residence

ESTABLISHING YOUR RESIDENCE

A. HOUSING

1. Housing Office. Upon acceptance to a program at Trinity, the Admissions Office will send you on-campus housing information and an on-campus housing application. It is your responsibility to return the application to the Housing Office. You must be a full-time student to live in either a residence hall or an apartment. Trinity is not able to provide on-campus housing for all of the applicants since the number of applicants for on-campus housing always exceeds the housing available. Unless you have received an offer of a room in a residence hall or an apartment from the Housing Office, you should not expect that once you come on-campus housing will be available to you. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 p.m. The Housing Office may be reached by telephone at 847-317-7152; fax: 847-317-8148; e-mail: housing@tiu.edu.

2. On-campus Residence Halls. International students are given some priority for available rooms in the Quadrangle for the Fall semester. All room assignments are based upon your Housing application date. There are single and double rooms. Single rooms are assigned if available but priority is given to returning students who have requested single rooms.

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3. On-campus Apartments. On campus housing is very limited. New tenants are selected based upon your application date, program of study, community balance, and expected length of stay. Apartments are not leased on a short-term basis.

Current apartment residents are required to give the Housing Office written notice of vacancy 60 days prior to vacating or moving out of their apartment. If an apartment is available for you, the earliest the Housing Office could contact you is 60 days prior to your requested move-in date. The Housing Office expects apartments to open for the Fall semester between the months of May and August. Trinity usually receives three times more applicants than open apartments. Therefore, the Housing Office is not able to provide an apartment for every applicant.

Arrangements for on-campus housing cannot be made through other persons living on campus, but only directly through the Housing Office.

4. Off-campus Apartments. The Admissions Office may be able to provide some information regarding possible apartments to check. Note: Trinity is not in a position to find you an off-campus apartment but will provide information on off-campus housing (847-317-8007). In order to find an off-campus apartment, it is imperative to have your own automobile for transportation from your off-campus apartment. There is no regular public transportation near TEDS, so you will have to have some independent means of going shopping, to church, or travel to the seminary. You may be able to purchase a reasonable automobile from a fellow-student who is finishing his/her studies or has recently acquired another auto. In Illinois the law requires that you have automobile insurance. To purchase this insurance you will need a Social Security number and an Illinois driver's license. If you plan to buy a car from an authorized auto dealership, he will not be able to sell the car, unless you have insurance (see the section on Automobiles). We hope that you understand the complexity. Therefore, it will be good if you have a friend or contact in the area who can help you for a month, while you are getting established. In turn, you may provide a service to another student, when you are in a better position. We help one another, as we read in Proverbs 11:25b.

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a. Cost. The current price of a 1-bedroom apartment off-campus may be between $600-700 or more per month; 2-bedrooms usually start at $800-900 a month and may be more. NOTE: most apartment owners will require the first month's rental as well as a Security Deposit of approximately one month's rent when you sign the lease for rental (most leases are for 6 months - one year). Therefore, expect to have to pay a large sum of money before you can move into your apartment.

b. Space. It is generally expected that you will rent an apartment(2-bedroom apartment) if you have children. With two children you will usually be expected to rent a 2-bedroom apartment; with three or more children you will mean three bedrooms.

c. Apartment information.

*The voltage for all electrical plugs is 110-115V, 60 Hz. Foreign appliances may also require plug adapters. *Safety and cleanliness should always be observed at home.

* If you are not familiar with using the garbage disposal in your kitchen sink, you must be aware that you must NEVER put your hand in it. Turn on the tap before you switch on the garbage disposal and keep the water running. Do not try to put bones, leaves, paper, string, etc. in the disposal. If the disposal is stuck, use a stick to try to clear it. Even when it is off, do not put your hand in it. Do not put garbage into your sink if it does not have a disposal. Remember, the sink disposal is intended only for small portions of waste.

* The fire alarms in the apartments on campus are very sensitive. Please be VERY CAREFUL in cooking in order to prevent the setting the alarm off. This becomes very costly as the Bannockburn Fire Department will immediately respond and if there is no danger the “emergency” call pulls them away from a possible REAL emergency and also the Seminary pays a high price for their coming on campus!!!

*The city hygiene code expects everyone to carefully seal kitchen and personal trash in plastic bags before putting the trash in the bins. Trash bin bag liners can be obtained cheaply from supermarkets.

