Student Life

Living in the Dorm – Poplar Hall

You will live in a new, air-conditioned dorm named Poplar Hall with other Pre-College students and NIAHD’s Residential Teaching Assistants (RTAs). The dorm has communal kitchens and laundry, as well as lounge and study areas.

Students will live in double rooms with access to single-use hall bathrooms. The dorm is convenient to the dining hall, classrooms, and NIAHD's office in Blair Hall. The nearby Sunken Garden is a great outdoor space to relax with friends.

Rooms

You will swipe your Tribe Card (Student ID) to get into your dorm building and you will have a key to open the door to your room. There will be a thermostat that you and your roommate can use to adjust the fan speed on the AC and to turn the AC on or off.

Laundry

Laundry at Poplar Hall is $2.00 for a load of wash and $2.00 to dry. Machines can be operated with the Speed Queen app or with coins. The washers and the dryers are on the first level of Poplar, so you will not have to go far.

Location

Poplar Hall is in a great location because you will be close to the Commons where you will eat and to the buildings (James Blair Hall and Tucker Hall) where you will have your seminar discussions. Also, Colonial Williamsburg is less than 10 minutes from your dorm room (Campus Map).  

Roommates

When you fill out your Roommate Questionnaire, please take your time and be honest about the information you tell us. We assign roommates based on the information in the Roommate Questionnaires. You will learn the name of your roommate when you check-in on move-in day.

Exploring Campus and Visiting Colonial Williamsburg

As part of the experience of living at W&M, NIAHD encourages you to explore the campus and Colonial Williamsburg during your free time. While Williamsburg is a safe community, it is not free of crime and your safety is very important to us. When you leave your dorm, RTAs (Residential Teaching Assistants) will ask you to sign-out, note where you plan to go, and indicate when you expect to return to the dorm.

Residential Teaching Assistants (RTAs)

NIAHD’s RTAs will live in the dorm with you and other Pre-College students. Your RTAs will help you get settled in your dorm when you arrive on campus, go on site visits, answer questions about being in college, hold office hours to assist with assignments, supervise the dorm, and make sure that no one violates W&M’s Student Code of Conduct or NIAHD’s Pre-College Program Rules. The RTAs in your dorm may plan and supervise late afternoon and evening activities, evening study sessions, sporting events, games, movie nights, and trips to get ice cream on the weekends.

Packing for the Pre-College Program

Your dorm room in Poplar Hall will have a bed with a Twin-XL mattress, a chest of drawers, a desk, and a chair. Your room will also have a closet/wardrobe that you will share with your roommate. Overhead lighting is provided. You will need to bring pillows, sheets, towels, and blankets. (Yes, it can get cold in W&M dorms during the summer!) Please do not bring a minifridge or a microwave; you can use the refrigerator and microwave in Poplar's kitchen.  For further tips, see our Suggested Packing List.

Prohibited Items

We have also provided a list of Prohibited Items that you cannot have in your dorm or on W&M’s campus during the Pre-College Program. This list is not all-inclusive, and some items not listed may also be prohibited. Possessing any prohibited items may result in disciplinary action including, but not limited to, expulsion.

Curfew

Because the Pre-College Program is academically challenging and includes busy days, you will have 2 curfews each night (including weekends): In-dorm curfew – 9:00 PM, when you will need to be in your dorm and In-room curfew – 11:00 PM, when you will need to be in your room.

Tribe Card

Your Tribe Card is not just your Student ID; it is a secure and reliable single card system that makes it easy for you to access services all over campus. You will need a Tribe Card to access your dorm building and eat meals at the Commons.

RTAs will hand out Tribe Cards on Move-in day, so please make sure you set-up your new Tribe Card prior to your arrival on campus. Instructions regarding how to create your Tribe Card will be emailed.

The cost of your Tribe Card is covered in your Pre-College Program payment; however, the fee to replace a lost Tribe Card is $23.

Housekeeping & Cleanliness

NIAHD expects you to keep your room clean and to take all of your trash to an outside dumpster near Poplar Hall. It is important to keep your room clean throughout the program as a courtesy to your roommate, suitemates, and other residents on the floor.

Members of the W&M Housekeeping Staff are only responsible for routine cleaning of public areas such as hallways, stairwells, public bathrooms, and lounges. They are not permitted to enter your room.

Care of William & Mary Property

As part of the W&M community, you are expected to take care of all property on campus. You will be responsible for any damages to your room as well as any damage to or loss of the furnishings and fixtures in your room. If you cause damage to any W&M property, you will be responsible for the cost to repair or replace such property.

William & Mary Liability

W&M is not responsible or liable for any loss or damage to property resulting from fire, theft, casualty, or any other cause, or for personal injury occurring within the leased premises, except as may be required by Virginia law.

Security

W&M Campus Police patrol the campus, respond to emergencies, and provide general security 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They can be reached by calling 757-221-4596 or by dialing 911 in the event of an emergency.

During the Pre-College Program, access to Poplar Hall (your dorm) will be restricted to Pre- College students and NIAHD staff who will use their Tribe Card to enter the buildings. Security, maintenance, and housekeeping staff will enter only on an as needed basis. Individual dorm rooms will have their own locks and you and your roommate will each have a key to your room. NIAHD recommends that you and your roommate leave your dorm room locked throughout the day.

Lost Room Keys

If you do not return your room key at Check-out, you will be charged a $60 replacement fee. If you find your room key when you get home, you will still be required to pay the replacement fee because the Office of Residence Life will change the lock as soon as a key is reported lost or missing.