Acceptable Forms of ID Additional Occupancy Bathroom Designations Break Housing (Winter and Spring) Damage Policies and Procedures Emergency Evacuation Procedures Entry to Resident Rooms Fundraising Guidelines Guest Policy Health and Safety

Housing Eligibility Lost Key/Lock Out Policy Malicious False Fire Alarm Policy Prohibited Items Quiet Hours and Courtesy Hours Policy Room Change Procedures Room Inspection Procedures Security Procedures Summer Housing Withdrawal from Housing

Acceptable Forms of ID

Resident students must have their BSC connect card to enter a building or to be signed in as a guest.

Commuter students and non-student guests must present a valid photo ID with the individuals' date of birth on it. The following types of identification are acceptable:

Passport
State ID card
Military ID card
Drivers license
Liquor ID

A valid student ID will have to be in good standing, not expired.

Additional Occupancy

In order to manage the high demand for on-campus living, a fixed number of rooms are designated as "additional occupancy" spaces. "Additional occupancy" is a temporary situation where a student is assigned to a temporary space.

Assignments into additional occupancy spaces are made according to the date of the room deposit payment or lottery number. Students assigned to additional occupancy spaces receive a 20% rebate on the housing costs for the period of additional occupancy. This rebate appears as a credit on the student's bill.

Residents of additional occupancy rooms can agree to remain together as a "voluntary" additional occupancy room. Residents who choose this option waive the rebate. As resident students withdraw from housing, students who have been placed in additional occupancy rooms are moved to permanent assignments. Additional occupancy is at the highest as the school year starts and has historically been eliminated in the spring semester. This strategy permits the college to offer housing to greater numbers of students and keep room rates down.

Bathroom Designations

Residence hall bathrooms are designated as male or female. Students must adhere to the gender designations. Failure to do so may result in judicial referral.

Break Housing

Housing occupancy is for the academic year only. Occupancy does not include residency during school vacations. (Please consult the college calendar in the student handbook for the exact vacation dates.) Students must leave the residence hall or apartment on the day of their last fall or spring semester examination and on the last class day prior to the spring break period.

Winter and Spring Break Housing is available for a fee. Break housing is available to current resident students who meet the application criteria. Information on the application process is available on the Office of Residence Life and Housing Web site at: http://www.bridgew.edu/rlh/Break_Housing

The College may, with prior notice to the resident, use any residential rooms during break periods. The resident agrees, upon reasonable notice, to remove personal belongings during any vacation periods when the College will use the room.

Damage Policies and Procedures

Damage Billing Policy: The resident will be responsible for the condition of the room assigned to him/her. Each room will be inspected by the residence hall staff prior to occupancy, on a monthly basis, and also upon termination of occupancy. Any lack of cleanliness and/or damage/vandalism to or theft or loss of college property, including loss of keys issued to the resident, will be charged to the resident's account. Damage of common areas within the residence hall or apartments may be pro-rated among the residents of the hall or apartment or a specific area of the hall. An assessment for loss, based upon an itemized estimate of loss from damage/vandalism or theft, will be given to the resident within thirty (30) days of the expiration of the term of the residence hall occupancy agreement. Questions regarding one's bill may be directed to the Resident Director of the building. Formal appeals may be addressed in writing to the Office of Residence Life and Housing.

Cleaning/Care of Rooms & Trash Removal: Residents are responsible for the cleanliness of their rooms and apartments. Residents are required to maintain reasonable sanitation and safety standards. Waste materials, including empty bottles, cans, and trash should be removed regularly and disposed of in receptacles provided. Garbage should be placed in a plastic bag before disposal. Floors should be washed regularly and rugs vacuumed. In the event that the college must clean a room or apartment, the resident(s) will be assessed a cleaning charge. Under no circumstances should students repair damages in their rooms.

Apartment residents are responsible for providing brooms, vacuum cleaners, dust pans, detergents, etc. for the proper cleaning and maintenance of the apartment unit. Apartment bathtubs are fiberglass and may be cleaned only with a nonabrasive cleaner.

Furniture: All furniture and furnishings brought into a residential facility are subject to approval by a residence life and housing staff member and must be removed at the end of the occupancy period. College supplied furniture cannot be removed from the room without the approve of a residence life and housing staff member.
The furniture in lounges and recreational areas is for the use of all the residents of the building and may not be moved into resident rooms or apartments. The possession of unauthorized furniture may result in judicial referral.

