Policies and Rules of the Residence Halls

Click here to view the Disciplinary Process & Possible Sanctions.

Access

Students are not allowed in boiler rooms, on ledges or roofs, maintenance closets or cable closets in the residence halls. Residents are provided with access cards to operate the outside door of the assigned residence hall and are expected to aid in maintaining the security of their building. Residents are not permitted to copy their room key. At no time should building entrance doors be propped open or room doors left unlocked when the room is unattended. Hallway and stairwell fire doors must be closed at all times.

Alcohol

All residents must comply with all federal, state and local laws and ordinances. Residents are reminded that it is a disorderly person offense to “serve or make available an alcoholic beverage to a person under the legal age for consuming alcoholic beverages” (nj senate bill no. 2312). Residents must comply with all other aspects of the institute alcohol policy. Common areas of stevens housing may not be used for gatherings at which alcohol is served. No alcoholic games are allowed in stevens housing. Kegs and beer balls are prohibited. No alcoholic beverages or the containers they come in are permitted in any room or possession of residents under 21, or in freshman/alcohol-free residence halls. No glass collections , bottle collections, beer cans, alcohol or drug paraphernalia – including posters – are allowed in the residence halls. Finally, to discourage excessive consumption, large quantities of beer, wine, or hard liquor are prohibited in student rooms. No individual student may posses in their room more than six (6) 12 oz. Bottles/ cans of beer or .75 liter of wine or .75 liter of spirits at once time, providing the authorized occupants of the room are 21 and over.

Cancellation policy

There will be a $400 cancellation fee assessed to students who cancel their application.  Cancellation requests must be made in writing/email to the Office of Residence Life. Writing or telephoning another department such as Student Service Center, Cooperative Education, Admissions, Student Life, advisor, Dean, RA or another student DOES NOT constitute cancellation of the housing contract.

Consolidation

In a shared room, should your roommate vacate, you may be given one of the following options at the discretion of the office of residence life: you will be asked to move to another room for consolidation or you will be assigned a new roommate. At all times the institute reserves the right to assign or to re-assign students to vacant beds as needed. Your account will be billed accordingly for any changes to your room or building.

Construction

Nothing may be bolted or fastened to any wall in a manner that would cause damage to the wall. Furniture bolted to the walls by the institute may not be removed. All rooms must be left in the original condition at the end of the school year. Any alterations not consistent with residence life policies will be corrected immediately at the student’s expense. Lofting of beds on other room furniture is prohibited. Any loft built must be free standing, no taller than (5) five feet and must be approved by the office of residence life prior to installation.

Damages

Students will be held responsible for all damages in the room, building and common areas, including all doors. The cost of damages will be charged to his/her account and a service charge may be assessed to cover processing. Room condition reports must be filled out and returned to the office of residence life within the first week of occupancy.

Deposit

Students living in stevens housing are required to pay a security deposit to ensure monetary responsibilities are fulfilled should the room, furnishings or common areas be damaged by the students and/or their guests.

The security deposit is a one-time charge of $400 that is held by the university as long as the student reserves or resides in university housing. When you leave stevens permanently or graduate, the fee will be refunded to you provided that no damages or debts that the security covers are assessed. Security is billed to your stevens account once a housing application is submitted. This security deposit will be forfeited in the event that you are dismissed, withdraw from stevens, cancel your housing assignment or cancel your application. The deposit will be applied to the next year’s residency and refunded (if warranted) when the resident no longer resides in stevens housing. If the student has a balance due to the university, the security deposit will be used toward payment of the balance. Forfeiture of the security deposit will be automatic if the student cancels during the semester.

