Breaks

Residential students are expected to make travel plans according to the appropriate academic calendar, and leave by the designated closing days and times. With permission from the director of housing and residence life, limited space is available for students who have academic obligations beyond their control and/or live a long distance away from Hollins that they are unable to leave during the Thanksgiving and Spring break (including international students).  No housing is available during Winter Break under any circumstances. There are no meals served during these breaks.  Students requesting housing over breaks will be assessed a $25 per day charge and based on the number of students approved to stay, they may be required to move to a centralized housing location for safety, building maintenance, financial and/or liability concerns. All requests to stay for either break are to be submitted in writing to the director of housing and residence life. For Thanksgiving Break, the due date for the written request is November 2, 2007 and for Spring Break, it is February 25, 2008. The director of housing and residence life makes the final decision regarding approvals.

Any students who fail to make plans to leave by the designated day and time will be subject to a fine of $100 and lose the privilege to reside in break housing for one year. Guests (including Hollins University students) are not permitted in the residence halls or apartments, under any circumstances, during break periods. Students are not to return early from break to the residence halls or apartments. If a student returns to their residence early, without prior approval, they will be billed for the whole break period ($25.00 per day), fined $100.00, and lose the privilege to stay in break housing for one year.  The university also reserves the right to press judicial charges and assess break fees against students who enter residential areas without permission during break periods.

Check-In & Check-Out Procedures

1. Check in - Before students arrive, each residence hall room is inventoried by HRL staff for furnishings and the physical condition of the room. Students must review the Room Inventory Form (RIF) with their RA and sign off on the condition of the room. Upon departure from the university, students must leave their rooms in the same condition as when they moved in. At the beginning of each school year the Office of Housing and Residence Life distributes all residence hall room and building keys. A fee of $30.00 will be assessed for each key lost or not returned at the end of the year, in addition to a $15 lock change fee.
2. Check out - At the end of each semester, notices are posted with procedures for vacating rooms and returning keys. Before leaving campus, students must check out with their RA. Failure to check out with an RA will result in a $50 improper check-out fee. Failure to adhere to published check-out times and procedures will result in an additional $100 fine.
3. Rooms and apartments must be left clean and in good order. If this responsibility is left undone, each resident will be fined $100. There may also be a cleaning charge for the next term. Additional charges may be assessed in situations where damages have been incurred over and above normal wear and tear and/or furniture is missing. A fee of $30 will be assessed for each key lost or not returned at the end of the year, in addition to a $15 lock change fee.

Custodial Service

The custodial staff cleans the lounges, corridors, and bathrooms of each hall. Students are expected to keep their rooms clean and in order during the semester. Trash must be deposited in trash containers located in specific areas of the building. Trash must not be deposited outside doors or in corridors. Hallways must be completely cleared of furniture and other items at all times. A vacuum cleaner is located in each residence hall and may be checked out from a housing and residence life staff member. Students should provide their own cleaning products.

Fire Hazards

For fire safety reasons, appliances such as hot plates, immersion heaters, portable heaters, and any other appliances with open heating elements are prohibited. University-provided irons are available for student use in residence halls.  Personal irons and halogen lamps are not permitted. Cooking is not permitted in student rooms. Food preparation utensils and appliances (popcorn poppers, toaster ovens, frying pans, hot pots, microwaves, teapots, and coffeepots) may be used and stored only in the kitchens. Candles (with burned wicks) and incense are also prohibited. Tampering with and/or obstructing fire alarm devices are strictly prohibited and will be referred to Campus Safety for further action (may result in legal charges and/or student conduct council charges).

Trash, luggage, and other items are not allowed in the corridors of residence halls or outside of the apartments. Unclaimed trash, luggage, and other items will be held under the responsibility of the hall/house/row as a whole, and fines for removal will be billed accordingly. Items left in the halls may be discarded with permission from the director of housing and residence life (regardless of student permission) after 72 hours.

Disregarding these policies constitutes a potential fire hazard. Any student who violates these policies may be fined $25 per incident. Repeated violations will be referred to the Student Conduct Council.

Lockouts

Residential students are expected to carry their room and building keys with them at all times. For the purpose of safety and security, students must not loan their keys to any person for any reason. Students must follow these procedures to gain entry if they get locked out of their building and/or room:

1. Call a roommate for access to the residence hall and/or room.
2. During normal business hours, contact the Department of Campus Safety if a roommate is not available.
3. Between 6:30 pm and 12 midnight, you may contact the RA on duty if a roommate is not available. The RA on duty can be contacted through the RA Office (West 108, x6133) or through the RA duty cell phone (540-556-5747).
4. After midnight contact Campus Safety if a roommate is not available.

Students are allowed three “free” lock-outs each academic year. Every lock out after the third will have a $20 charge, billed to the student’s account. Continued abuse of the system will result in referral to Student Conduct Council for failure to comply with university policies.

