Residence Hall life

NCSSM-Durham has six residential buildings and a total of 19 residence hall communities, each of which is supervised by at least one Community Coordinator, an adult who lives on campus in an apartment adjacent to several residence halls. Residential Life Advisors, or RLAs, are student leaders who serve as a resource for their hall communities and help juniors feel at home on the hall. Students learn to support one another and live according to community standards.

Each student is provided with a bed frame, mattress, blinds, desk, desk chair, dresser, and a wardrobe or closet. Laundry rooms offer the use of washers and dryers for a small fee. Students are assigned to a residence hall based on the sex reported when their families enroll them in the Residential program. Female residence halls are Bryan, Beall, Reynolds, and Royall. Male residence halls are Hunt and Hill. Families receive detailed guidance about what to bring and how to move into residence halls.

All juniors will have one or sometimes two roommates at NCSSM. Juniors will be carefully matched based on your answers on the Roommate Preference Form and told their roommate assignment the summer before their junior year. Rising seniors may request their room and roommate(s).

Dining

The NCSSM-Durham dining hall was completely renovated in 2023 and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner Monday-Friday and brunch and dinner Saturday-Sunday. On occasion, the dining hall will also host special events (e.g. Senior Breakfast). All meals are provided at no cost to the students. Dining hall hours and weekly menus can be found here.

We recognize that students may have dietary restrictions due to medical needs, religion, and other factors. We are committed to working with each student to meet their needs when possible. To make a request, students should reach out to the Food Services Director. Students also have the option to eat at or order takeout from nearby restaurants and food trucks at their own expense, and there is a student kitchen on campus where students can prepare their own meals.

Residential Education

Our Residential Education department is committed to providing all students with opportunities that will enable them to become confident, self-directed, lifelong learners and productive citizens. We do so by employing an equity lens when crafting curriculum, creating a welcoming educational environment, and striving to be inclusive and representative of all communities that we serve.

Residential Education provides students with life skills as well as the space for self-discovery and self-realization within their junior courses and senior electives:

Junior Curriculum

Cornerstone offers a carefully structured orientation to NCSSM and living more independently. Through Cornerstone, juniors explore their personal identities, engage with students of diverse backgrounds, and learn to be responsible members of the NCSSM community. 

College and Career Planning provides an introduction to the complexities of pursuing higher education and encourages the exploration of pathways that will best serve each unique individual.

Senior Curriculum

Senior selected electives allow opportunities for personal growth and development of life skills by offering all students the chance to explore academic and personal success strategies while acknowledging the diverse perspectives, experiences, and insights of their fellow community members.