Residential Life & Leadership

As a residential college, Williams believes that each student’s learning experience comes not only from the classroom, but also from their life outside the classroom. Living together in positive & supportive residential communities on campus is a critical component of that out-of-classroom learning experience. All students are encouraged to be involved in their residential communities by attending programs & snacks together and by getting to know & utilizing their student residential leaders.

Students interested in leadership opportunities in those communities are encouraged to apply for the following leadership roles:

  • Residential & House Activity Funds exist to help foster a sense of community with the upperclass residences through programming & social activities.  These funds are to be used to support a sense of community within the houses & campus.  This sense of community can be fostered in a number of ways, including snacks, dinners, movie nights, discussion groups, video-game tournaments, events, trips off-campus, etc.  There is a wide array of possibilities. The four Residential Life Teams (RLTs) are expected to take the needs & interests of all of their residents into consideration in the year-long planning of programs supported by these funds, not just the needs of the majority.

    There are specific additional funds allocated for three signature programs, which are included in the RLT programming model.  They are Contests/Competitions, Life After Williams, and Williams After Dark.

    There are several purposes for which these funds are NOT to be used, including:

    • any activity that puts students or the community at risk or in danger
    • any activity that is offensive to the community
    • damages to campus property or a house, unless the damages are the direct result of an activity sponsored by the RLT or house.
    • items that will not stay with the RLT/house beyond that particular year
    • electronic/technology items
    • alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs
    • pornography
    • strippers
    • gambling purposes

    If you have an expenditure that may fall into one of those categories (or any others that may be questionable), speak with the correlated Assistant Director for Residential Life & Housing to review the request in advance.

    Budget Management & Oversight

    These budgets are managed by the RLTs under advisement & oversight from OCL. Final approval for all transactions lies with the College – specifically, with the Assistant Directors for Residential Life & Housing and the Controller’s Office.

    Usage Procedures

    RLT members must follow specific procedures in order to utilize these funds:

    1. To use an RLT Purchasing Card (Pcard) for expenditures, submit the online RLT Pcard Purchase Request Form.*
    2. Once submitted, you will receive an automated response via email confirming that you have submitted your form. This email will explain how to make an appointment on the Office of Campus Life (OCL) Purchase Meeting Calendar.
    3. Make your appointment on the OCL Purchase Meeting Calendar.
    4. Attend your purchase meeting. Whenever possible, RLT purchases will be ordered and paid for during this meeting. Only in cases where your purchase cannot be completed during the meeting will a Pcard be issued to you to take from the office for purchasing purposes.
    5. If your purchase could not be completed during your meeting, use your borrowed Pcard to make your purchases.
    6. KEEP ALL RECEIPTS/CONTRACTS/DOCUMENTATION (including ITEMIZED receipts) for each purchase.
    7. If you borrowed a Pcard, return the Pcard AND ALL RECEIPTS/CONTRACTS/DOCUMENTATION for each purchase made on the card to OCL by the date and time you are expected to do so.
    8. Submit the online RLT Purchase Reconciliation Form, making sure to upload itemized receipts for each of your purchases.

    * – If a Pcard is not an option for payment for a product or service provider, contact the correlating Assistant Director for Residential Life & Housing to arrange for a voucher or a cash advance.

    Misuse & Consequences

    Students who misuse these funds or an RLT Pcard in any way (inappropriate expenditures, overspending, failure to follow procedure, failure to submit receipts, etc.) may be held responsible for the expenditures through their student account, may lose the privilege of using College Pcards in the future, and may be referred to the Dean’s Office for disciplinary action.

  • This form is to be used by House Coordinators, Residential Life Team members, and Summer Housing Assistants only. To request a Pcard for a student organization, click here.

    Requests to use an RLT Pcard must be submitted in a timely fashion, at least one week in advance of the date by which you will need the requested items.

    Request confirmations will be sent via email. Feel free to follow up with your request by contacting the correlated Assistant Director for Residential Life & Housing.

    Williams College’s funding rules apply to all Pcard purchases made for Residential Programs. If you are unsure of the rules, consult the Student Handbook or contact OCL.

    Residential student leaders may not make purchases without approval from the correlated Assistant Director for Residential Life & Housing.  If a Pcard purchase is made without the appropriate approval, the Pcard holder is personally liable for those expenditures.

    Questions?  Contact Cailin McGowan or Ana Azevedo.

    The RLT Pcard Request form is embedded below. If you have trouble seeing it, use this direct link to the form.

  • This form is to be used by House Coordinators, Residential Life Team members, and Summer Housing Assistants only.

    The RLT Purchase Reconciliation form is linked here. This form should be submitted in a timely fashion, preferably as soon as you have completed – and received itemized receipts for – all of your purchases.

    The College’s funding rules apply to all Pcard purchases made for Residential Programs. If you are unsure of the rules, consult the Student Handbook or contact OCL.

    Residential student leaders may not make purchases without approval from the correlated Assistant Director for Residential Life & Housing.  If a Pcard purchase is made without the appropriate approval, the Pcard holder is personally liable for those expenditures.

    Questions?  Contact Cailin McGowan or Ana Azevedo.