Housing
Living in residence is an important part of the university experience for many students. Residence is a place to develop life skills and lasting friendships.
For students leaving home for the first time, living in residence is a comfortable first step to successful independence. Residence rooms are equipped with wireless internet, cable services and free long distance calling within Canada. Each residence has shared study areas, TV lounges, laundry facilities and snack machines. Quiet hours are in place every day for study and sleep. Security staff is in residence between 9 pm and 5 am and a residence staff member is on 24-hour duty.
Upper Campus Residences
St. Thomas has three upper campus residences that accommodate 480 students:
Holy Cross House
The Holy Cross Fathers were once responsible for teaching a number of courses at St. Thomas. Originally their home, Holy Cross House presently contains academic offices and classrooms and a residence housing approximately 70 students. The academic offices and classrooms are located in the centre of the building while the residents occupy the side wings; the residence area of Holy Cross House is not accessible to the staff or students who use the centre of Holy Cross for office use or classrooms. Within the residence area of Holy Cross, there are three wings assigned to females and one for males.
Vanier Hall
Vanier Hall was named in honour of Pauline Vanier, wife of Georges Vanier, Governor General of Canada in 1965. Vanier Hall is St. Thomas only all female residence. Located on campus, Vanier is home to approximately 200 women in both single and double occupancy rooms housed in 3 floors.
Harrington Hall
In 1964, Harrington Hall was built and named in honour of the late Reverend George Harrington, a former St. Thomas University Vice President who served the University for over 40 years. Once an all-male residence, today Harrington Hall is occupied by both male and female students. Located on campus, there are two wings on each floor, one male and one female, plus one wing of single rooms on the bottom floor occupied by male students.
These residences are very close to the academic buildings and the dining room in George Martin Hall. Two of the three residences are equipped for students with disabilities.
St. Thomas University has acquired several houses on Windsor Street which are utilized as residence space. These houses are reserved for mature, upper year students.
Lower Campus Residences
The Forest Hill Complex is located about 12-minutes walking distance from the main campus:
Chatham Hall
On July 23, 2004, St. Thomas University named its newest student residence (formerly known as North Wing) in a commemorative ceremony. This residence, located at the Forest Hill Property, was named Chatham Hall in tribute to the birthplace of St. Thomas University, which was located in Chatham, NB from 1910-1964. It houses approximately 150 students with lots of amenities such as larger rooms with private bathrooms. Fredericton Transit buses have a new route taking students back and forth to campus while food services are available in the adjacent residence, Rigby Hall.
Rigby Hall
St. Thomas University purchased Rigby Hall, located on the Forest Hill Property in August 1999. The cast portion of Forest Hill residence is named Rigby Hall in honour of Harry Rigby, former Dean of Men of St. Thomas from 1965 to 1995 and the founder of The Thomists, the University’s swing band. Rigby Hall, like Chatham Hall, is located a short distance from campus. Rigby Hall and Chatham Hall students share the public transportation provided from Forest Hill to campus. Rigby Hall is a co-ed residence. Amenities include larger rooms and private bathrooms.
These two residences provide larger rooms, each equipped with their own bathroom, a dining room and city bus service.
Dining Rooms
The campus dining rooms offer students healthy choices in nutritious Canadian and international dishes as well as vegetarian options. George Martin and Rigby Hall provide food services through Centre Stage (specialty meals), Grill Works (fast food), the Deli Corner (made to order panini and wraps), Nature's Finest (salads and vegetarian dishes) and Itza Pizza (slices or whole pizzas). In Sir James Dunn Hall, there is a Tim Hortons serving muffins, bagels, donuts, sandwiches, juice and coffee. A Fair Trade coffee kiosk in Brian Mulroney Hall serves coffee, pastries and snacks.
Meal Plans
St. Thomas provides a full meal-plan to students who live in residence. Students living off-campus may also purchase a plan. All students have access to the same daily menus. Each meal plan uses a Student ID Card on a declining balance system. Students receive credits (equal to the amount of the meal plan they choose) at the beginning of the school year and every time they eat their card is scanned and the food purchase is deducted from their account balance. At the end of the year, students enrolled in Plans Two and Three are eligible for a partial refund (80%) on any unspent balance over and above the cost of Plan One. No refunds are available on Plan One. Off-campus students who do not purchase a meal plan can pay cash for meals and snacks at any food outlet.
Security
All St. Thomas residences are patrolled by security on a daily basis from 9:00 pm until 5:00 am the next day. Security guards patrol all the buildings on upper and campus, both inside the buildings and the surrounding areas. While on patrol, the Residence Advisor on Duty will report any suspicious or suspect incidents or behaviour to the Security Officer on duty or Security headquarters. As well, security contact information is posted outside each Residence Advisor's room door.