are expected to vacate the halls by the designated time. When residence halls are closed, no students are permitted to reside in or enter these areas unless authorized by the Office of Residential Experience. Students may ONLY be in the residence halls during Thanksgiving, Winter and/or Spring break if they have prior authorization to remain on campus as outlined by College-communicated procedures.
Each year, Colby College publishes key dates for the academic calendar. The 2024-2025 academic year dates can be found here. Important dates for students include:
Thanksgiving Break
Winter Break
Spring Semester Move-In
Spring Break
Students who are unable to make arrangements to leave campus during a break, and need to stay on campus for the duration of the break will be permitted to remain after receiving approval.
Students who find it necessary to remain on campus are required to complete the specific Break Registration Form for their needed break stay. Please see below for the form submission deadline and links.:
Students experiencing concerns related to their residence hall and room are asked to submit a work order through the Facilities Services website. A few examples of what you might submit a work order for are: your room is too cold/hot, there is a potential leak, your room door sticks, is there a draft around the windows, a leg on your desk chair is loose and wobbly, etc.
The College’s work order system is directly connected to Facilities Services and is the quickest way to notify anyone of the concern. The following steps will have your concern addressed quickly and efficiently.
When using the form, please make sure to have your pop-up blocker disabled for this site. This will allow the form to help populate the desired information.
For urgent requests and need for immediate attention during the weekends and after hours, students can contact Security by calling 207-859-5530. From there, a member of Security will contact the Facilities On-Call Staff.
Each laundry machine has a label on the front that indicates the phone number and/or website for students to submit laundry machine work order requests. It will be important for students to know the laundry machine code found on the sticker, and the concern that the machine is experiencing.
Go to https://www.cscsw.com/
It is important to note that laundry machines are serviced by an outside vendor and are not serviced by members of Facilities Services or the College. Communicating the concern through the instructions found on the machine will help in expediting and correcting the machine issues.
Additionally, proper use of a machine (i.e. no overuse of laundry detergent, not filling a machine beyond capacity) will efficiently clean clothes and prevent continual need for maintenance.
Heating in the residence halls usually is enabled mid-October. This is when temperatures are less likely to fluctuate between high daytime and low evening temperatures. To help maintain individual comfort and full functionality of the building’s heating system, students should review the following helpful information:
If students are experiencing heating concerns in their room, the use of space heaters is an unsafe and prohibited solution. Additionally, use will negatively affect the overall operation of the heating system and the comfort of the surrounding rooms. Instead, students are asked to seek the support and assistance of Colby College Facilities Services. To do so, students must complete a Work Order using Facilities Services’ online reporting form provided above. This communication is important and helps inform and begin the process of resolving room/building concerns.
For the 2024-2025 academic year, Colby College and E&R – The Campus Laundry, will once again partner to provide optional laundry and dry-cleaning services to all interested students. E&R has been providing professional laundry service to over 100 preparatory schools, colleges and universities throughout the northeast and has partnered with Colby College for the last 15 years.
E&R’s laundry plans are designed to allow students to make the most of their free time on campus by saving between 80 and 100 hours per school year. With their laundry service, students will ensure that their linens are cleaned weekly, along with their weekly personal laundry.
E&R offers several efficient and practical programs. To enroll, visit their website trycampuslaundry.com/colby and select the plan that best suits your needs. The sign-up process is simple and will take just minutes.
Through our partnership with Mule Mob Rentals, Colby now has a MicroFridge rental program for students. The MicroFridge combo units are specially designed for residence hall rooms and are equipped with a microwave, freezer, and refrigerator – an all-in-one attached unit. Students who live on campus can rent this essential appliance easily and avoid the hassle of purchasing or transporting one to and from campus!
Complete the order online by clicking here
That’s it! If ordered on time, your MicroFridge will be delivered to your room before move-in.
Orders can be canceled anytime before delivery and up to 30 days after delivery for a no-questions-asked full refund.
Upon check-in, students will receive a key to their room, as well as an additional key to a suite or apartment main door, if applicable. These keys will match the room, suite, or apartment assigned to the student according to the Office of Residential Experience records. It is the sole responsibility of the student to whom the keys are issued to take care of them. Only students assigned to a specific room are allowed to pick up the corresponding key(s) in person. Keys cannot be picked up by friends or family members.
When checking out, students must remember to return their assigned key(s) to the Office of Residential Experience. Failure to return the keys according to the communicated deadline or process will be considered as lost keys, and charges associated with a lock change will be applied. Unreturned keys will not be accepted via mail.
For your own safety, always remember to lock your room or suite door whenever it is left unattended. You are responsible for carrying your assigned key at all times. If you ever find yourself locked out of your room, follow these steps to regain access:
1. If applicable, try to find your roommate to let you into the room.
2. Between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, visit the Office of Residential Life to request a spare key. Note that spare keys are a short-term solution. If the assigned spare key is not returned within 24 hours or the communicated date, it will be considered lost, and charges associated with a lock change will apply. When returning a spare key, you must present both the spare key and the key to your assigned room, suite, or apartment. If the originally assigned key cannot be found, it will be considered lost, and charges associated with a lock change will apply.
