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The University makes assignments without regard to age, color, creed, disability, marital status, national origin, race, and sexual orientation.
The University guarantees a residential space, not necessarily a given room assignment or roommate(s). Students may indicate a preference for a particular residential unit, room, and roommate(s). The University reserves the right to make assignments and reassignments in order to fully utilize available facilities and to consolidate vacancies.
Room assignments and changes are prerogatives of the University and are processed by written authorization from the Director of Residential Life, or designee. The University reserves all rights with respect to the assignment and reassignment of the room accommodations, and may at its sole discretion, terminate such assignment.
Students living in a multiple occupancy room must accommodate a new roommate assigned if the room drops below capacity.
In order to make administrative adjustments where necessary, there will be a 2-week room freeze at the beginning of each semester. New requests for roommate changes will not be processed during this time. Room changes due to roommate conflicts will not be permitted until after the students have attempted an agreement through the assistance of their Resident Assistant/Moderator and/or Residential Life Coordinator.
Unauthorized room changes may result in administrative fines and/or referral to Student Integrity and Community Standards and/or other appropriate administrative action.
Students may be administratively removed from their assigned residential unit if they demonstrate an inability to function in the group living environment.
Students experiencing roommate conflicts must work with the residential life hall staff to arrive at some agreeable solution. Before a room change will be granted, the roommates must attempt a resolution by taking the following steps:
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Work together as roommates to identify the problem and attempt to resolve it.
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Meet with their Resident Assistant or Moderator if a resolution cannot be reached.
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If necessary, meet with their Residential Life Coordinator, who will mediate a discussion between all roommates involved with the goal of creating a signed contract containing agreed upon standards for room behavior.
If, in the judgment of University officials, roommates should not remain together, an “as needed” room change will be provided. If one of the students involved does not volunteer to move, both students may be required to move to other spaces on campus.
If vacancies exist in a residential unit to which a student is assigned, residents without roommates may be required to move in together (consolidate). The Residential Life Office may assign, re-assign and adjust the occupancy of rooms at any time. The consolidation policy serves to better meet the demand of students, reduce the number of room changes, open space for housing special groups during the year, and ensure maximum occupancy and efficiency of all residential unit spaces. The Residential Life Office will determine who has a space in their room or suite. In the case that two residents both have vacancies in their respective rooms and wish to voluntarily consolidate together, the Residential Life Office will honor the voluntary consolidation. Administrative consolidation may require relocating one resident to another resident’s room.
If a student has a space in their room, they must be prepared to accept a new roommate when assigned. Students exhibiting behavior intended to discourage prospective roommates or to otherwise manipulate the housing assignment process may be referred to Student Integrity and Community Standards.
Students with a vacancy in their room at the end of the fall semester must leave their room with adequate space for an incoming student to move in for the spring semester. If the student’s room is unacceptable for an incoming student to move into, that student may face an administrative fine and mandatory Super Single room rate increase. The Residential Life Coordinator will assess the student’s room at semester break and determine if the vacant space is acceptable.
The University will provide all students with a space in University housing and with food service for the times specified on the academic calendar. Those days when the University is closed for vacations are specifically excluded. No meals are provided during these periods.
Initial occupancy is required by the University’s first day of classes. Rooms not claimed by this date may be reassigned unless the Director of Residential Life, or designee, has given permission for late arrival.
A student who has not notified the University of late arrival may be reassigned to any available space. A room must be occupied by only the person(s) properly assigned to the room.
Access to an assigned room is given to occupants only during regular academic sessions, which require their presence on campus.
Students are responsible for completing, and returning to the Residential Life staff a room condition report (RCR) within the first week of their occupancy. At check out, damages identified in your assigned room and noted on your RCR may be billed to you.
Residential Life will post information for opening and closing of residential spaces each academic year. A student is required to leave the hall within twenty-four hours after completion of their classes or examinations, or by hall closing, whichever comes first. The student must check out in accordance with circulated checkout procedures. Failure to do so will result in an improper checkout charge.
Improper Check Out is defined as the failure on the part of the student to properly vacate (i.e. be checked out by a staff member and turn in the key). No credit will be given on any keys returned following checkout.
Students leaving the University must remove all of their belongings. A student who is dismissed or who voluntarily withdraws from the University has 48 hours in which to vacate the residential unit. Students in need of an extension for move out due to extenuating circumstances may appeal to the Director of Residential Life. Appeals must be submitted within 24 business hours of the student receiving notice that they must vacate the space.
Personal property that remains in a student’s room when they move out, leave the University, or at the end of the spring term is considered abandoned by the student. When necessary, a student’s personal belongings will be boxed and stored at the student’s expense. Student’s will be given 30 days to collect their personal belongings and will be notified of the deadline to retrieve their items. After 30 days have passed, abandoned property will be donated to a local resale store.