Room Decor: Pictures, posters and other decorations may be hung on the walls with tape that will not mar the wall surface. Nails, tacks, pins, screws, scotch tape and duct tape are damaging and their use will lead to damage charges. No more than a third of the room door should be covered with decorations. No items should be posted on or suspended from the ceiling.

Emergency Evacuation Procedures

The following evacuation procedures are in place for the residence halls. These procedures are to be followed when a fire alarm sounds. All residents and their guests must exit the building when a fire alarm sounds, regardless of whether it is a fire drill, false activation, or actual fire. Any physically unable to exit the building should immediately contact the BSC Police Department at 508-531-1212 from a cell phone or 911 from a campus phone. Questions regarding the procedures should be directed to Residence Life and Housing staff (x1277) or the BSC Police Department (x1212).

Please use the emergency exits available in your building. DO NOT USE ELEVATORS. It is important to be aware of all possible exit locations in your residence hall in the event that one or more of the fire exits are unsafe.

Meeting Places for Residence Halls In the Event of a Fire Alarm: All students should gather at their buildings designated meeting place so that emergency vehicles and personnel can gain easy access to the building and ensure the safety of those who have exited the building. In the event of an emergency residence life staff will take attendance at the meeting place in order to give emergency personnel a list of individuals who may still be in the building and may need assistance exiting it. Residence life staff will also direct students to a temporary shelter if necessary.

Building	Meeting Place
Crimson Hall	Crimson main entrance quad towards DiNardo Hall on East Campus Drive
DiNardo Hall	East Campus Drive sidewalk in front of the 30 minute parking spaces
East Hall	The grass area closest to Shea/Durgin behind East Hall
Miles Hall	East Campus Drive sidewalk in front of the 30 minute parking spaces
Pope Hall	Grassy area adjacent to the garden and street, across Park Avenue outside the Campus Center
Scott Hall	Campus Center Courtyard
Shea/Durgin Halls	Shea/Durgin parking lot in front of the building
Student Apartments	The parking lot /grass area closest by the ISO booth
Woodward Hall	Harrington parking lot

Special Needs/ Disabilities: Individuals with special needs and/or disabilities that may require accommodations in the event of a fire alarm need to contact their Resident Director (RD) to create a plan to ensure their safety in the case of a fire alarm.

Re-entering the Building: No one should re-enter the building until directed to do so by a member of the Residence Life and Housing staff or the Police Department. Even if an alarm stops sounding you must wait for college officials to direct you into the building.

Entry to Resident Rooms

Authorized College personnel may enter residential rooms without notice for the following reasons: maintenance and housekeeping purposes, health and safety inspections, inspection for damage, vacation closing inspections and for other emergency purposes. The College also reserves the right to enter a resident's room if there is a reasonable cause to believe that a violation of College rules or regulations is taking place. If there is some specific reason to suspect that a criminal offense has taken place or that evidence of such an offense may be secured in a room, College personnel will enter the room only with a resident's permission or pursuant to a warrant. If in the course of any entry, illegal or restricted materials are found in plain view, they will be removed and the affected resident(s) will be notified of the confiscation and face possible judicial referral.

Fundraising Guidelines

Any student organizations interested in conducting a fundraiser in the Residence Halls must complete and submit a Fundraising Request Form which can be obtained on the Residence Life and Housing web site at: http://www.bridgew.edu/RLH/fundraising

All groups must adhere to the following guidelines:

• Raffles of any kind cannot be conducted in the residence halls.
• Only BSC affiliated groups will be allowed to use residence hall space for the purpose of fundraising.
• Any costs associated with the fundraiser must be assumed by the organization sponsoring the activity.
• Proceeds from the fundraiser must be properly accounted for and deposited into the sponsoring organizations account.
• If selling food or baked goods, items must be pre-made and cannot be prepared in the residence halls (e.g.; grilled cheese sales).
• If the fundraiser involves the collection of certain items, the sponsoring group must reserve tables and establish drop off times. Boxes should never be left unattended.
• Door to door solicitation is strictly prohibited.

