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Housing Regulations
Dorm Damage
- Students who use dartboards are encouraged not to place them near doorways
or hallways, where a dart may strike someone. Students are also encouraged to
avoid charges for dart holes in the wall by investing in a 4''x 8'' piece of homosote
(cost is approximately $12) on which to mount the dartboard.
- In general, pictures, tack boards, and other decorative items may not be fastened
directly to the walls or woodwork of the residence rooms, as this causes costly
damage to the surface material. Most rooms contain picture moldings from which
such items should be hung, and others are equipped with built-in tack boards.
The following suggestions have been prepared by Physical Plant:
- Students should not hang anything on doors, wood paneled walls, or woodwork.
- Students may use pushpins (not thumbtacks) in reasonable quantity to affix
items to the walls. Students moving out of rooms should pull out the pushpins.
Pushpins will work on walls unless there is very hard plaster underneath.
- Fun Tac can be used on wallpaper that has not been painted over. This is a
very good solution in areas where the plaster under the wallpaper is very hard.
Students moving out of rooms should remove all of the Fun Tac residue from the
walls.
- If a room has painted wallpaper over very hard plaster, there is no recommended
way of affixing items to the wall that is guaranteed not to cause damage.
- Nails should not be pounded into the walls for any reason. The holes they
leave are too big, especially when the plaster surrounding the hole crumbles.
- Students will be held responsible for damage to their rooms and to any College
property therein. Students are expected to report all damages to their rooms,
common rooms, hallways, bathrooms, and other areas of the residence, whether accidental
or otherwise, to the Resident Counselor so that repairs can be made. The person
directly responsible for the damage to common areas will be expected to acknowledge
responsibility in order to avoid having all occupants of the building charged
proportionately for repairs of such damage. In case of negligent or intentional
damage, the persons responsible may be fined by the Dean, subject to other disciplinary
actions, and made to pay restitution. Students will also be held accountable for
damage caused by their guests.
- Students who wish to receive more information about an item on their bill
should contact the Comptroller’s Office, ext. 2101. Students who wish to
appeal damage assessments or fines should do so within seven days of billing and
in writing, stating their reasons for appeal. Since such charges involve Campus
Police, the Physical Plant Department, the Comptroller’s Office and the Dean
of Student’s Office, students (and parents) can save multiple phone calls
by putting their cases in writing and sending the correspondence to Student Damage,
AC# 2271, P.O. Box 5000, Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002-5000. That office
will send copies of your appeal to other campus offices and departments involved
in the assessments(s). This process takes time, and instant, over-the-phone responses
are not possible.
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General Information
- For the safety of students, security screens have been installed on the first-floor
windows of all campus housing. There is $400 fine for replacing damaged screens.
There is a $25 fine for replacing damaged safety latches that hold the screens
in place.
- All dorms are equipped with electronic access panels for students’ safety.
Each person will receive a personal access code, which must not be shared with
anyone. Damage done to the access panel will result in a fine equivalent to the
actual cost of the repair.
- Vendors are prohibited from selling, soliciting, or making deliveries in College
residences. Students may sell in College residences with the written permission
of the Assistant Dean of Students responsible for Student Activities. For their
own protection, students are urged to insist upon seeing the vending permits of
anyone selling in the residences and to report selling by non-students at once
to Amherst College Campus Police.
- During vacations, efforts are made under the authority of the Dean of Students
to recover from residence hall rooms such College property as library books, dining
hall utensils, and gymnasium equipment. For fire safety, maintenance, and security
reasons, private locks may not be installed or used in College residences. Students
who install private locks on their doors will be assessed a $50 charge. College
officials may periodically inspect students’ rooms during the academic year
to check the condition of safety systems, structure and furnishings. College officials
retain right of access to students’ rooms at all times. During the academic
year the Physical Plant and members of the College community will make periodic
room inspections to determine dorm damage and condition of buildings. Examinations
may occur during the two academic semesters, winter break, and at the end of the
academic year.
- No objects may be dropped, thrown, or propelled from windows as serious injury
may occur to persons below. (This includes but is not limited to, water balloons.)
A $100 charge will be assessed against any person or residence that violates these
regulations.
- Kegs are prohibited from first-year residence halls. A fine of $100 will be
assessed to any person or residence that violates this regulation. A second fine
of $100 will be assessed for not having the proper paper filed with the town police
department.
