• Employment Opportunities
• Medical Care
• Miscellaneous
• Recreational Opportunities
• Shopping
• Student Housing
• Transportation

On-Campus Employment

The Civil Service Employment Office publishes a weekly updated list of on-campus employment openings.  The office can be reached at (618) 536-3369.

Off-Campus Employment

The campus newspaper, The Daily Egyptian, and the Southern Illinoisan, carry employment ads.  The University is located in a largely-rural area with a limited employment base.  The University also provides a high-level source of talent for the jobs that are available on the local employment market.

Campus Treatment Facility

The Student Medical Benefit fees cover an extensive health program.  On-campus services include wellness programs, out-patient care, lab services, x-rays, pharmacy services, emergency dental care, and a sports medicine program.  Off-campus benefits include emergency services, hospitalization, specialty care, and out of area benefits.  Dependent coverage is not available. 

As mentioned earlier, a refund of medical fees may be requested if the student has a health care plan equivalent to that offered by the University.

Military Treatment Facility

The nearest military treatment facility is the base hospital at Scott Air Force Base some 90 miles northwest of Carbondale.  It is a well equipped and staffed care facility offering a complete array of medical services. 

Carbondale is well beyond the Scott AFB 45-mile circle which determines the need for non-availability statements and pre-approval of care when CHAMPUS is used.  Thus the use of the many local care providers who take CHAMPUS offers an alternative to a long drive to Scott, and the best means to meet emergency care needs.

Campus Parking

Parking on-campus is controlled with virtually all parking areas reserved for faculty, staff, and students.  Limited short-term visitor parking is available at key areas around campus.  All parking areas have clearly posted signs that tell who may park and during what time period.  Parking Division Personnel are quick to ticket those parking illegally. 

To park anywhere on campus, a parking decal is required.  A red decal - for those students not residing on-campus - costs $30 for the entire year which runs from October 1 through September 30.  The cost is pro-rated each month to as low as $5 for the summer only. 

Parking is generally more available during the summer term than during spring and fall terms.  After 4 p.m. most parking on-campus opens for red decal (student) vehicles, and on-campus meters need not be fed. 

There are also metered city parking areas adjacent to the east side of campus.  These may be appropriate for short-term parking.  Meters both on- and off-campus will accept only quarters.   

Climate

Southern Illinois is a true four-season area.  The climate ranges from moderately hot 80's and even 90's with high humidity in summer - to snowy landscapes, icy roads and occasionally single-digit temperatures in winter.  Conditions are normally moderate, with occasional extremes toward either end of the weather spectrum. 

Much of Southern Illinois is comprised of rugged hills with great expanses of national forest land, lakes and rivers.  The Mississippi and Ohio Rivers converge some 60 miles south of Carbondale.  The countryside with its forest and farmland is awash with green from horizon to horizon especially in summer.  The autumn brings spectacular color changes to the local foliage before the leaves begin to fall with the first snows of winter.  The cycle begins again in spring as March starts an explosion of new growth which will carry through summer. 

The heavily wooded SIUC campus offers a great vantage point to watch these seasonal changes as they take place.

Cost of Living

The cost of living is generally less in Southern Illinois than most areas of the country.  Housing, groceries, in fact most goods and services cost less than the national average.  The down side to this is that local employment also generally pays less. 

Military retirees will be pleased to learn that Illinois imposes no state income tax on military retirement.  This, together with the lower cost of living makes Southern Illinois a place where it may actually be possible to live on retirement income.

 SIUC is surrounded by lakes, a national forest, and woodlands.  There are unlimited opportunities for boating, fishing, hunting, hiking, and enjoying some of the “Heartland’s” most beautiful country.

 The University boasts one of the finest student recreational facilities in the country.  This superbly equipped facility is open to students and their families.

St. Louis is just two hours away, and offers a wide array of recreation and entertainment.

The communities in the area host many local events and festivals.  Just north of Carbondale in DuQuoin is the Illinois State Fair which is held in August.  Neighboring Murphysboro’s September Apple Festival brings attendees from everywhere in the United States, as does Cobden’s Peach Festival in August.  Herrinfesta Italiana is the celebration of the heritage of Herrin, a Southern Illinois community. The festival provides a sense of community spirit, as well as a homecoming for former residents and a welcome to travelers from all over the Midwest.  Throughout the area, fairs and festivals abound, particularly through summer and early autumn.

The University Mall, on the east side of Carbondale, rivals the shopping available in any small-medium city.  Its department stores include J.C. Penney, and Macys.  Wal-Mart SuperCenter is also located near the University Mall. 

A few miles further east another large shopping mall is located in Marion to further expand shoppers’ options.  The Illinois Center Mall has a Sears, Dillards, and Target as its major stores.  There is also a Sam’s Club (membership discount store on the order of the Price Club or Pace Warehouse). 

Large outlet malls 125 miles south in Eddyville, Kentucky, and in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, 60 miles north.  And St. Louis has the most complete selection of shopping this side of Chicago.   

Scott Air Force Base is located 20 miles east of St. Louis and 90 miles from Carbondale.  Scott is a major Air Force facility, with a large base exchange, a commissary, and as complete an array of services as found on any base.

University Housing offers four residence hall areas: University Park, University Hall, Thompson Point and Brush Towers. Each area offers trained, live-in staff, security features, social areas, study areas, computer labs and more. Each room is fully furnished and internet and telephone ready. All facilities are air-conditioned. A variety of dining plans are available. Students who are admitted to SIUC may contract online. More information is available at www.housing.siu.edu.

• Apartment Housing

University Housing offers apartments for SIUC students in four areas:

• Wall & Grand Apartments
• Elizabeth Apartments
• Evergreen Terrace
• Southern Hills

Wall & Grand Apartments house SIUC students who are freshmen age 21 and older and sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students of any age. Elizabeth Apartments and Southern Hills are reserved for single graduate students. Evergreen Terrace Apartments are reserved for married students, domestic partner students and students with children.

All apartments are air conditioned. Laundry facilities are located in each area. The Saluki Express bus stops at each location. Please visit the University Housing website for eligibility requirements, apartment details, rate information and to apply online.

For more information, please contact:

University Housing
Washington Square D
Southern Illinois University
Carbondale, IL 62901-6716
Phone: (618) 453-2301

• Off-Campus Housing

A wide variety of housing is available in Carbondale and the surrounding communities - apartments, single homes, mobile homes, rural properties, etc. Prices range from $200 to $600 a month - a bit more in Carbondale than in surrounding communities. The Daily Egyptian, SIUC’s newspaper, and the Southern Illinoisan, the local area newspaper, carry housing listings. Additionally, most national realty organizations are represented in Carbondale and deal with rentals as well as sales.