Residence Hall Information and Policies

Guilford is a residential college and all traditional age students under the age of 23 are expected to live
on campus except those granted permission by the Department of Residence Life to live off campus.
Housing for CCE students, married couples or families is not provided by the college. The criteria for
students to live off-campus is listed in the off-campus housing section. By the terms of this policy, a
student turning 23 prior to the beginning of a semester (fall, spring, or summer) is not eligible
to live on campus any longer. If a student turns 23 during a semester, he/she is expected to move off campus
at the end of that semester. Exceptions may be granted to graduating seniors upon application to the
Department of Residence Life. To be eligible for residence in on-campus housing, traditional students
must remain enrolled in full-time academic course load (at least 12 credits) throughout the semester in which
they are in residence. If a student drops below 12 credits he/she must move out within 24 hours unless they are approved by the Associate Dean for Campus Life to remain in campus housing.

Each resident student is a member of both a residence hall community and the larger college community and has the responsibility to maintain a comfortable and safe living and learning environment. All students living in college alternative houses and the college's student apartments are bound by the same regulations that govern traditional residence halls.

Residence Life Forms

The Rights of Residents

Each resident has the right to:

  • read, study and sleep without interference, unreasonable noise or other distractions
  • be free from intimidation and physical and emotional harm
  • have personal privacy within one's room
  • live in a clean and safe environment
  • expect that his/her personal belongings will be respected
  • have guests who understand and honor the rights of all others

The Responsibilities of Residents

Each resident has a responsibility to:

  • abide by federal, state and local laws and all college regulations as set forth in the Guilford College Student Handbook
  • adhere to regulations for individual residence areas and halls
  • abide by the terms and conditions of the Residence Hall Contract
  • be accountable for the actions of their guests
  • comply with reasonable requests of all college officials, including resident advisers (RAs) and hall directors (HDs)
  • report residence hall and college violations to appropriate staff
  • abide by health and safety standards
  • maintain their residence in reasonable order
  • show respect for room/suite/apartment/house mates

Decorations and Furnishings

Students are prohibited from hanging or displaying any items on the exterior of buildings or interior hallways without permission from Campus Life. Display of alcohol/drug signs, bottles, and containers in residence hall windows is also prohibited.

Early College


Policies regarding Early College students in residence halls; see Early College section.

Fines


Fines may be levied when rooms or suites are judged to be in violation of health and safety standards.

  • Students shall be warned and/or fined and/or face judicial charges by college officials should unhealthy or unsafe conditions exist. The college may elect to correct the situation and bill the occupants accordingly.
  • Failure to comply with residence hall opening and closing instructions can render occupant(s) subject to fines without warning and immediate removal from residential facilities.


Guests


Guests visiting a Guilford resident may stay with that resident on campus for up to two nights. Guests staying beyond two nights must get permission from and register with the Office for Campus Life. All guests must abide by the college policies. The resident is responsible for informing the guests of these rules and will be held responsible for the behavior of non-student guests. The college has a right to deny access to any guest, or to ask any guest to leave if it has been reasonably determined that a guest has disturbed or is likely to disturb other residents. Students spending extended periods of time in living spaces not assigned to them may be considered guests and subject to thisp olicy. (See Host Responsibility under the Violations section of the handbook.)


Key Policy

Entry into Residence Halls - All students are to utilize the secured doorways to each building using their student ID card. No one is permitted to use windows or emergency exits to gain access to or to exit a building or a student room. Students should have their room key and ID with them at all times.

Residence Hall Keys. All students must be issued a key prior to or upon occupying a residence. If the key is lost or not returned on time, the student will be charged a lock and key replacement fee. Room keys may not be duplicated for any reason. Unauthorized duplication of room keys will result in replacement charges and may warrant judicial charges. In cases where residents change rooms during the year, keys are never to be exchanged directly by students. All room changes and all key exchanges must be handled through the Department of Residence Life. Note: If at any time during the school year a key is lost, a fee of $75 to replace that particular key will be billed to the student’s account. Request for a new key should be made to the Department of Residence Life.

