Room Assignment Policies and Regulations

Residence Hall Agreement
Housing is available to full time day students only. Each resident student is required to pay a nonrefundable deposit and sign a residence hall agreement before he/she may reserve a room. The agreement is binding for an entire academic year. Students thinking about moving off campus should speak with the Director of Residence Life before making plans.

Room Assignment and Reservations
Once a student enrolls at Oglethorpe, he/she signs up for on-campus housing each April for the upcoming academic year. Room reservation dates and procedures are publicized by Residence Life.

Summer Housing
Requests for summer housing will be taken during the spring semester in April, after the room selection process is complete for the upcoming fall semester. Residence Life will announce dates, times and procedures.

Room Changes
Students wishing to change rooms must submit a Room Change Request form. Forms may be obtained and submitted in the Student Affairs Office. The student will then be contacted (usually within 2-3 days) as to whether or not his/her request has been approved. Moving without prior approval of the Residence Life Office will result in a minimum $50 fine. Room changes may only be made after the first two weeks of school through midterm during the first semester and during the first two weeks of school during the second semester. When the residence halls are filled to capacity, there won't be a lot of options for room changes. Communication is the key to effective roommate relationships.

Holidays
All residents are expected to vacate the residence halls by the time posted by the Residence Life staff, on the last day of classes before a scheduled break, or at the completion of their final examinations. Special requests for delayed departure must be submitted to the Director of Residence Life two weeks prior to the upcoming break. Permission may be granted by the Director of Residence Life if the request is justified. Students who have been granted special permission to remain in the halls over scheduled breaks will be charged $100 per day. Anyone who returns to the Residence Halls during the break or who stays late without receiving prior permission may face additional sanctions and fines. The residence halls will reopen after scheduled vacation periods at 9:00 a.m on the day before registration or when classes resume.

Check -In/Check-out
All resident students must complete a room inventory card (RIC) upon arrival. Completed room inventory cards should be turned into your RA or RLC. Signing the RIC means that the resident accepts the condition of the room at check-in. When residents vacate their assigned rooms, a checkout procedure must be followed:

1. Arrange a time for a checkout appointment with your RA. All your belongings, including those on walls, in closets, in drawers, etc. must be removed.
2. Sweep out room and remove all trash. As a courtesy to other students, please do not leave trash in hallways or outside your door. If your room or suite is not cleaned, you will be charged accordingly for improper checkout.
3. Meet with your RA for a checkout appointment. The RA will inspect the room for damages, missing furniture and cleanliness.
4. Return your keys to your RA and sign your room inventory card after any damages have been noted.
5. Your Head Resident or other professional staff will determine final damage assessments.

NOTE: Moving without prior approval from your RLC will result in a $50 fine.

Damages
Communal Property: If hallways, baths, lounges or other public areas in the residence halls receive undue abuse, we expect the assistance of the residents of that area to identify the responsible individual(s). When the individual(s) cannot be identified, all residents will be required to pay a prorated share of repairing such damages.

Room: You are responsible for any damages that occur in your room during your occupancy. If damages are accidental, you must still pay repair costs. In the case where damages are the result of vandalism, the individual responsible must not only pay for repairs but may also face disciplinary action.

Students who maliciously damage their rooms and/or common areas of the residence halls will be subject to restitution, disciplinary action, and/ or fines and possible expulsion from the residence halls.

Deposits, Refunds, and Breaking your Contract
A room reservation/damage deposit of $200 must be paid prior to reserving a room. This deposit will be applicable to residence hall damages. Students who currently live on campus will not have to pay an additional deposit to reserve a room. In this case, the deposit will be rolled over. The deposit will be refunded after the student leaves the residence hall at the end of the contract period or for other reasons as stated in the Residence Hall Agreement, provided that the student has no outstanding financial obligations to the University and does not intend to live on campus the following year. If the student fails to turn in keys and sign the proper check out forms at the end of the occupancy period or if keys are lost during the contract period, a $130 lock change fee will be charged against the damage deposit. The damage deposit is not applicable to room and board charges. Damage deposits will be processed at the end of each semester. Students who are graduating or not returning to campus housing should expect a check mailed to their permanent address by mid-June.

Students are obligated to live on campus throughout their contractual agreement which is typically the entire academic year. Students may apply to break their contract prior to the end of the academic year as outlined in the Residence Hall Agreement. Students suspended from the residence halls are not entitled to a refund.

Keys
Report lost keys at once to your Residence Life Coordinator. For your security, it is necessary that we change locks and make a charge against your damage deposit. The charge for a lost key is $130 when it is necessary to change the "core."

Lockouts
Students needing to be let into their rooms should contact the RA on duty or Campus Safety. If that person is temporarily unavailable, they should look for another member of the Residence Life staff, or call Campus Safety as a last resort. Students who have more than 2 lockouts will be charged $10 per lockout.