Benefits to Living on Campus

Students move into the campus appartment buildings

Students Love Living in Campus Housing

It provides the right mix of convenience, cost, and access.

When you live on campus, you know that your housing is secure for the year – which frees you to concentrate on more important things, like finishing that big end-of-quarter project or connecting with friends.

There are lots of intangible benefits as well. Living on campus helps you save time on your commute and reduce your carbon footprint. It makes it easy to attend campus events and explore the unique natural beauty of Evergreen's 1,000 acres of forests, trails and beach.

It also helps you engage deeply with your learning community. Compared to first year students who live off campus, first year students who live on campus are:

  • Twice as likely to study or work on a project with other students at home
  • 23% more likely to say their living situation had a positive impact on the ability to make friends
  • 18% more likely to say that Evergreen contributed to their understanding of people from other backgrounds
  • 16% less likely to move during the school year
  • 12% more likely to have discussions with people with differing views              
    *Source: 2018 National Survey of Student Engagement

Amenities

Housing Community Center (HCC)

The Housing Community Center (HCC) is located at the heart of the apartment complex at the edge of Evergreen's recreation fields. This is where you can buy snacks and groceries, do your laundry, and pick up your mail. It's also where you'll meet up with other residents for Housing community events.

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students ride bikes in front of the housing community center on a spring day

POD Market

The name stands for "Provisions on Demand." This on-campus convenience mart sells popcorn, candy and other snacks – but the offerings don't stop there.

You'll find all the basic ingredients here for cooking at home, as well as take-and-heat frozen meals. You'll also find essentials like aspirin, toiletries and laundry detergent.

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POD market sign

HCC Laundry Room

Get set with clean clothes in the HCC Laundry Room.

This space is open for service 24/7. Laundry costs $1.50 per load, wash or dry.

Pay through an app on your smartphone, or bring quarters for the coin-operated machines.

 

HCC Mail Center

You'll find all the resident mailboxes here, as well as the Housing mail room.

This secure area will hold all packages sent to you via USPS, and will also accept and hold deliveries from UPS and FedEx if you aren't home to sign for them.

The mail room is open from 1–4 pm, Monday–Friday during the academic year and closed between quarter breaks. Bring your I.D. when coming to pick up a package.

To check your campus mailing address, please log in to the StarRez Portal and check the "Housing Information and Forms" section.

Visit the Housing Mail Center page to learn more about the services available here.

Housing Mail

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Rows of mail boxes lining two walls

Community Events

The HCC is also a central gathering point for all kinds of events. This is where you'll meet up for everything from open mic nights to outdoor movies or organized beach walks.

Check in with your R.A. to find out what's happening in Housing.

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Two students make tie-dye t-shirts at night
Two students work in the community garden

More to Love Outside

Community Gardens

As a Housing Resident, you can reserve one of twelve garden plots to grow your own produce – and get access to the tools you need to do it. The beds were designed and built as a collaboration between residents, staff, and the Community Gardens student group.

Group of students walk through the woods on their way to the beach

Recreation

Head over to the soccer pitch to support the Geoducks or into the trees to play a round of disc golf on the course that winds through Evergreen's forest. Follow the trails a little further and you'll end up at the Evergreen beach.

There's no shortage of things to do. Visit our Outdoor Activities website to learn more.

Outdoor Activities

student disembarks a metro bus in the evergreen bus loop

Easy Access to Everywhere

You can't beat the convenience of getting from home to class in 5 minutes or less. If you want to explore further, that's easy too.

Evergreen Housing is served by two Intercity Bus lines (Routes 41 and 48) that take riders into the city of Olympia. Riding the city busses is free thanks to Intercity Transit's five-year Zero-Fare demonstration project.

Explore Olympia and Beyond