Room Information & Hall Procedures

The Residence Hall move-in dates for residents is the Sunday before Labor Day for the Fall semester and the day before classes begin for the Spring semester during designated times. Alternate arrangements following the identified check in times will need to be coordinated with the Housing and Residence Life Office. Residents must vacate the halls 24 hours after their last final exam during the fall and spring semesters. Residents will be charged $25 per half hour after the building closes if they fail to vacate- not to exceed $200. Any exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Director of Housing and Residence Life or his/her designee, a minimum of one week in advance.

Residents must vacate the halls during all college vacation periods. When leaving for the vacation periods, residents are responsible for the following:

• All windows and doors must be closed and locked.
• All window blinds must be drawn.
• Clean the room and suite; empty wastebaskets, remove all perishable food items from refrigerators and rooms and take all trash to designated location. Please note: there is a $25 fee for each bag of trash that has to be removed from the suite.
• All electronic appliances, excluding housing issued refrigerator, microwave and oven, must be unplugged. Personal mini-refrigerators only need to be unplugged during winter break.
• Take all personal items that will be needed during the break period. Residents will not have access to their room or suite during the break period.
• Set thermostat in the suite to 65 degrees and set to auto.
• Remove all valuable personal belongings. The MCC Association, Inc. is not responsible for lost or stolen property.

A Housing and Residence Life staff member will check each room and suite to ensure that the above guidelines have been followed. All prohibited items will be confiscated.

The Department of Housing and Residence Life reserves the right to authorize personnel to enter into any area of a suite in the absence of the resident. The authorized personnel include, but are not limited to: professional members of the Student Services staff, Resident Assistants, Resident Directors, the Director of Housing and Residence Life, Public Safety, and repair/maintenance personnel.

Housing and Residence staff will inspect rooms during weekly safety inspections, semester breaks, and other times designated by the Director of Housing and Residence Life. Please see the Health and Safety Policy for more information.

If it is believed that an immediate danger exists in a bedroom or suite, staff will contact Public Safety for assistance. Examples of these situations include, but are not limited to; fire, possession of chemicals, explosives, weapons, or other items that would cause serious injury. The same procedure is prescribed if the danger involves assault or other acts constituting possible jeopardy to persons or property. Staff or residents may be asked to assist in an emergency situation requiring room entry which threatens immediate harm to the safety of the individuals.

Staff may also enter into a resident’s room to eliminate disruptive noise from electronic equipment which may violate an individual’s right to sleep or study. This includes, but is not limited to, unattended stereos, televisions and alarm clocks.

State and federal laws govern entry of police officers and Public Safety officers into a resident’s room for purposes of investigation. This includes, but is not necessarily limited to, officers in possession of a valid search/arrest warrant, hot pursuit, a safety emergency, or when a police officer/security officer has probable cause to believe a felony is being or has been committed by the individual therein.

Residents are members of a community and are expected to act responsibly and not to interfere with the rights, comfort, or safety of their roommates, suitemates or other residents. Excessive noise and disorderly behavior will not be tolerated.

Courtesy hours are in effect 24-hours a day. Residents have the right to ask (with the expectations of compliance) that fellow residents hold noise to a level that he/she will not be able to hear. If a resident does not comply with the request by a fellow resident or staff member, student conduct action may be taken. In addition to courtesy hours, specific quiet hours are as follows:

• 10:00pm to 9:00am on Sunday through Thursday nights
• 12:00am (midnight) to 9:00am on Friday and Saturday nights

During quiet hours, residents are requested to refrain from congregating in the hallway or lobby areas; loud talking or laughing, pounding, running; playing loud music, radios, television, or musical instruments. Quiet hours pertain to the interior and surrounding areas of the residence halls including, but not limited to, the Quad area and the areas immediately surrounding all residence halls.

During posted final exams periods, quiet hours will be 24-hours a day.

Upon occupancy of a room/suite, residents will be required to review a room condition report that has been completed by a Housing and Residence Life staff member. This report should be reviewed thoroughly and accurately with great detail and previous damage items included. Residents will have one week to complete their room condition reports.

Failure to complete this process will forfeit your ability to appeal damage charges.

Upon check-out of the room/suite, a preliminary check-out will be conducted by a Housing and Residence Life staff member. The preliminary check-out does not serve as the final damage assessment to the room/suite. After the halls are closed, a thorough inspection will be conducted where the current condition of the room/suite will be compared to the original room inspection report filled out when the resident moved into the room/suite. If items are lost, missing, damaged, or not left in good condition, charges will be incurred and they will be deducted from the housing/security deposit. Damages that incur a cost greater than the housing/security deposit amount will be billed to the resident’s account.