Electrical items

Electric kitchen appliances, particularly those with heating elements such as toasters, toaster ovens, hot pots, coffee makers, george forman grills, are prohibited and may not be stored in student rooms. Only one microwave (700 watts or less) and one refrigerator (6 amps or less) are permitted in each room. If both are used a current allocator is required and must be obtained. Extension cords and “gang” type multiple-connection outlets must be of heavy-duty variety. Any extension cord must be at least 12-gauge wire. All multiple-outlet taps must contain a built in circuit breaker or fuse. Electronic projects, test equipment and other electrical devices are not permitted in residence halls if they exceed reasonable limitations. The use of flood lights, air conditioners and space heaters are not permitted in the residence halls without permission of the office of residence life.

Extended housing

An additional charge will be required of any student requiring campus housing during periods when residence halls are normally closed. This includes early arrivals and late stays.

Extermination

All insect extermination in the residence halls is mandatory. Residents are not permitted to decline extermination unless there are written medical reasons. Failure to comply with mandatory extermination practices may result in suspension of housing privileges.

Fire safety

Tampering with the fire safety equipment, fire alarms, sprinklers or sensors is prohibited. This includes willfully de-activating any alarm bells or smoke sensors. Displaying fire exit signs in a student room will result in a fine. Fire drills and the evacuation of each building, whenever a fire alarm is sounded, are for the protection of all students. Accidental activation of the fire alarms due to negligence is a violation of stevens fire safety code. Any violation of fire rules and regulations may result in the loss of residence privileges, as well as a fine.

Furniture

Moving office of residence life issued furniture out of one’s room is not permitted. Each student is responsible for the furniture in his or her assigned room, and the student will be charged for damaged or missing furniture. Furnishings may not be removed from lounge or other public areas of the institute. The only additional non-stevens furniture that may be placed in student rooms if it is agreed by both occupants of the room, and meets health, safety, fire and appearance standards are one futon or loveseat under 60 inches wide. Waterbeds are not permitted. Mattresses must be kept on the bed frame. The office of residence life will not provide additional furnishings or store office of residence life issued furniture.

Guaranteed Housing

All students who apply for housing by the posted deadlines for the fall and spring semesters will be guaranteed housing at any stevens facility (on/off campus). Contact the office of residence or visit our website www.stevens.edu/sit/housing for deadlines.

Guests

Residents must obtain the roommates permission before having a guest. Overnight guests are limited to 2 days in a 7 day period. Students will be held responsible for the actions of any guests. Gatherings in student rooms must be limited to 2 guests per resident on campus and 1 guest off campus and must not disturb others. Residents are not permitted to entertain a large group of individuals. Overnight guests must be registered with the office of residence life using the overnight guest form. The registered guests of a room do not have the privilege of extending the use of the room to anyone else.

Health/safety

In the interest of fire safety, open flames of any kind are prohibited in and adjacent to the residence halls. Combustibles and other flammable items, including live christmas trees, accumulations of paper, flammable liquids, tires, candles (with or without wicks), incense, etc., are also prohibited. Halogen lamps are not permitted in the residence halls. Food may be kept in rooms if properly stored in sealed containers. Kitchen facilities are available in each residence hall for the preparation of snacks. Cooking and food wastes must be disposed of properly. You must stay with your food and monitor it at all times while you are cooking. Automotive and related equipment may not be stored or repaired in the residence halls. Residents are responsible for keeping their rooms in a sanitary condition consistent with good safety and hygiene. Due to new jersey state law, smoking is not permitted in any residence hall. Pets, excluding fish in an aquarium, are not permitted. Sports, in general, are not permitted in the residence halls. Gambling, the use or possession of weapons, explosives or fireworks is prohibited and will be confiscated by campus police. No objects of any kind may be placed on the outside window ledges. Objects may not be allowed on inside ledges or windows if they do not meet appearance and safety standards. The office of residence life reserves the right to address any signs/posters in windows damaging to the campus appearance.

Judicial process

It is our objective to help create socially responsible students through developmental sanctions and knowledge.

Keys

Keys may not be copied or loaned to guests. Each student is responsible for their key and access to the building and room. Compounded key replacement fees will apply if keys or id cards are lost.