- The College prohibits ongoing excessive noise in the residence at any time.
Repeated noise violations may result in room reassignment or the possibility of
disciplinary action.
- The College reserves the right to assign a resident to another room or residence
hall. Prior to reassignment, the College will consult with the student and/or
explain to the student the reasons for the move. In the event of an emergency,
the College reserves the right to increase occupancy, so long as such an increase
conforms with health and safety regulations.
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Lost Keys
- If a student should lose a dorm key or not return a key at check out, a lock
charge of $32 will be assessed, in addition to a $1 charge for each key that must
be replaced. When students are issued keys to their rooms, they must sign the
Student Dorm Room Key Policy form that outlines the charge policy for loss of
exterior door keys. Key problems should be reported to ext. 2254.
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Party Cleaning Policy
An important part of any party planning involves planning
for clean up. Always inspect the party area 30 minutes before the party begins,
and carefully note any preexisting damage. Clean-up regulations are listed below.
- You will need all-purpose cleaner.
- You will also need extra trash bags.
- Pick up all the trash both inside and outside the buildings and bring it to
the designated rubbish removal area.
- Sweep floor; vacuum carpets or rugs.
- Damp mop the floor at least twice, changing the mop water between mopping.
With hardwood floors use a minimal amount of water to avoid damaging the floor.
Mop water solution should be two ounces of all-purpose cleaner per gallon of cold
water.
- Return carpets and furniture to proper rooms and locations.
- For parties held on the weekend, the area must be cleaned by noon on Monday.
For parties held during the week, the area must be cleaned by noon the following
day.
- Hosts can call Buildings and Grounds to request additional time to
complete the clean up for a party, as long as the clean-up process has been initiated.
The options for clean up as follows:
- You may let B&G do the clean up at the rate of $23.32 per hour.
- Get a volunteer group of students to clean.
- In the event that the area is not cleaned sufficiently, as determined
by the Custodial Supervisor in accordance with above directions, the following
procedure will apply:
- The Custodial Services Department will clean up the party. The house or party
host will be charged $23.32 per hour. The house or party host will also be charged
for whatever cleaning materials were used.
- For further information on party clean up; please call Custodial Services
(ext. 2367).
- Disputes over this matter may be brought to the attention of the Area Coordinator
and/or the Dean’s Office. A house may deny another house permission to use
its space if it feels that there will be a problem with the party clean up or
damages.
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Pets
- Since many people are allergic to animals and residence halls do not provide
adequate space or security for the humane care of animals, no pets other than
small aquarium fish are allowed in the residence halls, college houses or apartments.
Students who are found with pets, whether visiting or owned by the student, may
be subject to an automatic $100 fine and an additional $100 per day charge for
each day after the college has requested that the pet be removed.
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Room Inventory and Damage
The following conditions and regulations prevail as to the use
and occupancy of dormitories and houses:
- Rooms will be available at the opening of the College in September. During
the winter recess all college residences (with the exception of Moore Dormitory)
will be closed and may not be occupied. Students wishing to stay on campus must
make their own arrangement with current residents of Moore.
- Students who wish to change rooms must notify the Administrative Assistant
for Residential Life in the Dean of Students Office.
- Students’ rooms are equipped with essential furniture. An inventory of
this furniture and its physical condition will be made at the beginning and end
of each school year. The College may require personal furniture and furnishings
to be removed from any residence where, in the judgment of the Director of Physical
Plant, there is a potential fire or housekeeping hazard. Waterbeds and similar
furniture are not permitted because of the strain imposed on the building structure
and the danger of water damage. All personally owned furniture and furnishings
must be removed from student residences at the time they are vacated at the end
of the school year. Any items remaining after that date will be disposed of by
the College at the student’s expense.
- The occupant of each room will be held accountable for missing or
damaged furniture, for the fabric of the room, and for any College property found
in the room if it was moved into the room without permission. A charge will be
assessed to the occupant(s) of the room for each item of misappropriated College
property. In the event common area furniture is moved and left outside a student
residence, a $25 per item moving charge plus the cost of repairing any damage
the furniture sustained will be assessed to the residences. Students are asked
to review Room Condition Inventories when they move in. Students will be held
accountable for maintaining the room in the stated condition when they move out.
