Residence Life Policies
In order to ensure your safety and practice good stewardship of college buildings and facilities, Westmont has developed the following policies to address specific issues that have caused problems in past semesters. These policies have helped us maintain an excellent safety record and work together to create an understanding of community responsibility.
Access to Rooms
Westmont reserves the right to have authorized personnel enter any unit or room for the purpose of inspection, repairs or other official business. Authorized personnel may also enter rooms when they have reasonable grounds to believe that the well-being or safety of the occupants of the building are in jeopardy or a college policy is being violated. During vacation periods, public safety personnel may make safety inspections.
Antennas and Cable TV
For safety and aesthetic considerations, the residence hall lounges and Kerr Student Center are the only locations where cable television, antenna, and satellite services are provided and permitted. Students are not permitted to connect to existing cable lines.
Appliances and Cooking
You may use hot air corn poppers which do not use oil and hot pots that do not have exposed heating coils in your room. Residence halls have kitchens for occasional, recreational cooking. The students in each residence hall are responsible to keep their kitchen clean, as Westmont does not provide regular cleaning service for them. Fire and safety regulations prohibit the use of appliances with exposed heating coils, microwave ovens, and toaster ovens in student rooms.
Bed Set-Ups
Since earthquakes occur in the Santa Barbara area, you should exercise care in the arrangement of furniture in your room. Although Westmont allows creative furniture arrangements, the college discourages anything that could be a safety hazard for room occupants. Please contact your resident director for approval of any unusual furniture arrangements. The housing director, x6036, may be able to furnish some additional college-owned bed frames, depending upon availability.
Bicycles
Bicycles should be in individual rooms or locked in the bicycle racks near the residence halls, and not in hallways, lounges, entry ways, storage rooms, or planters. To prevent damage and theft, you should store your bicycle in your room during extended breaks.
Board Plans
If you live in a campus residence hall, you must participate in the board plan (exceptions include residents of the Ocean View Apartments, the Monroe house, Clark-B cottage, and the Cold Spring cottage). If you do not live on campus, you may enroll in the board plan through the housing office or at financial check-in at the beginning of each semester. You may also purchase discounted Munch Money on your ID card from the dining services office for food in the dining commons or The Study snack bar.
Bunk Beds/Trading Beds
In order to keep your sleeping surface below the wall-mounted smoke detector and prevent injury or damage from striking the ceiling, your mattress must be at least 36 inches from the ceiling. Your resident director has bunk bed connectors and he/she must approve any trading of beds between rooms.
Candles, Fires, and Oil Lamps
Safety codes prohibit your burning open flames or incense in any college building at any time. Violations are subject to a $100 fine per incident.
Changing Roommates
If you wish to change your roommate, begin by discussing your request with your resident assistant or resident director, who will then direct you through the proper procedures with the housing office.
Changing Rooms
You should address requests for room changes to your resident director. Changes may be made beginning the third week of each semester after you have secured final approval from the housing office. To change rooms between the fall and spring semester, you must check with the resident director and fill out the proper paperwork (available in the housing office and from your resident director). Approvals will be communicated in early December. Official check-out and check-in procedures apply to old fall room assignments and new spring assignments. The deadline for completing both check-out and check-in is noon on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2006. Note that a room change may eliminate a triple room refund.
Check-in
In order to protect you from unwarranted damage charges, you must complete the room condition inventory (RCI) form and sign the check-in agreement prior to moving into your room. Be sure to observe the proper check-in procedure with your resident director in order to avoid a possible $25 fine.
Check-out
In order to ensure that your room is left in proper condition and is vacated on time, you must make an appointment and check out in person with your resident director before leaving. There are no exceptions to this policy.
You should leave your room in the same condition as you found it. Westmont will assess charges for all damage, odd furniture arrangements, and excess mess not recorded on your Room Condition Inventory (RCI) Form. In order to avoid a possible $50 fine and/or $200 moving and cleaning fee, be sure to follow the proper check-out procedures. The fall semester check-out deadline is noon on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2006; the spring semester check-out deadline is noon on Friday, May 4, 2007. The spring deadline applies to all students not officially involved in graduation ceremonies or authorized to stay by the housing office (e.g., for reasons such as Mayterm, athletics, summer residency at Ocean View, or Westmont summer employment).
If you are authorized to stay in Westmont housing beyond Friday, May 4, you have until noon on Sunday, May 6, to check out.
If you wish to withdraw from school during a semester, you must obtain a withdrawal form from the registrar’s office in Kerrwood Hall and go through the residence hall check-out procedure.