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d. Furniture. Apartments on-campus and off-campus are generally furnished only with a stove and a refrigerator. Most apartments are not furnished (they are more expensive if furnished) and you will be expected to obtain your own furniture, dishes, linens, etc.

TEDS receives donations of furniture and household items. The Furniture Room is cared for by spouses of international students (the Fellowship of International Women - ISHA (International Sisters Helping to Adjust) Furniture Room was set up in order to help meet some of the settling-in needs of international students and furloughing missionaries upon their arrival. The furniture and the other items in the ISHA room are reserved for students who have recently arrived at TEDS/TGS from abroad and will be returning to their country at the completion of their studies at Trinity. All items must be returned at the end of their sojourn at Trinity. The Furniture Room is located in the basement of the North Apartment building. Call the International Student Office for information: 847-317-4063.

In welcoming these newly arrived students, ISHA will attempt to provide some basic necessities (such as towels, sheets, beds, a set of dishes, along with other kitchen items). From May 1st to the end of October, the items in the room will be reserved for these new students only, whether they live on or off-campus. They must live in unfurnished apartments.

Upon completion of their studies, the students must bring back any borrowed item/s, cleaned and in good condition, to the ISHA Room in order to ensure the continuity of this ministry. Returned item/s are to be checked off the list you wrote out when taking them from the furniture room. PLEASE RESPECT AND ABIDE BY THE RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR USE OF THIS MINISTRY!!

There is not a guarantee that all the items you need will be available. You may purchase additional furniture and household items from garage sales and second-hand stores. Please note that Trinity does not provide a truck or van for personal furniture transportation. You may need to rent a U-Haul transporting truck. top

d. Laundry Facilities. Laundry facilities are generally available in apartment buildings both off-campus and on-campus. Washers and dryers are coin-operated, costing approximately $1 - $1.25 per load of wash and $1.00 to dry one load of laundry.

e. Electricity and telephone . You will need to contact the appropriate utility companies to have service connected. Following are the appropriate phone numbers:

Electricity - Commonwealth Edison - 1-800-334-7661

Gas - North Shore 1-866-556-6004

Telephone/off-campus - Ameritech - 1-800-244-4444

Telephone/on-campus - call TrinTel at extension 7097

Give your name, telephone number, apartment number, and request a PIN number. Do this as soon as you move into your room or apartment (your PIN number is an access code which allows you to make phone calls from the campus to off-campus locations, both local and long distance).

f. Trash Disposal. The cost of trash collection is usually included in the rent and you will not have to make any special arrangements for these services. On moving into your new home or apartment, check with the manager/owner to find out what day the trash is collected and what you should do with yours to have it collected. Garbage/trash is to be placed in a plastic bag and tied closed. This is a neighborhood courtesy and for health and sanitation purposes. This way the garbage does not smell or fall out of the container onto the ground.

B. TELEPHONES top

As mentioned above you need to contact Ameritech at 1-800-244-4444 to obtain a telephone line if you live off-campus. If you live on campus call TrinTel at extension 7097. Give your name, telephone number, apartment number, and request a PIN number. Do this as soon as you move into your room or apartment (your PIN number is an access code which allows you to make phone calls from the campus to off-campus locations, both local and long distance). When calling an off-campus number from a campus phone you must dial "9" before the telephone number. If calling any number except for an "1-800" number you must have a PIN number. When living on-campus and trying to reach another on-campus location by telephone you only need to dial the 4-digit extension number.

You can also purchase pre-paid phone cards and use a 1-800- number to make very reasonable Long Distance phone calls. Also telephone cards can be purchased at international/ethnic grocery stores to use for cheaper international calls. Ask fellow international students for names of stores where these can be purchased.

1. Phone Books and Yellow Pages (for the local community) are provided free with each telephone. In the front of the telephone book you will find helpful information such as rates, area codes for other cities, tips on how to save money on long distance calling, emergency procedures, etc. Please be sure to look through this. The last portion of the telephone book is called the Yellow Pages. This is a telephone number listing and advertisements of area services. These are listed under topics in alphabetical order.