If there are any discrepancies between the inventory and the actual room condition
they should be discussed with theResident Counselor, who then notifies the
Physical Plant. Otherwise, students should sign the Room Condition Inventory,
keeping one copy for their own records and returning the other copies to either
their Resident Counselor or directly to the Physical Plant. In addition, discharged
fire extinguishers and items damaged or missing from the lounges or common areas
will be charged to the residents of the floor or residence as appropriate. Students
who wish to use their own furniture rather than the College furniture available
in the room may do so, but they are still responsible for the College furniture
and for restoring the room to "move-in" condition. Students cannot move
College furniture to student storage. Since moving charges and furniture replacement
charges can be expensive, students must restore College furniture to their rooms
if they wish to avoid these charges.
- Students are not allowed to paint the walls or ceilings of their rooms. Students
who do will be charged the maximum fee to re-paint the room.
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Student Storage
- The College assumes and accepts absolutely no responsibility for the loss
or damage to personal property of any occupant of College housing. Each individual
assumes responsibility for insurance of personal property as well as its safe
storage and maintenance.
- The College takes no responsibility for storage of student belongings during
the year or over the summer. Any trunks, suitcases, or securely packed and sealed
cartons are left in any College area at the risk of the owner. The College has
limited storage space, and items are stored on a first-come, first-served basis.
Large, bulky items — such as couches, chairs, bars, etc.— are not allowed
to be stored. Storage often is only available in accordance with the preposted
schedule. Students must provide their own insurance through parents’ policies
or through independent insurance, since the College can accept no liability for
student belongings. Students are urged not to leave valuable items (stereos, cameras,
etc.) in storage. Take them or ship them home.
In an effort to maximize student storage room efficiency and
reduce the risk of fire hazard, the College has instituted the following storage
policies:
- All items must be clearly labeled (top, sides) with your name, year, and a
Storage Sticker from your RC.
- You must adhere to the RC’s posted storage hours. Demanding immediate
access from your RC is unacceptable. RCs are students with their own academic
demands. If you need a special appointment, you must plan at least 24 hours in
advance. Storage space is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- All items must be in suitcases, trunks or securely sealed packages. Bulky
items may not be stored.
- No lofts or raw wood may be stored at all.
- Please be advised that all storage is at your own risk. The College is not
responsible for any lost or damaged items.
- Items left in storage by alumni will be considered unwanted. Said items will
be donated to non-profits, sold for the benefit of non-profits, or removed for
dumping.
- Unlabeled items will be removed.
- If items are left in storage willingly and wantonly by the owner after direct
notification by a Resident Counselor or other College personnel, those items will
be treated as unwanted and dealt with in the manner described above.
If you have left personal items or anything else
in the storage areas, call the Residential Life Department at ext. 2161. They
will give you the name of this year’s Resident Counselor. Let the RC know
whether you will pick up your items by a certain date or whether they can be trashed.
Seniors should make every effort to remove their belongings.
Students who have items in student storage and wish to
retrieve them during summer break must contact the Service Desk in the Physical
Plant at ext. 2254. Access to storage will be available only through appointment.
The student will be required to present I.D. when retrieving items. Students wishing
to retrieve items that do not belong to them must have a signed note of verification
from the owner. Access during the pre-arranged time will be extremely limited
depending on the availability of the summer worker in charge of storage.
Motorcycles, mopeds, automobiles, and engines cannot be
stored in residences. If found, they will be removed at the owner’s expense.
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Vacating Dates
- First-year students, sophomores, and juniors are required to vacate their
rooms by 5 p.m. on the day after the second-semester examinations end. Graduating
seniors may stay until 5 p.m. on the day of Commencement, but may be asked to
move from their rooms to consolidate area and make rooms available for parents
and families during Commencement Week. Commencement and Reunion workers and other
students authorized by the Dean of Students Office to remain on campus will be
relocated. Questions about housing during Commencement Week should be directed
to Maryann Wood in the Public Affairs Office in 306 Converse Hall.
- It is important that students comply with the above deadlines so that the
rooms can be cleaned and readied in time for the Commencement and Reunion use.
If necessary, the College will pack and clean those rooms not vacated in time
at the student’s expense. Students have not always been cooperative in vacating
their rooms promptly in the past and consequently have paid costs and been penalized
for their lateness. Furthermore, rooms ought to be left in good order and in clean
condition. Students will be billed for any extra work performed on rooms.
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Housing Regulations