University Housing strives to keep you informed of all current residential life policies. Policies are changed from time to time, and new ones are sometimes added. If a policy changes during the academic year, notices will be sent to all residents.
Supplemental locks (chains, bolts, etc.) are not allowed on the doors in residential facilities since these devices can be a safety hazard if emergency entry or exit is needed.
Students and their guests are not permitted to consume, manufacture, use, possess, sell or distribute alcohol in or on the premises of the residences halls regardless of their age. Distribution can be intentional or unintentional, see Passive Participation (p 38) for more information. Irresponsible behavior while under the influence of alcohol including but not limited to damage to university property or harm to any person affiliated with the university (student, faculty, staff) is not tolerated and considered a violation of the alcohol policy. Being under the influence includes but is not limited to: acting noticeably out of character, violation of policy, impaired motor skills, or otherwise disorderly or belligerent conduct. Possession of alcohol paraphernalia (including but not limited to empty alcohol containers or decorated alcohol containers) is not permitted in the residence halls and considered a violation of the alcohol policy.
Rationale: Northeastern State University supports and complies with the laws of the State of Oklahoma which prohibits underage possession or consumption of alcohol. Since a majority of our students living in the residence halls are under the legal drinking age (21 years old), possessing or consuming alcohol is prohibited in the residence halls. The use of alcohol and/or use of illegal drugs have been shown to have a damaging effect on student academic success and therefore are not in line with the mission of University Housing and Northeastern State University.
Physical or verbal abuse or other conduct that threatens or endangers the health or safety of any person will face criminal and/or disciplinary action.
Recognized student groups and organizations may hang banners inside residential facilities and/or on the exterior of residential facilities during rush, staff training, Homecoming and Welcome Week with approval from the Hall Manager. Posters may be hung by recognized student groups and outside vendors in designated areas in residential facilities with approval from the Office of Student Affairs and University Housing. Designated areas are limited to bulletin boards unless otherwise approved by University Housing. Posters placed in residential facilities cannot advertise alcohol. Posters not placed in designated areas are subject to removal.
Register your bike with Campus Police. Bike racks are available near most halls. You are encouraged to keep your bike securely locked. Bicycles may be stored in bike racks, or in your room (with the consent of your roommate). Bicycles parked in inappropriate areas (sidewalks, stairwells, hallways, public areas) will be removed and turned over to Campus Police. Riding bicycles in the residence halls is prohibited. No motorcycles, mopeds, or a device with a gasoline engine are allowed in the residence halls.
Non students under the age of 18 are not allowed in residential facilities unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. Visits from young children are to be short even when accompanied by a parent or guardian. Babysitting is not allowed in residential facilities.
Left over food should be disposed of in garbage receptacles provided. Disposal of food items in sinks or toilets may cause clogged pluming, flooding or facility damage.
Metal tipped darts, weight equipment, and other items typically used in an outdoor setting (such as jump ropes and kiddie pools) are not allowed because of the damage they can cause. You are encouraged to use the Fitness Center, which has a variety of free weights and Nautilus equipment.
Students should not engage in disruptive, disorderly conduct, lewd, indecent or obscene conduct, or expression. This includes but is not limited to activities, which are excessively noisy or otherwise disruptive to fellow residents or community members (i.e. pranks).
Rationale: The residence halls serves as a place where a variety of activities occur for students. These guidelines and expectations are established to protect the rights of all, while allowing a normal level of social or personal activities.
University policy strictly prohibits the illegal use, possession, manufacture, being party to any illegal drug activity, selling or distribution of illegal drugs and controlled substances on University property or at any University-sponsored activity. Possession of drug paraphernalia or illegal prescription or the misuse of any drug, legal (over the counter or prescription) or illegal is prohibited. Paraphernalia is defined as items commonly associated with drug culture including, but not limited to bongs, pipes, scales, and hookas.
Rationale: This policy is in compliance with state and federal laws and is intended to preserve the safety and well-being of all residents. The use of alcohol and/or use of illegal drugs have been shown to have a detrimental effect on student academic success and therefore are not in line with the mission of University Housing and Northeastern State University.
