Cazenovia College
HOUSING AGREEMENT
Fall 2012 – Spring 2013
I agree to be an involved member of the residential living community, pay applicable charges, attend regular floor meetings, participate in hall activities, and abide by the College’s Code of Conduct. A resident student must be enrolled full time and maintain at least twelve (12) credit hours per semester to live in College owned or leased housing. To drop below 12 credits and remain in housing I must obtain the approval of the Vice President for Student Development. At any point during the Academic Year, residents of rooms that are not occupied at capacity may be required to relocate to a space in another room or residence hall, and/or accept that another student may be assigned to the vacancy that exists in their room. “Room” as defined in this document represents the living unit and includes apartments, suites, and lounge space being used for temporary housing. “Roommate” also represents the other residents in an apartment, suite or converted lounge space. Note all housing options other than standard occupancy rooms, i.e. single rooms, suites, and apartments are subject to additional financial charges that are not covered by financial aid.
- REGULATIONS: Resident students shall be subject to all College Regulations as stated in the current Student Handbook and the Residence Life pages located on the Cazenovia College website. If current regulations are changed, this agreement will automatically incorporate such changes.
- AGREEMENT DEADLINE: A completed Reservation Agreement must be submitted by all students prior to room assignment/lottery (Enrollment Reservation Agreement for new students/Continuing Student Reservation Agreement for current students).
- ROOM INVENTORY: The resident(s) of the space assigned shall be responsible for any loss, damage, repair, or replacement of the furnishings and the conditions of the space during the term of occupancy. Upon arrival and departure, the resident(s) will inspect the space and complete a room condition report (RCR) and submit that information to an Office of Residence Life (ORL) staff member.
- CHECK-IN PROCEDURE: Students with residence hall agreements must report as notified to complete the check-in procedure. Unless otherwise approved by the Office of Residence Life, no student may move into the residence halls before the designated date. Students with prior approval from the Office of Residence Life may move in earlier and may be charged an additional room fee.
- CHECK-OUT PROCEDURE: Resident students completing degree requirements or leaving the campus at the conclusion of the first semester must vacate their space on the day following the conclusion of their last Academic requirement for the semester. Likewise, students not completing degree requirements in the Spring must vacate their space on the day following the conclusion of their last Academic requirement for the semester. The College does not provide storage for student belongings. Resident students completing degree requirements in the Spring may remain in their space until 4:00 PM on Commencement day. Failure to check-out of your room in a proper manner will result in an improper check-out charge.
- COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITIES: Living in a residence hall is a privilege accompanied by corresponding responsibilities associated with community living. Residents assume responsibility for loss or damage to any property in the public area (lounge(s), hallway, bathrooms, etc.) within the community. The charge for replacing items stolen or damaged will be divided equally among all floor or hall residents when the responsible party can’t be identified. Moreover, residents are required to take their trash to the central drop off location for their residence hall. The need to remove trash found in common areas of residence halls will be treated as excessive service and be charged accordingly.
- CONDITION OF ROOM UPON DEPARTURE: All trash should be taken to the designated trash room; rooms should be cleaned and vacuumed by the resident(s). Failure to do so and/or failure to leave the room in an acceptable condition will result in a fine equally divided between each resident and/or forfeiture of their room choice within the College for the subsequent year. If the public areas in the hall (i.e. lounges, hallways, etc.) are left in disrepair, a charge for returning the public area to its original condition will be equally divided amongst all residents in that hall area. All personal belongings must be removed from the space assigned upon departure. The College will not assume responsibility for belongings left in the space assigned, hallway, or any other College property.
- ROOM KEY/LOCKING: Upon departure from the residence hall, room keys must be returned to an Office of Residence Life staff member – a key receipt will be provided. Failure to do so will subject the resident(s) to a lock-replacement charge of $50.00 and a key replacement charge of $25.00. Room keys may not be duplicated. If the room key is lost during the term of occupancy, a lock-replacement charge of $50.00 and a key replacement fee of $25.00 will be incurred. If a student incurs more than two lockouts, the student will be charged $75.00 for the replacement of the lock and key with the assumption that they have lost their key. Students are required to keep doors locked at all times.
