Frequently Asked Questions - NMU Housing and Residence Life

This varies depending on how much financial aid you receive.  Since financial aid is not available before the first room and board payment is due.  Each student must pay the $50 Room Reservation Fee and the $200 Advanced Payment each year with personal funds.  Financial aid will be applied first against tuition and fees.  Financial aid in excess of financial obligations will be returned to the student.

The fall semester housing contract for residence halls begins at 8 a.m. on the Thursday prior to the beginning of classes.  Students participating in an approved University function (e.g., employed at the University and must arrive early, mandatory team practice, etc.) may be granted permission to arrive early and check into their room.  If a student needs to move in early, they must contact the Housing and Residence Life Office.

Important things to consider:

• Roommates don't need to be best friends.
• Discuss expectations prior to move in.
• Roommate and Suitemate agreements are created during the first week of classes.  Expectations and boundaries are set at this time.  
• If you're unable to resolve a conflict, go to your paraprofessional. 

Laundry costs are included in the comprehensive fee you pay each semester, so there is no need to save all of your quarters, and there is not a card to re-load on a regular basis. You may do your laundry as often as you need to. You will need to provide your own detergent, which needs to be high-efficiency. Please do not use laundry detergent pods in our equipment. 

Students are responsible for cleaning their own rooms and bathrooms. The desk has brooms, mops and vacuums for check out, but you will need to bring your own cleaning supplies. 

There are community kitchens in all of our residence halls. They are equipped with an oven, stovetop, and refrigerator. The front desk has some cooking supplies you can check out.

All student rooms are provided with a blue recycling bin. The bin is considered part of the room inventory.  When the bin is full, take it outside to the recycling dumpster.  Click here to learn more about recycling at NMU.   

Digital TV's (QAM Tuner Required)

Northern Michigan University's incoming cable signal is digital which means that in order to take advantage of the campus digital cable service, you need a digital TV with a built-in QAM tuner.  If the TV does not have the QAM tuner, then the TV will not display any signal or sound. If your TV does not have a QAM tuner, you should either purchase one that does or purchase an aftermarket conversion box. The iView 3500STBII Multi-Function-Converter is one that we have found to work quite well. Housing and Residence Life does not sell these converter boxes.

TV Set-Up

When setting up a TV, you will need to go into the TV's menu and scan for channels by selecting the auto programming mode. Make sure your TV is scanning in the cable mode and not antenna mode. Some televisions can take 15-20 minutes to complete the auto programming cycle, so please be patient as it sets up.

Troubleshooting

If the auto programming does not seem to be working in your room there are some things to try before contacting the residence life staff in your building.

1. Try your TV and coaxial cable in a room with a working TV signal (suitemate, friend's room, TV room). If it does not work, then try using the coaxial cable from the TV that was working. If that does not work, then you need a new coaxial cable or your TV does not have a QAM tuner.
2. Have someone whose TV is working in their room connect to the cable outlet in your room and see if their TV works. If it does, then you either need a new coaxial cable or your TV does not have a QAM tuner. If your friend's television does not work, then contact the Housing and Residence Life office as outlined below.

If you do not have a QAM tuner, the iView 3500STBII Multi-Function-Converter is one that we have found to work quite well.

Questions or Problems

If you experience problems or if the procedures above do not work, please DO NOT contact Charter Communications directly.  If you have followed the troubleshooting steps above and it appears as though the cable connection in your room is not functioning correctly, please email the Housing and Residence Life Office at housing@nmu.edu and include your name, full campus address, a description of the problem, the make and model of your TV, and a phone number where you can be reached.