Fundraising Request Forms must be submitted to the Director of Residence Life & Housing at least 1 week prior to the start of the fundraiser.

Guest Policy

A guest is defined as anyone who does not reside in the assigned room, regardless of whether or not they reside in the same residence hall. For the student apartments, a guest is anyone who resides outside of a particular apartment.

Guests who do not reside in the residence hall they are visiting must use the telephones located outside of the main entrance of each residence hall to call the resident they wish to visit. The resident they are visiting must sign in their guests. Under no circumstances should a guest be permitted to enter a residence hall unescorted. The host must escort the guest at all times during the guest's stay in the residence hall. The residence hall staff monitors guest policies and reserves the right to suspend guest privileges for policy violations or in emergency situations. The approval of the resident's roommate(s) is required for any visits.

Overnight guests must not visit in a pattern that may be interpreted by residence life and housing personnel as being an additional occupant of the room/apartment. Room assignments and bathroom facilities are designed for persons of the same gender; hosts and guests are asked to respect the rights of others with regard to use of common facilities.

If a student's comfort or sense of privacy is violated by unwelcome visitor(s), he/she may request that the guest leave. If the residents cannot successfully resolve the matter, a residence life and housing staff member can be requested to assist.

Each resident student is limited to three guests at any one time. Guests must be escorted by their host at all times. Hosts are responsible for their guests' conduct and are liable for any damage done to college property, or violation of college policy committed by the guest. Guests must abide by all college rules and procedures. The college assumes no responsibility for guests that are not students.

Guests may not bring alcoholic beverages into any residential facility. This includes the Great Hill Student Apartments.

Infractions of the guest policy may result in the loss of guest privileges for the remainder of the academic year and may result in judicial referral.

Health and Safety

Federal, state and college policies regarding health, safety, alcohol, drugs, firearms and the like will be upheld in all college residential facilities.

Hallways, stairwells, doorways, elevators, emergency exits and entryways must be clear at all times. Failure to comply may result in judicial referral and a damage assessment.

Students may not gain access to, cross or use building roofs in any manner. Removing or lifting window screens, sitting on windowsills, leaning out of windows, or bringing items into the building via windows is prohibited. No item may be dropped or thrown from windows.

Housing Eligibility

To be eligible for campus housing a student must be enrolled as a full-time student at Bridgewater State College. Full-time is defined as enrollment in 12 or more credit hours per semester for undergraduate students and 9 or more credit hours per semester for graduate students. Students may appeal to the Director of Residence Life and Housing for a waiver of the full-time requirement.

Students may apply for a waiver for the following reasons:

1. A documented disability warranting a reduced course load. (Students must submit an accommodation letter from Disabilities Resources).
2. Enrollment in a college-approved student teaching or internship program. (Students must submit appropriate documentation from the Dean of their school).
3. Academic Standing. (i.e. The student's academic advisor is recommending that s/he drop/withdraw from a class for academic reasons. Students must submit documentation from the Academic Achievement Center.)

Lost Key/Lock Out Policy

Lockouts: Resident students are responsible for carrying their room and building keys with them at all times. In the event that a student becomes locked out of their living area, the following procedures should be followed:

Weekdays: Students should report to the Resident Director's office in their residence hall. Resident Director office hours will be posted on the outside of their office door, indicating their availability. (If the Resident Director is not available, the student must wait until he/she is available, see if any of the building RAs are available or wait until the RA comes on duty at 7:00 pm.) The Resident Director will issue the student a loaner key. The student must provide proper identification. Students will let themselves into their room with the loaner key. The key is then returned to the Resident Director. If the loaner key is not returned within 24 hours, the Resident Director will initiate a lock change, at the expense of the student. The cost of a lock change is $100.00 and includes the actual lock change, labor charges, and a new room key. The cost is billed to the student's account.

Evenings: Between the hours of 7:00 pm and 7:00 am, students should locate the Resident Assistant on duty. The Resident Assistant will use the master key to provide the student with access to their room. The student must provide proper identification. Under no circumstances will a Resident Assistant issue a loaner key.

Weekends: Resident Directors do not hold office hours on weekends; therefore the student needs to locate a Resident Assistant for their residence hall. If a Resident Assistant cannot be located, the student needs to wait until 7:00 pm when the Resident Assistant duty hours begin. During the hours of 7:00 pm and 7:00 am, the Resident Assistant on duty will use the master key to provide the student with access to their room. The student must provide proper identification. Under no circumstances will a Resident Assistant issue a loaner key.

