Standard On-Campus Housing

Please consider Naropa University Housing at the Snow Lion Apartments. Several one-bedroom units are available to Naropa students who are not part of the incoming first-year class. The Snow Lion Apartments are conveniently located four blocks from the Arapahoe Campus and close to the bus line to the Nalanda and Paramita campuses.

Rates

The Snow Lion Apartment Complex offers one-bedroom units for 10 month leases. These apartments are on the garden level and the first floor for standard housing students who are not part of the incoming first-year class. In addition, when available, private or shared rooms in shared two-bedroom apartments with other non first-year Snow Lion residents are an option for standard housing students. All the utilities, electricity, water and heat are included in this cost.

The one-bedroom apartments are approximately 435 square feet. The private bedrooms in a shared apartment are approximately 11 x 12.

• One-bedroom: $828/month * 5 mo. =$4,140/semester
• Private room in 2 bedroom apartment: $714/month * 5 mo.=$3,570/semester
• Shared room in 1 or 2 bedroom apartment: $542/month * 5mo.= $2710/semester

Standard Housing Application

Meal Plan

We've been working on this for a while and we are very excited to tell you about two meal plan options!

There are two different Meal Plans that are available to Naropa students. They are the Naropa Café Meal Plan, which can be used at the Naropa Café locations on any of our campuses, and the Flatirons Meal Plan, which can be used at many locations throughout the Boulder area, close to campus and includes the Sunflower Farmer’s Market (grocery store).

Each vendor will be at the Naropa University Orientation events August 15th (Snow Lion Orientation) and August 16th and 17th (main Orientation events). Feel free to purchase directly from the vendors. You can purchase one, the other or both! These programs are very compatible.

Remember, you can have it all!
Click here to see a comparison of the two plans.

Philosophy of University Housing

The mission of Naropa University Housing is to provide a healthy, sustainable, contemplative and compassionate community where students are supported and holistically engaged. Naropa's residential learning community offers weekly programming and strives to provide academic support through co-curricular activities, creating an intersection between formal instruction , the community and the world. The residence hall is a place where "learning comes alive!"

At Naropa we value educating the whole person. We ask our students to take responsibility for their environment, and to enhance their educational experience and integrate what they are learning in the classroom into their everyday life. Attending classes and living with other students presents a unique opportunity to learn and develop skills in working with others, of diversity awareness, conflict resolution and problem-solving; thus, connecting both the curricular and co-curricular aspects of education.

Community Meetings

It is a valued aspiration to generate an environment in which each person is free to express and discover his or her own unique identity while at the same time finding a common ground with one another in which to live respectfully. This takes some time and effort. Therefore, one important commitment in living at Snow Lion is participation in community meetings, which are held approximately twice a month (every other week) for two hours. In these meetings we make group announcements, pass along important information and work out any problems that may arise in the community. Council process will be used in small groups to facilitate discussion and support our community building. Participation and attendance in community meetings is required. The meetings will be Fridays at 3–5 p.m. (with a few exceptions for holidays, etc.) This will be a time you need to pay attention to when scheduling your classes.

Programming

Snow Lion programming is one of the ways we fulfill our mission of helping new undergraduates find ways to make connections between what they are learning in the classroom and their daily lives. Students choose activities according to their personal interests. Some of the themes we choose from are: health awareness, lifestyle choices, social justice and leadership skills. Some events we've sponsored are: pancakes @ noon, 24hr poetry readings, movie nights, substance fee potlucks, lucid dreaming and funk your gender dialogue. We also provide resources and connections to our outdoor club—ROOT.

There are several benefits to engaging in this living and learning concept: to check in with fellow residents and track each one another's well-being, to get you together with people who share your interests, to give you a place to land as first-year students, to help process your experience and to integrate your home life with your school life. It's a great way to learn new things from your peers. Please indicate on your application your particular areas of interest. You may find that you may be very interested in all of the following and then some.

Staff and Resources

Four staff members live on-site: three resident community advisors (RA) and one residence hall director (RHD). The office for the director of housing is also located on site. A staff person is “on-duty” and available by 8 p.m., seven days a week.

