Physical Plant Housing Guidelines and Fines

Listed below are “Housing Guidelines developed in order to help preserve and maintain our University residential facilities.  These guidelines apply to all residence halls, apartments, program houses and wood frame houses.  Physical Plant will charge a student’s account for fines associated with guideline violations. 

If the guidelines that are violated occur in a common building or unit area and a specific individual or individuals who are responsible for the violation cannot be identified, the residents of the entire unit or building will be charged for the fine.  The total amount of the fine will be divided between the residents of that specific student room, apartment, house or the entire building.

Students will be notified by e-mail of the charges prior to billing.  There may be times, such as the end of year, when notification in advance is not possible and the student’s account will serve as notification.

The fines listed below are minimum amounts for each associated violation.  Additional amounts may be assessed if the actual cost to make the repairs exceeds the minimum fine.

Lost keys and lock changes                                                 $25 each/key and $25 for parts and labor
When a key is lost a lock change is required. The cost for a lock change is $25 for each key that needs to be replaced and $25 for parts and labor.

Parking on grass                                                                    $100 per sighting
Cars are only allowed to be parked in driveways and campus parking lots. Fines will be assessed when cars are parked on grass areas.

Special cleaning required                                                      $100 for first hour
Whenever an area requires special cleaning that is not part of routine custodial duties (e.g., picking up trash from the floor, clean up of bodily fluids, washing of walls), a fine will be assessed.

Removal of personal belongings                                           $100
If a student vacates a residence and leaves personal belongings behind, Physical Plant will remove and discard these items

Items left in hallway                                                               $100
All corridors, entrances, and exits must be kept clear to provide a safe means of egress in case of an emergency and to facilitate cleaning.  Any items found in hallways, lounges and entranceways (e.g., bikes, shoes, clothing, furniture) will be collected and discarded.

Pets found in residences                                                        $100 per sighting
Due to potential health hazards and noise, pets are not allowed in University housing. This includes cats, dogs, rabbits, and all other animals.  The only exceptions are for fish in tanks no larger than 10 gallons. 

Opening or tampering with security screens                        $100
Security screens are in place to help protect residents in the building. A fine will be charged for screens found in the open position or if a screen has been tampered with.

Damaged security screen                                                      $500
A fine will be charged for any screen that needs to be repaired because it has been damaged.

Window air conditioners                                                        $100 each sighting
Window air conditioners are not allowed to be installed in windows of residential buildings due to the potential for damage to window frames, risk of the unit falling because of improper installation, risk of overloading circuits, negative impact on energy conservation measures and Environmental Protection Agency requirements to track quantities of “Freon” on campus.

Missing furniture                                                                $250 per item of furniture
Furniture is provided to all student rooms and lounges.  All furniture must remain in the room.  The University does not move or store furniture for students.  A fine will be charged for any furniture that is missing from a room.

 Tampering with a light fixture                                               $250 per fixture
Whenever a light fixture has been tampered with or damaged, a fine will be charged.  Tampering includes removing, painting or placing a cover over a light fixture.

Damaged lock and/or door                                                    $250
Whenever it has been determined that a door or a locking device for a door has been damaged from misuse or vandalism a fine will be charged.

Damage to wall(s) or floors                                                   $250 per surface
Fines will be charged whenever damage or vandalism occurs to a wall, ceiling or other basic building structure.  Damage includes holes, scrapes, dents and other physical damage.

Painting any part of a room or building                                 $250
Walls, ceilings, doors and windows are not allowed to be painted.  Students may not paint a wall a new color then paint it back again at the end of the year.  Painting of any wall in a room will result in a fine being charged. 

Graffiti                                                                                    $250
Graffiti on any surfaces using any medium is considered vandalism and is not allowed in student residences.  A fine will charged for each surface in a building that is vandalized in this manner.

Broken window                                                                       $250
Any window identified to be broken from within the building or by building residents will be charged.

Alterations to your residence                                                $250
No repairs or alterations are allowed to be made to any part of building.  This includes, but is not limited to, constructing or removing walls, mounting satellite dishes, signs,  artwork, etc.  Only Physical Plant staff may coordinate repairs and modifications to the building.  

Attic, Basement or Roof entry                                              $500
Students are not allowed in the basements, attics, or on the roof of any residential unit.  This also applies to any mechanical room or space, telecom/data closet, or under floor hatchway. 

Elevator damage or misuse                                                   $1,000
Damage to an elevator is extremely expensive to repair and can also significantly impact a person who has a physical disability from travel within a building.  Any damage to an elevator will result in charges for the fine amount listed. 

Prohibited Items                                                                     $250
Students are not allowed to bring to campus or construct items listed below as they are considered to be an “attractive nuisance” and unnecessarily increases the liability of the University.

Hot Tubs                                                                                                                                                                                     Swimming or wading pools                                                                                                                                                                 Trampolines                                                                                                                                                                               Skate board ramps