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Resident students must have their BSU 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 Identification (ID) with the individual’s date of birth on it. The following types of ID are acceptable:
Passport
State ID card
Military ID card
Drivers license
Liquor ID
A valid ID will have to be in good standing, not expired.
In order to manage the high demand for on-campus living, a number of rooms are designated to have a temporary additional occupant.
Assignments to additional occupancy rooms are made according to the date of application to the university (new students) or lottery number (returning students). Students assigned to additional occupancy rooms receive a 20 percent rebate on the housing costs for the period of additional occupancy. This rebate appears as a credit on the student's bill after the students in that room are offered the opportunity to move to permanent spaces.
Residents of additional occupancy rooms can agree to remain together as a voluntary additional occupancy room. The rebate ends at the time residents are offered permanent spaces. Students can choose this option by completing and signing a voluntary additional occupancy form. As residents 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 university to offer housing to a greater number of students.
Residence hall bathrooms are designated as male or female. Students must adhere to the gender designations. Failure to do so may result in a student conduct referral. In most halls there are gender-neutral guest bathrooms.
Housing occupancy is for the academic year only. Occupancy does not include residency during school vacations. Please consult the university calendar in the student handbook for the exact vacation dates. Students must leave their residence hall or apartment on the day of their last fall or spring semester final examination and on the last class day prior to the spring break period.
Winter and spring break housing is available for a fee and 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 website at: http://www.bridgew.edu/rlh/Break_Housing
The university 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 university will use the room.
Damage Billing Policy: Residents are responsible for the condition of the room assigned to them. Each room will be inspected by the residence hall staff prior to occupancy, during scheduled health and safety inspections, and also upon termination of occupancy. Any lack of cleanliness and/or damage/vandalism to or theft or loss of university property, including loss of keys issued to the resident, will be charged to the resident's account. Damage charges for damage/vandalism to common areas within the residence hall or apartments will be prorated 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 license agreement. Questions regarding one's bill may be directed to the resident director of the building. Formal appeals for individual damage charges may be addressed in writing to the Office of Residence Life and Housing. Common area damages cannot be appealed.
Alteration of Premises: Residents shall not make any changes, alterations or improvements to an apartment or room. This shall include, but not be limited to, the addition or changing of any locks, removal of window screens, the alteration of the heating or lighting fixtures or the painting of any surface
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 university must clean a room or apartment, the resident(s) will be assessed a cleaning charge.
Apartment residents are responsible for providing brooms, vacuum cleaners, dust pans, detergents, etc. for the proper cleaning and maintenance of the apartment unit.
Furniture: All furniture and furnishings brought into a residential facility are subject to approval by a residence life and housing staff member and all personal furniture must be removed at the end of the occupancy period. No personal upholstered furniture is allowed in the residence halls. University supplied furniture cannot be removed from the room without the approval 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 a student conduct referral.
Room Decorations: 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, smoke detector or sprinkler head.
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 guests must exit the building when a fire alarm sounds, regardless of whether it is a fire drill, false activation or actual fire. Any person who is physically unable to exit the building should immediately contact the BSU 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 BSU 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
University Park
DiNardo Hall
University Park
East Hall
Clock tower area - Please stay off the sidewalk.
Great Hill Student Apartments
Parking lot. Please stay off the sidewalk
Miles Hall
University Park
Pope Hall
Stearns Botanical Gardens between Pope Hall and the Conant Math and Science Building
Scott Hall
Campus Center Courtyard
Shea/Durgin Halls
Shea/Durgin parking lot in front of the building and across the street
Weygand Hall
On the grass in front of East Hall and East Campus Commons
Woodward Hall
Harrington parking lot
Special Needs/ Disabilities: Individuals with special needs and/or disabilities that may require accommodations in the event of an emergency evacuation need to contact their resident director (RD) to create a plan to ensure their safety in the case of an emergency evacuation.
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 university officials to direct you into the building.
Authorized university 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 university also reserves the right to enter a resident's room if there is a reasonable cause to believe that a violation of university policies and procedures 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, university 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. The occupants of the room may face a student conduct referral.
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_req.cfm
All groups must adhere to the following guidelines:
Fundraising request forms must be submitted to the director of residence life and housing at least one week prior to the start of the fundraiser.
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 contact 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.
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 university property, or violation of university policy committed by the guest. Guests must abide by all university policies and procedures. The university 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.
Violations of the guest policy may result in the loss of guest privileges for the remainder of the academic year and may result in a student conduct referral.
Federal, state and university policies regarding health, safety, alcohol, drugs, firearms and the like will be upheld in all university residential facilities.
Beginning in fall 2012, new first year students are guaranteed a maximum of eight (8) semesters of on-campus housing. Transfer students are guaranteed from one (1) to eight (8) semesters on campus depending on the number of credit hours transferred. Students are notified at the time of acceptance as to the total number of semesters of housing that are guaranteed. This does not apply to those students who first contracted for housing prior to fall 2012. Students who can demonstrate a need to live in housing for more than the maximum number of guaranteed semesters may petition to extend their housing eligibility www.bridgew.edu/rlh/pdf/housing%20eligibility%20%20petition%20for%20appeal.pdf. The granting of petitions is contingent on the availability of space in on-campus housing.
