Housing

HOUSING

Owen Graduate Center

This is where you will live. It is designed for graduate students, many of whom are international students.

You will stay in a single room, but you will share a bathroom with a same-sex suitemate.

  • Owen Room
  • Owen bathroom

(Owen staff cleans your bathroom once a week for you!) Bed linens and towels are included AND they are laundered for you each week! The rooms are NOT air conditioned, but so far, none of the previous FLTAs had any complaints. If it is a problem, small fans are very cheap. There is, of course, heat in all rooms, although sometimes FLTAs wish it would turn on earlier in the year.

An all-you-can eat meal plan is included in your housing contract. (See next section.) This meal plan can NOT be changed, and FLTAs can NOT opt out of the meal plan. The vast majority of the FLTAs do find many satisfying options here. There is also a very nice community kitchen in Owen for those times you want to cook your own food.

Danielle will send you your room assignments, phone numbers and addresses by the end of July or early August.

Meal Plan

You will have an unlimited meal plan (The Silver Plan) during the regular academic semesters and some “Sparty Cash” to purchase meals during the orientation (before the meal plan begins) and during the breaks. There are 11 cafeterias where your meal plan works, and you may eat at any of them. The menus and hours are posted online, so you can plan accordingly. Most days, you can find at least one cafeteria open by 6am and at least one that closes after midnight, so you should be able to find plenty of meal options. Usually at least one cafeteria will have kosher/halal options, and almost all will have vegetarian options. You may enter the cafeteria as often as you like and while there you may eat as much as you like; however, you are not allowed to take food out of the residential cafeterias. There are other options (combo x-change and Sparty cash), but we’ll discuss those when you are in country. Eat at State has more information. 

Great Things About Living in Owen Hall

• Very easy, carefree living—almost everything is taken care of for you. (They clean your bathroom once a week, wash your linens once a week, and your meals are planned, cooked, and the mess cleaned up for you!) This can allow you to focus on your teaching, the classes you’re taking and having fun.

• It’s on main campus, with a local bus terminal very close.

• 7-10 minutes walking (also a bus available) to the center of campus (where your office and most classes are.  North campus will take 10-20 minutes longer.

• 20-30 minutes walking (also a bus available)to get downtown East Lansing.

• Laundry facilities in the building (very easy access during the winter!)

• 2 shared large screen TV rooms in the building—great opportunity to socialize!

Owen computers

•  Computers! In addition to internet access throughout the building, Owen lobby has a small computer lab with about 10 computers for free use.

Owen game room

•  Fun! Owen has game rooms, 2 TV rooms, many small study room options, a music room, and a large lobby with areas to socialize or to study—all in the same building. The IM gym is literally right across the street. 

• Socializing! Many activities in the dorm can help you socialize.  Easy to meet people in the common areas with a little effort. 

• Very safe—many people around, facilities in the building.  24 hrs/day, 365 days a year, there is a staff person at the front desk in the building who can help with various issues. All entrances to all hallways require a key card as does the whole building at night.

• Very generous food plan with lots of choices.  You don’t have to go grocery shopping, cook or wash dishes unless you want to use the community kitchen.  (The kitchen can be checked out for 2 hours at a time.)

Things that Require some Adjusting

• Owen is a dorm.  If you are used to living on your own, this can take some adjusting.  

• Small rooms.  It’s not really possible to entertain in your room; however, you can entertain in a number of the common areas or you can check out a room in Owen.  In addition, most FLTAs make a lot of friends while they are here, many of whom live in apartments.  This also provides other entertaining options.

• Food.  While most FLTAs find that the wide choice of dining options and entrée choices to be satisfying, some FLTAs simply miss cooking food from their own country.  There is a community kitchen that can be checked out at Owen for 2 hours at a time, but you will have to adjust to the meal plan here and the food choices.