Common Areas

In addition to community kitchens, bathrooms and laundries, each residence hall provides common areas like dens, study lounges, landscaped grounds and other spaces perfect for hanging out. 

• Visit Financial Responsibility for fees and charges that may occur in common areas.

• Bathrooms
  Sharing a community bathroom requires respecting yourself and your fellow residents. We expect you to follow the instructions posted in the bathrooms. These instructions include but are not limited to the following:

  • Don't tamper with dispensers. Removal of paper rolls and soap containers inconveniences everyone and encourages the spread of germs.
  • Be clothed entering or leaving bathrooms.
  • Know what you can and can't flush. See Plumbing Best Practices.
  • Private shower stalls are intended for one person at a time.
  • Clean up after yourself.

  Enjoy the privacy! Each bathroom and shower area has private stalls, so you can have your own space for personal care.
• Breezeway Policy
  • University policy dictates that breezeways (walkways with roofs) must always be kept clear to allow residents to safely evacuate the area in times of an emergency. In other words, no items can be in the breezeway at any time that can block the path to exit the building.
  • This includes temporarily or permanently storing furniture, household items, toys, plants and garden tools or using the breezeway to hang clotheslines.
• Grounds
  • Grounds and lawns are maintained by OSU Facilities Management. This includes the maintenance and upkeep of the sports courts (volleyball courts, basketball courts, putting greens, and playground equipment). 
  • Plan ahead for events held in outdoor spaces. If you want to use the outdoor spaces for an event, contact HRL Facilities and Maintenance in advance. They can help with power, water, tables/chairs, trash cans, and so forth. 
  • Learn more about specific Housing and Residential Life policies concerning grounds, common areas and meeting spaces.
• Custodial Services
  • A commercial janitorial cleaning service, ABM, cleans shared spaces (community bathrooms, kitchens, lounges) as well as cleans and restocks supplies for community bathrooms.
  • Please take time to get to know your ABM staff member and recognize their impact in your community.
• Elevators
  Housing and Residential Life has 25 elevators for residential use.  

   

  Trapped: Call OSU PD immediately if you are trapped or know someone is trapped in an elevator. For emergencies call 911 or call 405-744-6523 for non-emergencies. The person inside the elevator should also press the call button.

   

  Items Dropped: If you drop an item down the elevator shaft, notify the desk staff who will contact maintenance to retrieve it. This may result in a bursar charge. Items dropped after hours will be collected the next business day. You may pick up items at the Housing and Residential Life at 100 Iba Hall. 

   

  Keep elevators running smoothly by avoiding the following: 

  • Interfering with closing doors—wait for the next elevator
  • Attempting to pry open the elevator doors
  • Jumping up and down inside the elevator cabin
  • Cramming into an elevator that is at or has already exceeded its capacity. Capacity information is posted inside each elevator.
• Furniture and appliances
  University-owned furniture and appliances are designated for the space it is to be used and must be kept in their designated location. Furniture must not be removed from the room/suite/apartment or left outside the unit on a balcony or porch. 
• Kitchens
  Housing and Residential Life provides community kitchens (stove top, oven, refrigerator, and microwave) in many halls. To keep the kitchen clean and ready to use. Please follow the rules below:

  • Wash dishes after use.
  • Put food away to reduce pests and odor.
  • Write your name on food items placed in the refrigerator or kitchen area.
  • Check items in the community refrigerators before leaving on breaks. 
  • ABM Services will clean the kitchen if all personal items are stored properly. They will not remove any food or personal items (pots, pans, silverware, and so forth) from the kitchen area, 
• Laundries
  Housing and Residential Life provides laundry facilities in all residence halls as well as washers and dryers in-unit in the deluxe apartments. Laundry facilities are for resident use only and are free of charge. You must provide your own detergent and supplies. Housing and Residential Life recommends high-efficiency (HE) detergent for all machines. 
  

   

  The university is not responsible for any lost, stolen or damaged items. Report machine issues to the HRL Facilities and Maintenance or visit the appropriate Desk Services.

   

  Learn more about laundry facilities and best practices.
• Living rooms and lounges
  Housing and Residential Life provides many different styles of living rooms and lounges. Most include a combination of couches, televisions, and study areas with desks and tables.
• Outdoor Grills
  Permanently mounted BBQ grills are available in various locations (Griffith Community Center, Pattillo Community Center and Bennett Hall, and the apartment neighborhoods for Morrison, Brumley, Demaree, Prosser, Stevens, West and Williams).

  • Requires Grilling Permit Application
  • Grilling is not allowed during county burn bans.
  • Only food may be cooked on the grills. Do not use the grills to burn or other items.
  • You are required to clean the grill with water after using it. Do not use chemicals or other cleaning supplies to clean grills.
  • You may not store grills, hibachis, combustibles /or flammable liquids (such as gasoline or propane) within or near any building, breezeway, balcony or storage unit. Temporary storage is available by contacting Desk Services at Village A, Wentz, Stout, Griffith, Pattillo and Bennett.
  • Failure to use equipment properly or to clean the grill and surrounding areas can result in permanent revocation of your privileges and/or fines charged to your bursar account.
  • Nonresidents may not use these grills.
• Recreation and Sports Courts
  Housing and Residential Life offers a variety of recreation opportunities around the facilities and grounds.  

   

  • Sand Volleyball (Griffith Community Center, Pattillo Community Center, Bennett, Stout, and The Villages)
  • Basketball (Griffith Community Center, Pattillo Community Center, Morrison Neighborhood Bennett, Patchin-Jones and The Villages)
  • Lawns (Various halls)
  • Putting Green (The Villages)
  • Pool/Ping Pong Tables (various halls)
  • Pianos (Bennett, Iba, Stout, Parker and Wentz. Please play between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
• Remote Printer Stations and Computer Labs
  Usually located near Desk Services, check with OSU IT Remote Printing and Computer labs  to see where your hall's printing and computer labs are located. 
• Trash and Recycling Services
  Visit Trash and Recycling Services
• Vending Machines
  Oklahoma State University offers a variety of beverage and snack options in vending machines in Housing and Residential Life facilities. If you have a problem with a vending machine, contact the designated service provider found on the machine.