FAQs

Living in Shea

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What do I do if I have problems with my roommate?
Please see the Resident Advisor and/or the Senior Resident. One of the roles of the RA is to act as a peer advisor and assist residents in resolving concerns or problems. Depending on the issue, the RA or SR may refer you to the House Director.
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What are the expectations for Shea House residents?
All residents are expected to participate regularly, throughout the year, in the language and cultural activities organized by the language assistant and the program faciliator of the Shea House. All residents also should understand that the Shea House will constitute its own government. The Shea House community works together to facilitate a quality language experience both in and outside of the House. Residents will sign a Roles and Expectations form at the beginning of the Fall semester to confirm their commitment to the language immersion experience.
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How does the 3000H course work?

All residents (not the language assistants) are required to sign up for 3001H/3002H course and receive up to two credits. The returning residents who already earned the 2 credits are also required to register for the class while living in the House. These credits are for residents who have been seriously involved in the Shea house (floor activities, communal events etc.). However, all residents are required to speak the target language all the time at his or her best abilities, to enroll in a 3000-level 1 credit hour course (CR/NC) which residents earn by participating to the language activities such as casual conversation at daily dinners (Mon-Thu) and weekly language corners organized by the Language Assistant. Regular attendance and participation is expected of all residents and 70% or higher will be considered as CR.  

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How do I make a room reservation request for an event at Shea?

Events must be open to all Shea residents or a language program. The event organizer must also partner with a language program.

In order to make a room reservation request within the Shea House, you must fill out this Google Form. There are two rooms in the Shea House available to internal and external groups for reservations, the Classroom (outside of class hours) and the Dining Room (outside of dining hours). Additionally, individuals or groups hoping to use either space within the Shea House must agree to the Shea House Reservation Policy, which reads:

You may use the Shea House Classroom/Dining Room so long as you respect the fire code, which limits the amount of people that the room may hold, and do not cook on site. If any garbage is left the room will not be made available to your group in the future. Please bring your own trash bags and remove these trash bags after your event. If you are using the Dining Room, you may not touch/use/move any of the appliances (serving stations/card swipe station) used by dining (you may move the tables so long as they are put back in their original places). If you are using the Classroom, it must be returned to or kept in its original state so as not to disturb classes that take place there during the academic year. If you host an event involving food, we ask that you not leave leftovers in the Shea House after the end of your event. If the Shea House needs the space we reserve the right to contact you and cancel your reservation.

Please also refer to http://www.virginia.edu/housing/safety.php?id=fire regarding the fire code. 

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Do I have to sign up for a meal plan?

Shea House Dining service has discontinued which has led to our decision that meal plan requirement is now void.  You do not need to purchase a meal plan to be a part of the Shea House Programs.

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Is there a kitchen residents can use at Shea?
Yes - however, just one. As you can imagine, 75+ residents using one kitchen can be challenging. To help promote cleanliness and avoid property issues, we have devised a separate kitchen contract that all residents must sign. The terms in this contract must be observed or, as the contract states, the kitchen can be closed, as it has been in the past. To help further avoid such a situation, a Kitchen Committee has been created in the government to help enforce the terms of the contract. In the '19-'20 academic year, the Kitchen Committee and contract were a great success and kept the kitchen open and available to students.
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What are the living arrangements like?
While most rooms are doubles with shared bathrooms (2-3 people/bathroom), some rooms are singles with either a suite-style bathroom shared with another room or a shared bathroom outside the room. Each floor has at least one lounge area.
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What does a Language Assistant (LA) do?

The LA is a student (either undergraduate or graduate) just like you with exceptional lingual and cultural knowledge of their pod’s area. As you will see them the most, they will be a great resource for voicing questions and concerns. They also meet with the PF and Director on a regular basis to help make sure residents’ concerns find the proper channel.

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What does the Programs Facilitator (PF) do?
The PF makes sure everyone is on the same page and keep things running smoothly at Shea. The PF is in many ways the intermediary between the Director and the LAs and the rest of Shea. The PF holds bi-weekly meetings with the LAs and government members while staying in close touch with the Director to insure that there are no breakdowns in message transmission. The PF also manages reservations of the Shea Classroom and Dining Room.
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What does the Resident Advisor (RA) do?
The RA is there to address any questions or issues that should be addressed by the housing division of the university. Any questions or concerns regarding your living arrangements can be directed to the RA. Such issues include questions about decorations and housing policy, roommate or hallmate conflict, concerns about safety and suspicious activity, concerns/issues about living environment, incidents of sexual assault, hate crime, serious injury, concerns of an eating disorder, mental health, drug abuse, and any other questions about residence life.
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Where can I park while living at Shea?