Lost Keys: Resident students are responsible for reporting the loss of any residential key to the Resident Director in their residence hall immediately.

Weekdays: Students should report to the Resident Director's office in their residence hall. Resident Director office hours will be posted on the outside of their office door, indicating their availability. Students will be issued a loaner key for three academic days. If after three academic days, the key has not been found, the Resident Director will order a lock change. The student will retain possession of the loaner key until the lock change has been completed. Resident(s) of the room will be notified via a door tag when the lock change is complete and may pick up new keys from the Resident Director, during Resident Director office hours. The cost of a lock change is $125.00 and includes the actual lock change, labor charges and a new room key. The cost is billed to the student's account.

Evenings/Weekends: When the Resident Director is not available the student should try to locate a Resident Assistant in the building. Between the hours of 7:00 pm and 7:00 am, students should locate the Resident Assistant on duty. The Resident Assistant will provide the student with access to their room using the master key. On the next academic day, the student should report to the Resident Director's office in their residence hall where the procedures listed under Lost Keys - Weekdays will be followed. Under no circumstances will a Resident Assistant issue a loaner key.

Malicious Fire Alarm Policy

Tampering with fire fighting equipment (e.g., smoke/heat detectors, fire extinguishers, pull stations, pre-alarm covers and fire horns) may result in immediate suspension from the residence halls.

The initiating of false alarms or bomb threats will result in immediate suspension from the residence halls.

When a malicious false fire alarm occurs:

• Each resident of the building will be charged $5.00 for the alarm. An additional $2.00 will be added for each additional malicious alarm.
• If two false alarms occur after 10 p.m. on any night, the Residence Life and Housing Staff will request that a fire watch be instituted. This fire watch will be at the expense of the building's residents.
• If there are five consecutive days of false alarms, the Residence Life and Housing Staff will request that a fire watch be instituted for the next five consecutive days. This fire watch will be at the expense of the students of the building.

Bridgewater State College offers a $500 reward to any person(s) providing information that results in a finding of responsibility of any individual(s) causing a false fire alarm in a campus building. Contact BSC PD with any information.

Prohibited Items

The following items are prohibited from the residence halls: all cooking and food preparation appliances (except as listed below), air conditioners, candles, incense burners, grills, space heaters, dartboards, and pets (except fish and those permitted under the Americans with Disabilities legislation). Homemade loft or bunk beds are not permitted. Cinder blocks and other homemade loft apparatus may not be used to raise beds.

The following items are allowed in the residence halls: one microwave oven (under 1000 watts), one blender, one coffeepot and refrigerators (up to 1.4 total amps).

Holiday decorations in the residence halls must meet the following criteria, as established by the fire codes:

• All decorations must be flame resistant.
• No live trees, wreaths or other live decorations are permitted.
• No candles are permitted.
• No decoration should impede emergency access or exit in rooms, hallways, or public areas.
• No more than one-third of a door may be covered with decorations.
• Holiday lights must be UL approved.

Quiet Hours and Courtesy Hours Policy

Residents must be considerate of neighbors and thoughtful about noise levels at all times. Residents are directly responsible for controlling their own noise level as well as that of their guests. Residents should never assume that if they have not been confronted, that their noise level is acceptable.

At all times the following guidelines apply:

• Loud music or other noise that can be heard beyond the limits of an individual's room is never acceptable and can result in judicial referral.
• Any type of sports or sports-related activities (such as bouncing a basketball) is prohibited at all times.
• Courtesy hours, when a resident may request that noise be reduced, are in effect at all times.
• Quiet hours are observed in the residence halls from 9 PM to 8 AM, Sunday night through Friday morning and from 12 midnight to 10 AM on Friday and Saturday. 24-hour quiet hours are in effect during final exam periods.
• It is the responsibility of all members of the community to enforce and to adhere to quiet hours and courtesy hours. Cooperation is essential.