Lofts & Other Structural Devices

Lofts and other structural devices may be installed according to the following guidelines set forth by the university:

1. Lofts or other structural devices must be constructed in such a manner as not to alter the original condition of the room in any way (i.e., bolting supports to the floors/walls). Residents of the room are responsible for any damage caused by the construction, installation, use or removal of these structures. Residents remain responsible for all original furniture in their room.
2. No loft or other structural device shall be constructed where any part will be under a sprinkler head. Any access to a loft shall be a minimum of three feet from a sprinkler head or pipe.
3. No loft or other structural device shall obstruct the window at any time. A window must be operable at all times and must be usable as a means of exit or entry to the room.
4. No loft or other structural device will obstruct the doors at any time. The door must be fully operable at all times and must be usable as a mean of exit or entry to the room.
5. Lofts or other structural devices must be constructed in such a manner as to allow clear access to smoke detectors, electrical outlets and heat/AC sources.
6. No power tools may be used inside the residence halls.
7. All residents of the room must agree to the construction.
8. There must be a minimum of 36 inches between the top of the mattress and the ceiling.

Any student, or her representative, who installs any personal, electrical, mechanical, or structural devices will assume full responsibility for any damage to the building or injury to persons as a result of defective equipment and/or improper installations. Hollins University does not install and/or repair any personal electrical, mechanical or structural devices owned by or in possession of a student. University personnel will not be responsible for assembling, dismantling, storing, or disposing of any personal electrical, mechanical or structural device. These devices must be dismantled, disposed of, and the room returned to its move-in condition before the student's departure. Any personal electrical, mechanical, or structural device left in rooms after departure will result in a $100 fine and the device will be discarded.

Maintenance Requests

To request minor repairs, either in residence hall rooms or for the buildings and grounds, please use one of the following procedures.

1. Send an electronic Maintenance Request Form found on my.hollins. Fill in the information as completely as possible and submit the form. A confirmation of your request will be sent back to you.
2. Handwrite the request on a service request form available in the Botetourt lobby. Use this alternative option only if you are unable to make the request on line.
   

In cases of emergency, call the Physical Plant Office at x6485 during normal working hours. After hours and on weekends, call Campus Safety at x6419. Examples of emergencies include: no heat, no water, lock-ins/lock-outs due to mechanical failure, and any situation that could cause personal injury or damage.

Procedure for buildings and maintenance calls:

1. Buildings and maintenance calls in residence halls are conducted only between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
2. All buildings and maintenance personnel will announce themselves with “maintenance on the hall” when entering student residence halls. All buildings and maintenance personnel will knock on a room door before entering in such a manner as to be clearly audible to someone inside.
3. When a service request is received for room maintenance, only one call will be made. The problem will be attended to, and if the student is not present, a tag will be left on the outside door handle indicating the problem has been handled. If the problem cannot be corrected or finished at that time, and a return visit is necessary at a later date, a brief explanation will be written on the tag.
4. To be present when a service call is made, indicate the preferred hour and date on the service request.
   
   

Pets

Fish (defined as animals with fins and gills, living under water, in 10 gallon or less aquarium, 24 hours a day) are the only pets permitted in the residence halls. No other pets are permitted in any residence hall. Infractions of this policy will result in an initial fine of $50, and $10 per day until the pet is removed. If, after one week, the responsible party has not provided proof of the removal of the pet, the responsible party will be charged with violations of the pet policy and failure to comply with a reasonable request (through the student conduct council). All room/apartment residents are held equally responsible for violations of the pet policy, regardless of pet ownership. In cases of violations beyond a first offense, the responsible party will be immediately referred to the student conduct council and will not be given one week to provide proof of pet removal.

Should the student room or area of the residence need special cleaning or fumigation, the cost of the service will be split equally among room/apartment residents, unless one or more students accept responsibility in writing to the director of housing and residence life. In such cases, the responsible student(s) will be billed.

Any university community member may file a complaint about unapproved pets in university-owned student housing, pets that are causing a nuisance, or pets that are being abused. Complaints regarding pets in the residence halls should be filed with the director of housing and residence life. All other pet-related complaints should be directed to Campus Safety which enforces the university’s pet policy. See Pet Policy under “III. Hollins University Policies and Regulations.”

Quiet Hours

Students set quiet hours during community standard discussions on each hall. Effectively, this means that no one should have to tell you to turn your music down, turn down the bass, talk quietly, not to run in the halls, or not to slam doors during quiet hours because everyone already knows that these behaviors are inappropriate in a community living space. Students are reminded to be courteous of their neighbors and the surrounding university community at all times. During non-quiet or courtesy hours, if noise from a student’s room can be heard two doors down, it is too loud.

