The university respects the rights and privacy of students to the greatest extent possible. However, the university reserves the right to have authorized personnel (Student Life Staff or Campus Safety and Security Staff) enter a student’s room in cases of emergencies where danger to life, safety, health or property is reasonably feared or there is reasonable cause to believe that EMU policies are being violated. In these cases, student permission to enter the room is not needed, however student permission and awareness is always sought (ex. By knocking on the door and announcing presence and intent to enter, by calling student cell phone, etc.) prior to entering the student living space.  

In the event that authorized university personnel enter a student’s room/suite/apartment for reasonable cause, there will be two university personnel (most often a Student Life staff member and a Campus Safety and Security employee) present for any room inspection that may take place. 

EMU does not call local law enforcement as an automatic first response for campus policy violations. However, IF the situation and context is such that local law enforcement will best serve the safety and protection of the students and the university community, Harrisonburg Police Department may be called upon to assist in room inspection if a violation of local law/ordinance is known to have been committed.

All vehicles owned by faculty, staff and students that are parked on the EMU campus need to be registered within one week of being brought to campus. This also applies to individuals living in EMU-owned housing or apartments. The fee for the permits is $60 per person for the academic year. Students involved in the Degree Completion Studies or in graduate programs that meet in the evening also need to obtain a permit at the beginning of each academic school year at no charge. All permits are valid only for the academic year and will expire on August 25.

To register a vehicle you are required to:

Hold a current vehicle registration card as evidence of ownership and the right to register the vehicle
Hang the registration permit on the rear view mirror
View the campus map to find out where to park.

How to Register Your Vehicle

Vehicle registration is completed online through myEMU. Once logged in, the registration process can be found under the Accounts tab for students and the Employee Info tab for faculty and staff. After completing the registration, all permits will be delivered through campus mail.

Retired employees of EMU who routinely use the premises must register their vehicle at the Facilities Management office to receive a permit but will not be charged a permit fee.

Campus visitors who are on campus for something other than an organized sporting event or a major activity are asked to register their vehicles and utilize a temporary permit available at the Facilities Management office.

Temporary Handicapped Parking Permits

Temporary handicapped parking permits may be issued to students from the Health Center or athletic trainer that confirms a student’s warranted need for a handicapped space. These permits are to be used only on EMU property and are not acceptable under state law to be used off campus. They are available from the Facilities Management office during regular business hours.

Partial-year Permits

Any faculty, staff or student who will not be on campus for spring semester may return their parking permit to the Facilities Management office. If it is received by January 15, a refund of $30 will be issued. This does not apply to faculty or staff who opted to pay for the permit through payroll deduction.

Room decoration and personalization are encouraged. Several guidelines should be followed, however. Students should not use nails or tacks anywhere in their rooms. Mounting rails are available in some residence halls and should be used for hanging posters and other items. Be aware that tape or other kinds of adhesives may cause wall damage that will need to be repaired. Talk with your RD should you have any special decorating requests. Painting is not permitted.

UL listed rope LED lights are the only type of rope lights permitted all year long. String lights are not permitted. Extension cords may not be used in conjunction with lights, appliances or any electronic device. Live Christmas trees are not allowed in any resident housing on campus. Any other decorative material (i.e. posters, cloth material, artificial foliage, etc.) shall not exceed 20% of the total aggregate of any one wall within a room or housing unit, 10% for any common hallway wall.

To limit damage to walls, we recommend you use "command strips" to hang items in your room. 

Washers and dryers are available in each residence hall free of charge. Clothes cannot be hung in the windows to dry or left on racks in the bathrooms, kitchens or hallways.

Student-owned lofts are not allowed in residence halls. Flexible loft units are provided by the university. Units can be arranged on floor level, bunk or loft styles. If you wish to rearrange your room, Community Advisors will provide you with appropriate tools. All room furniture needs to stay in your room.

Each residence hall has at least one television with cable access in each floor lounge. Individual student rooms do NOT have cable access in the traditional halls. Cable outlets ARE available in the suites/apartments.

You are strongly encouraged to bring a computer to school, but it is not required. As an EMU student, you will have 24-hour access to computer labs. Information Systems recommends that you purchase a new computer to bring to EMU, but a computer purchased within the past two years will likely work.

Note: Your EMU tuition account (i.e. tuition, room, and board) must be in current status to connect your personal computer to the EMU network. Please contact the EMU Business Office for more information.

All students living on campus have the same address. US mail is delivered to the Post Office in the Campus Center daily. Deliveries from Federal Express, Express Mail, United Parcel Service, etc. are also made to the Post Office. If you wish to lighten your packing load, send packages ahead of time to your name and address as listed below.

Your correct mailing address will be:

Your name
Eastern Mennonite University
1200 Park Road
Harrisonburg, VA 22802

(The EMU post office prefers that you do not indicate a mailbox.)

Please note: You are responsible to regularly check myEMU, your email account, and your campus mailbox.  This is how student life staff and faculty communicate with you.

All students need to have their ID card for access to their residence hall.  It also is used for the dining hall, bookstore and library.  Please be sure to carry your card at all times.  University personnel or Security may ask for identification.  Cards may be replaced at the Help Desk for a fee.