Room Change Procedure

There is a room change freeze in effect for the first two weeks of the fall semester. Once the freeze is lifted, residents who want to change rooms should go to the Residence Life and Housing Web site http://www.bridgew.edu/rlh/intranet/roomchange for specific instructions on how to make a room change request. All room changes must be approved by the Office of Residence Life and Housing.

Students may complete an online preference, on the Office of Residence Life and Housing Web site, http://www.bridgew.edu/rlh/intranet/roomchange to indicate interest in moving to another room. The online preference process is available on the Monday after Thanksgiving for semester break assignment changes and after room selection in the spring for summer changes. Preferences are honored based on the date and time submitted.

Once the room change request is granted, residents must initiate the checkout process with a residence life and housing staff member, sign out on their room inventory form, return keys, if applicable and make the move within 24 hours. It is also necessary to check into the new room by signing a new room inventory form and obtaining keys for the new assignment. Failure to comply with this procedure in the allotted time period will result in a $35 improper room change fee and a $125 lock change fee.

Room Inspection Procedures

Rooms may be inspected for health, safety and security reasons on a periodic basis and prior to each vacation period, by a residence life and housing staff member, with or without notice or the presence of residents.

During routine inspections the standards for the maintenance of residence hall/apartment rooms and furniture will be evaluated and the resident(s) may be required to remove, correct or make other necessary changes to meet college safety and building maintenance guidelines. Prohibited items may be confiscated. Possession of prohibited items may result in judicial referral.

Occupants of rooms or apartments that are not found to be in acceptable condition will be charged a fee to cover cleaning costs. In addition, the college reserves the right to terminate immediately the residence hall license agreement of any residents(s) in whose room or apartment excessive damage or loss occurs.

During the regular health and safety inspection, if an unusual situation arises or if there is suspicion of illegal use of the room (i.e. to store stolen goods, liquor or drugs) the situation will be reported to administrative personnel and the situation may result in judicial referral.

Security Procedures

The college has set up appropriate rules and procedures for maintaining a safe environment and all resident students must use equipment properly, abide by policies and procedures and follow the directions of college personnel. Failure to adhere to policies, procedures or directions designed to maintain security will lead to disciplinary action.

All residence halls are entered through designated main entrance doors. All entrance doors are locked 24 hours per day, seven days per week, 365 days per year. Secondary exit doors are clearly labeled and alarmed and may not be used except in an emergency. Misusing or tampering with a secondary exit door may result in judicial referral.

All residence hall front desks are monitored during evening hours, seven days a week when classes are in session and other designated periods when residence halls are open. Three residential areas, the first year residence halls and the student apartments, have 24-hour coverage. Front desk staff will search bags and boxes brought into the residence halls. Those refusing to allow an item to be searched will not be allowed to bring the item into the hall.

Each student room is furnished with a telephone line equipped for on-campus and emergency dialing. Each residence hall student room has its own lock and key or access card. All rooms have locking windows. Students should lock their doors and windows to protect both their property and themselves.

Resident students should report lost keys to their resident director immediately. Tampering with locks, theft, duplication, or unauthorized use of any key or keys to a college facility is a serious conduct code violation. Resident students will be charged for a lock change in the event that a key is lost or not returned at the end of the occupancy period. No resident student is permitted to lend his/her key or student ID to another person.

The college does not assume responsibility for the loss of, or damage to, personal articles by fire, theft, water damage or any other cause. All students are advised to carry personal property insurance.
During vacation periods students are not permitted in the residence halls except in emergency situations. Students who need to enter a residence hall due to an emergency should contact the Bridgewater State College Police Department for permission to enter and to arrange for an escort.

Summer Housing

Housing is available for students attending the college summer session and/or working for the college. Summer residents do not have to be current residents; however, being a summer resident does not guarantee a student on-campus housing during the academic year. Arrangements for placement must be made with the Office of Residence Life and Housing in advance. Information regarding summer housing is available on the Office of Residence Life and Housing Web site at http://www.bridgew.edu/RLH/Break_Housing/summerhousing.

Withdrawal from Housing

Students who withdraw from the residence hall during the academic year forfeit their room reservation deposit and remain liable for the fee for the term of the agreement.

To withdraw during the term of agreement, see the Bridgewater State College Official Refund Policy under "Tuition and Fees" in the Policies and Procedures section of this handbook. Individual exceptions are determined by the Director of Residence Life and Housing or designee.

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