Computer Network Access from Residence Hall Rooms
I.T. provides a number of computer-related services and assistance. Details can be found on their Web page at http://acweb.westmont.edu/. If you have a computer, you may obtain access to resources on the World Wide Web and to the high-speed campus network. Connection to the network requires a 10Mb or 100Mb Ethernet card and Ethernet cable. The college highly recommends that you install the Ethernet card on your computer before arriving at Westmont. Specific anti-virus software is required and will be provided free of charge by I.T. The Computer and Network Use policy governs the use of the campus computing facilities and network. This policy can be found at http://acweb.westmont. edu/policy/. You must agree to abide by the policy in order to obtain access to these resources.
Damage to or Loss of Personal Property
Westmont recommends that your parents include your belongings away from home in their homeowner’s policy and that you obtain insurance protection against loss, damage, or theft of personal property. (The college assumes no responsibility for and does not provide insurance or any other financial protection for your personal property or that of your guests.) Although Westmont does not endorse any particular insurance company or product, the housing office will provide information upon your request about a limited, low-cost insurance program from a private insurer. Westmont recommends locking your room to prevent theft.
Draperies
If you wish to hang personal window coverings, you should contact the housing director to arrange for drapery removal and storage instructions (or assistance) in order to avoid charges for wrinkles or damage caused by improper handling. You may hang only drapes from your drapery rods. The housing director will supply missing drapery wands and fix control ropes or other malfunctions upon being notified of this need. Since laundering or dry cleaning can shred drapery fabric, the college does not clean our draperies.
Electrical Cords
You may use UL-rated power strips with built-in circuit breakers as extension cords in your room. However, regular extension cords may fail at the outlet during a power surge and cause an electrical spark, representing a safety hazard. Therefore, these are prohibited.
Fire Equipment
County fire regulations make it illegal to tamper with fire equipment. Tampering with fire extinguishers, hoses, or alarms will result in a minimum $100 fine, and damaged equipment or emptied fire extinguishers will result in additional charges.
Firearms and Fireworks
As the possession of fireworks and firearms is illegal, and for safety reasons, you may not possess weapons, firearms, or fireworks on campus at any time. Violators of this policy are subject to suspension.
Furniture/Furnishings
All furniture and furnishings, cabinet doors, handles, drawer pulls, and other such fixtures in residence hall rooms, lounges and Ocean View apartments must remain in place. Unauthorized removal of furniture from these locations may result in a minimum $50 fine. Although Westmont does not remove triple furniture when vacancies exist, you may disassemble unused beds and store them in your room. However, you must return them to their original condition at check-out or when needed by an additional resident. For safety reasons, custom lofts and beds are not permitted (also see Lofts).
Guest Privileges
Guests are welcome to stay for a maximum of five nights each semester and must stay in the same room all five nights. No extensions will be granted. Current Westmont students who do not pay for on-campus housing do not qualify as guests.
You must register your guest(s) with your resident director or resident assistant prior to the first night of their stay. The charge for unregistered guests is $20 per night per guest.
Please maintain respect for the concerns of your roommates when guests visit. As a host, you are responsible to explain college regulations (such as vehicle use) and community behavioral standards (such as open hours and alcohol use) to your guest(s). You may also be held responsible for any damage to college property caused by your guest(s).
Hallway Sports
To ensure your safety, Westmont prohibits potentially injurious or damaging activities inside the residence halls, including playing with balls, throwing Frisbees, using skateboards, and riding bicycles.
Keys
If you lose your room key, report the loss immediately to your resident director, who will issue a spare key and ask security to re-key the lock. The re-keying charge is $30. In order to prevent non-occupants from gaining unauthorized access to your room, do not attach your room key to any kind of identification card.
Laundry Facilities
For your convenience, coin-operated laundry facilities are available in your residence hall. WEB Laundry Service (not physical plant) maintains the washers and dryers in the residence halls and should be called at (800) 424-8771 about any machine malfunctions. (You should report building-related emergencies, e.g., electrical power outages, flooding, or overflowing water, immediately to public safety and your resident director.)
Lighting
Westmont provides ceiling-mounted fluorescent fixtures in each room. The college recommends that you bring your own desk lamp. Westmont allows the use of new fluorescent torchieres bearing the EnergyStar label. These cost more to purchase but provide a safer, more efficient torchiere.
Halogen floor lamps (torchieres) are prohibited. Though inexpensive to purchase, they present serious safety concerns because the bulbs burn at extremely high temperatures (1,000°F). They can easily ignite flammable and combustible materials. Halogens also require a large amount of electricity to operate. You should place personal light fixtures away from flammable materials such as draperies, mattresses, carpet, bed linens, and clothing.
