I. Philosophy
The Office of Housing and Residence Life considers living in the Apartment Communities to be a privilege. Living in an apartment adds a measure of privacy, but at the same time inserts a measure of complexity to group living in that you and your apartment mates have to begin to be more self-sufficient. For instance, apartment mates need to cooperate with each other to clean common areas, decide who buys what, and who supplies toilet paper or paper towels and kitchen wares. It is our assumption that residents understand the need for a population composed of mature, self-regulating individuals. It is assumed that residents are mature enough to confront their own situations and use mature problem-solving methods when dealing with issues such as roommate conflict, noise, lock-outs, and resource management.
With the independence and autonomy afforded to residents of apartment communities comes a requisite degree of responsibility. Residents are expected to hold themselves to a higher standard of conduct than those who are new to the collegiate environment. This is especially evident in regards to consideration for others; it is important to respect others’ right to be in a quiet environment that facilitates academic growth and success. Residents who cause disruptions which require staff intervention are hereby informed that they will be met with by the professional staff of the Office of Housing and Residence Life and may be denied permission to continue to live in these facilities. Roommate conflicts may be referred to a Student Conduct Board for resolution.
II. Facilities and Services
Fans, Ventilation
The University strongly encourages residents to turn on their exhaust fans in the kitchen when cooking. This helps keep the smoke detectors in the kitchen from going off unnecessarily. In addition, please allow the automatic fan in the bathroom to run to avoid mildew build-up.
Common Areas and Services: Cleaning and Care
Custodial service is provided only for common areas such as corridors, lounges, and laundry rooms. It is the resident’s responsibility to maintain an individual apartment. Vacuums are available for check out from the Residence Hall Staff. Custodians are not responsible for excessive messes in common areas. Group billing may occur under these circumstances.
In caring for an apartment, please use a soft non-abrasive cleaner like Soft Scrub. Please avoid flushing paper towels, excessive amounts of toilet paper, or feminine hygiene products down the toilet. They will quickly clog the toilet. Clogged toilets have been an on-going problem for residents mainly because they have not adhered to these simple guidelines.
Common Areas, Responsibility for
In individual residential units with shared living space such as bathrooms, living rooms, hallways, kitchens and jointly-held storage space, all residents with access to, and control over, the shared space will be held accountable for violations of University policies.
Laundry
As with the residence halls, the laundry room is for apartment residents only. Residents using these amenities are asked to be courteous and remove their belongings from the washer and/or dryer immediately after the completion of the cycle. Articles not removed in a timely manner risk being removed by other residents doing laundry or may be stolen if left unattended.
Non-residents found doing laundry in apartments should be reported to the Campus Public Safety & Security Department or your Residence Hall Staff member.
Alcoholic Beverages in Upper Division Apartments
Please refer to the Student Conduct Code for a detailed description of how alcohol policy is applied to upper division housing facilities. Residents are encouraged not to have under aged guests over while consuming alcoholic beverages to avoid the appearance that they may be distributing such beverage to under aged students.