The residence facilities at Wilmington College, or provided by the College, are more than just a place to sleep and study. They are living/learning environments that promote individual growth and development. They also provide a community living experience, which is rich with learning opportunities. For many, community living is a new experience; as with any community of people, some guidelines are necessary. The following policies will help facilitate cooperation, appreciation for new ideas, cultural and lifestyle differences. Wilmington College does not offer family housing at this time; children are not permitted to reside in student residences on campus.
Fire Equipment and Safety
Fire safety equipment is to be used only for the purpose for which it was designed. Misuse of or damage to fire safety equipment (i.e., fire alarms, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, emergency exit doors and alarms, etc.) or failure to leave a building during a fire alarm or a fire drill will be considered a serious matter which will result in disciplinary action and possible legal action. Damaging, disassembling, or removing the battery from a smoke detector will result in an automatic $25.00 fine and possible disciplinary action. The resident is responsible for testing the smoke detector in their living space and reporting malfunction to the Housing staff in writing. Setting off a false fire alarm or using a fire extinguisher for other reasons than to put out a fire endangers the lives of all occupants of a building. Persons committing such acts will be sanctioned to the full extent of the Student Code of Conduct and may be subject to legal action, including prosecution by off-campus authorities. All storage in a non-sprinkler facility should remain 24” from the ceiling. No items are permitted to hang from the ceiling. Decorative items may not be strung throughout the hallway without permission from the Director Residence Life. Any permitted items must be removed within the time limit specified by the Director of Residence Life.
Every campus building is equipped with a fire alarm system and smoke detectors are in every room. If the fire alarm should ring, everyone must vacate the area immediately according to the hall fire evacuation plan. No one may re-enter the building without the authorization of the Housing staff, Campus Safety or the Fire Department. In addition, fire safety inspections will be conducted at least once a year by the Housing staff. The Housing staff may enter any room without prior notification to determine if a violation of fire safety policies exists.
To afford residents easy egress from buildings in emergency situations, bicycles may not be kept in hallways, stairwells, or public areas inside the residence halls.
In Case of Fire:
- Quickly extinguish any small fire that may be encountered by cutting off the oxygen supply. Fire extinguishers are located on every hall.
- Should any fire be encountered, immediately pull the fire alarm lever on the floor where the fire is discovered. The Housing staff will notify Campus Safety. Campus Safety will notify the Wilmington Fire Department.
Evacuation Procedure:
- Alert other roommate(s) to the alarm.
- Put on your shoes and coat. Take a wet towel.
- Close your window. Leave blinds or draperies open.
- Leave your room lights on.
- Close the door but DO NOT LOCK IT!
- Proceed calmly to the designated exit and leave the building.
- Handicapped persons proceed to assigned areas.
- Follow the general evacuation plan for the building.
- Remain in assigned area until authorized to return to the building.
- Remain calm. Do not panic or initiate panic.
DO NOT:
- Use the elevators during an evacuation.
- Open door if the door or door handle feels hot.
- Attempt to save personal belongings.
- Tamper with fire safety equipment.
- Remain in the building during an alarm. Specific directions may be found on wall charts located on each floor. Please acquaint yourself with the evacuation plan.
First-Year Residence Halls
All first-year students are housed in Austin/Pickett Halls, as space permits. Overflow first-year students may be housed in upper-class housing, and vice versa. This allows for a greater sense of bonding with the incoming class and provides greater opportunities for academic support and outreach.
First-year resident students can be exempt from living on a first-year floor if they are transfer students with more than 12 semester hours or if they are 21 years of age or older, as space permits. To be exempt from this requirement, a written request must be submitted to and approved by the Director of Residence Life.
No room changes to upper-class student floors will be allowed until the end of the first semester. Mandatory first-year student floor meetings will be scheduled for all first-year residents. Failure to attend mandatory floor meetings may be considered a violation of the Student Code of Conduct.
Guests
Guests include students from other residence halls, students of the College who live off campus, and persons not affiliated with the College but visiting. All guests are subject to College policies, rules and regulations. Hosts are responsible for the actions of, and/or any damages caused by their guests. It is the responsibility of the host to inform their guest(s) about the rules and regulations of the campus and to accompany their guest(s) while on campus. An overnight guest is defined as anyone who is not a resident of a particular room but spends the night in that room. This includes Wilmington College students who live in other residence halls.
Students may occasionally have overnight guests. However, the host student must register his/her guest. Guest registration forms can be obtained from the Housing Office, RA of the floor, or the RA on duty in the residence hall upon the guest’s arrival. This is done for safety and security reasons.
- Failure to register an overnight guest is a violation of the guest visitation policy and may result in loss of privileges.
- Overnight guests must carry a picture ID and copy of the guest registration form at all times.
- Guests must be escorted at all times while in the residence halls.