Students who are being disturbed by someone else’s noise are expected to ask the person(s) to be quiet in a respectful, courteous manner. The person(s) is then expected to respond in an equally respectful and courteous manner and reduce the noise to the level appropriate for quiet or courtesy hours. If the noise persists, students should contact the resident assistant on duty. Students who disregard quiet or courtesy hours will face judicial charges through the student conduct council.

Room Change Policy

As a residential campus, Hollins University affords each student with the opportunity to make their own decisions regarding their living situations and selected roommate. With this opportunity comes certain responsibilities.  All students are required to fill out a Roommate Contract. The Roommate Contract helps to facilitate open lines of communication between roommates.  Members of the housing and residence life team will be available to help initiate this process.

Room changes will not be granted during the first two weeks of a semester.  Changes may be implemented only after both roommates participate in the roommate mediation process with their RA, which may result in a renegotiation of the Roommate Contract.

If the mediation process is not successful, any student who still desires to change rooms will need to obtain a Room Change Request Form from their area supervisor or the director of housing and residence life.  Before a student is able to physically change rooms she is required to fully complete the Room Change Request Form.  An unauthorized room change will result in a $50 charge to the student’s account, and she may face possible judicial sanctions.

Room Inventories & Condition Policy

The student occupants of a room are held responsible for the furniture in the room and for the room’s physical condition. All occupants are held equally responsible. If there is damage or missing furniture, all occupants are equally assessed. If all student occupants of a room agree before the school year’s end that one or more of the occupants should be held liable for damages or missing furniture, then that student is assessed. All room occupants must agree to this, and a written agreement must be signed by them and delivered to the director of housing and residence life.

At the end of the second semester, after the university has closed, the HRL staff assesses the condition of each room on campus. They check rooms for cleanliness, physical damage, and furnishings. If there are any problems, the director of housing and residence life in conjunction with the director of plant operations and services will assess the damage and determine the amount that will be charged to the students account. Students may appeal this assessment to the director of housing and residence life.

If a student makes a room change or leaves the university during the semester, her room must be checked for damages and furniture before vacating the room. The student is responsible for meeting with an RA to review the RIF and turn in her keys to prior to leaving campus. Damages and/or fines for missing furniture will be determined in the same manner as described above.

Room Consolidation

In cases where one of the occupants moves from the assigned space the student(s) who remains will go through the consolidation process.  During this process, which occurs in October and March of each academic year, students are required to decide upon one of the following options:

• Invite another resident without a roommate to move in with her.
• Move to another room with a resident who is also without a roommate.
• Move to a single room, if available ($200 additional per semester).
• Pay to keep the double room as a single on a space-available basis only ($1,365 additional per semester).

If the student is unable to choose one of the above options and the space is available, the university may be required to charge the student the double room as a single room fee ($1,365 additional per semester).  The Office of Housing and Residence Life will be happy to assist students in trying to find a roommate. 

Storage

Due to very limited space, storage is provided for international students and students participating in abroad trips only. If space is available, students living more than nine driving-hours away may place items in storage. Please see a member of the HRL staff for local storage company information. Storage is done at the owner’s risk and the university does not take responsibility for items lost or damaged while in storage. Items left longer than one academic year will be discarded unless arrangements are made with the director of housing and residence life. Items found stored in other areas of the campus may be removed and discarded.

Guidelines for on-campus storage include:

• Storage is limited to five bags/boxes per student.
• Items must be secured in bags/boxes and clearly labeled with student name and anticipated date of return.
• Furniture, bikes, electronics, valuables, or flammable items cannot be stored.
• Students are only allowed to remove items that belong to themselves and are clearly labeled as such.
• Students must be escorted by a member of the housing and residence life staff at all times when in the storage area.
• Storage access is granted during RA Office Hours only (6:30 - 8:30 p.m.) and students should plan accordingly.
  
  

Personal Property

The university does not insure students’ personal property against fire, theft, water damage, or other such catastrophes. It is wise for students to maintain their own insurance. Students should always lock their doors when not in their rooms and should never let another person, aside from their own guest(s), into the residence hall.

University Furniture Policy

Students are prohibited from moving university-owned furniture from their rooms or from one room to another. No furniture storage is allowed. If unassigned, university-owned property is discovered in a student room, the residents of that room will share a $50 fine. The furniture must be returned to its original location and checked in with the custodial supervisor within 48 hours, or another $50 fine will be assessed. Unreturned furniture will be billed to student accounts at furniture replacement cost. Room furnishings are never to be placed in hallways, stairwells, or common areas. Policy violation results in a $50 fine each day, for each piece of furniture. It is the students’ responsibility to ensure that all furniture originally assigned to their rooms is present in the room before moving out. Students will be billed for all missing room furniture during the check-out process.





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CONTACT
Leah Schueler
Assistant Dean of Students/Director of Housing and Residence Life
lschueler@hollins.edu
(540) 362-6281