Parent Connection

Policies & Procedures

University Housing works to provide a safe, healthy and educational environment for residents to live. In order to do so there must be policies and procedures in place to hold residents accountable for behavior. Policy enforcement ensures that residents are taking responsibility for their action and Housing staff is upholding the rights of each resident.

All policies and procedures can be found in the Living Guide.

Below we have highlighted several policies and procedures from the Living Guide. However, we still encourage you and your student to be familiar with the Living Guide in its entirety.

Policies

Alcohol

Each resident of University Housing is the person responsible for informing his/her guests of these regulations and ensuring that guests are in compliance with the University policy on alcohol beverages. The resident may be subject to disciplinary action for guests non-compliance with these regulations. Non-student guests may be subject to civil and criminal action for violation of these regulations.

Intoxication is not an acceptable or appropriate condition and may be cause for disciplinary action. Intoxication is defined as either (1) not having the normal use of mental or physical facilities due to the introduction of alcohol or other drugs into the body; or (2) have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or more.

Bluff, Prairie and Woodland residents and guests are not permitted to have alcohol, alcohol containers (even if empty), or devices used for rapid consumption of alcohol. This policy is applicable to all residents regardless of age.

Evergreen and Cougar Village residents and their guests must be 21 years of age or older if they choose to possess and /or consume alcohol in their residence. Please see more stipulations of this policy in the Living Guide.

Kegs: Possession of a keg on University property will lead to termination of residency. Containers holding more than one gallon of alcoholic beverages or devices promoting the rapid consumption of alcohol (i.e. - funnels, bongs, etc.) are prohibited on University property and will be confiscated.

Keys

The living unit key residents receive at check-in is the principal means of security for the resident belongings and those of roommates's belongings. It is important to keep the living unit locked at all times to prevent theft. The key is University property and may not be loaned or duplicated. Lending a key to anyone or attempting to obtain another resident's lock out key is a security violation and will be treated as a disciplinary matter. Building front desks hold lock out keys in the event of a resident locking their key in their room or temporarily replacing it. If a key is permanently lost the living unit will have its locks changed at a charge to the resident.

Noise

Noise levels in and around University Housing are expected to be moderate and conducive to a positive study environment. The right to study is clearly greater than the right to make noise. Roommates and neighbors should reach a general agreement about acceptable noise levels to prevent conflict.

If your child is having difficulty with a neighbor regarding noise, they should attempt to talk to the person and resolve the problem. If they have further difficulty, they should call the Front Desk/Commons Desk. The desk worker will then contact a Resident Assistant to follow up with the situation.

Procedures

Student Accountability Process

Students residing in University Housing will be held accountable for their behaviors. The process will begin by a staff member documenting an alleged policy violation. The following 5 steps will take place.

1. Notice of a possible violation should be reported to a Community/Hall Director (Conduct Officer). Notice of a possible violation can be submitted in writing by anyone in the University community.
2. After reviewing the notice of a possible violation, the Conduct Officer will request in writing an initial conference with the student or students involved. The notice must contain: The request for a conference by a specified deadline, and the alleged conduct of the student or guest; i.e. charges. The purpose of the meeting is to make the student aware of charges and discuss his/her involvement in order to determine whether further action is warranted.
3. The Conduct Officer manages the initial conference. Should the Conduct Officer be one of the parties involved in the matter at issue, another Conduct Officer will be appointed by the Direct of University Housing to manage the initial conference. At the conference, the Conduct Officer will: a) Explain the charges and request information from the student. b) Determine if further action is warranted. c) Request a plea from the student. d) Determine if the Conduct Office can decide the case or if the student must  be charged with social misconduct as outlined in the Student Conduct Code. e) If charges are non-residents or the incident may jeopardize the student's enrollment status, the case will not be decided by the Conduct Officer. f) If the student does not attend the initial meeting/hearing, the case is decided based on the information the Conduct Officer has at the time.
4. If it is determined that the Conduct Officer will decide the case, he/she may do so at the initial conference. He/she has the following options: a) Dismiss the case. b) Sanction the student. c) Refer the case to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.
5. A student has the right to appeal the decision of the Conduct Officer. Appeals should be submitted in writing to the Director of University Housing within two working days of the date of the sanction letter.

Further details on sanctions and appeals can be found in the Living Guide.

Room Assignments

Residents are assigned roommates prior to move in. Residents must remain in their assigned space for the first two weeks of the semester. If a resident is unhappy with their assignment they must follow the process below:

1. Talk with their roommate about the concerns they have.
2. Talk to their assigned Resident Assistant (RA) about their concerns. The RA may then mediate a conversation between the residents to come to a viable solution.
3. If concerns persist, discuss with RA again.
4. If there are still concerns then the resident may make an appointment with the Hall/Community Director to discuss concerns. Residents are granted space changes only if there is an issue that cannot be resolved AND if there is available space.

If a resident requests a space change he/she must be patient. It is a process that takes time and collaborations with several staff members. It is a resident's responsibility to do all they can to resolve the problem before the Hall/Community Director will consider a space change.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's educational records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. If you have a college level student, all University records belong to the student and you, the parent/guardian do not have access to them unless a student signs a waiver. The waiver allows University staff to disclose that information to the parent/guardian. A student must sign the document. Parents/Guardians can partner with the University by having an open conversation with their student about their activity at the University.

Further information can be found at:
http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html