The only appliances allowed in residential facilities are low-wattage microwave ovens (1000 watts or less), compact refrigerators (2.5 cu.ft or less.), appliances with self-contained heating elements (coffee makers, crock pots, rice cookers) and other appliances such as irons, hair styling tools. Seminary Suites residents are provided with a microwave and compact refrigerator. All appliances must be UL-approved. Appliances not allowed in the residence halls include, but not limited to space heaters, lava lamps, halogen lamps, toasters, George Forman Grills, or any appliance with an open heating element. If you have a question about an appliance please contact your Associate Hall Manager.
Rationale: Appliances with exposed heating elements, overloading outlets, and appliances with large wattage can pose a threat of fire. Limiting this potential danger can help keep residents safe.
All residence life staff members are university employees and have the authority to enforce university and residence life policies. If you refuse to comply with a reasonable request made by a staff member disciplinary action will follow.
The halls are equipped with a fire alarm system consisting of alarm pull stations, smoke detectors, heat detectors, and sprinkler pipes. Tampering with fire alarms, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors or any type of safety equipment is a violation of State law. In compliance with Oklahoma state fire code, Smoke detectors are mounted in each resident room. These detectors will be inspected periodically by residence life staff. Removal of unit batteries or the unit itself or tampering with the detector in any way, include covering, relocation, etc will result in disciplinary action.
In compliance with state fire laws and for your own safety, fire drills will be conducted each semester. You will be given instructions on fire safety before drills are performed. It is mandatory that all residents participate in a fire drill. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action.
The following items are prohibited because of a potential risk of fire and life-threaten injury to others.
Burning of candles, oil lamps, incense or other substances is not permitted in residential facilities.
Only artificial, flame-retardant Christmas trees are permitted. Electric Christmas lights must be UL-approved and must not be placed near combustible materials.
Fireworks are not permitted on campus in any form.
In accordance with fire safety regulations, stairwells must be kept free of furniture, bicycles, debris or other obstructions at all times. Keep breezeways and entries uncluttered at all times. Do not store personal property in the breeze ways or entries at any time.
Halogen and Lava lamps are not permitted in the halls. They have been determined to be the cause of several residential facilities fires throughout the U.S.
No materials, liquid or otherwise, of an explosive or combustible nature shall be kept in the residence halls
While additional pieces of furniture may be brought into residential facilities, university furniture may not be removed from the room or suite. If the furniture is lost, you will be charged the cost of replacement. If the furniture is damaged, you will be charged for the cost of repair or replacement. Because of their extreme weight and the potential for water damage, waterbeds are not allowed in residential facilities. Community furniture must remain in the community area and should never be in resident’s rooms. Residents found with community furniture in their room will have disciplinary action taken and be charged with their relocation and/or replacement.
A guest is defined as a person who does not live in the residence hall room or residence hall they are visiting. This includes other students/residents, friends, parents, siblings, or other relatives of the residents of that room. Residence hall students are allowed to host guests in their residence hall rooms according to the policies outlined below. However, violating a roommate’s or suitemate’s right of entry into the room, or hindering a roommate’s/suitemate’s ability to study and/or sleep within their room, or feel safe in their own room (because of a guest’s presence) is considered a violation of guest privileges. Residents are expected to respect each other’s reasonable request for privacy and must have the expressed permission of their roommates before presenting their case for an overnight guest to their Hall Manager.
Hosts are responsible for the activities and behavior of their guest(s) at all times and are obligated to inform the guest(s) of all University and residence hall rules and regulations. Any violation of any rule or regulation by a guest may result in disciplinary action being taken against both the host and guest. Visitors under the age of 18 will not be allowed in the halls unless accompanied by a parent or guardian or unless verified, written permission is on file with the Hall Manager. Young children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and are to make short visits only (short visits determined by the Hall Manager).
For safety and security purposes, guests in a residence hall must be escorted at all times by a resident of the building (host). The following guidelines apply to escorting guests: 1. Residents must escort all guests into and out of the building. 2. Residents must remain with all guests at all times. Guests left unattended or found to be unescorted may be documented and escorted out of the building. Residents should never agree to escort a person they do not know personally. This includes opening the door to allow unknown visitors to enter a residence hall.
