Residential Life and Housing

The mission of the staff in the Office of Residential Life and Housing at SUNY Polytechnic Institute is to promote a residential experience that advances each resident’s personal growth and development and inspires lifelong community engagement.

The staff members are guided by principles that support a safe, healthy and well maintained living environment. The Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, Associate Director for Residential Life and Secretary for Residential Life manage the department and central office. Residential complexes are staffed by full time Assistant Directors who provide guidance and support to the student staff and the resident students. Student staff in Residential Life includes Resident Advisors, Peer Mentors, Residential Programmers, and Residential Office Assistants who serve as mentors and sources of information to assist students in making their SUNY Poly experience a positive and successful one. Housing at the Albany campus is hosted by CrestHill Suites and managed and supported by a full time professional Residence Director/Coordinator of Residential Programming and a student Community Assistant.

All full-time, first-year and sophomore-year students at SUNY Poly are required to reside on campus in one of our residential communities. Exemptions to the residency requirement for first-years and sophomores are granted to students who reside with a parent or legal guardian within 45 miles of campus, are married, are members of the military, or who have legal dependents. Exemptions must be applied for and granted prior to the start of the semester.

Residential Living Options

SUNY Poly’s Utica campus offers on-site housing in traditional residence halls and suite style buildings for undergraduate and graduate students. For students attending SUNY Poly’s Albany campus, housing is hosted by CrestHill Suites on nearby Washington Avenue and offers 1, 2, and 3 person suites. The residential life staff is committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and supportive experience for all students. We offer a variety of gender-inclusive housing options to ensure that residential living is a positive experience for residents of all gender identities and gender expressions. When sharing a residence, all students can specify and/or select the preferred gender of their roommate. If you are interested in additional information regarding gender-inclusive room or suites, we can provide you with a personal and private assessment of the available options and assist in finding the best arrangement for you. To discuss your interest or preferences, please contact Jennifer Adams in Residential Life & Housing at 315-792-7810.

Our first-year students live in either Oriskany or Adirondack Complexes in Utica and at CrestHill Suites in Albany. Oriskany Hall is our newest residence and was awarded LEED Silver Certification as part of SUNY Poly’s dedication to a sustainable future for our environment. Oriskany is comprised of triple and single rooms in suites with multiple restrooms, a shared kitchenette, shared conference/study room and shared living room. Oriskany also hosts three large classrooms and a full kitchen for building events and academic courses.

Some first-year students, upper-class students and graduate students reside in Mohawk and Adirondack complexes. Buildings hold 16 students in 4-person suites with a shared bathroom and common living room. Bedrooms in Mohawk and Adirondack are primarily single, with a small number of double and triple rooms available in Adirondack, only. Both Mohawk and Adirondack have an efficiency kitchen and lounge available in a common area for resident student use. For our Albany campus, CrestHill Suites offers private bathrooms and in-suite kitchens.

Ethernet, wireless and cable service are provided for all resident students in residence halls; CrestHill residency includes wireless and cable service. Resident students also have access to laundry facilities within their own complex. Returning students are eligible to select their own suitemates and housing via a lottery system in the spring semester of each year.

Resident students are required to purchase a dining plan with Sodexo Dining Services (Utica) or Chartwell’s Dining (Albany.) For more information regarding housing, dining, or the terms of the housing license, please contact the Residential Life and Housing Office at (315) 792-7810, or visit the SUNY Poly website.

Personal Safety and Security

SUNY Poly is committed to providing a safe, supportive, and secure environment for the entire community, including visitors. Members of the Utica campus community are encouraged to promptly report suspicious behavior, crimes and fires to the University Police Department by dialing 315-792-7111; University Police is staffed by dispatchers and officers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Members of the Albany campus community are encouraged to promptly report suspicious behavior, crimes and fires to the University Police Department by calling Security at 518-437-8600; Security is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Residence halls at the Utica campus are protected by smoke and heat detectors and exterior doors are secured by an electronic access system that is activated by the resident student’s SUNY Poly ID card. CrestHill Suites rooms are equipped with smoke and heat detectors and the third floor, operated by SUNY Poly, is accessible only to resident students via their hotel card access.

SUNY Poly’s University Police Department maintains regular patrols around the Utica residence hall areas on a 24-hour-a-day basis and also monitors the inside and outside public areas of residences with closed circuit television. University Police escorts are also available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Although CrestHill Suites is within the jurisdiction of the City of Albany Police Department, SUNY Poly University Police and Security tour the third floor daily to connect with students and assist the Residential Life staff in responding to non-emergency events regarding student safety.

Upon request, University Police will provide a copy of SUNY Poly’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. This report includes statistics as reported to the United States Department of Education for the previous three years. The report also includes institutional policies concerning security and fire safety, policies concerning sexual assault, life safety systems, and other related information. You may also access the report from the University Police webpage. Information on campus crime statistics (Jean Clery Act) is available in the Admissions Office, Human Resources Office or at the University Police Office.