To avoid unnecessary charges during check out, be sure to follow all of the guidelines provided by the Housing and Residence Life staff. Residents who improperly check out of the residence halls will forfeit the opportunity to appeal any damages or fees. Upon leaving, the room and suite must be clean and free from all trash and personal items. Any items that are found after keys are turned in will be discarded and a fee will be charged against resident’s security deposit.

Residents must turn their suite and mailbox keys in to a Housing and Residence Life staff member. Residents may also utilize express check-out. Residents will be assessed a fee for keys that are lost or not returned at check-out.

A resident choosing to terminate the housing agreement is required to meet with the Director of Housing and Residence Life or the designee to be advised regarding the financial responsibility.

Residents may not change rooms without the prior approval of the Department of Housing and Residence Life. Residents requesting room changes may contact the Department of Housing and Residence Life for more information. Room changes are not allowed during the first two weeks of each semester. Room changes are also not permitted during the last four weeks of the spring semester.

Residents may not damage any surfaces of furniture when decorating their room. The room and furnishings may not be painted or permanently altered in any way. It is important to remember when hanging items on the wall, to use substances that will not damage the wall, i.e., nails, hooks, sticky adhesive, etc. Nails and hooks are not allowed. If the room or furnishings are damaged in any way, the resident will be billed and may be subject to student conduct action.

Additionally, residents may not cover their walls or hang from their ceilings, items such as tapestries, sheets, canopies and fishnets. Window curtains must be manufacturer-made and hung only with a tension rod. Items are not permitted to be hung or placed over light fixtures, sprinkler heads, or smoke detectors. Wall decorations are limited to 20 percent of each wall of the room. Wall decorations cannot cover windows, such as blankets or tapestry and must be at least 18 inches below the ceiling height.

Products for Hanging Posters

We recommend the following products for hanging pictures/posters on the wall to avoid excess damage. These items are widely available in the bookstore, or the hardware aisles at Home Depot and Wal-Mart:

• Tacks/Push Pins
• OOK® Picture Hangers and thumbtacks (for hanging items on sheetrock walls)
• 3M Command Adhesive™ (for hanging items on metal doors or wood furniture)
• Snap Hook™ (suction hanger, useable on metal and glass surfaces)

Tips to Avoid Excessive Damage Charges

• Do not use Scotch™ or masking tape
• Do not use sticky, gum-like adhesive substances on any surfaces
• Do not use sticker decals, bumper stickers, etc. on any surfaces

Each resident room is fully furnished. Mattresses are to be used only on the provided bed frames. All beds must remain free standing on the floor, supported by legs attached to the bed frame. The Housing and Residence Life staff will take inventory during check-in and all items recorded on the inventory form must remain in the room at all times. Residents may be limited in the amount of personal furniture in each room/suite. Damaged or missing furniture will be billed to the resident of the room. To avoid excessive mattress damage, it is strongly recommended that residents bring an extra-long twin mattress pad for their bed. Residents in double rooms may bunk their beds by obtaining the proper equipment from their Resident Director. Room furniture may not be dismantled at any time for any reason and must stay in a resident’s personal bedroom. Common area furniture may not be placed in a resident’s personal bedroom.

Only MCC Association beds and mattresses are permitted. Furniture supplied is known to meet flame spread and smoke retardant requirements. Air mattresses or personally supplied furniture may compromise this requirement.

Storage of resident belongings outside of the resident rooms is not provided. Contact the Housing and Residence Life staff for information about off-campus storage solutions. The MCC Association, Inc. assumes no responsibility for loss of personal property on the campus. Residents will not be compensated for loss of personal property in the residence halls during a regular semester, during a summer session, or over a vacation period. Housing and Residence Life staff may dispose of any belongings left by residents who have withdrawn, have been suspended, removed from the residence halls or who vacate their residence hall rooms for any other reason. Storage of guest/visitor property in a room/suite is prohibited.

The Housing and Residence Life staff will assist residents with establishing community living standards within their suites by conducting suite agreement meetings as necessary. If it is determined that a suite agreement is needed, residents are required to attend the agreement meeting and participate. Failure to comply with the agreement or reasonable request to create one may result in further documentation and a possible conduct violation.

Entering or exiting the residence halls through a window, dropping/throwing objects from windows, leaning out of windows, or placing property on a window sill or building ledge is prohibited. Screens may not be removed from the windows. A fine will be assessed for all missing, removed or damaged screens, as well as for individuals who attempt to enter or exit a suite or building through a window for unapproved purposes.

All rooms/suites are furnished with window blinds. The blinds furnished to each room must remain installed at all times. Tension rod with manufactured curtains is permitted. All other curtains that require drilling, nails or screws are not permitted; bed sheets, tapestries, or other large coverings are not permitted.