Residence Life

A. Room Entry

It is expected that room residents will present themselves when asked to do so by University staff, including but not limited to University Police and Residence Life staff. Failure to do so may result in a referral to the student conduct process.

Entry into a student room may occur when:

• Residents have extended an invitation for them to do so.
• There is a clear or apparent emergency, such as fire, serious injury or injuries (including a report or belief thereof), or where a danger threatens persons or property
• There is a confirmed smell of smoke and/or “burning” identified as coming from a specific location.
• An alarm or other continuous sound that is causing a disruption to the community when the residents of the room cannot be located and/or do not respond to attempts to contact them
• To conduct scheduled maintenance or other repairs.
• Health & safety checks (see below).
• Failure to respond to a knock on the door or call by university staff to assure resident is not in need of emergency attention.

B. Health and Safety Room Inspection Policy

Under the University’s Room and Board License provisions, Residence Life staff will conduct periodic health and safety inspections of residence hall rooms, apartments and suites. The purpose of these inspections is to ensure the residence halls are as safe as possible. A physical check of residential spaces in the halls is the only way to determine if, for example, a window has been left open, there has been any tampering to the fire detection or suppression systems, or there are prohibited items in the rooms.

Note: Housing Services may enter a room at any time as needed to inspect University property. This is separate and distinct from Health and Safety inspections.

• The purpose of health and safety inspections is to assure the safety of the resident(s) and to assure that the use of the rooms, apartments and suites is in accordance with University rules and regulations.
• Health and safety inspections will occur at least once per semester during the academic year, in addition to checks at semester closings.
• At the end of the spring semester most residence halls, apartments and suites will be inspected prior to closing for the summer. Housing Services will inspect rooms and assess any damage or loss charges.
• Inspections by Residence Life staff will be preceded by notice given to residents at least 24 hours in advance of the inspection. This notice will be given via flyers in the residence halls and/or other means designed to make residents aware of this process (ex. email).
• Pairs of Residence Life staff will inspect rooms. Rooms will be inspected even in the absence of the resident(s). Notice will be left indicating the Health and Safety Inspection has occurred for mid-semester checks.
• Inspections will be of items in plain view. Closet doors, drawers, refrigerators, etc. will not be opened. Any pets or other inappropriate items found will be addressed directly by Residence Life staff with the residents. Referrals to the student conduct process will be made as appropriate. In the event of an obvious violation being covered (example: a sheet over an obvious pet cage), the AC/CC/ACC of that complex will be notified and will verify the violation, and follow up with the student.
• Areas such as windowsills and the space above ceiling tiles are subject to search to ensure the safety and security of all residents. Note: students should avoid storing anything in these locations.
• Alcohol, drugs, drug paraphernalia, and other contraband and illegal substances result in notification to UMPD and possible confiscation by the police. Additionally, any violations of the weapons policy including but not limited to: hunting rifles, ammunition, knives exceeding 4 inches, paintball guns, airsoft rifles, etc. will be confiscated by UMPD. In addition to UMPD being notified, students will be referred to the student conduct process. Items such as empty alcohol containers will be considered evidence of alcohol possession and may constitute a Student Conduct Code violation.
• Tampering with fire suppression and/or detection devices will immediately be addressed, and when possible immediately remedied by Residence Life staff. Possession of candles, incense, banned or inappropriately strung lights, and similar items will result in the student(s) being approached by Residence Life staff immediately on the return of the resident(s). The Residence Life staff will determine whether referral to the student conduct process is appropriate after talking with the student(s).
• Stolen property may result in notification to UMPD, and confiscation of stolen property, as well as a referral to the university conduct process (ex. street/traffic signs, dining commons items, building signage, etc.).

C. Cleanliness

Custodial staff maintains the cleanliness of common spaces in the residence halls, such as bathrooms, hallways, stairwells, lounges, and lobbies. Frequently cleaning and disinfecting of common areas and touch-points occurs as a means to limit the transmission of disease in our communities.

Students are responsible for cleaning and sanitizing their personal space.  Excessive messes as determined by staff may be determined to be a health and safety violation.  This may include but is not limited to excessive room trash and recyclables, odors that extend into the hallway, restricted pathway to exit or window, etc.  In the event Custodial staff must be utilized to assist in an excessive clean-up, the student will be billed an hourly rate.