Lockouts. If a student is locked out of their room, they may contact Public Safety Control (ext. 2909) and request assistance. Each student will receive one complimentary lockout request; however, subsequent requests will result in a $10 fine assessed to the student’s account.


Key Return. College residence hall keys must be returned to the Department of Residence Life within 24 hours of being issued a new key in the event of a room change, or a student’s withdrawal or dismissal from the college. Please refer to each semester's hall closing notices for deadlines and procedures for returning keys at the end of a semester or summer term. Keys not returned within that period will be considered lost and the student account will be billed for a lost key and replacement of the lock.


Roommate Understandings


Each set of roommates, suitemates and housemates are encouraged to complete a Roommate Understanding Form and to review it with a member of the Conflict Resolution Resource Center. This form can be obtained from your RA or HD upon move-in. This conversation and form encourages understanding and respect among residents regarding expectations and the delineation of responsibilities. The Roommate Understanding Form can be revisited and revised throughout the year and may be helpful should a conflict arise.


Roommate Conflicts


Living with a roommate(s) is often a challenging experience, but also an opportunity for growth and education. When conflict arises, residents are encouraged to seek mediation through Residence Life staff or the Conflict Resolution Resource Center (CRRC ext 2446). If issues cannot be resolved and become severe, one person may be asked to move to a different room. Room change requests, arising from roommate conflicts, are decided on a case-by-case basis by the Director of Residence Life and roommates may be asked to participate in mediation or other avenues towards resolution.

Residence Hall Contracts, Refunds and Off-Campus Housing

  • Contracts. Residence hall contracts are for the full academic year and may be broken only with the permission of the associate dean for residence life or designee. By applying for housing, each student agrees to the terms and conditions specified in the Residence Hall Contract. Contracts are signed during check-in and a copy is available online at www.guilford.edu/housing for viewing.
  • Refunds. Please consult the Student Financial Services Office for information pertaining to refund of room and board fees. Students who are removed from campus housing by the college judicial system will not receive a refund.
  • Off-Campus Housing. All Off-Campus Applications are due in the Department of Residence Life by the dates published on the Residence Life website. The forms are available in the Department of Residence Life or on the website at www.guilford.edu/housing. Students who receive institutional aid from the college may have a 25% reduction in institutional (Guilford College) aid if they do not adhere to the deadlines specified on the website. The Department of Residence Life approves or denies all applications depending on the application, the applicant's judicial status, academic standing and projected housing capacity. Only those students who have proven their maturity, academic success, leadership, have records of acceptable community conduct, and have made positive contributions to the Guilford community, are granted the privilege of living off-campus. Students must reapply to live off-campus each academic year, including those already living off campus.

    You may apply to be off-campus for severe financial hardship, or for medical, learning disability or psychological reasons. If you apply for severe financial hardship, your petition will be reviewed by Financial Aid office as well as the Department of Residence Life. If you petition for medical, psychological or learning disability reasons, you must complete the Disabilities Disclosure form and provide supporting documentation. Your petition will be reviewed by the ADA committee and will be granted if Guilford College is unable to provide reasonable accommodation on campus. You may be asked to provide additional documentation as outlined in the Guilford College Student Handbook under the Americans with Disabilities Act: Disclosure and Request for Reasonable Accommodation(s) which is found on the website at www.guilford.edu/ada.

  • Single Rooms. Single rooms are only granted to those approved for ADA reasons. Please visit the Residence Life webpage and view Residence Life forms for the Single Room Application and the process for applying. Students desiring a single room not based on an ADA reasonable accommodation are encouraged to sign up for an apartment space, though requests are not guaranteed.
  • Room Assignments and Changes. Every effort is made to honor individual preferences in matching roommates and residence halls although Residence Life cannot guarantee first preference for any housing assignment. Rooms are assigned to entering students in the summer preceding their arrival. Rooms are assigned in order of seniority and randomly assigned lottery numbers for returning students during the housing selection period in the spring. All traditional students who are not pre-approved to live off-campus are required to complete the online housing application. In addition, separate group applications are required for the apartments, alternative theme houses and Bryan suites in addition to the online application. The college reserves the right to make changes in assignments. Room changes must be approved by the Department of Residence Life. The Department of Residence Life reserves the right to enact consolidation. If a student is in a double room with no assigned roommate, he/she will be expected to accept a roommate at any time or be consolidated with another student in the same situation. He/she will be expected to keep half of the room clean and clear of belongings so a roommate may move in.