Unfortunately, parking is quite sparse due to our proximity to the hospital area. Nearby permit parking is available at Bice or local apartment complexes such as the Monroe or Brandon Ave apartments, however, these can be costly. The Emmett/Ivy parking garage has more reasonable pricing, though you would need to park on the 4th or 5th floor. Despite being across grounds, buses run frequently to the Snyder Tennis Courts stop which is a few minutes away by foot. Late at night, the garage is accessible via Safe Ride.

 

Parallel street parking is free 24/7 on Monroe Lane but limited (10 spaces, almost always taken). Street parking on JPA in front of Shea is also available but limited to 2 hours Mon-Sat from 8am-6pm. On weekends, JPA street parking, Bice, and the McLeod parking garage are all free.

Ads and announcements should first be approved by the PF. Once approved, the must be turned into a file with the following specifications:

  • Image must be in 3840 x 2160 pixels (16:9 aspect ratio).
  • Only landscape orientation submissions can be used.

Once you have created your file:

  1. Save the image as a JPEG, PNG, or BMP file type.
  2. Name the file using the following format:
    1. For outside HRL organizations: OrganizationName_LastName_Start.Post.Date_End.Post.Date
    2. For RAs, SRs, and RLLT members: AssociationName_LastName_Start.Post.Date_End.Post.Date
    3. For example, a file titled HRL_Mendoza_8.15.21_8.16.21 would be posted from August 15th to the 16th.

Applying to Shea

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When will alternates get an offer?
It's difficult to predict and it depends on the length of the wait list and on availability. Housing continues to send offers based on the ranked list from the Dept. until all beds are filled. You can check your application status by contacting Housing any time. If you accept a housing offer in another area, you will not be able to transfer to the Shea House before the Fall semester begins. Please consult with Housing for further inquiry or questions related to your contract.
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What is my chance of getting a single room in the Shea House?
It is not very likely. A very limited number of single rooms are available in the Shea House. The departments and the Shea House staff certainly hope that all the applicants are aware of the quality of the language experience you will be able to have by living in the house (and, also, by sharing a room with a similarly minded student).
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I'm on the waiting list now. Should I sign up for other dorms?
If you accept a housing offer in another dorm, you will not be able to transfer to Shea House before the Fall semester begins, so you will need to make a decision on how long to wait. Please consult with Housing for further inquiry or questions related to your contract.
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I'm a graduate student. Can I apply to live in Shea?
No. Shea is for undergraduate students only. Please consult with UVA Housing for other housing options. However, graduate students can apply for LA positions and the PF position.
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I'm a returner. Do I have a higher priority in room selection?
There is no guarantee as to which room you'll get in a following year. Since single rooms are very limited and the number of beds (as well as floors) assigned to each language possibly changes from year to year, seniority rule will not always be valid in the Shea House. 
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Can first-years apply to live in Shea?
No, Shea House is not for first-year students.
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How do I find out the result of my application?
The ranked list compiled by each language program will be delivered to Housing within 2 weeks after the application deadline. Then Housing will send an offer to the first group of accepted applicants via email. When Housing sends out the first offers, they will give a deadline for accepting or declining offers ("I accept" or "I decline"). If no response is made when you receive an offer, the offer is considered void. Please make sure to check your UVA email account regularly, and/or communicate with Housing to ensure that your contract is properly handled.
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How do departments select residents?

The selection procedure varies and each language group has its own criteria about selection. Though the method of selection might be different, all language groups have agreed to give higher priority to applicants who 1. enrolled (and will be enrolled) in language courses and 2. who are seriously interested in learning the target language as well as getting involved in the Shea House community. Some native speakers will possibly be added to the roster so that they can also help other residents learn the respective language (but they are usually not the first choice). Additional materials may be required for specific languages, such as a video clip for American Sign Language (ASL). Note that a language program is required to have at least 4 residents and 1 Language Assistant in order to form an official langauge program (pod) in the House.

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Can I swap rooms or roommates in Shea House?
Switching rooms within the respective language floor is no problem as long as both parties (with signed contracts) agree to change and this is done during the room changing period decided by Housing. Switching rooms without notifying Housing is not allowed.
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Can I choose my room in Shea House?
No. The department and Housing coordinate the room and floor assignment. Most but not all residents live with someone else from their pod.
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Can I apply just for the Spring semester?
Yes. Since some residents leave the Shea House to study abroad in the second semester, you can actually apply just for the second semester. However, this possibility is based on the availability of space in the house. When you submit the application form to the designated department, please make sure to indicate that you are only interested in the Spring semester. The application is on a rolling basis until all rooms are filled. Some students can move in for the second semester if a room is available.
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How can I be released from my Housing contract?

You need to find a student who does not already live in University Housing and who does not already have a contract, who is willing to take over their space. Since the departments are not involved in contract related questions or concerns, the Housing office will assist you with any question you may have about your contract.

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Can I choose my roommate?
No, you cannot, but you may request your roommate of choice if the student also applied for the same language pod. There is no guarantee that you'll have the roommate of your choice, but the department will try to accommodate the possibility when the initial rooms are assigned.