- Roommates must agree on having overnight guests each time a guest stays overnight. If one roommate is not comfortable, the guest must leave. The privacy of the roommate(s) or housemates takes priority over the presence and behavior of the guest. In all cases, the rights of the residents of the room or house to uninterrupted use of the space take precedence over the privilege of guest visitation.
- Overnight guests may only stay 48 hours or 2 nights in any seven-day period. Students and guests who abuse this policy may be subject to judicial action, fines, and loss of this privilege.
It is the responsibility of the host to inform his/her guest about the rules of the residence halls and to accompany their guest while on campus. The host is responsible for the actions of his/her guest. If a particular guest becomes a problem, visiting privileges may be revoked or restricted.
It is always advisable for a student and his/her roommate to discuss having an overnight guest. Permission of the roommate should also be obtained in advance of having an overnight guest each time that guest is planning to stay overnight.
Students enrolled at Wilmington College who visit students living in the residence halls are expected to abide by the following:
- As with non-student guests, consent is obtained from roommate(s) or housemates. In all cases, the rights of the residents of the room, house, or apartment are paramount and take precedence over the privilege of visitation.
- Unescorted Wilmington College student visitors are not permitted in residence halls between the hours of midnight and noon, Monday through Friday, and between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and noon Saturday and Sunday. Resident hosts must escort their visitors during these times.
- Sanctions for violations of this policy may include a restriction from visiting residential facilities. The resident in violation could be charged with trespassing.
- Residents are responsible for insuring that their Wilmington College student visitor(s) comply with all policies and procedures. A host student can be held accountable for any policy violations, damage, etc., attributed to his/her visitor(s).
- Wilmington College student visitors are permitted to stay in hosts’ room overnight for no more than two (2) nights in any seven (7) day period.
- Abuse of the visitation policy can result in revocation of guest privileges.
- Cohabitation of anyone other than the assigned roommate(s) is not allowed.
Room Assignments
Upper-class students are given the opportunity in the spring to make room selections for the following fall semester. Details and information regarding room selection are distributed every spring. Should you have further questions about this procedure, please contact the Housing Office.
Room assignments for new students are made in the order that completed housing applications and housing deposits are received in Admissions. Contact the Housing Office if a student has special needs, or for special requests. Also considered in making room assignments are student preferences regarding residence halls, smoking, musical preferences, attitudes about alcohol, and roommates. The Housing Office tries to honor the preference requests made on the housing application but does not make any guarantees. Once a room assignment has been made, it cannot be changed, so students requesting roommates must coordinate their applications to reflect their roommate preferences.
All returning students who request on-campus housing must pay a non-refundable room reservation deposit and be registered for fall classes by the deadline (this day is announced and publicized in the Spring semester). This non-refundable room reservation deposit will be the final step in securing on campus housing and will confirm fall semester room assignments. Students who do not pay the deposit by the deadline will not be guaranteed preferred housing assignments. Failure to pay the deposit or register on time results in the student’s placement in an available space. These students may have no choice in their placement.
Unless necessitated by overcrowded conditions, only the designated number of students may occupy a particular residence hall room. For example, a double room may not house more than two residents and no more than two beds. If overcrowding occurs, double rooms may be tripled or quadrupled beginning with the last assigned first-year rooms, then going backward through the room assignment/ selection order. Triples and quads will be broken down as soon as possible.
Room Changes
If for one reason or another it becomes necessary to make a room change, the RA must be contacted. The Housing staff will try to facilitate a resolution to the problem. If this cannot be accomplished, the Director of Residence Life may approve a room change. The procedure for a room change is described step-by-step, on the Room Change Form. This procedure must be followed closely, or the room change will be considered illegal. Students who change rooms or exchange keys without authorization will be subject to fines and disciplinary action which may include loss of future room selection privileges.
No room changes will be authorized within the first three weeks of the semester.
Room Consolidation
Residents who find themselves in an under-assigned room or apartment may face consolidation. Consolidation exists to bring equity among residents. Students in under-assigned spaces must do one of the following by the third Monday of each semester, or no later than seven (7) calendar days from the date the space becomes under-assigned.
- Request a space buyout and pay the additional daily pro-rated charge (exact rate may be obtained by contacting the Housing Office).
- Have another student move into his/her open space (Secure authorization from the Housing Office).
- Transfer to another assigned space (Secure authorization from the Housing Office).
Single Room
During the year, single rooms will be issued according to the Single Room Waiting List as space in the residence halls allows. During room selection in the spring, no singles will be issued except those rooms designated as singles because of their small size. After room selection, single rooms will be granted according to the Single Room Waiting List. Residents who would like a single room should direct their request to the Housing Office. A single room costs 50% more per semester than a double room. Single rooms will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
Triple Room/Quad room (Standard)
Standard triple and quad rooms are assigned during room selection in the spring. If a vacancy occurs in a triple or quad room, the Room Consolidation Policy applies. The cost of keeping a standard triple room as a double, or standard quad room as a triple, is 25% more than the cost of a double room. Standard triple and quad rooms are large enough to accommodate three people or four people respectively, therefore, standard triple and quad rooms are charged at the same rate as double rooms.
