Housing and Meal Plans
Students will need to print out a paper housing application from the Islander Housing website and write that they are in the SIL program. The HPO (Housing Payment Option) must be selected so that the SIL funds can be used to cover the cost of housing. This application is available on the Miramar and Momentum Village website. The student will need to sign into the StarRez portal to access the application, print it, complete it, and either mail, email, or drop off the application.
The young adult will need to provide the placement form/letter from DFPS with their application, confirming their SIL placement. Island Harbor staff can also provide this information to housing.
The Housing application fee and deposit is not able to be waived, but the can be billed to the student’s account so that SIL funds can later be allocated to cover the cost.
If a student has someone that is willing to sign as a guarantor, that person will need to complete and submit a guarantor’s agreement. If no one is able to act as a guarantor, the SIL approval letter can be used in place of a guarantor’s agreement. A guarantor is financially responsible for a student’s housing costs, should the student fail to make a payment.
Young adults are free to choose any campus housing option they would like, however, it is important to note that not every option will be covered in full by the state’s stipend. Any cost over the amount paid by the state will be the responsibility of the student.
In order for SIL funding to cover the entire cost of housing and still have money left over for a meal plan, housing applications should have the following preferences:
- Miramar – Residence Halls – Shared (1 bed/1 bath) or Suite (2 bed/1 bath)
Apartments – Shared (1 bed/1 bath or 4 bed/2 bath) - Momentum – Apartment (4 bed/4 bath) or Townhome (4 bed/4.5 bath)
* Note that all first year students are required to live in Miramar starting in Fall 2022.
Meal Plans are required when living at Miramar. Momentum does not require a meal plan. Meal plan options can be found here (https://www.tamucc.edu/finance-and-administration/auxiliary-services/islander-dining/meal-plans.php). Meal plans are preloaded on the Sanddollar card and students will use this card similar to a debit card to purchase meals. Students will work with Island Harbor staff to plan for the times of year when the dining facilities on campus will be closed. Student housing does have the equipment to allow students to prepare their own meals. Students should plan ahead to budget, grocery shop, and meal plan for these times. Students may choose to utilize the food pantry in the University Center. More information on the food pantry can be found here: https://www.tamucc.edu/food-pantry/
Islander Housing includes cable, high speed internet, water, sewage, trash, electricity*, laundry and mail service. Momentum Village does have an electricity cap, dependent upon the floor plan. Should that apartment/townhome have an electricity bill above the cap for the month, the overage will be equally split between current roommates and be billed on a monthly basis. Island Harbor students are responsible for any electricity overages that occur. Momentum does not have this cap and residents are not subject to monthly electric bills.
Island Harbor students must sign a standard resident lease, which DOES allow residents to remain on-campus over holiday breaks, including spring break, Thanksgiving, and winter break. Students living in Miramar will need to sign an additional summer lease. Summer is defined as the day after move-out at the end of the Spring semester through the move-in date at the start of the Fall semester. Momentum Village leases run August 1 – July 31. Students are able to change places once a lease is signed but must turn in a room transfer request and pay any applicable fees before choosing from available options. The student must then notify Island Harbor staff and DFPS caseworker of the room change.
Should residents need to evacuate Islander Housing due to an emergency, such as a natural disaster/hurricane, TAMU-CC will provide evacuation instructions. The University will evacuate residents who are unable to evacuate campus on their own at no cost to the resident.
In the event of concern about a resident’s well-being, Housing may check on the room of that resident to see if he/she/they are home of if it appears he/she/they have been in the unit. Housing staff may also speak with roommates and neighbors to see if they have seen the resident in question. If Housing staff is unable to locate the resident or obtain any information regarding that persons’ whereabouts, Housing staff will notify UPD that they have reason to believe there is a missing student. UPD will review the available information and attempt to contact the student and his/her/their emergency contacts. If a student fails to check in and Island Harbor staff is unable to contact or locate the student, they will contact Housing for a wellness check.
If a student is in violation of Housing rules (i.e. alcohol or drugs in housing) then they are in violation of the Student Code of Conduct. These students are referred to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. The University Police Department may be called for the incident or allegations of illegal activity. A Student Conduct Officer reviews all reports and, if deemed appropriate, will initiate the Student Conduct process.
If it becomes necessary to evict a resident, the process as outlined in the Texas Property Code Title 4, Chapter 24 is followed. The eviction process must follow very specific steps and the resident is provided information about each step in the process. Students are most commonly evicted for failure to pay rent, violence or threats of violence in housing. The latter is normally only decided by the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, unless the resident poses an immediate threat of harm to others.
Students can access more information about housing here: https://www.tamucc.edu/housing/