Frequently Asked Question About Student Life at SUNY Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh State enrolls about 5,400 undergraduates and 600 graduate students.

Return to top of page

About 6% of enrolled Plattsburgh students have identified themselves as belonging to ethnic groups other than white. The college is committed to providing students with an environment that is educationally, culturally and socially diverse, in preparation for them to enter a society that is becoming similarly diverse.

Cultural Clubs at Plattsburgh State are:

• AKEBA: Black Student Union
• El Pueblo: Latin American Association
• Club Caribbean: Caribbean Student Organization
• ASPCE: Asian Students Providing Cultural Enrichment
• O.W.E.: Organization of Women of Ethnicity
• AKWEKON: Native American Club
• Hillel: Jewish Student Organization
• African Unity Association
• Club International
• Chinese Association

Return to top of page

The most frequent compliment our students receive is their overall level of friendliness. It is not uncommon to have a stranger smile and wish you a good day or come to help you if you seem lost or out of place. Visitors to Plattsburgh consistently notice our friendly atmosphere. The students at Plattsburgh have diverse interests and backgrounds, and they tend to be involved in the abundance of campus activities.

Return to top of page

SUNY Plattsburgh offers a host of weekend events, including movies on the "big screen," concerts, Open Mic Nights, athletic events, theater productions and dorm trips. And Montreal, Burlington and Lake Placid are all within an hour's drive of Plattsburgh!

Return to top of page

Yes! Plattsburgh is located in one of New York's safest counties . Add to that a University Police Department trained at the New York State Police Academy, emergency blue light phones, and a sophisticated electronic entryway system in each residence hall, and you've got a campus proud to show you its outstanding safety record.

Return to top of page

Yes. Each dorm room comes equipped with two data ports (one for you and one for your roommate) that allow quick and easy Ethernet access to the Web, your E-mail account and the campus-computing network. 

Return to top of page

All of our 12 residence halls are coed, by either suite or wing. Students can elect, however, to live on single-sex floors within the residence halls. Bathrooms and individual suites are not coed!

Return to top of page

Plattsburgh doesn't get as much snow as you might think. Located safely above the snowbelt, we average 66.1 inches of snowfall per year (Source: Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University).

Return to top of page

Dorm rooms are not designed to allow cooking. In fact, microwave ovens, toaster ovens and other electric or gas appliances (except for small refrigerators) are not allowed in the dorm rooms. However, each residence hall has a kitchenette, which is supplied with a microwave and an oven - for those nights when baking a cake or popping popcorn is an absolute must! And our extensive campus meal options and dining hours can accommodate even the hungriest student!

Return to top of page

You name it! If you're in an on-campus kind of mood, you can take part in our vast array of campus activities, like Open-Mic Night or a new-release movie. If an off-campus event is more to your liking, you can explore the Adirondacks and climb the high peaks or head north for a day of shopping, dining and sightseeing in Montreal. You can ski, sled and skate at Olympic venues in Lake Placid or stay in Plattsburgh and enjoy Lake Champlain; or, shop our mall. Our area is widely known for skiing, boating, camping and other recreational activities. After all, it's a vacation destination for people from all over the world! You will never be bored!

Return to top of page

Plattsburgh State has 12 coed, non-smoking residence halls. We offer three dorm styles, including high-rise corridor, low-rise corridor, and high-rise suites. All residence hall floors have at least one Resident Assistant (R.A.), usually a junior or senior at Plattsburgh, who plans floor and dorm programming and who handles any problems or concerns that might arise in the hall. Each hall also has a Hall Council (much like Student Council in high school) where students run for office and plan hall trips to amusement parks, ski resorts, and professional sporting events. Plattsburgh even offers a Substance Free Residence Hall for students who are interested in a healthy, substance-free lifestyle and who want to live with other students who think similarly.

Return to top of page

Plattsburgh State strives for excellence in its 17 (9 women's and 8 men's) intercollegiate sports . It competes at the NCAA Division III level, and is a member of the highly competitive SUNYAC athletic conference. The University sponsors the following Varsity teams:

Return to top of page

We offer numerous intramural and club sports. These are student-led teams and clubs under the supervision of the Recreational Sports Coordinator. The intramural sports program is extremely popular on campus. Tournaments in flag football, indoor soccer, volleyball, racquetball, softball, floor hockey, basketball, and tennis take place throughout the year. Skiing is a very popular sport that is not formally organized into a club. The Student Association regularly sponsors bus trips to regional ski resorts in New York, Canada, and Vermont. The University offers two levels of club sports: competitive and recreational. The competitive clubs compete against other colleges in Women's Rugby and Men's Rugby. The recreational clubs consist of instructional and non-competitive activities in Martial Arts Instruction and Ice Hockey. When the athletic facilities are not being used for physical education classes or intercollegiate athletics, they are open for students to use for recreation.

Return to top of page

Fraternities and sororities comprise approximately 6% of our student body. These organizations can be fun to join; however, they do not dominate the campus choices for social outlets.

Return to top of page

SUNY Plattsburgh offers more than 80 student clubs and organizations. These range from social to religious, from ethnic to athletic. For more information, feel free to contact the Plattsburgh State Student Association at (518) 564-3200.

Return to top of page

Visitors to our college frequently say that our Fitness Center is the best they've seen anywhere! More than half of Plattsburgh State students belong to our Fitness Center, which offers an amazing array of cardiovascular equipment (treadmills, stair climbers and exercise bikes), free weights and circuit weights. Certified trainers are on staff to assist you with your exercise routine. And Fitness Center membership ($65 per semester) also entitles you to participate in aerobics-which includes aqua aerobics, step aerobics and toning classes.

Return to top of page