3. If you are unable to gain access to your room between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, or at any time on Saturday and Sunday, please contact Colby College Security at 207-859-5530 to request a lockout. Depending on the time of day and day of the week, a Community Advisor On-Duty or a Colby Security Officer will assist with the lockout. Please allow up to 60 minutes for the lockout process, and be prepared to show photo identification.
If you request an excessive number of lockouts, a member of the Office of Residential Experience may request to meet with you and/or refer you to Community Values.
Because of the security risk involved, if a key is lost or stolen, it must be reported to the Office of Residential Experience and to Colby Security immediately.
When a room/suite/apartment key is lost or unreturned, a $150 lock change fee plus an additional $10 per replaced key (e.g., keys needed to replace the full set per room/suite/apartment door) will be assessed. The total number of keys replaced will vary depending on the type of key and the total occupants of the particular space (i.e. single room key replacement is two replaced keys; a seven-person suite/apartment main door is eight replaced keys). In all lock changes and key replacements, a spare key is made. If a new key is replaced/issued and the original key is subsequently found, no refunds of assessed fees will be made.
The Colby College Student Handbook provides fairly comprehensive information about a variety of aspect of life at Colby, including resources, rules and policies. These are necessary for our community to function successfully and safely. Students are expected to know and abide by all policies outlined in this handbook.
Please click here to access to Colby College Student Handbook.
Colby has a variety of teams and processes established to help students during difficult times and respond to incidents in the community.
We encourage all members of the community to report concerns so that the appropriate resources and responses can be provide.
This reporting page provides links to the appropriate reporting form for:
Students may make a report using one or more of the above listed reports by clicking here.
Quiet Hours: Students may not cause disturbances or make significant noise during designated quiet hours. With the exception of any residence halls where residents have agreed to comply with extended quiet hours, the following is considered standard across campus:
Other temporary exceptions to quiet hours may be made in advance for sanctioned and College-approved events on a case-by-case basis. This flexibility, in accordance with College policies and procedures, ensures that students can still enjoy campus life while respecting the needs of others.
Twenty-four hour (24-hour) quiet hours apply in all campus residence halls throughout the entirety of examination periods, beginning at noon on the first reading day and concluding after the final scheduled examination session.
Courtesy Hours: All residence halls have “courtesy hours,” which are designed to foster a sense of community and respect among residents. This means that residents of neighboring rooms have the authority and right to reasonably request that music and/or other noise be reduced at any time and any day of the week. Students are expected to show respect for their fellow residents, and to comply with all requests from neighbors, Community Advisors, Faculty-in-Residence, Residential Experience staff, and Security to turn down music or to disperse a gathering.
The following items are prohibited in and around residence halls. Other items may be deemed inappropriate for safety or other reasons.
When living in a community, students have a responsibility not only to themselves, but to their fellow students. The following list provides examples of unsafe behavior, but other behaviors may also be deemed unsafe on a case-by-case basis.
Unsafe Behavior examples include, but are not limited to:
Parking space is limited on campus. To better help manage parking space available, students will be assigned a specific parking lot to park based on the residence hall they live in. Students that live off campus will be assigned a commuter permit and must park in commuter parking only.
Colby College Security administers parking on campus and more information about parking regulations and parking permits can be found here.
The Office of Residential Experience offers break transportation shuttles to/from Portland. Students may purchase tickets (the cost is $30 per ticket).
Transportation resources, including Colby-sponsored shuttles to/from Portland, can be found on the Colby Transportation Webpage.
Trunk rooms are storage rooms located within residential spaces that are available for current students’ convenience. Use is on a first-come, first-served basis during select periods of the academic year.
Storing of items in a trunk room is only permitted after a student has applied and been approved by the Office of Residential Experience. Items must be stored in pre-approved containers such as boxes, plastic totes, luggage, or storage tote bags. Only properly boxed and approved items may be stored. No furniture (sofas, chairs, futons, mattresses, etc.) carpets, or appliances (refrigerators, vacuums, etc.) are permitted in these locations. Any unapproved items, or improperly stored items are subject to be removal and disposal without warning or notification.
Students must use the specific labels provided by the Office of Residential Experience on their property with their name, class year, and date stored. Items that are not properly labeled may be periodically discarded. Items left behind by a student at the end of the year will be discarded unless a student has received prior permission to store items over the summer months.
The College does not assume responsibility for loss, theft or damage to students’ personal property kept in storage rooms and will not reimburse students for items.
Trunk room access will be limited to the residence halls’ opening and closing periods. During the Fall Opening, residents may only remove items. During the Spring Closing, residents may only put items in trunk rooms. All items must be removed by the second Thursday of the Fall Semester (unless approved as fall semester study abroad).