Noxious odors that impact roommates, neighbors, or public areas (including corridors), regardless of origin, are prohibited.

D. Permitted Decorations Policy

• No more than 20% of any wall or door should be covered with decorations. In order to prevent damage to painted walls, students should use painters tape, sticky tack, or a similar method to temporarily affix items to walls.
• Only use decorations that are noncombustible or have a label that states that they are “flameproof,” “flame-resistant,” or “flame-retardant.” Keep the label to document acceptability.
• Electric string lights:
  • String lights are acceptable ONLY if they are labeled with Underwriters Laboratory (UL) or Factory Mutual Tags with this information are required to be on each string of lights.
  • Strings that are frayed or have bare wires, cracked sockets, loose connections or damaged insulation are not permitted.
  • String lights may not be wrapped around any furniture or other cloth items such as curtains or wall hangings.
  • They may not be attached with nails or staples. In addition, no more than four sets of lights may be strung together in one connection.
• Do not place decorations near electrical equipment or other heat sources.
• Do not hang any decorations from sprinkler heads.
• Do not route electrical cords across aisles or corridors or under doors.
• Extension cords must have a 3-prong grounded plug and not be daisy chained.  For definition purposes, daisy chaining refers to two or more extension cords being attached to each other.
• No lit candles, open flames, or spark-producing devices are permitted. This includes incense.
• Do not obstruct corridors, stairways, exits or doors from closing.
• Decorations may not obstruct exit lights, sprinkler pipes or heads, smoke detectors, fire alarm pull stations, portable fire extinguishers or cabinets, or other safety apparatus.
• Only artificial trees/wreaths which are flame retardant are allowed in halls. No other cut greenery is acceptable. For artificial trees/wreaths, documentation should be available to prove their flame resistance.
• Keep in mind that no one should put holes in the walls to hang materials. There are a number of products that can be used which are removable without damage to the wall or wall surface.
• Painting or altering of any surface is not permitted (markers, etc).
• Windows may have items placed on the interior glass if they are removable and do not cause any permanent scarring or damage.
• Tape of any kind is not permitted on windows.
• Students may not hang items from the exterior of their windows or adjacent exterior building surfaces.
• Wall tapestries can be hung in a student room if it is no larger than 4 feet x 6 feet, and only one per wall may be hung in the student room. Tapestries, curtains, etc are not permitted to be strung across a doorway.
• Ceilings:
  • Nothing may be attached to ceilings.
  • Smoke detectors and/or sprinkler heads must remain unobstructed at all times.
  • No lights, ceiling fans, or other electrical appliances can be hung on the ceiling or interior walls.
  • Decorative holiday-style lights are permitted on walls.

E. Noise

Our residence halls are first and foremost a place for students to sleep and study. Some noise is to be expected in a thriving community but, because it is difficult to develop a shared definition of what is too loud, noise inevitably becomes an issue in the halls.  All members of our communities and their guests are expected to be attentive to their noise levels, and to be responsive to other students who ask them to be quieter.  Note: It is never appropriate to set-up speakers to point out of their residence hall windows.

Students who are being disturbed by noise are expected to respectfully confront those responsible for the noise and request that they quiet down.  Should noise issues continue, a student should then seek assistance from a Residence Life staff member.

F. Quiet Hours Policy

Quiet hours during the normal academic year are as follows:

• Sunday – Thursday: 10:00pm to 7:00am the following morning.
• Friday & Saturday: 12:00 midnight to 7:00am the following morning.

During quiet hours:

• Noise should not be heard outside of a student’s door or in adjacent rooms where others may be disrupted.
• Stereos, video games and televisions should be at a lower level so they are not likely to be heard outside of the student room or from open windows.

G. Courtesy Hours Policy

Courtesy hours are in effect 24 hours per day.  Courtesy hours mean that students are expected to refrain from noise which is a disturbance to another member of the community. If asked by any community member to lower their noise level, a student should appropriately do so immediately.

H. Finals Week 24-Hour Quiet Hours Policy Quiet hours run 24 hours a day beginning at noon the Wednesday before finals week until the hall officially closes at 7:00pm on Friday of finals week, when permitted. All students and their guests need to honor these quiet hours. Disruptive behavior may result in disciplinary action and may include being asked to leave the hall.