BVU For Parents

As one of the top 20 Midwestern Comprehensive Colleges (U.S. News & World Report), you expect the best for your child. And rightly so. They deserve it. Rest assured that at Buena Vista University we take many measures and go the extra mile to make sure your child has a comfortable environment in which to live and learn.

In our close-knit environment, teaching is our number one priority, and BVU faculty and staff take particular interest in every student’s success. We know all our students by name. Make a point to get to know them. It’s who we are. Most importantly, we know how critical this time is in shaping a student’s future. That’s why our faculty and staff go out of their way to mentor students and help them establish a solid foundation on which to set their academic and personal goals.

The right learning atmosphere becomes all the more successful when coupled with the right living environment.

Your Buena Vista University student will live in one of the newly constructed or recently remodeled dormitories – a place they’ll call home for the next few years while they learn they, too, were born with the ability to do laundry. BVU features safe, well-planned, and comfortable living spaces for all students.

Briscoe Honor Hall – The two-story, coed residence hall, was completed in 1991 and houses 102 students in three-bedroom suites. Each bedroom in the suite houses two students and has an attached private bathroom. Suites are furnished with two beds, two desks, and two chairs; the common area includes furniture, a computer, refrigerator and microwave. Students must meet academic requirements to earn a place in this hall.

Constitution Hall and McCorkle Hall – These coed residence halls, flanking Briscoe Honor Hall, accommodate seventy-two students each. They are also set up as six-person suites with attached private bathrooms. Constitution and McCorkle were completed in 1995 and 1996 respectively.

Briscoe Honor, Constitution and McCorkle Halls are staffed with seven Resident Advisors and one Residence Director. Laundry facilities and vending machines are located throughout the complex.

Grand Hall – Completed for the fall semester of 1996, Grand Hall is a three-story, ninety-eight bed, coed residence hall. The hall has a staff of one Residence Director and six Resident Advisors. Each floor has a study lounge and a common area furnished with couches and a television. Laundry facilities are available on the second floor and a kitchen with stove and microwave is located on the third.

Liberty Hall – Liberty Hall is a substance-free, coed residence hall housing eighty-five students. Students who choose to live in Liberty Hall commit to living an alcohol- and drug-free lifestyle. The building has a staff of one Residence Director and six Resident Advisors. Each floor has a study lounge and a common area furnished with couches and a television. Laundry facilities are available on the second floor and a kitchen with stove and microwave is located on the third.

Pierce Hall – BVU’s all-male dormitory houses approximately 250 students. Pierce was renovated in 1993, with the installation of new windows, carpet, lighting and the addition of air conditioning. The hall has four study lounges throughout the building and an activity lounge featuring billiards, darts, foosball and a large television. It is staffed with seven Resident Advisors and one Residence Director. Laundry facilities and a kitchen with stove and microwave are located in the basement. Pierce Hall is connected to the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business/Siebens Forum via tunnel and White Hall through common vestibule.

Swope Hall – Swope Hall is an all-female dormitory housing 200 students. Laundry facilities are located in the basement and kitchens are on the second and third floors. There are nine study lounges in the building and a large common area on the first floor where students enjoy the large television and piano. The hall is staffed with eight Resident Advisors and one Residence Director.

White Hall – Men live in the basement and on the first floor, and women live on the second and third floors of White Hall – another coed hall housing 200 students. Four study lounges are located throughout the building. Laundry facilities and a kitchen with stove and microwave are located in the basement. Seven Resident Advisors and one Residence Director staff the dormitory. White Hall is connected to the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business/Siebens Forum via tunnel through the vestibule shared with Pierce Hall.

Residence Life Staff

Buena Vista University staffs each residence hall with Residence Directors - full-time, professionals who live in the residential living spaces within the residence halls. Residence Directors advise students, handle emergency situations, provide support and guidance, and enforce University policy.

To ensure a positive living and learning community, residence halls are also staffed with Resident Advisors (RA). They are carefully chosen undergraduates who live with the student population. RA’s serve as administrators, role models, community builders within the residence halls, a point of reference for students, and individuals who enforce University policy. RAs often become a trusted friends and advisors.

Safety

The BVU community considers the campus quality of life an essential component of the learning environment. We are committed to this charge and focus all necessary attention towards its fulfillment. We value democratic process, integrity, cooperation, quality service, sensitivity, and consistency; and are committed to providing a safe environment to the students, staff, faculty and visitors of the University.

Food

Sodexho, the dining service at Buena Vista University, works hard to design a meal program guaranteed to meet your student’s individual needs. Students have plenty on their minds with classes, sports, clubs, community service, etc., so we've made it our goal to make sure that they won't have to worry about finding something great to eat when they want it. Blending nutrition and flavor with traditional cuisine and international flair, there is always something great to eat, no matter the meal. But we won’t lie. There are also plenty of great snacks to munch on in either the Crossroads Café (also known as the “Servery,” our main cafeteria) or in the Centennial Room (home of the snack bar and campus grill, open late). Your child will sit down with friends in the spacious Grand Ballroom, which has a south wall of windows offering a picturesque view of the lake.  
Chances are you’ll be rather jealous when you learn of all the culinary options available to your child. We’re sorry, but we won’t apologize for being delicious.

Care packages

Surprise your loved one with one of our beautifully designed care packages! While your student is away from home, it’s the perfect way to say you are thinking of them. Our gift packages are made on campus; bakery items are made fresh daily and will be delivered directly to your student’s room by a Resident Housing Association staff member.
Additionally, proceeds from this program directly benefit the Resident Housing Association. We developed fun and exciting packages centered on holiday and seasonal themes as well as birthdays, get well wishes, and “just because” occasions.
Download the Surprise Someone brochure and order form