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
  In addition to what you learned in kindergarten about cleanliness, sharing a community bathroom requires respecting yourself and your fellow residents. We expect you to follow all societal norms and 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.
  • 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.

  Enjoy the privacy! Each bathroom and shower area is equipped with private stalls, so you can have your own space for personal care, giving you the comfort and privacy you deserve.
• 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.
  • Violations will result in disciplinary actions by OSU Student Support and Conduct. Your items may also be placed in the trash.
• 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.
• 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, contact the desk staff 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. 

   

  Rules

  • Push and hold the DOOR OPEN button if doors need to be held open for longer than the normal timing sequence allows or if someone is approaching the elevator.

  Avoid

  • 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
• 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. 
• Grounds and Lawns
  • 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 the HRL Facilities and Maintenance in advance. We can help with power, water, tables/chairs, trash cans, and so forth.
• FGSH Grounds, Common Areas and Meeting Spaces 
  Learn more about specific Family and Graduate Student Housing's policies concerning grounds, common areas and meeting spaces.
• Kitchens
  Housing and Residential Life provides community kitchens (stove top, oven, refrigerator, and microwave) in many halls. As a resident, you are responsible for keeping the kitchen clean and ready to use. 

   

  Keep the following rules in mind:

  • 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.
  • Be sure to 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 and washers and dryers in undergraduate apartments. Residents may use the facilities are free of charge; however, they must provide their own detergent and any other supplies. High-efficiency (HE) detergent recommended 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 combinations 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, Bennett, Morrison Neighborhood and the Family and Graduate Student Housing Neighborhoods).

  • 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.
  • FGSH residents: As the primary lessee, failure to use equipment properly or to clean the grill and surrounding areas will 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.