Narcotics

Stevens institute of technology will not condone the use, sale or possession of illicit drugs, narcotics or other controlled substances on property of the institute or on property of any affiliated organization recognized by the institute. No warnings will be issued. An infraction will subject the student to disciplinary action by the institute in the form of suspension or dismissal. In addition, the student may be subject to prosecution under federal, state and local law. Please also note that hookas and bongs are not permissable within the residence halls. These items are not prohibited and are not allowed to be stored within stevens housing.

Personal belongings

The office of residence life takes no responsibility for any personal possessions left in the residence halls. Items are left there solely at the risk of the owner. It is therefore advisable to remove all valuables from rooms during closed periods. Residents should also protect themselves by carrying fire, theft and liability insurance, as the institute insurance does not include your personal property or personal liability at any time, and the institute assumes no liability for the personal property of the student. Students are also responsible for theft of leased computers. When a resident’s possessions are left in a room and the check out deadline has expired and no information has been relayed to the office of residence life regarding the plans of the resident, a housing designee will box all belongings and store them for no more than 30 days. No responsibility will be assumed for the stored items and after 30 days the items will be discarded.

Public displays and postings

Residents are not permitted to post, hang or display anything that may be deemed offensive or inappropriate by any student, administrator or guest. This includes but is not limited to posters, flyers and white-board messages in hallways, on doors or anywhere visible from the exterior. It is the responsibility of all residents to confirm with the office of residence life that any item to be posted is allowed, prior to posting.

Quiet hours

Televisions, audio equipment and musical instruments are permitted in student rooms. The privilege of having such equipment may be revoked if it disturbs other residents. No antennas are permitted outside the boundaries of the room. Satellite dishes of any kind are not permitted in the residence halls. Quiet hours are considered essential for all residents. Hours are: sunday evening through friday morning 10:00pm-10:00am; 1:00am- 10:00am on friday and saturday. There will be 24-hour quiet hours during final exams at the end of each semester. At times other than quiet hours, students are expected to be considerate of others (courtesy hours).

Recycling

Recycling is state law. In order to comply, bins have been placed in room/halls for storage of recyclable materials. Only recyclable materials may be thrown in the bins.

Refund policy

Residence hall and meal plan charges are for the full semester and not on a weekly or monthly basis. The cancellation guide/refund policy is as follows:

• prior to the day of opening $400 cancellation fee,
• day of opening to end of the 2nd week of classes 50% refund,
• beginning of the 3rd week of class to the end of the semester 0% refund.

Students who apply for spring housing have until december 15th to cancel their application and not be assessed a cancellation fee. If cancellation is received after this date the cancellation fee will be assessed as stated above.

Meal plan changes are made only during the first 2 (two) weeks of the semester. Adjustments will be made accordingly.

Resident assistants

All students residing in campus housing are expected to maintain institute and residence life rules and policies. Resident assistants are in place to help you and assist in enforcing the rules and policies in the residence halls, as they are members of the residence life staff.

Residence hall floor meetings

The resident assistants are the main mechanism through which the office of residence life communicates with and addresses/answers the concerns of the residents. As such, it is mandatory for all residents to attend their floor meetings throughout the year (typically 3-4) per semester. If a meeting is missed, it is the responsibility of resident to meet with their ra before or after to cover the information required.

Room changes

Housing assignments are made for one academic year. Written approval from the office of residence life is required to change rooms, residence hall, and to vacate an assigned room. A resident wishing to do so must contact the office of residence life for approval. No move is to take place without permission from the office of residence life. During the first 2 weeks and last 2 weeks of each semester, room changes will not be permitted. Failure to follow proper procedures may result in a fine or judicial proceeding.

Vandalism

Defacing any area of the residence halls, including graffiti, is prohibited. Any public display of objectionable or offensive material is similarly prohibited.

Withdrawal

Students must totally vacate institutional housing and cease using institutional dining facilities within 24 hours after he or she withdraws, requests a leave of absence, or be held liable for room and board charges beyond his or her last date of attendance.