- ROOM INSPECTION: To address health, safety, and security issues, a member of the College’s staff may inspect your room during the Thanksgiving Break, the Winter Break, Spring Break, and at departure. Additional inspections may occur at other times to assess damages or address issues that may arise. Resident(s) will be billed the current replacement values of those items missing, damaged or broken following each inspection period. Resident(s) who remove any furnishing(s) from their space will be responsible to make necessary changes within one day. Resident Advisors and/or College staff members will conduct inspections each semester to ensure rooms meet fire and safety requirements. When violations occur, residents will be notified in writing and provided with a specific timeframe to correct or address the alleged violation. If violations are found during any inspection appropriate judicial procedures may be initiated.
- ROOM ENTRY: The College reserves the right to enter any residence hall space for maintenance concerns, in an emergency, to address a safety concern or if there is probable cause to conclude a violation of College policy, State or Federal Law is occurring. If it is deemed necessary in aid of the basic responsibilities of the institution regarding discipline and the maintenance of an educational environment, a room may be searched and the occupant(s) required to open personal belongings for inspection.
- INDIVIDUAL AND GUEST RESPONSIBILITIES: The occupant of the space assumes responsibility for any act, behavior or conduct that originated from the space assigned or selected (this includes conduct and behavior of guests and visitors). In order to maintain a safe and secure residential environment, guests will be permitted only with prior approval of the roommate(s). Any guest may not stay more than 3 nights in succession or exceed five nights per month. Guests must be at least 18 years of age and be able to provide photo identification. Residents seeking to have guests under the age of 18 years must seek permission in advance of their arrival from the staff member from the Office of Residence Life who directly oversees the residence hall in which the resident lives. Those guests must provide photo identification. A resident can be held accountable, financially and judicially, for any damage or action of their guest. All guests/visitors present in a residence hall after 9:00 p.m. must be signed in.
- ACADEMIC RESPONSIBILITIES: A student must be enrolled full-time and maintain at least the equivalent of 12 credit hours per semester to live in College owned or leased housing. If a student drops below 12 credits s/he must obtain the approval of the Vice President for Student Development to remain in housing. Students wishing to live in Village Commons must have a cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher at the time in which they select a room during housing lottery and maintain the cumulative GPA while residing in Village Commons. Failure to do so may result in relocation to another residence hall.
- VACATION PERIODS: Residence halls are closed and card swipes are deactivated during official College vacations including Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break and Spring Break. These periods are not included in the housing agreement. Students will not be allowed in the residence halls while they are closed for vacations without prior authorization.
A resident occupying a room during a break period without prior authorization is subject to disciplinary action and immediate removal from the residence hall. Under special circumstances, that is, in order to minimize the number of facilities in use for the purpose of conserving energy and reducing operating expenses, the College reserves the right to temporarily reassign students required to be on campus during vacation periods. If a student requires housing during periods when the halls are closed they may be asked to sign up to live in the areas denoted for Break housing. - PERSONAL INSURANCE: The College accepts no responsibility for the theft, loss, or damage of personal property. Students are urged to purchase their own insurance to cover such losses. Family homeowner's insurance policies sometimes provide coverage for the personal property of a family member away at college; students are encouraged to check with their family's insurance agent.
- REASSIGNMENT PROCESS: The College, through the Director of Housing Operations, reserves the right to temporarily or permanently reassign students at any time during the term of occupancy. At any point during the academic year, residents of rooms that are not occupied at capacity may be required to relocate to a space in another room or residence hall, and/or accept that another student may be assigned to the vacancy that exists in their room.
- ROOM CHANGES: Unauthorized room changes are prohibited; a student may not move from his/her assigned space to any other space without authorization of the Office of Residence Life. There is a two-week room freeze implemented for first-year students in which students cannot change rooms. Students in violation of this provision may be subject to a fine of $150.00 and/or cancellation of their assignment.
- REMOVAL FROM RESIDENCE: Residency in a College facility is a privilege. Failure to abide by College policies and procedures as outlined in the Student Handbook may result in a student being removed from housing.
- ALCOHOL/ILLEGAL DRUGS: Cazenovia College supports and abides by the laws of New York State which make the selling, serving and consumption of alcoholic beverages to individuals under the age of 21 an illegal act. The intent of this policy is to permit private and individual use of alcoholic beverages in a legal and responsible way by those students age 21 or older. Cazenovia College will not tolerate the unlawful possession and/or use of controlled substances on its premises. The unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensation, possession, or use of a controlled substance or drug paraphernalia is prohibited in and on property owned or controlled by Cazenovia College. Refer to the Student Handbook for the detailed alcohol and illegal drug policies.