Students may store bicycles, at their own risk, at approved outdoor bike racks or residence hall bike rooms located in select campus residence halls. Residents are responsible for providing their own bike locks.
Indoor bicycle storage is not available in every residence hall and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Only person-powered bicycles may be stored in the residence halls. Bicycles must be removed from campus during the summer break. Bicycles left over the summer will be considered abandoned and will be confiscated and discarded.
Bicycles may not be stored, chained or otherwise, to doors or in entrances, exits, corridors, and stairwells. Bicycles stored improperly will be removed daily and chains, cables, or locks on those bikes may be cut if necessary at the owner’s expense. Removed bikes will be donated or discarded, if unclaimed, on a weekly basis.
Self-serve laundry room facilities are located in each residence hall. The total number of washer/dryers available will depend on the building.
Doing your laundry in Colby residence halls couldn’t be easier. Laundry is included in your general services fee, so you don’t need quarters or tokens to operate machines.
Residents should keep residence hall laundry rooms clean, and dispose of trash properly. As part of living in a respectful community, residents must remove personal clothing and items promptly after the end of each cycle. Residents must not remove other students’ clothes from washers or dryers. If a machine is in use, please wait until the cycle is completed before using the machine.
Laundry rooms are considered public locations, and as such, are subject to regular cleaning. Items left unattended in the laundry room for an extended period of time may be removed and discarded without resident notice.
In the event of any issues with laundry machines, residents are encouraged to fill out a work order to help maintain the facilities in good working conditions.
Our laundry facilities partner, CSC Serviceworks, even provides an interactive service called LaundryView. This internet application allows you to monitor the status of washers and dryers in connected laundry rooms. You may also receive notification via email when a machine is available or when your laundry is done. LaundryView can graphically display the past two weeks usage of a particular laundry room so students can avoid peak usage times.
Colby offers cable TV streaming via SpectrumU. While connected to Colby’s network (wired or wireless) you can follow these steps to stream cable TV from a variety of devices.
The size and type of furniture vary by residence hall and room. However, each room provides a bedframe, mattress, set of dresser drawers, closet space, desk space, and desk chair.
Beds: Except for the Alfond Main St. Commons, mattresses located in all other residence halls are twin-XL (approximately 38” x 80”). Depending on the room and the residents’ choice, beds may be bunked or unbunked. The majority of beds may be raised and lowered within their adjoining bed ends offering some under bed storage opportunities. Beds are unable to be lofted.
Furniture Removals & Addition: Students may not move additional items into the room from common areas of the residence hall or from other student rooms. All college-issued furniture must remain in the room and cannot be removed.
Unused Furniture: If a room is not filled to capacity, students must keep the unoccupied space available to receive a roommate at any time (“roommate ready”) and may not disassemble furniture or occupy more than one set.
The College’s residence halls offer students a variety of locations, styles, and options. These include single, double, triple, quad, suite, and apartment styles.
Room types vary by residence hall.
Students may access floor plans for each residence hall by visiting the Colby Housing Portal.
Once logged in, students should select the “More” tab and then “Documents.” Students will then see the “Housing Selection Floor Plans – 2024” document.
All full-time students are required to live in College-owned residential facilities (either on the Mayflower Hill campus or elsewhere in the City of Waterville) for the entirety of their enrollment at Colby College,
All full-time students are required to live in College-owned residential facilities (either on the Mayflower Hill campus or elsewhere in the City of Waterville) for the entirety of their enrollment at Colby College, except when granted permission, in writing, by the Dean of Students or their designee, or through official off-campus housing processes administered by the Office of Residential Experience.
Per the Colby College Student Handbook, students with a room assignment [all students expected to live on campus] may not simultaneously hold an off-campus lease; students must occupy their on-campus room assignment as their full time living space during the academic semester unless they are approved for off-campus housing.
Generally speaking, approvals for off-campus living are for junior and senior class year students only, and are made on a year-to-year basis. Any approval is for one academic year only. Students who wish to live off-campus for a subsequent year must complete the outlined process (if applicable) at that time. Future consideration of off-campus housing by the College is not guaranteed. Students should keep this in mind and should not secure a lease without first receiving approval from the College through designated processes.
For information about the current housing selection process and off-campus updates, please visit the 2024-2025 Housing Selection website.
Colby-owned buildings that are not located on the main campus are not considered off-campus housing.
During Jan Plan, students may only live on campus and be eligible to participate in intercollegiate athletics, campus organizations, or other co-curricular campus events if they are enrolled in an on-campus Jan Plan course, local (non-remote) internship, or an independent research that requires the use of Colby campus resources and materials.
Summer housing is available during the 10-week campus summer employment period for students who meet the following criteria:
Due to the high need, all graduated seniors are ineligible for on-campus summer housing.
