Our Mission and Philosophy

Our Mission

Residential Life promotes personal development and civic engagement. 

Our Philosophy

Residential Life exists to promote the optimal experience for each Westfield State University resident, contributing to the educational mission of the University through the provision of a supportive, secure, and developmental living environment.

Residence hall life is characterized by diversity, spontaneity, activity, and self-discovery. Through experiences within the residential environment, students are able to grow not only intellectually, but culturally, spiritually and emotionally. Each resident has the right to expect, and the obligation to contribute to, a climate of mutal respect, trust, support and interdependence.

A crucial aspect of residential life is the balance between individual rights and the rights of others in the community, including roommates, floor members and other residents. It is the role of each community member within the hall to monitor this balance and to respond appropriately when this balance is challenged. The quality of residence hall life can be judged by how well each community member considers issues from the "we" perspective as well as from the "me" perspective.