Lofts
For reasons of safety, the college does not allow the installation of custom-built lofts, beds, or platforms. For information about borrowing additional, college-owned bed frames or beds from other residents contact your resident director.
Mattresses
Residence hall mattresses are extra-long twins (80 inches long by 36 inches wide). If you prefer a different mattress, contact the housing director, x6036, to arrange for an exchange from the college’s supply of older ones.
Movie Watching in Lounges
It illegal to view movies rented or purchased for private use in a public area. Therefore, students are not allowed to watch movies in residence hall lounges. While we do understand how this policy can seem restrictive if a group of friends want to watch a movie together, we are committed to living with integrity as an institution in regard to copyright laws. You can do your part by viewing movies in your room.
Occupancy Obligation, Moving Off Campus, or Withdrawing from College
Everyone who reserves campus housing is obligated to pay the room charge for the entire semester. If you move off campus, Westmont will issue a full refund if your vacancy can be filled with a new resident. Otherwise, you will receive a 50 percent refund of your remaining room charge. The schedule for refunds appears in the college catalog.
Open Hours
Westmont has established the following open hours policy that designates times during which you may visit the individual living areas of members of the opposite sex. The rationale for establishing such a policy is twofold. First, while the college recognizes the need for privacy among students, it seeks to avoid situations of absolute privacy because of the potential for abuse (see section on Sexual Activity Outside Marriage). Second, the policy allows for the personal space needed to respect the differing sleep, study, and living patterns of roommates.
All-campus open hours occur 1 p.m. to midnight, Sunday through Thursday, and 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. At the Ocean View Apartments, open hours are noon-midnight, Sunday through Thursday, and noon to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Room doors of hosts must remain at least halfway open and allow unrestricted visual access to the room. Violations may result in termination of your visitation privileges, work hours, removal from the residence hall, and/or suspension. You are responsible to know the boundaries and times of open hours in all living areas. Please direct any questions or comments about this policy to your resident director or the deans in the student life office.
Personal Items in Bathrooms and Lounges
In consideration of other residents, you should not leave personal items (such as shampoo bottles, curling irons, surfboards, and bicycles) in common areas in the residence halls. The custodial staff regularly checks common areas and moves personal items left there to a collection bin. Items not retrieved in a reasonable amount of time may be donated to a charitable organization.
Pets
You may keep fish in your room or apartment. Because the electricity is turned off in the residence halls during Christmas vacation, however, you should remove your fish from your room during this holiday. Keeping or caring for pets other than fish on campus will result in removal of the pet and a $25 fine.
Quiet Hours
Official quiet hours are from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Throughout the rest of the day, please extend courtesy and sensitivity to others’ needs for quiet due to illness, study requirements, etc. Using headphones when listening to loud music helps accomplish this goal.
Recycling
Each residence hall room is provided with a blue recycling can. Please make every effort to recycle as much as possible. Larger recycling cans are located in common areas. A list of approved items should be on the cans. If not, please contact your resident director.
Refrigerators
You may keep a small refrigerator (under five cubic feet) in your residence hall room for an additional charge to defray energy expenses.
Repairs and Maintenance Problems
Physical plant will repair your electrical and plumbing problems, broken windows, screens, locks, etc. Your resident director or resident assistant will arrange for maintenance needs upon your request. If a room or building emergency occurs, contact security immediately at x6222 and report the problem to the residence hall staff as well. You should address furniture concerns (including those involving mattresses and draperies) to the housing director.
Pranks and Practical Jokes
Westmont strongly discourages pranks and practical jokes because they are often unwelcome and even demeaning to victims, and they can result in escalated retaliation. Participants who violate this policy are subject to disciplinary action and will be held responsible for any negative consequences (through such penalties as paying for damages, serving work hours for open hours violations, and cleaning up any resulting mess).
Roofs
Since climbing to or walking on roofs represent safety hazards and may cause undetectable and costly damage, please do not climb on the roof of any Westmont building at any time. A $100 fine per violation may apply.
Room Assignments
The housing office seeks to accommodate requests for housing but reserves the right to determine and change room and roommate assignments. Returning students select rooms and roommates for the following fall in the annual spring housing lottery. It is the sole right of the housing office to assign occupants to specific rooms and apartments. If you are involved in one of these programs, or if you are involved in any other international program, you must make arrangements for your future housing before leaving for your off-campus program. Contact the housing office and fill out the appropriate paperwork to list your housing preference for when you return to campus.The housing Web site has a form for housing and meal plan requests.
Room Decorating
Westmont wants to offer you a room that is in the best possible condition. In order to keep rooms looking their best, the college assumes sole responsibility for painting rooms in full or in part.
