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Residence Hall Regulations

Overview

All students are expected to maintain a living atmosphere within the residence hall that is conducive to academic success, personal development, and community interaction. In order to assure that the residence halls are a place where these standards are met, the following rules and regulations have been established. All university policies apply and will be enforced in addition to specific Residence Life regulations. The university reserves all rights to incorporate amendments to and new regulations at any time. Students will be informed of all new policies.

Appliances

Electrical appliances that may constitute a fire hazard may not be used within the residence hall.

  • Specific appliances not permitted are portable heaters, air conditioners, hot plates, crockpots, deep fat fryers, and soldering irons. Appliances such as radios, TVs and stereos with frayed cords, damaged plugs, etc., are also not permissible.
  • Questions on other specific items should be directed to the Office of Residence Life.

Cleanliness

Residents are expected to maintain a respectable level of cleanliness and sanitation in their rooms and living units. This regulation includes restrooms and lounge areas, as well as kitchen facilities in the residence halls. Residents may not abuse the common area of the residence halls (lounges, hallways, restrooms, kitchens, etc.). This regulation includes littering inside and outside the residence halls. The fine for littering is $25. Students are expected to use trash containers located in common areas or receptacles in their own rooms for trash disposal. Laundry may only be done in the laundry rooms designed for that purpose. When a resident’s laundry has been completed, it should be removed immediately so that others may use the same facilities.

Damage and Vandalism

All damage should be reported to the floor resident assistant or security immediately. Quick response to a situation may avoid possible safety hazards and additional damage charges. Breakage and damage charges are assessed against the resident(s) responsible in a room or common area where damage has been found.

Charges may be levied for damage to the outside of windows or doors as well. Damage to the common areas for which accountability cannot be determined will be assessed to students living in that area or building. This may include lobby areas as well as stairwells, hallways and laundry areas.

Accidental damage caused by a student will be treated as such provided that they report the damage at the time of the occurrence. Failure to report accidental damage will be treated as vandalism and will result in a fine of $100 plus all repair costs and potential further disciplinary action. Residents may not remove or rearrange any fixed furnishings within the room or the common area. The resident will be charged for re-installation of any fixed furnishings that are moved including toilet seats, window screens, handrails, etc.

In some cases such as the removal of window screens, a fine of $50 will be assessed to the responsible parties. All alterations to student rooms contemplated by residents must have written approval from the housing director prior to alteration. Failure to do so may result in appropriate charges and/or disciplinary action.

Painting the walls, creating lofts, use of thumbtacks, use of nails or screws and the use of damaging or difficult to remove adhesives are not permitted. Furniture items may not be disassembled with the exception of unbunking or adjusting the height of the beds.

All room furnishings must remain in the suite in which they originated. Only University provided furniture may be used in campus housing without prior and written permission from Residence Life.  Requests for personal furnishings will only be considered in the case of a request for a reasonable accommodation by the coordinator of accessibility services.

Students are not permitted to move or remove the ceiling tiles from the framework. In addition, items should not be stored in or above the ceiling or hung from the ceiling grid work.

Flammable Items: Burning any item in the residence halls is not permitted.

  • Using candles, incense, heat engravers, soldering irons, or other items that might result in a fire such as appliances that have open coils is prohibited. If a situation occurs in which it cannot be determined who is responsible for usage of such items, a fine will be issued to all occupants of the room.

Furnishings: Only University provided furniture may be used in campus housing.

  • Written permission must be obtained from Office of Residence Life prior to bringing extra furnishings into a resident’s room.
  • This includes refrigerators over 4.0 cubic feet, overstuffed chairs, couches, etc.

Internet Connectivity

Network lines may not be connected between rooms or floors without prior approval of the Office of Residence Life.

Keys and Access Cards

All keys issued to a resident are the property of the university and must be returned when he/she checks out or changes rooms. If any key is lost, it should be reported immediately. If a key is lost or stolen, the lock on the room door will be changed and a charge will be assessed as outlined on the housing contract. To protect residents, all keys are numbered and assigned to the student by that number. Lost access badges (student ID) will be deactivated and result in a $20 replacement charge. Each student receives a mailbox key and a key to the exterior door of their living unit, as well as a bedroom key, if applicable. These keys may not be duplicated, exchanged, or shared without permission from the Office of Residence Life. ID cards may not be loaned as outlined on the back of the ID.

Laundry

Laundry facilities are available to resident students only. Students living off campus may not use laundry facilities without prior approval from Office of Residence Life.

Pets

For health, safety and humane reasons, animals or pets of any kind are not allowed in the residence halls. The only exception to this is an aquarium (maximum size of 20 gallons) containing fish that are unable to live outside of the water and pose no potential danger to individuals through incidental contact. Piranha, sharks and fish of such nature are not permitted. Violations of this policy will result in a $250 fine and the removal of the animal or pet within 24 hours. Further violations or failure to comply with the removal instructions may result in additional fines and the potential cancellation of a housing contract without refund of any fees. Any questions regarding this policy or exceptions should be communicated to the residence life office.

Porches or Balconies

Per Fort Wayne’s city code, only furniture originally designed or manufactured solely for outdoor use may be stored or located on any university owned porch, patio, balcony, or lot including those at all residential facilities. Any citation involving fines issued for violations of this provision by the city will be the direct responsibility of the students found in violation. City code also states that grills and flammable liquids may not be used or stored on porches of any community living facility such as residence halls.

Sports Activities

There is to be no unauthorized sport activities of any nature permitted in the residence hall corridors, student rooms, or common areas.

  • This includes bouncing or dribbling of balls, running, or general horseplay.

Unauthorized Entry

Entering another student’s room while the student is not present is not permitted. Unauthorized entry may be construed as trespassing and/or as an attempted theft or burglary. The use of roofs on university buildings is prohibited for social and personal purposes.

Weapons

Swords and other weapons including those of a decorative nature are not permitted in the residence halls.

  • Discharging, possessing, or using any type of weapon inside a residence hall will result in the confiscation of the item, repair costs and disciplinary sanctions.
  • General pocket knives are permissible but use in a threatening manner will be deemed as a weapons policy violation.
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