The University reserves the right to use any of the residential unit rooms to house a student during breaks between semesters.
During some of the break periods, University facilities and services are available on a limited basis. There are no food services available during break periods.
Students who plan to remain on campus after the closing and during the break must register with the Residential Life Office by the required deadlines. Students registering past the deadline may not be approved to stay on campus. Students must receive approval to stay on campus during break periods in which registration is required.
For winter break, the University may close all residential facilities completely; if not, students may be required to consolidate to one building.
For break periods, students who are not registered to stay are required to vacate their residential unit by the posted times and may return when the residential units are reopened. Students who are found to be accessing residential facilities during break periods will be subject to daily rate charges and may be asked to vacate the campus. In some circumstances, presence on campus and/or in residential facilities without permission may be considered trespassing.
Students are responsible for the cleanliness of their personal space, including disposal of trash and recyclables. For safety purposes, students should maintain their rooms in a way that allows quick and safe egress to their doors in case of emergency. It is also expected that spaces used by students are left in the order that they were found.
Housekeeping services have allocated a number of daily cleaning hours necessary to clean the common spaces in each of the residential facilities. Any cleaning that is necessary above and beyond the allocated daily cleaning hours in a particular building due to messiness or vandalism caused by students will be billed as an hourly rate. If the University is unable to attribute the mess to particular students and bill accordingly, the additional charges incurred will be shared by the students of that residential community. The hourly rate for additional cleaning is $100/hour. Students may contact Residential Life if they are interested in knowing the allocated cleaning hours for their building.
SLUs, Houses, and Fraternities
For SLUs, houses, and fraternities, it is important members recognize in advance when the condition of the house will require more cleaning than the allocated daily cleaning hours and take action as a community to clean up after themselves. While living in a house provides for closer community living, personal items should be put away so cleaning staff can adequately clean tabletops, kitchen and bathroom counters, laundry areas, and sinks and showers.
Dishes are the responsibility of the residents of the house. It is suggested that each house create a cleaning schedule and make cleaning assignments, so all members of the house are contributing to the collective cleanliness of the community. Houses should be cleaned by residents a minimum of once per week; though some occasions may require additional cleaning time. To avoid additional cleaning charges, extraordinary messes should be cleaned prior to housekeeping staff arriving at the house.
Fridges
Fridges in SLUs, houses, and fraternities will be cleaned out at the end of each semester, and only those things that are labeled with a student’s name and dated within a week will be left in the fridge.
Residence Halls
As a member of a larger community, students have a responsibility to contribute positively and take care of the community shared with others.
Examples of behaviors that will likely cause additional cleaning beyond the allocated daily cleaning hours include vandalism that creates a mess to a reasonable person, leaving or throwing trash and/or food around the building, spilling large amounts of liquid on floors or furniture, unnecessarily moving furniture around the building, leaving dining hall dishware in lounges, and making unnecessary messes in bathroom areas (ie: wads of toilet paper in sinks, intentionally clogged toilets). Personal dishes and/or food left in common space residence hall kitchens will be disposed of immediately.
Fridges
Fridges in common spaces of larger residence halls are not intended to store items for long periods of time. Fridges in common spaces will be emptied and cleaned every Friday afternoon, and only those things that are labeled with a student’s name and dated within a week will be left in the fridge.
Laundry Rooms
Laundry should be collected from laundry rooms by students as it is completed. Laundry rooms will be emptied of neglected laundry every Friday afternoon. Neglected laundry will be stored for the remainder of the term (fall, spring, summer) and disposed of after the term is over. Students who wish to attempt to recover neglected laundry that has been collected should connect with their Residential Life Coordinator.
Residents are held accountable for property destruction that occurs in their room and/or in the public areas of their residential unit. Residents will be charged for repair or replacement costs due to the removal of or destruction of property in their residential unit.
When two or more students occupy the same room and individual responsibility for damages to that room/furnishings cannot be determined, the damage charge will be assessed equally among those assigned to the room. Residents are responsible for their guest(s) and, therefore, could be held responsible for any damages incurred. A student may not be assessed a fine for damage if (1) they notify a staff member immediately and (2) they accepts responsibility for the cost of the repair
The student or students responsible for damage resulting from abuse of facilities, negligence, or means other than those attributed to normal deterioration will be expected to assume the cost of repair or replacement. If the responsible individual or individuals are unknown, then the occupants of the residential unit will be expected to assume the cost of the repair or replacement.
Community damage that cannot be attributed to responsible parties will be divided among the residents and assessed to each individual student account.