There is a no co-habitation policy in the residence halls. Any guest found staying in a resident’s room that does not live there for longer than the designated time may be banned from visiting that hall and the resident may lose guest privileges. Anyone found to be squatting will face disciplinary action
Arrangement for all non-resident overnight guests must be approved by the Hall Manager. You are limited to nine (9) guest nights per contract period (academic year). Guests are limited to no longer than a three-day stay. Guests may not “room hop” throughout the semester. If you allow an unregistered person to occupy your room disciplinary action will be taken.
Residents of a coed residence hall have open (24 hours a day) visitation. It is important to note that this policy was implemented for visitation purposes and does not permit an opposite gender guest to sleepover. The cohabitation policy, escort policy, and overnight guest policy still apply to coed residence halls with open (24 hours a day) visitation.
Rationale: The residence halls provide residents with the opportunity to study and socialize at any time with other students. The spirit of this policy does not allow for guests to take up residence in any manner. Remember that a resident’s right to privacy takes precedence over the privilege of having guests. Hosting guests is a privilege, not a right.
University Housing prohibits any person, either individually or in concert with others, from willfully causing injury to another, hazing others, willfully threatening the well-being of another, threatening the safety of others, verbally abusing others or intimidating others (including University officials and student staff acting in performance of their duties). This includes all threats in person or via telephone, letters, postings, emails, instant messages, Facebook, or any other electronic means. The use of rude, vulgar, indecent or obscene verbal or written expression while protected by the First Amendment are considered detrimental to the campus and residence life environment. The residence life staff reserves the right to refuse postings which contain such expressions and residents are asked to refrain from this type of language when in the residence halls.
This form of harassment may be a criminal act towards people of a particular sex, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or sexual orientation. It may be found in behaviors such as threats, insults, taunts, and obscenities, either in person or via telephone, letters, postings, emails, instant messages, Facebook, or any other electronic means.
Rationale: University Housing is committed to providing a comfortable, non-threatening environment for every individual and this sort of behavior does not help to foster this goal. Intolerance has no place within the campus community, nor does the right to demean another human being. University Housing will not accept ignorance, humor, anger, alcohol, or substance abuses as an excuse, reason or rationale for any type of harassment.
Laser sights and laser pointers are prohibited in or around residential facilities.
Loitering is not permitted around entrances and other public areas, including the front desk area, or under residential facility windows. This disturbs other residents and hinders hall staff from carrying out their duties.
Public restrooms and other residential facilities (such as computer labs, laundry room machines, swimming pool & volleyball court in Seminary Suites) must be used in the fashion it was intended for and residents are expected to follow the rules for these facilities. Removal of university property (lounge furniture, door mats, trash cans, window screens, etc.) from designated areas is not permitted.
An offensive odor is any odor or aroma of such intensity that it becomes apparent and is offensive to others. Any odor can become offensive when it is too strong. Some examples are: perfume, air freshening spray, or large amounts of dirty laundry. Hall staff will address offensive odors when complaints are received. Residents identified as being responsible for the offensive odor will be asked to eliminate the cause of the odor.
Passive participation includes, but is not limited to the following activities, encouraging or enticing any behavior/activity prohibited by law and University Housing policy or knowingly witnessing or observing any behavior/activity expressly prohibited by law and/or University policy.
No pets, except fish, are permitted in residential facilities.
Quiet hours are from 10:00 p.m. until 8:00 a.m. and apply to all residence life public areas and rooms, including outdoor public areas outside of resident facilities as well as the inner courtyard (outdoor patio, pool and volleyball court) and barbecue pavilions. During quiet hours, noise should not be heard outside of your room. Hours are extended to 24 hours a day during finals week. Guests who are disturbing others by violating this policy may be asked to vacate the residence halls immediately during this period.
The residence halls have courtesy hours 24 hours a day. Courtesy Hours refers to those times when residents are to be considerate of the needs of those students who are studying or sleeping regardless of the time of day/night. Noise should be kept at a level that does not infringe on these rights.
Rationale: The residence hall serves as a place where a variety of functions occur for students. These guidelines and expectations are established to protect the rights of all while allowing a normal level of social or personal activity.
Use of rollerblades, skateboards and/or scooters is not permitted in residential facilities.
We encourage you to make your room as comfortable as possible and to decorate it so that it reflects your personality while keeping your roommate’s taste in mind. To avoid dam- ages to the room and/or furniture, there are guidelines to be followed when personalizing a room.