Room Cleanliness


It is the responsibility of each resident to keep his/her living area clean, safe and sanitary. Debris should be kept off the floors and rooms should be cleaned weekly. To assist the housekeeping staff in thorough cleaning and maintenance of common areas, personal items should not be left in bathrooms and showers. Trash should be removed from rooms, suites, houses and apartments and placed in the appropriate trash or recycling dumpster outside the building. Failure to place trash in appropriate areas may result in a fine and/or judicial charges. Personal items or trash left in hallways or common areas will be removed and disposed of by the college and may result in a fine and/or judicial charges.


Room Damages

Occupants of a room will be held responsible for losses or damages to their room and its furnishings including cost of replacement or repair and all reasonable resulting expenses. Students must complete and sign a Room Condition Report with a residence life staff member upon move-in. Students are encouraged to discuss the accuracy of this report with their resident advisor, hall director or residence life staff and opportunity will be given during check-in to adjust or alter Room Condition Reports. As a student checks out of a room, he/she will again be given the opportunity to review the condition of the room and its furnishings with a residence life staff member, discuss who should be charged for damage to a room/suite/apartment/house, and complete the Room Condition Report. Each resident is responsible for returning his/her room/suite/apartment/house and its furnishings to the original condition upon check-out. All information noted on the Room Condition Report will be considered by Residence Life and Facilities who will then make final damage assessments. Any damage, cleaning, or improper checkout fees will be added to the respective student account. Students may appeal these charges by email within thirty (30) days of departure from the hall. NO APPEALS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE DEADLINES. TELEPHONE INQUIRIES ABOUT BILLING WILL ALSO NOT BE ACCEPTED. STUDENTS WHO CHOOSE THE EXPRESS CHECKOUT METHOD, WAIVE ANY RIGHTS TO APPEAL.


Care must be exercised in hanging items on room walls. Only adhesives that do not damage walls may be used. Keeping the building common areas (corridors, lounges and bathrooms) and their furnishings and fixtures in good condition is the collective responsibility of all residents. In cases where the responsible persons are not identified, each person who resided in a room, suite, or apartment building during a semester in which damage and/or loss occurred may be held responsible on a prorated basis for any and all reasonable repair and/or replacement expenses. A list of typical damage fees is available online at www.guilford.edu/campus in the Residence Life section. Students are prohibited from making repairs to College rooms/furnishings on their own and should submit work orders to Facilities.

Hall Damages

For vandalism, damage, excessive or personal trash or unsanitary conditions found in common areas of residence halls beyond what may be considered normal "wear and tear", the Office for Campus Life will make reasonable effort to find those responsible. However, if the culprit(s) cannot be found, the residents of the floor/hall/apartment/suite/house may be charged the cost of labor/materials and/or required to attend hall meeting(s) regarding the issues. Students are prohibited from making repairs to the halls/furnishings on their own. Students may appeal hall damage charges via email to reslife@guilford.edu within two (2) working days of the notice of charges.


Room Furnishings

  • College-owned furniture and accessories may not be removed from the room.
  • Residents will be billed for missing or damaged furniture and accessories (unless noted on Room Condition Report prior to check-in).
  • Writing, painting, or drawing on residential area furniture, walls, doors, floors and ceilings is prohibited.
  • Non-college furniture and accessories must be removed from rooms prior to checkout. If items are not removed, the college will assess a removal fee.
  • Unauthorized use of college furnishings or fixtures, including taking common area furnishings for personal use in one’s room, is prohibited. Students will be billed for the return of the furniture to the common area. Additionally, students are prohibited from storing personal belongings (including furniture) outside of their room/suite/apartment/house, such as in lounges, hallways, and breezeways.
  • Window screens are not to be removed except in an emergency. Fees for damaged or missing screens will be charged to the room’s occupants.
  • Students cannot alter, repair or paint their residence hall rooms. If students believe their rooms need painting, a request should be made to the Facilities Department. Should unauthorized repair or alterations be made, the college will return the room to its original condition and bill the student for materials and labor. The college will not pay for unauthorized improvements made by the residents.