The complex also includes a free parking, off-street parking, coin-op laundry facility, a small community meeting space, meditation room. The complex also houses the Naropa University Counseling Center, which can support students with concerns such as personal growth, addiction, stress management, relationships, depression/anxiety, eating disorders, etc. We realize that going to college is a big transition, and it is possible that you might need some support. Please don’t be afraid to use the resources (staff, resources, etc.) at Naropa for your well-being and personal growth.

Peer Mentorship

Along with the four staff members, six peer mentors live at Snow Lion. Peer mentors help to educate students in health awareness, social justice, lifestyle decisions and leadership skills. By educating students in this way peer mentors are asked to embody and model the skills of developing healthy choices, making informal lifestyle decisions and demonstrating leadership skills- all of which increase their ability to significantly contribute to a pluralistic society.

The peer mentors apartments are on the third floor of the building intermingled with the student apartments. Peer mentors share apartments with other peer mentors and use their apartments as safe spaces for students to come and share stories, tea, hang out or as a place to get resources.

The Space

Each one or two bedroom unit is a two-bedroom apartment; including a kitchen, full bath, dining area and living room.  In general, there will be three students per apartment–one shared room and one private. The bedrooms range in square footage. The smallest occupancy room is 11 × 10. The living rooms are, on average, 14 × 15. Each resident is provided with a twin long bed, dresser, desk, desk chair and closet. The apartment will also include a kitchen table and chairs, a couch and coffee table. High speed internet is provided and included in the housing cost.

Building and Grounds

The Snow Lion complex includes a small community meeting space, study room, art space and meditation room. In addition, Snow Lion promotes green practices. Recycling and composting bins are located on site. Snow Lion uses compact fluorescent energy-saving bulbs and is transitioning to eco-friendly cleaning products. A cold-frame garden box that allows for growing throughout the winter is located in the courtyard. Raspberries also grow on the Snow Lion grounds.

Rules and Policies

The housing guidelines are in place due to Boulder County regulations, university guidelines and safety/respect concerns inherent in living in community. There is a Snow Lion Handbook that you will receive when you arrive. You are responsible for knowing all the policies and procedures in the handbook and will be required to sign the agreement form in the handbook. Some of the most important guidelines you should know include:

• We are a drug, alcohol and smoke-free environment and these policies will be strictly enforced.
• Quiet hours begin at 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. during the weekend.
• Guests who stay overnight can do so only for a limited time and must register with staff.
• No pets are allowed at Snow Lion (not even fish or turtles).
• No candles, space heaters or anything that could start a fire.

Steps for Reserving an Apartment

Apartments are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. In order to complete the reservation process:

• You must be accepted by Admissions as a full-time student for spring 2009 and must have paid your admissions deposit ($250).
• You must be registered (or register during orientation for new students) as a full-time student for spring 2009.
• Fill out, sign and return the Form for University Housing.
• Pay housing deposit ($300). Checks should be made payable to "Naropa University." You can also contact the Director of Housing, at 303-447-3846 to pay by credit card.

How Will I Be Billed?

Housing charges (which includes $125 activity fee & rent for the entire semester) will be added to your Naropa University tuition bill. Thus, the balance is due when your tuition is due. The deposit, however, must be paid in advance in order to secure your room assignment. Please contact the tuition cashier Aimee Olkee at tuition@naropa.edu or call 303-546-3554 if you would like more information regarding billing and payment.

Housing form and deposit can be mailed to:

Naropa University
University Housing***?
2130 Arapahoe Avenue
Boulder, CO 80302

***It is essential that you include "University Housing" in the address to insure your selection form and deposit is received.

A housing confirmation packet will be mailed to you within two weeks of the completion of the above steps. This confirmation packet will provide you with more details to prepare and support you in planning for move-in day.

Thank you for your interest in this exciting opportunity and please do not hesitate to call with any questions.

Lisa Constantino
Director of University Housing
Naropa University
2130 Arapahoe Ave
Boulder, CO 80302
303-447-3846
lconstantino@naropa.edu