2. Important Numbers On-Campus: top

International Student Office: 847-317-4063

International Student Office (Fax): 847-317-4066

Housing Office (Institutional Services): 847-317-7152

Dean of Students Office: 847-317-4060

Admissions Office: 847-317-8000

Registration and Records office 847-317-8050

Student Accounting Office: 847-317-8080

TrinTel (student phone problems): 847-317-8175

Security (someone is on-call 24 hours/day): 847-317-6400

These numbers as well as other important campus numbers are located in the back of your student directory. In addition, from any on-campus phone, emergency help such as police, fire department or ambulance can be reached by pushing the "security" button on the campus phone, and asking the security guard to contact the appropriate emergency service.

3. Important Numbers Off-Campus:

All purpose EMERGENCY: 911 (including fire, police)

Poison Control Center: 1-800-942-5969

Highland Park Hospital: 432-8000 (closest hospital to the campus)

Ameritech: 1-800-244-4444

Commonwealth Edison: 1-800-334-7661

Remember to keep these numbers posted near your telephone. Other important numbers are listed in the front of your phone book.

C. MAIL top

The Mail Services department is located in the Aldeen building across from the Bookstore. Although not officially connected, Mail Services offers many of the same services as the U.S. Postal Service: shipment of packages and letters, stamp sales, certification, registration, insurance, Federal Express and priority mail to both U.S. and international destinations.

The student mailboxes are located below ATO Chapel. Students receive a mailbox when registering for classes the first time and retain the same box until leaving school permanently. Students residing on-campus may receive personal mail in their mailbox. Off-campus students are asked to have their personal mail sent to their permanent address and to reserve their on-campus mailbox for inter-campus distributions only.

Mail is generally distributed to the student mailboxes by 1:00 pm. A blue claim slip will be placed in your mailbox whenever you receive a package or any large mailing that cannot be placed in your mailbox. You can claim it from Mail Services by showing the slip. When you leave school for an extended period (i.e., summer break) or permanently, you are required to provide Mail Services with your forwarding address. Papers and tests will not be mailed to this address automatically, rather, you should make arrangements with the professor to receive such materials.

Please have all your incoming mail addressed as follows:

Your Name

TEDS/TGS D-(your mailbox number)

2065 Half Day Road

Deerfield, IL 60015-1283

USA

Mail Services office hours are as follows: Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm; Saturday 10:00 am -12:00 pm (package pick up only - no postage sold). Any questions about the mail services may be directed to extension 8170 on campus or (847)317-8170 off campus. The closest U.S. Post Office is located in Deerfield at 707 Osterman (phone: 945-0257).

Change of address: When you move or leave Trinity, please notify each of the following offices of your forwarding address:

- Mailroom

- Records Office

- International Student Office

- Your nation's consulate.

D. WEATHER top

Since the U.S. is a large country extending over several latitudes, climate varies widely. Winters in the northern states are very cold, while southern California and Florida have mild winters. The winter season usually lasts from early November through mid-March. In the spring the weather is wet and mild. Summer is often hot and humid with temperatures averaging 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit, although it is not unusual to have weeks where the temperature reaches 90-95 degrees with humidity levels of 60-70%. Autumn is cool and damp. Illinois winters can be snowy and very cold (zero-30 degrees). Chicago is known as the “windy city” with very strong winds blowing in the winter. When it is very cold and the wind is very strong, it is important that you keep exposed skin covered because your skin can freeze quickly - wear a hat over your forehead and a scarf or mask on the lower part of your face.

Clothing

GLOVES: Mittens and gloves come in many styles and prices vary. Knitted gloves are less expensive than lined leather gloves. Make sure they are heavy enough and warm. You might also consider a pair that are waterproof. This would be important for children when they play in the snow.

CAPS: Many styles are available but probably the warmest are knitted caps (for both men and women). Purchase something that can cover your ears on cold days.

SWEATERS: A sweater worn under a heavy coat increases the insulation and warmth. Many styles are available. Both wools and acrylics are warm.

BOOTS: A good fit, warmth and waterproofing are important points to look for. Most students choose boots that they can wear indoors and outdoors on campus.

REMEMBER: IF YOU ARE BRINGING YOUR CHILDREN, THEIR CLOTHING NEEDS ARE THE SAME AS YOURS.

If you do have national dress, we encourage you to bring it as it will always be of great interest to your new friends.