Maintenance

For routine work order requests, students should click Submit a Work Order. Depending on the urgency students should allow up to 5 business days to complete a routine work order request. Work order requests that are urgent or require immediate attention should go through Public Safety after hours at x2909. Public Safety will assess the urgency and report it to Facilities as is appropriate. Examples of urgent maintenance issues are as follows:

  • Water - leaking from major pipes, large amounts of water or sewage leaking, water leaking on to electrical equipment that cannot be moved.
  • Electrical - electrical problems within a whole building or suite.
  • Heating and Cooling - problems that are building-wide and are part of an event that is scheduled for more than 2 hours, need attention at once. An event that is going to end in 2 hours or less can wait until the next day. Heating problems, with temperatures below freezing that are throughout a building, should get attention at once. Heating or cooling problems in a residential room should wait to be reported the next working day, unless the individual has no other place to stay.

Vacation/Residence Hall Closing


During fall, winter, spring, and summer breaks and the periods of time between semesters, residence halls, houses and apartments officially close. Students must abide by the closing instructions provided by the Department of Residence Life. At the end of each semester and the summer sessions, all students, except those with explicit permission to remain on campus by the Residence Life Office, must vacate their rooms within 24 hours after their last scheduled examination or by the official closing time, whichever comes first. May graduating seniors have until 8 p.m. graduation day, unless otherwise specified in the closing notices sent out prior to the break, to move out of their rooms. Students must have the permission of the Department of Residence Life to remain on campus during any break.

A student may be permitted to remain in his/her room over fall and spring breaks only by registering with the Residence Life office and by signing a separate contract to remain during breaks. No persons will be permitted to remain on campus without prior approval from the Department of Residence Life. During the fall and spring breaks, the student accepts responsibility for college rules and regulations and for his/her personal safety. If damage occurs, the responsible individuals and/or sponsoring group will be held accountable. Any policy violations will result in immediate removal from residential facilities for the remainder of the break.

All students are required to vacate residential housing during the winter break, the break between spring and summer semesters, and the break between summer and fall semesters. Only those with explicit permission from Campus Life, for reasons such as employment with Guilford or varsity athletics in season during a break, may occupy residences on campus and are not permitted to host overnight guests during the aforementioned periods. Students may leave belongings in their rooms over the winter break though they are advised not to leave valuables.

The dining hall and grill are closed during college breaks.

Athletic Activities


Athletic activities, including but not limited to, darts and dartboards, ball throwing and bouncing, baseball, basketball, Frisbee throwing, boxing, hockey, golf, lacrosse, racquetball, skateboarding, skating, soccer, throwing water balloons, using water guns, and bicycle riding are not allowed on the inside of any residential area, including hallways, stairwells, patios and courtyards. Roller blades and cleats must be removed prior to entering a building.


Electrical/Fire Safety Restrictions


See Fire Safety Violations


Entry Into Residence Hall Areas


Entry by a student into another student’s room without his/her permission is prohibited. As a private institution, Guilford College has the right to enter any residential room to address maintenance concerns, conduct routine health and safety checks and initiate room searches if warranted. Entrance into any residential room/apartment/suite will follow the protocol established by the Office for Campus Life and the Public Safety office. Entrance into student living spaces is categorized into three levels:

I. General Entry:

1. Non-emergency maintenance repairs: By requesting a maintenance repair, a student has granted permission for a member of the facilities staff to come into the room/suite/apartment and make the necessary repair. In addition, facilities staff may enter student living spaces to verify damages or to perform other maintenance services during normal business hours (M-F, 8:30 am - 6:00 pm).

2. Periodic health and safety inspections: Several times during the year, Residence Life staff will conduct routine inspections of all student living spaces. These inspections will be announced at least 24 hours in advance of entry to the room/suite/apartment.

