While completion of the rigorous academic program is the first and foremost priority for the students, the experience of participants is considerably enriched by a thoughtfully designed residential life component. ADVANCE students consistently state that program participation changes their lives in many positive ways and that friendships made while at ADVANCE are long-lasting and important. In order to achieve the complete “ADVANCE experience”, students should plan to engage fully in both academic and residential activities. Each student is assigned to a Residential Advisor’s (RA) group based on age and gender and is then paired with a roommate who shares similar interests. Students are supervised during all non class time.

Residential Staff
The Assistant Director and the Coordinator of Residential Life (CRL) are responsible for all of the residential aspects of the program including supervision and motivation of staff, coordination of activities, transportation, and discipline of students (if necessary). The Head RA assists the CRL with scheduling and has typically served as an RA for at least two years.

The Residential Advisors (RAs) are chosen from a large group of outstanding undergraduate and graduate students in a competitive application and interview process. Each carefully selected Resident Advisor (RA) supervises a group of 10 – 16 students during time not spent in class. In the evenings and on weekends, social and recreational activities are offered and supervised by the RAs. Students may choose to relax in their rooms or in a dorm lobby to spend some quiet time with a small group of friends. The RAs supervise students during all hours that the students are not in class.

The ADVANCE Program employs a counselor and registered nurse who are available 24/7 to students and staff members. The counselor is available for one-on-one talks as needed with students and to help students adjust to the program. The nurse provides first aid and arranges for a student to see a local physician if necessary. The counselor and nurse are present during registration so parents have an opportunity to meet them and discuss any concerns. Additionally, they help train the staff during orientation, attend the morning meeting and are in the dorm each evening.

Evening and Weekend Activities
RAs plan a cornucopia of varied evening and weekend social and recreational activities. Every effort is made to offer a wide variety of activities that will appeal to our students and 8 to 10 activities are offered each evening. Typical activity offerings include:

• Arts and crafts projects (making friendship or hemp bracelets, collages, duct tape projects, painting t-shirts)
• Games (including Twister, Apples to Apples, Chess, Catch Phrase, Munchkin, Trivial Pursuit)
• Various card games (Spoons, rummy, Phase 10)
• Movies viewed in a dorm lobby
• Sports (ultimate Frisbee, basketball, ping-pong, tennis, soccer, death ball, swimming, a morning run or yoga before breakfast)
• Dance lessons (salsa, swing, tango, ballroom)
• Music jam sessions
• Others:  anime, improvisational comedy, poetry slam, karaoke, open mic night, coffeehouses, reading by Chaplin’s Lake on campus, Murder Mystery games, e-mail, and visiting a fast food restaurant by campus.
• Some long-standing ADVANCE traditions include a 3-on-3-basketball tournament, capture the flag, weekly dances (which are awesome), tie-dye, slip and slide with messy games, and the amazing, long-hallowed talent show held on the last night of the program.
• Students who simply wish to socialize with co-ed friends may do so in one of the three dorm lobbies under staff supervision.
• RA Group Night Out. Every RA Group has a special night off campus once during the program. It takes place from 7:15 – 9:45 (during evening activities) and ADVANCE provides some money for this event. Some examples include visiting an arcade room, bowling alley,  an inexpensive restaurant or a picnic by Cane River. Students really look forward to this special night and it is a perfect time to create more wonderful memories.

Housing
Learning to live with others is an important component of the ADVANCE experience. ADVANCE encourages diversity in its student and staff population, and each student will have the opportunity to live and learn with students from many different cultures and backgrounds. The staff members live on the halls with the students to provide support and supervision.

Our Coordinator of Residential Life (CRL) and Head RA maintain structure and oversee students and staff at all times. The night security employee monitors the entrance of the dorm (which is locked at midnight), the dorm office, and phone lines between 10:00 pm – 6:00 am. A counselor and medical consultant are in the dorm every evening and are on call 24 hours a day.

ADVANCE participants and staff are the sole occupants of one air-conditioned dormitory. The dorm we utilize has suites, every student has a roommate, and there are three rooms to a suite. Therefore, six students share a bath (toilet, shower, and 2 lavatories). Roommate assignments are based on student age, gender, and similar likes/interests. ADVANCE students are placed on same sex halls and students may not visit a residence hall of members of the opposite sex. Any student who violates this policy may be dismissed from ADVANCE. Each student is assigned to an RA group with 10 – 16 other students of the same age. The dormitory is always monitored, but students are expected to keep their dorm rooms locked at all times to ensure security for personal items. Neither NSU nor the ADVANCE Program is responsible for loss or damage to any personal property.

Two coin-operated laundry rooms, one for each gender, are available in the dormitory. Each washer and dryer load costs approximately $0.75 and the machines only accept quarters. Students are responsible for their own laundry, but ADVANCE staff members will be glad to provide instructions for sorting clothing and on the use of the machines. Laundry facilities are off-limits after lights out.

There are four vending machines (soda, juice, and snack) in the dorm, so the student will need plenty of change. There is a microwave on each floor, but a refrigerator is not available.

The dorm only has three phones and the student must have a calling card to utilize them. Therefore, students are allowed to bring cell phones, but must adhere to the cell phone policy.

Cell Phone Policy
With parental permission students are allowed to keep a personal cell phone for use in the residence hall, or when signed out to go off campus. Cell phones are only to be used in the dormitory (phones may not be used away from the dorm during class or guided study, at the cafeteria or on breaks, or at activities). Cell phones may not be used after lights out at night. The residential staff shall not be responsible for holding or storing cell phones for students, nor shall they be responsible for monitoring who a student is calling, or when. Pagers are not allowed. We advise that the student brings an inexpensive cell phone (NOT an iphone, blackberry, etc).

NOTE: ADVANCE is not responsible for loss or damage to any personal property including cell phones.

Dining
Students eat their meals in a campus cafeteria with the ADVANCE staff and instructors. Several food choices are available at each meal to accommodate an array of dietary needs. In addition to two hot entrée choices, a full salad bar and sandwich bar are available at lunch and dinner, a cereal bar is available at each meal, and frozen yogurt is offered after lunch. Food is served cafeteria style and vegetarian entrées are available.

Student Handbook
Click here to read the Student Handbook for a complete listing of student guidelines.