Running, roughhousing, scuffling, and throwing, bouncing, or kicking of objects in the residence halls, stairwells, and other common areas are not allowed for safety reasons.
University Housing does not tolerate sexual misconduct. Sexual Misconduct includes, but is not limited to the following:
All NSU Residential Facilities are smoke free. You may NOT smoke in your room! Smoke free areas include porches, and building entrances. State law states that no one can smoke 25 feet from the entrance of a government building (all University buildings are considered government buildings).
Door-to-door solicitation is not permitted in the halls, public areas within the halls or areas immediately outside the halls. Fliers, coupons or any other type of advertisement may not be placed in residents’ mailboxes, in brochure racks, on bulletin boards, or at front desk areas. Off-campus businesses or organizations wishing to advertise to the hall students should contact The Drop Zone, Ext. 2610, to have flyers sent to the halls. Student Organizations wishing to hang flyers must get them approved with Student Affairs and Housing.
Attempted or actual theft of, damage to or possession without permission of property or services of the University or any individual is a violation of university and housing policy as well as a violation of the law. The University is not responsible for personal property that is lost, stolen, or damaged and assumes no responsibility for the payment of such a loss. Immediately report all losses to hall staff and Campus Police.
Trashing includes but not limited to the following offenses and will result in disciplinary action: 1. Throwing trash or garbage of any kind out of a window. 2. Leaving trash anywhere in or outside residential facilities (except in a trash receptacle). 3. In Seminary Suites, trash should not be left outside of your front door. 4. Sweeping out a room and leaving the debris in the hallway. 5. Water and shaving cream fights/throwing of water balloons. 6. Leaving messes in restrooms and lounges. 7. Making and leaving posters or fliers on the floor in your room, hallway, or activity room inhibiting custodial staff from cleaning the public areas.
Any resident who sits on a window ledge, climbs on the roof of a residential facility, enters a fire escape without just cause, seeks to gain access to any unauthorized area, or into areas that are closed will face disciplinary action.
Rationale: The roofs are not physically designed to serve as sun decks or social areas and thus presents a serious safety threat to yourself and others if you are on them. The policies are established to ensure the security of the community and keep residents safe from harm.
Changing rooms with another resident without going through proper channels, moving into another room without authorization or subletting a room to a non-resident will result in disciplinary action, routine charges and additional room charges. If the unauthorized move is not approved, you will be required to move back to the original room assignment.
Vandalism on campus will not be tolerated. You are responsible for your assigned room and immediate living areas. In instances of vandalism to a shared living area that cannot be attributed to an individual, the entire suite, quad or floor will be charged. Students found in violation of this policy may have to make restitution to the appropriate parties in addition to other judicial sanctions. Cost will be assessed to individuals or divided evenly among area residents. (Common area damages are posted once a month in each residence hall. Resident students have seven days (from date of posting) to appeal any common area damage charge.)
Rationale: In order to provide residents with a safe, secure and comfortable home environment, physical repairs and improvements must be made. Vandalizing and damaging residential facilities detracts from the mission set out by University Housing to create a safe and comfortable environment and will not be tolerated.
The State Fire Code stipulates that quad doors, suite doors and floor doors must remain closed at all times. Anyone who props open a floor door, suite door, exterior door, fire escape door, unlocks an entrance or floor door without authorization, who allows someone to gain entrance to the building through a window, who purposely leaves a window or door open for exit or entry, or who gives their key or ID card to another is violating hall security. Use of fire escapes, except under emergency conditions, is prohibited.
Violation of any University policy shall include any university policy, rule, or regulation published in hard copy or available electronically on the University website
All weapons including, but not limited to, firearms and explosives are prohibited on campus. The use of paint ball or pellet guns in the Residence Halls is prohibited. Knives, martial arts weapons, nun chucks, bows and arrows, ammunition, stun guns or any other items University Housing or the Department of Public Safety deem a weapon, are prohibited in residential facilities, except as they are used in officially approved university programs. Realistic toy or authentic looking, non-functional weapons are not allowed on campus without authorization from the chief of NSU Department of Public Safety. Possession of any items (mentioned above), will result disciplinary action which may include the items being confiscated immediately.
Window A/C units or water coolers may not be installed in any room. Violation of this policy will result disciplinary action including removal of the appliance.