3. Fire alarm inspections/issues: Rooms, suites, lounges and bathrooms may be entered when an alarm sounds to make sure all students have vacated those areas. Rooms may also be entered when the alarm system indicates a smoke detector has been activated.

4. Housekeeping: Housekeeping staff may enter rooms for the purpose of cleaning, in cases of emergency or cases when a new occupant is moving into a vacated space.

5. General Courtesy Issues: Rooms may be entered to turn off alarms and stereos or other items which are causing a disturbance for other members of the college community when there has been no response by the occupants.

II. Investigative Entry (Reasonable Cause)

1. Violations of College Student Conduct Code or Local, State or Federal Laws: If staff members from the Office for Campus Life or the Public Safety office have reason to believe a law or college policy is going to be, is in the process of being, or has been broken, a decision to conduct a room search may be obtained (see "Protocol for Room Search Procedure" in the Student Handbook). Such possible violation of the laws and policies include but are not limited to: all policies pertaining to alcohol and other drugs, weapons/fireworks, fire safety, theft, pets, smoking, unregistered person, guests, violation of the NAUP (Network Acceptable Use Policy), and noise.

III. Imminent Entry (Critical)

1. Life-threatening situation: A public Safety or Campus Life staff member may use a passkey to enter a room/suite/apartment if it is believed an emergency situation exists. Such situations may include but are not limited to: endangerment of person(s) relating to mental/physical illness, sexual assault, physical assault, alcohol or drugs.

2. Emergency maintenance repairs: Facilities staff may enter a room at any time to handle concerns that include but are not limited to: loss of power, heat, AC, plumbing issues, etc.


Fire Alarms and Drills


In accordance with North Carolina building codes, Guilford requires all persons to evacuate a building when a fire alarm sounds. The college holds scheduled fire drills supervised by Residence Life staff and the Public Safety Office. If you are in immediate danger when an alarm sounds, proceed directly to the nearest exit and/or stairway. If you are not in immediate danger, evacuate the building following this procedure:

  • turn on room lights
  • raise the shade and close the window; close door when exiting
  • leave the building through the closest exit; use the right-hand side of the stairs walking single file
  • upon leaving the building, go to the area designated by the college staff. Do not reenter the building until told to do so. Continued order and quiet are essential


Pet Policy


Pets on Campus Grounds. Pets are allowed on the campus grounds (excluding buildings) provided the pet is properly tagged with immunization information. The pet must be leashed and under the direct control of the owner at all times. All animals found on campus in violation of these regulations will be reported to Animal Control of Guilford County. The college has the authority to require the removal of any animal if that animal’s behavior poses a threat to the safety or normal functioning of the college. Pet owners are responsible for cleaning up after their pets.

Pets in the Residence Halls. Because of North Carolina and Greensboro Public Health Regulations and the college’s concern for the health and well being of all, pets are not permitted by students or their guests in residence halls, alternative housing, the apartments or any other campus building. Pets found in residence halls, alternative houses or the student apartments will result in immediate removal of the pet, judicial charges, contacting of animal control, and the billing of the residents and/or pet owner for mandatory fumigation and cleaning. Fish may be considered an exception to this policy if they are kept in a tank (under 10 gallons) and in sanitary condition. Pets found repeatedly in the student apartments or alternative houses may result in the removal of the student occupant from campus housing with no refund.


Quiet Hours


Quiet hours are defined as periods of time when any sounds originating in a student’s room, lounges and hall areas must be inaudible outside of that area.

  • Courtesy hours are in effect 24 hour a day. Noise that may interfere with an individual's right to read, study and sleep is prohibited.
  • The college’s established quiet hours are from 11 p.m. to 9 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
  • During exam periods and reading days, mandatory 24-hour quiet hours are in effect.
  • Quiet hours can be determined by each residence hall, but must remain within the guidelines established by the college.

Failure to abide by these policies will result in a verbal warning or judicial charges. Repeated violations may result in the confiscation of stereos, televisions, game systems, or instruments causing the noise violation.


Smoking Policy

See Fire Safety Violations.