Damage bills will be sent to residents at any time at the discretion of the Residential Life Office and at the end of the academic year or when the student leaves the residential unit. Any appeals to damage bills must be in writing to the Residential Life Office by the posted deadline. Community damage charges are not subject to appeal.
Residents will be issued a room key for their use only. Keys may not be shared or loaned to other students. Residents are required to carry a room key at all times. If a room key is lost, the student responsible for losing the key will be assessed charges for a replacement.
If a student is locked out of their room, they can contact their Resident Assistant and/or Public Safety. A fee may be assessed for lock outs. Appeals for lockout charges may be written to the Director of Residential Life via email.
Room doors should be locked at all times when the room is unoccupied.
For security purposes, the OWU student ID card will be used to access the outside door of residence halls, fraternity houses, theme houses, and SLUs. A fee will be assessed if the card is lost, damaged, stolen, or needs replacement.
Exterior doors are not to be propped; students are encouraged to un-prop doors that have been propped open. Fraternity house doors are also equipped with propped door alarms that serve as an added security measure.
Residents may not remove or modify designated University furniture from their room or place common area furniture into their room. Facilities and services provided by the University include: Bed, mattress, desk, desk chair, dresser, closet space, window blind/curtains, internet accessibility, laundry.
Furniture and mattresses may not be removed from an assigned residential room. Mattresses or waterbeds are not permitted to be brought into residential facilities unless approved by the Residential Life office.
Window screens may not be removed from windows. Alert Residential Life staff if a screen is damaged or needs repair.
Residents may not hang beds from the residence hall ceilings or walls.
Microwaves, computers, refrigerators, and any other electrical appliances that produce heat cannot be stored under beds.
The University does not assume any responsibility for loss or damage to the personal property of hall residents for any reason. It is recommended that students insure their personal property to cover student property losses due to theft, flood, fire, etc., often provided through a homeowner’s insurance policy.
Affordable student property insurance is available through Ohio Wesleyan University on an “opt-in” basis and is highly encouraged for all students whether they reside on campus or not. For more information on student property insurance, please inquire at the Residential Life Office or refer to the Residential Life web site to learn more.
Custom built lofts are prohibited. Upon request, OWU Buildings and Grounds may provide appropriate materials to students who wish to elevate their university issued beds. These materials may be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Lofts must be assembled in such a way as to allow a 36” clearance between the top of the mattress and the ceiling. Students may not place their bed upon desks, dressers, wardrobes, etc. as a means to elevate their bed.
The Residential Life Office oversees all matters relating to living on campus, including room and roommate assignments, residential programming, requests to commute from home, and meal plans. For the purposes of this student handbook, the phrase “residential facility” refers to all on-campus housing options, including residence halls, Small Living Units (SLUs), fraternity houses, small houses, and apartments.
The Residential Life Office oversees all matters relating to living on campus, including room and roommate assignments, residential programming, requests to commute from home, and meal plans. For the purposes of this student handbook, the phrase “residential facility” refers to all on-campus housing options, including residence halls, Small Living Units (SLUs), fraternity houses, Williams Drive houses, theme houses, and House of Black Culture.
Students are encouraged to utilize lounge space and other meeting spaces on-campus, but it should be cleaned to the best of their ability after they have finished using the space. Students who do not properly clean up their space and/or whose uncleanliness causes permanent damage to the room or furnishings may be subject to fines and/or referral to the student conduct resolution process. Damages that occur to public areas (e.g., restrooms, lounges, study rooms, etc.) that are not attributable to a specific individual or group may be equally shared by the residents of the area(s) where those damages occurred.
Students are encouraged to utilize lounge space and other meeting spaces on-campus, but it should be cleaned to the best of their ability after they have finished using the space. Students who do not properly clean up their space and/or whose uncleanliness causes permanent damage to the room or furnishings may be subject to fines and/or referral to the student conduct resolution process. Damages that occur to public areas (e.g., restrooms, lounges, study rooms, etc.) that are not attributable to a specific individual or group may be equally shared by the residents of the area(s) where those damages occurred.
Living in an on-campus residential learning community throughout one’s college career is an integral part of the Ohio Wesleyan University educational experience. As a residential university, we require full-time enrolled students to reside on campus unless they meet one of the following criteria of exception:
Commuter Students
Eligibility to commute from home is determined by the high school from which the student graduated or will graduate. Only those students who graduate from select central Ohio high schools and will continue to reside with their parents or legal guardians at their primary place of residence are eligible to commute. Students who were zoned for one of the qualifying high schools but who chose homeschooling or boarding school may contact reslife@owu.edu to discuss their potential eligibility.