- QUIET HOURS/COURTESY HOURS: It is expected that every resident and guest in the residence halls maintain a noise level that does not disturb their neighbors. As members of the Cazenovia College and Village communities, it is essential that everyone respect the needs and rights of others in these communities. It is never appropriate to blast music or scream from windows. Audio speakers may not be pointed out of windows at any time.
Residence hall quiet hours are observed from 10:00 p.m. in the evening Sunday through Thursday until 10:00 a.m. the following morning. During weekends quiet hours begin Saturday and Sunday at Midnight through Noon on each of these days. During the last week of classes, quiet hours are extended to 24 hours a day. Courtesy hours are in effect 24 hours a day at all times. - PETS: Pets are not allowed in student rooms. The only exceptions are service animals and legal fish. Pets that are in violation of this policy will be removed from the building immediately and students in violation of this policy will be subject to disciplinary action.
- CANDLES/INCENSE: The use of fire or flames for any purpose is strictly prohibited. Candles (including decorative candles), incense or candle warmers, are not permitted in the residence halls.
- APPLIANCES AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT: Appliances and electrical equipment can overload the electrical capacity of residence halls and can cause serious electrical fires, wire damage and blackouts. The following guidelines should be followed to insure safe use of electrical outlets.
- All electrical items must be Underwriters Laboratory Approved and in good operating condition.
- Power strips are allowed, provided they contain built-in circuit breakers. Power strips may not be plugged into other power strips.
- Extension cords are not permitted.
- Small appliances with exposed heating elements (i.e. some types of coffee pots, hot pots, hot plates, George Foreman grills, etc.) are not permitted in the residence halls. Cooking in rooms and hallways is not permitted by state regulations. Students are encouraged to use common residence cooking areas for the preparation of food.
- Only one appliance per outlet may be used.
- Due to electrical draw, refrigerators are limited to no more than 1.7 cubic feet capacity per person. Refrigerators must be plugged directly into a wall socket. Refrigerators must be placed in an area where they are properly ventilated (not in closets).
- Halogen lamps are not permitted.
- Decorative, string lights are not permitted in student rooms under any circumstances.
- FIRE SAFETY: No alteration or decoration of student rooms (e.g. decorative canopies on the ceiling, lofted or bunked beds, etc.) that interferes with or compromises the full effectiveness of fire safety systems is allowed. Furniture that does not meet basic fire safety standards is prohibited in residence halls. No more than 30% of a residence hall room (including doors and windows) may be covered by decorations.
Fire extinguishers, fire doors, and fire alarm and sprinkler systems should never be used nor tampered with except in cases of a fire or during an official drill. Misuse of these items will result in disciplinary action and may lead to suspension or dismissal from the College, and the involvement of local law enforcement agencies. Students must fully and immediately evacuate buildings when the fire alarm sounds. Failure to evacuate may lead to disciplinary action. - RECYCLING: The occupants of the space assigned assume responsibility for separating recyclable glass, aluminum cans, and paper, and agree to deposit these products in the respective containers within the hall.
- TELEPHONE AND INTERNET ACCESS: Residents are responsible for providing and repairing their own room telephone in the residence halls. The telephone must be a single line, touch tone phone. For technical reasons, residents may not use personal answering machines, and must use the college-sponsored voice-mail system. In addition a SIP adapter must be obtained from ICT in order to have access to telephone service. This hardware is provided at no charge, however if it is not returned upon your leaving campus at the completion of the year you will be assessed a replacement fee. A technician is available to check possible problems with the line itself, not individual telephones. Cazenovia College cannot be held responsible for phones that are incompatible with the College telephone system. Collect calls may not be accepted. Any student making or attempting to make fraudulent telephone calls will pay the cost of these calls plus a fine, costs of collection and be subject to disciplinary action. Fraudulent use includes unauthorized calls placed from or charged to any telephone. Fraudulent calls placed from or charged to College telephones are subject to criminal prosecution and/or disciplinary action by the College.
For a more detailed description of policies please contact the Admissions Office (1.800.654.3210 or 315.655.7208) or the Office of Student Development (315.655.7237) for a copy of the Student Handbook, College Catalog or information about Office of Residence Life policies. These documents are also available on our website. The most current Student Handbook is available online in the Student Life section. The College Catalog can be found in the Academics section of our website. Lastly, you will find the Office of Residence Life policies in the Residence Life section. It is important for all students to familiarize themselves with the policies and procedures of the College.
December 8, 2011