Hello parents! Welcome to Student Housing and Dining Services’ blog series. Every month in the In the Know newsletter, we will have a blog about all things living and dining on campus. For this month, we want to prepare you and your student for what to expect from the residence halls and the dining commons. Let’s get to it. 

What to expect from the residence halls

First things first, let’s cover the basics about our residence halls. UC Davis has three residence halls—Segundo, Tercero and Cuarto. Each residence hall has a dining commons, market and services center where you can find an area service desk, residential academic center, area mailboxes and study space. Residents have access to all dining commons and markets on campus, so they can visit all locations depending on the menu, where they’re taking classes or visiting friends. Most rooms include extra-long (80-inch) twin beds and a microfridge.

Segundo Fun Facts:

• 14 residence halls
• 1,600 residents call Segundo home
• Located in the northwest corner of central campus
• Adjacent to the Activities and Recreation Center (The ARC)

Tercero Fun Facts:

• 15 residence halls
• 3,500 residents call Tercero home
• Located in the southwest corner of the central campus
• Adjacent to the Arboretum’s many trails

Cuarto Fun Facts:

• 3 residence halls
• 1,400 residents call Cuarto home
• Located in the northwest corner of campus
• Private outdoor courtyards

To find out more information about your students’ specific residence hall, including room dimensions, laundry facilities, bathrooms, mailbox locations and more, head on over to our Residence Halls page.

Now for the million-dollar question: what should your student pack? Check out this extensive list of what to bring (and what not to bring). 

RAs and RDs 

Who are RAs and RDs? RAs (Resident Assistants) are student staff who will live on your students’ floor of the residence hall. RDs (Residence Directors) are professional staff in their building. They hold office hours and can help your students with a variety of situations. Your students’ RAs and RDs are a great resource and are here to help them throughout the year with everything from roommate conflicts to questions about living in a residence hall. RAs will meet with your students shortly after moove-in to connect them with resources and talk about upcoming events.

What to expect from the dining commons

Next, let’s talk food. The dining commons start with a diverse and delicious menu with the freshest ingredients from local farms and finish it off with a sense of community and an environment perfect for socialization and studying. Our 3 dining commons—Segundo, Tercero and Cuarto—have the mission to provide a dining experience that is the least stressful and most enjoyable part of your day. 

Our team is dedicated to creating new menu items, hearing feedback and incorporating it. We have an allergy-friendly platform and options for those with dietary and religious restrictions, so you know that your student is taken care of when they dine with us. Plus, students can use their meal plan at any of the three locations.

Explore the Menus

We also have some customization options. 

Just Ask - Want a burrito with no meat? Want extra cheese? When in doubt, your student can just ask us for any modifications.

Try a Taste - Not sure if they’ll like a dish? Your student can try a taste before committing to a whole plate.

Dietary Support Program - DSP provides alternative meal options and other support resources to hundreds of student residents with dietary restrictions and functions out of our three Residential Dining Commons (Segundo, Tercero, and Cuarto DC).

Nutrition Education Program - The Nutrition Education Program is designed to help student residents navigate and familiarize themselves with our campus food environment, while providing evidence-based nutrition information, media literacy resources and fun food-related activities to support students’ well-being.
Meal Plans - Every student living in the resident hall is required to have a meal plan. Learn more about meal plans and Aggie Cash. 

Subscribe to the Davis Dish

Want to stay on top of the latest dining events and news? Sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Davis Dish. 

How to help your kids navigate having a roommate

Living with roommates should be a fun and rewarding experience for your student, but it can also be a transition. Here are some tips for your student as they learn to live with roommates.

• Get to know each other! Your student should start by learning about who they will be living with. It’s okay for them to be nervous, especially if this is their first time sharing their space. They can break the ice by talking about their majors or their favorite musician, book, or TV show.
• Exchange information. If everyone is interested, they can start a group chat where they can talk about their day, if they’ll get home late or if there is some tasty food at the dining commons everyone should try.
• Discuss healthy boundaries. It’s important for your student to talk about what they are comfortable or uncomfortable with, along with any preferences and routines
• Keep the communication going. Once they’ve laid the groundwork for getting to know each other, it’s important to put the work in throughout the rest of the school year with good communication.
• Compromises for the win.  Maintaining a healthy relationship with their roommate(s) is all about compromises. Sticking with a black and white mentality could put some strain on sticky situations. Meeting someone halfway can go a long way and open doors to better communication for any other issues that arise in the future.
• Hold space for issues. When living with another person, issues aren’t a matter of if but of when. Even the most perfect relationship will have some bumps along the way, especially if tight quarters are involved. When an issue does arise, your student should talk about it and make some time to discuss it properly, so a snowball effect doesn’t occur
• Have fun! Living with others is a great way to meet people and make lifelong friends. Your student should get a meal with their roommate(s), explore campus, go for a walk, study together or go on some adventures that will make for a great memory. 

Next Up

We hope you and your student now feel more prepared for them to start life on campus. What’s next in our blog series? For October, we’ll talk about all things food on campus