Students must provide documentation that the address at which they will reside is the bona fide primary place of residence of their parents or guardians. “Primary place of residence” is defined as the one place where an owner of the property has their true, fixed, and permanent home that will continue as a primary place of residence until another primary place of residence is established. Typically, a photo copy of a parent’s Ohio driver’s license is all that is required to show proof of residence, but further documentation may be required at the discretion of the Residential Life staff.
Any student approved to commute from home who is later found to be residing somewhere else will be referred to the student conduct process. In these circumstances, the University reserves the right to rescind the student’s ‘commuter’ status, which will require the student to move into University housing with applicable room and board charges.
Housing Exemption
Students may be eligible for a housing exemption through one of the qualifying factors listed below. Students who are exempt from living on campus may reside in any location off campus, though we encourage students to live within close proximity of campus so classes and campus resources are more accessible.
The following circumstances may qualify a student to live off campus:
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You are 23 years of age or older during the academic year for which an exemption is requested.
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You are a fifth-year senior.
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You are legally married. Legal documentation will be required as part of this exemption application.
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You are the parent of dependent children. Legal documentation will be required as part of this exemption application.
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You are a transfer student who earned two or more years of credit as a full-time student at an accredited college or university after graduating high school. Official transcripts will be required as part of this exemption application.
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You are enrolled as a part-time student. Please see the academic catalog to understand the differences between a full-time and part-time student.
Requirements for University housing include a.) being duly registered as a student, b.) payment of debts to the University and c.) continuous compliance with University Residential Life policies, guidelines, standards, the OWU Code of Student Conduct, and the instructions of residence hall staff members and other University personnel. The student is committed to meet financial payment for food service and his/her space in the residential unit (residence hall, Small Living Unit, fraternity house) and for the selected board plan. Failure on the part of the student or his/her co-signer to fulfill the financial obligations of this contract will be cause for cancellation of enrollment, cancellation of graduation, and/or forfeiture of the right to academic transcripts. In the event that the student does not sign this contract, payment to the University makes this contract binding.
The number of individuals permitted in a residential room or suite is equal to three (3) times the number of residents assigned to the room or suite at full occupancy.
See the chart below for specific information:
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Number of Individuals Permitted in Rooms and Suites
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Single
May not exceed 3
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Double
May not exceed 6
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Suites/Quads
May not exceed 12
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Every residential facility has quiet hours from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Sunday night through Friday morning, and from 1:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Designated honors floors have 24-hour quiet hours in order to be more conducive to study.
Courtesy hours exist 24 hours a day, which means that anyone may ask another person to decrease the noise level as a courtesy with a reasonable expectation for compliance. Students must adhere to 24 hour quiet hours during reading days and finals periods.
During designated quiet hours, audio/visual equipment (e.g. stereos, TVs, gaming systems) must be used at a low volume, with headphones, or with the room door closed, so they are not heard outside the room or living unit. During courtesy hours, this equipment should be used at moderate volumes so as to not disturb others from sleeping or studying. The University reserves the right to remove any items which are repeatedly used in a manner disturbing to other residents.
Additionally, noise created by residents near private residential homes must be kept at a reasonable level at all times so as to not disturb neighbors. This is especially important during evening hours.
Quiet hours may be adjusted in the event of a registered social gathering, but must be approved by Residential Life and the Student Involvement Office.
Students may not repurpose areas in their residential spaces for alternative uses (i.e.: turning a common room into a bedroom or turning a living space into a business space).
Students may not alter permanent fixtures, paint walls, or cause damage to a room beyond general wear and tear of a space.
All student rooms are provided with a secure lock for student use. Students are issued personal keys for their assigned rooms and may not be in possession of another student’s keys. Residential room doors may not have modifications made to the locking systems or additional security fixed to the doors.
Furniture may not be moved from room to room or from lounges and other public areas.
Students may display pictures and other decorations in individual student rooms. Pictures and decorations being placed upon walls should be done in a manner that does not damage the wall surface. A metal hanger strip, which is permanently installed on the walls of most student rooms may be used for this purpose. Nails, thumbtacks, tape/adhesive, and other devices that may damage painted or wood surfaces are not permitted.
Signs for which proof of ownership cannot be established (i.e. traffic, realty, or business signs) are not permitted.
Pictures, wall hangings and other decorations may be displayed in shared rooms or suites with the agreement of all room/suite residents.
Posters, signs, banners or other materials visible from outside a residence hall or personal living space should align with the University’s statement on Academic Freedom and Free Expression. Signage cannot be directed towards specific persons, and any material displaying hate speech or vulgarity is prohibited.
Decals on mirrors, doors, ceilings, or walls are not permitted.
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