Students are responsible for any and all damage to their assigned room or suite and will be assessed by the University for the cost of repair and replacement. Damage to common living areas (such as hallways, lounges or bathrooms) will be divided equally among residents occupying that living area unless the individual responsible for the damage can be identified.

Food orders are only made to the MAIN door of the residence hall where vendors have access to the outside phone. On arrival, vendors will alert the resident of arrival by dialing the resident room extension. Floral deliveries may be sent to the Post Office in the Campus Center (432-4253).

Lofting units are provided by the university.  Beds can be arranged on floor level, as bunks, or as lofts.  If you are wanting to loft beds, you can check out the wrenches and lofting supplies from your CA or RD.

Traditional residence halls (Northlawn, Maplewood, Elmwood, and Cedarwood) are closed during Winter Break and Spring Break.  Students are required to leave their halls by noon on the Saturday when the break begins. 

At the end of each semester, students need to check out of the residence hall within 24 hours after their last exam.  Residence of Hillside Suites and Parkwood Apartments may remain throughout the year until noon on Monday, the day after Commencement.

Student-initiated room changes are not generally made during the first two weeks of any semester, except for cases of emergency or safety.  The residence director, in consultation with the director for campus life, must approve room changes before any move is made. Facilitated roommate dialogue and/or conflict mediation is usually the first step in working with any roommate or suite mate conflict. Dialogue and/or mediation may result in a renewed commitment to live together. However, in some cases there are irreconcilable differences that necessitate a room change. If, after dialogue/mediation, a room change is necessary, the room change may occur.

Any move that occurs for convenience purposes will carry a $100 convenience room change fee.  The fee is waived if there are two single rooms consolidating to one double room.

All students should lock their rooms.  Your ID card and key should be with you at all times.  If you are locked out of your room, your CA should be able to get you in to your room.  If your CA is not available, call the RD on-call at 540-476-4578.  The first lockout is free.  Each lockout after that carries a $10 fee. If you have lost your key, please contact your RD.  There is a fee for replacing a key and re-keying the lock. 

Adult guests may stay overnight in the residence hall when space is available. All guests need to register with the appropriate community advisor and/or residence director. Registration is applicable for up to three nights of free lodging. A $15 per night fee is charged to guests staying more than three nights. A guest may stay a maximum of one week after permission is granted. The same visitor may only stay 3 nights (or up to a maximum of one week by permission from residence director) per semester. Guests will abide by the same residence hall regulations as residents. A guest failing to comply with regulations and/or otherwise disrupting the life of the residence hall community will be asked to leave. 

There are designated storage areas in residence halls for storing small items. Articles must be clearly labeled. Some summer storage for belongings will be available. Fees are billed to student accounts for summer storage. The University assumes no responsibility and does not provide insurance for students' personal property. 

Alterations to any kind of electrical or wiring system are strictly prohibited. Extension cords may not be used. Surge protecting power cords can not be located under rugs or carpets, nor can they be woven through the bed springs. Multiple outlet strips ("power strips") are permitted if they are U.L. listed, have a maximum ampere rating of 15, and have an integral circuit breaker or fuse. They cannot be plugged into one another.  Flammable items such as fuel may not be stored in residence hall rooms. Items which require an open flame, operate on fuel, or which produce heat (i.e. Bunsen burners, lighted candles, incense) are prohibited. All matches, candles, incense and other uses of open flames are strictly prohibited.

Tampering with, or the misuse of fire-safety equipment is prohibited. Fire-safety equipment includes, but is not limited to, smoke detectors, sprinkler system equipment, alarm pull stations, and extinguishers. Students and/or guests found causing a false alarm may face arrest and/or stern University action.

Most residence hall rooms contain a battery powered smoke detector. VA Fire Safety codes require weekly smoke detector testing. Each resident is responsible for testing the smoke detector in their room. If you have any questions, or your smoke detector fails to operate properly, contact your Community Advisor or Residence Director. Unauthorized removal of a smoke detector and/or batteries will result in disciplinary action.

Northlawn and Cedarwood Residence Halls and Hillside Suites are fully equipped with sprinkler systems. Students must not hang anything on the sprinkler head or the units will discharge. Residents found to have caused damage to rooms because of sprinkler system misuse will be disciplined appropriately.

The use and possession of weapons, tobacco, alcohol and drugs are prohibited on campus or at university related functions. Misuse off-campus is also a violation of university policy. Please refer to the student handbook for more information.

All university polices are in place to create a safe environment and for students to be successful.

• Avoid walking alone at night. Use the “buddy system.”
• Use well-lighted and well-traveled routes. Don’t walk through dark areas alone.
• Make sure someone knows where you are and when you expect to return.
• Always attempt to park your car in a well-lit area.
• Be aware of what is going on around you.
• Familiarize yourself with emergency telephone numbers.
• Lock your door.
• Never prop exterior doors.
• Do not give others access to the residence hall.
• Keep record of serial #’s of expensive items.
• Engrave your personal possessions.
• Do not remove smoke detector batteries.