Welcome to CIW! | Residential Life | Binghamton University

Welcome new CIW-ers!

Congrats for choosing us! Res Life has 6 on-campus residential communities that give our large campus a "small college feel." We think College-in-the-Woods or CIW (we love our acronyms here) is the best place to live. Here is some info to get you started:

Where am I?CIW is centrally-located, right across from the back of The Union, easy to get to class and anywhere on campus.

Where's a good place to study?

Each residential community has a “Success Center,” where you can study alone or with friends! Our success center is located in the CIW Library within Iroquois Commons, right down the hall from our dining hall. There are computers and printers available — just login with your PODs account.

You can also find a study lounge on every floor and the Great Room is on the first floor of all our buildings.
Where can I eat?

CIW's dining hall is in the ground floor of Iroquois, next to Mohawk Hall. There's an exclusive vegan station with vegan tacos and grain bowls, "ultimate breakfast" station with made-to-order omelets and egg sandwiches and Grill 86 with custom cheeseburgers, beyond burgers, quesadillas, caprese sandwiches and more (even gluten-free options)!

Our campus has four dining halls and you're welcome to use whichever you want! The MarketPlace in The Union is right across the street along with Dunkin' if you need a caffeine fix. For the best bagels in town, check out Einstein Bros Bagels near Bartle Library. Find out what dining options are open.

Have dietary restrictions or concerns? Check in with one of our campus dieticians.

Each building also has a full community kitchen on the first floor where you can cook or make snacks for friends.
Who can I ask if I have a question?
Chances are, CIW's area office is a good place to start when you have a Residential Life question. If you're locked out, have a housing question or need to find a staff member, this is the place to come. Here you'll find your Assistant Director of Residential Life (AD), Jason Barauskas and the Area Secretary, Melissa Clapp. Your Area Coordinator (AC) or Community Director (CD) and Collegiate Professor (CP) Andy Merriwether offices are here too. The CIW area office is in Onondaga Hall 110, just look for the big green awning.
Other professional staff that can help you:

We've got a lot of staff members here! Get to know your Resident Director (RD) and Assistant Residential Coordinator (ARC) who live in CIW, are typically in the office during the day (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) but do have some evening and weekend hours for meetings and programs. Their offices are on the first floor of every building.

RDs are full-time professionals who are in charge of one building in your community. ARCs are part-time professionals and full-time graduate students. Their office hours may vary, you can email them for an appointment. Both RDs and ARCs oversee day-to-day functions of the building, help organize community gatherings, work with residents and supervise student staff. If you have personal concerns, inter-personal issues or concerns about your room/building, this is where you can go to get resources to support you!
Is there staff in my building after hours?

We have a variety of undergraduate student staff that live in the same building as residents. They can help you navigate campus, find friends and connect you to resources. They will be your best advocate and support within CIW. They will reach out to let you know about floor meetings and community gatherings.

The staff office is typically on the first floor of your building. This will be staffed with rotating shifts who will be in the office from 8 p.m. until midnight every night and will have a phone # posted to call after hours. If you're locked out of your room, have an urgent maintenance issue, need kitchen or sports equipment or just want to talk, any of our staff will be happy to help.
Where can I hang out with friends?

CIW has a great room and lounge on the first floor of every building where we'll be hosting community gatherings. It's also a GREAT space to find new friends and hang out. Each building also has a full community kitchen on the first floor where you can cook or make snacks for friends. There are also lounges and study spaces in each building. CIW has great outdoor spaces throughout the community with tables, hammocks and volleyball courts. Our sports field is just down the hill from Tuscarora.
Can I see a room?
How do I receive mail?