Standard triples or quads are not eligible to be bought out as singles.
Room Check-In
Students may begin checking into their residence hall rooms for the academic year or semester on the day that residence halls are scheduled to open. A returning resident checks in by picking up a room key and an outside door key in the lobby of his/her assigned residence hall and completing a Housing Contract if he/she has not already done so. Shortly thereafter, the student receives a Room Condition Report to complete and sign to verify the current condition of the room. The purpose of the Room Condition Report is twofold:
- All malfunctions in a room are recorded and reported to the Physical Plant so that attention can be given to them.
- The Room Condition Report allows the student to verify the pieces of furniture provided by the College, note the condition of the room and any discrepancies. If, at the end of the school year, no additional damages have occurred, the student will not be held responsible for problems that predated his/her arrival. Failure to include damaged/missing items may result in the student being found responsible for the damages.
It is your interest to complete a Room Condition Report (RCR) or an Apartment Condition Report (ACR). These reports are our only means of tracking damages so that the responsible parties are held accountable. If you do not file an RCR or ACR with the Housing Office, we will not accept any damage charge appeals.
Unauthorized early arrivals will be billed on a per-day basis unless the student is on campus for a Wilmington College-sponsored necessity. Students who allow the unauthorized early arrival of a roommate are subject to charges or disciplinary action as well.
Room Checkout
When checking out of the room at the end of the academic year, it is imperative that the room is left as it was upon arrival: completely vacated and left reasonably clean. Students are required to check out within 24 hours after his/her last exam. Seniors must check out following their graduation ceremony.
The furniture that is in the room at the beginning of the year must be there when the student leaves at the end of the academic year. This also applies if a student leaves the residence hall at any time during the year, for any reason (even to move to another room). The cost of replacing furniture will be billed to the occupants of that particular room, unless individual responsibility is established.
Rooms are to be left in good condition, with trash properly disposed of and floors “broom clean.” If debris is swept into the hallway, fines and charges will be assessed accordingly.
Students should arrange with a RA or RD to have a closing check made just before departure. Any damage not reported at the time of the original occupancy will be listed on the Room Condition Report, signed by the student and the RA/RD, and charged to the student’s damage deposit account. When this is not possible, the student should make arrangements for Express Checkout. Room checkout is subject to verification by the Director of Residence Life or his/her designee.
Students may be charged a fee for improper checkout if they:
- Fail to set up a checkout time.
- Are not prepared to check out at their designated checkout time.
- Fail to sign the RCR or ACR and/or fail to return keys before leaving.
In the event that the student does not arrange for the room check out with a staff member, the room will be checked after departure, a $50 improper check-out fine may be imposed, and students will be billed for any damage found at that time.
Before the student leaves campus, keys must be returned to the Housing Office to avoid key replacement costs.
Appeal of any of the above charges must be submitted in writing to the Director of Residence Life within ten days of the date of the letter notifying a student of charges.
If, during a semester, a student plans to move out of the residence hall completely, the Housing Office must be contacted, and the appropriate forms completed. Any student moving out of a residence hall during the academic year will be considered a resident until the Housing Office personnel receive room keys. Charges will be made according to the Housing Contract and the College refund policy.
Withdrawals, Leaves of Absences, Suspensions, or Dismissals
Students withdrawing or taking leave of absence from the College must vacate the College residence facilities of all personal possessions and turn in their keys within 48 hours of the effective date on the withdraw/leave of absence form. If this 48 period falls on the weekend, the student should put keys in an envelope and drop in the mail slot on the Housing Office door. Write the student’s name, building and room number on the envelope. If Pyle Center is closed, the envelope should be given to Campus Safety.
Students who are suspended or dismissed from the College must contact the Housing Office within 48 hours of receiving official notice from the Office of Academic Affairs. If you do not contract the Housing Office, you will receive a call from Housing to set up a time for you to remove your personal possessions.
If the student fails to vacate the facilities and turn in the keys within the designated 48-hour period, the College reserves the right to bill the student for continued occupancy of the space or pack up the belongings and discard at the owner’s expense.
The College reserves the right to remove personal belongings from rooms/apartments/houses that have been abandoned. A space will be considered abandoned when: there is a failure to pick up and/or respond to mail (including voice and electronic mail) notices, and/or deliveries; failure to respond to written notice posted on student’s door requesting verification of their presence on the premises; or removal of a substantial portion of the student’s personal property.