You may use tack and some adhesives and tapes in decorating your room (see your resident director for suggestions). Duct and double-stick tapes are not recommended. Since damage occurs when bolts and nails are used on walls, ceilings, building surfaces, and furnishings, their use is prohibited and will result in a $75 fine, as well as possible additional charges for repainting or repairs. This applies equally to window, door, and hallway decorations. Please make every effort to return your room to its original condition after you leave.
Screens
Window screens are considered permanent fixtures and may be easily damaged; removing them for any reason other than an emergency will result in a $25 fine. Additional charges may be assessed if damage or loss occurs.
Sleeping Outdoors or in Lounges
Approved visitor groups (but not students or their guests) may receive permission from the housing office to sleep in lounges. For security reasons, neither college residents nor guests may sleep outdoors on campus.
Smoke Detectors
Each residence hall room is supplied with a working smoke detector. Please do not remove or tamper with the smoke detectors. If you are experiencing any problems with your smoke detector, contact a residence life staff member immediately. Campus safety personnel check smoke detectors in rooms during Christmas Break to insure they are in working condition. Any smoke detectors that have been removed or damaged will be replaced, and the residents of the room will be charged.
Spring Sing Painting and Set-Building
The Spring Sing committee will meet with the director of physical plant and/or the housing director to determine appropriate locations for painting and set-building. Student participants will be held responsible for any resulting damage or excess mess in the residence halls.
Storage
There are many public storage facilities in the Santa Barbara area for items that do not fit in your residence hall room. During the year, all of your belongings, except for motorized vehicles, must be kept in your assigned room or apartment. (This applies to vehicle accessories, such as jeep tops and roof racks.)
Summer Housing
During the spring semester, you may apply for summer housing at the housing Web site. If you wish to occupy campus housing after Commencement, you must qualify to do so. Also, you should submit an application as soon as it becomes available during the spring semester. Short-term summer residents, such as intercollegiate athletes and those attending Mayterm or summer travel programs, are housed in Armington Halls. The transition from spring to summer housing in Armington occurs during the morning and afternoon of the day after Commencement.
Any current student may apply for summer housing at the Ocean View apartments, and Westmont student employees receive priority for housing in Ocean View. There is no Mayterm housing at Ocean View.
Summer housing space is limited. There is a 10-week minimum rental commitment, and applications are considered on the basis of the space available and the duration of the rental commitment. Summer housing check-in at Ocean View occurs at 5 p.m. the day after Commencement.
Telephone Information Problems and Repairs
You should direct all telephone-related problems and questions (including voice mail and billing) to the telecommunications department. The telecom Web site contains instructions for voice mail. You will receive a long distance code during financial check-in.
Trash
Dumpsters and trash bins are located outside each residence hall. To ensure a sanitary environment for all students, please do not leave trash in hallways, foyers, lounges, stairwells, or any other area in the residence halls. Each section is responsible to monitor its common areas and cover excessive cleaning charges.
Triple Room Refunds
All triple rooms contain furniture to accommodate three residents. All furniture is to remain in each triple room, even if not fully occupied. For occupants of triple rooms, a refund is credited at the end of each semester to residents who have lived in a fully occupied triple room for the entire semester. However, since the housing office cannot guarantee that designated triple rooms will be fully occupied, you should not count on receiving a refund. If one or more of the roommates vacate a triple room during the semester, none of those occupants will receive a refund for that semester.
Vacation Residence Hall Closing
Christmas Vacation
The residence halls will close for Christmas vacation at noon on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2006. They will re-open at noon on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007. During this break, security personnel may inspect your residence hall room or apartment for safety hazards. Since heat and electricity may be turned off in the campus residence halls, you should empty your personal refrigerator and make provisions for pet fish. Although you may keep a flame-treated Christmas tree in your room, you must remove it before the break, or public safety officers will discard them, complete with decorations. Students living in the Ocean View apartments may stay there during Christmas vacation, but not on campus.
During Christmas vacation, you are welcome to visit the campus to pick up mail, use the library, attend basketball games, show the campus to parents and friends, and make use of the public areas (note that business days/hours are reduced during this break). However, you must obtain authorization prior to accessing the residence halls. A $25 fine may apply for each violation.
Spring Recess
You may remain on campus for all or part of spring recess, but you must sign up in advance with your resident director. Remember that no dining or custodial services will be provided, access to the residence hall kitchens may be limited, residence hall staff will be available only on a very limited basis, and shuttle service will be suspended during spring recess.
Guests may not enter the residence halls during this break. Behavioral expectations and housing policies apply as usual. Staying in the residence hall area during spring recess without prior approval may result in a $25 fine.