Each Commons elects its own student leaders. Together with the residence hall staff and faculty associated with the Commons, they manage their dining room, lounges, social space, and program funds. They make recommendations for building changes and renovations and sponsor social and academic programs for the Commons and occasionally for the entire campus community. Living arrangements within each Commons are varied. Students may live in a single room, double, triple, or quad, or they may share a suite of rooms with a group of friends.
Campus housing includes coed and single-sex living areas.
A major residence hall renovation began in 1995, and by 2004, all residence halls and dining commons will have been renovated. The Alfond 107-bed apartment complex for seniors opened in the fall of 1999. Members of all Commons enjoy the facilities of the centrally located Cotter Union, opened in 1985. Exciting progress has been made since the Residential Commons system was first put in place in 1984. The student government constitution has been revised, the new student government structure is in place, and the roles of Commons government and residence hall staff have been clarified.