To be eligible for campus housing a student must be enrolled as a full-time student at Bridgewater State University. Full-time is defined as enrollment in twelve (12) or more credit hours per semester for undergraduate students and nine (9) or more credit hours per semester for graduate students. Students may petition for a waiver of the full-time requirement, undergraduate students: www.bridgew.edu/rlh/assignments/pdf/ltftappeals.pdf graduate students: www.bridgew.edu/rlh/assignments/pdf/ltftgrad.pdf.
Students are issued room keys or access cards as applicable at the time of occupancy at no charge. Students are responsible for carrying their room keys/access cards with them at all times. If a room key/access card is lost, the students will be charged a replacement fee. When a room is vacated, it is the responsibility of each student to check out with a residence life and housing staff member and turn in keys if applicable.
In the event that a student becomes locked out of their living area or loses their key/access card, the following procedures should be followed:
If the RD is unavailable you may wait until he/she is available, locate an available resident assistant (RA), or wait until the RA comes on duty at 7 pm.
Tampering with firefighting 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 may result in immediate suspension from the residence halls.
When a malicious false fire alarm occurs:
Bridgewater State University 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 BSU police department with any information.
A nine-month housing option is available to upperclass students who have a need to remain in housing during the winter and spring break periods. Nine-month housing students are assigned to the Great Hill Student Apartments and pay an additional fee. The contract runs from the first day of occupancy for the fall semester through the 31st of May. Students who contract for nine-month housing are responsible for the full cost of the contract whether or not they choose to remain on campus during the break periods. Students living in nine-month housing have the option to extend their agreement period to 12 months. Students who are interested in the nine-month housing option can select this option during the room selection period.
The following items are prohibited from the residence halls:
The following items are allowed in the residence halls:
Students assigned to Weygand Hall and the Great Hill Student Apartments are not allowed to bring refrigerators. Each suite or apartment is equipped with a full-size refrigerator.
The following items are allowed in the kitchen area of the Great Hill Student Apartments:
Holiday decorations in the residence halls must meet the following criteria, as established by the fire codes:
Quiet hours are observed in the residence halls from 9 pm to 8 am, Sunday night through Friday morning, and from 12 am to 10 am on Friday and Saturday. 24-hour quiet hours are in effect during final exam periods.
Courtesy hours are in effect at all times. During courtesy hours any resident may request that noise be reduced.
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. It is the responsibility of all members of the community to enforce and to adhere to quiet hours and courtesy hours. Cooperation is essential.
At all times the following guidelines apply:
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 website 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 residence life and housing website: 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, the student will be emailed a room change pass. The resident must initiate the checkout process with a residence life and housing staff member; sign out on their room inventory form; return keys, if applicable; code their access card; 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 or having their card coded 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 if applicable.
A $300 housing deposit and a completed Residence Hall License Agreement are required to be considered for a room assignment. The housing deposit will be credited to the student's account in the spring semester if the student remains in housing for the full academic year.
The housing deposit is nonrefundable, unless the university is unable to provide a room after accepting the deposit. Students who withdraw from the residence halls forfeit their housing deposit. Students who can demonstrte an extenuating circumstance can petition for an exception to this policy www.bridgew.edu/rlh/pdf/housing%20deposit%20%20petition%20for%20appeal.pdf.
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 university safety and building maintenance guidelines. Prohibited items may be confiscated. Possession of prohibited items may result in a student conduct 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 university reserves the right to immediately terminate 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 may be reported to BSU police department and may result in a student conduct referral.
The university has set up appropriate rules and procedures for maintaining a safe environment. All resident students must use equipment properly, abide by policies and procedures and follow the directions of university personnel. Failure to adhere to policies, procedures or directions designed to maintain security may result in a student conduct referral.
All residence halls are entered through designated main entrance doors. All entrance doors are locked twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week, three hundred and sixty-five (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 a student conduct 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. Shea, Durgin, Woodward and the Great Hill 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; students must provide their own telephone. 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 and/or access cards to their resident director immediately. Tampering with locks, theft, duplication or unauthorized use of any keys or access cards to a university 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 access card to another person.
The university 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 University police department for permission to enter and to arrange for an escort.
Bridgewater State University prohibits smoking and tobacco use on all university property. University property includes, but is not limited to: university owned and leased buildings and facilities; university owned and leased vehicles; parking lots, building entrances and common areas.
Non-university related commercial activities, solicitations, fundraising activities or advertisements are not permitted in the buildings or on the grounds of the university residence halls.
Housing is available for students attending the university's summer session and/or working for the university. 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 residence life and housing website at http://www.bridgew.edu/RLH/Break_Housing/summerhousing.cfm.
Students who withdraw from the residence halls during the academic year forfeit their housing deposit and remain liable for the fee for the term of the agreement. The term of the agreement is for the full academic year (fall and spring semesters). Students may petition to be released from the Residence Hall License Agreement. To be released from the agreement, the student must demonstrate an inability to fulfill the terms of the agreement due to extenuating circumstances impacting the student: www.bridgew.edu/rlh/pdf/license%20agreement%20%20petition%20for%20appeal.pdf.
Refunds for housing will be awarded as follows: 100 percent refund prior to the first day of occupancy. Prorated refunds from first day of occupancy until Monday after the last day of drop/add period. No refund thereafter.
Bridgewater State University Student Handbook 2013-2014. All Rights Reserved.
