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Graduate Housing Handbook 2011—2012

Assignments Process

 Eligibility

 Housing at Wesleyan is limited* and the Office of Residential Life only provides housing to graduate students who are currently enrolled in a graduate program and their immediate family members (domestic partners/spouses and children or legal dependents).  Evidence of marriage or domestic partnership is required for married or partnered students to be considered for family housing.  Students enrolled through GLSP will only be considered for housing if there is space available.

* The Office of Residential Life reserves the right to place graduate and undergraduate students together in order to maximize use of space on campus. This will only be done when spaces are extremely limited.

Process

All requests for housing are made by submitting an online Graduate Housing Application and assignments are made yearly based on vacancies. Housing offers for incoming graduate students will be sent via email by July  30^th. Requests for housing are processed in date receipt order and according to space availability.  Students making changes in their family size/union status must notify Amy Miller by contacting her via email at amiller01@wesleyan.edu or 860-685-3173   

Students currently living in graduate housing who are interested in remaining on campus for the 2012-2013 year must inform the Office of Residential Life in writing by April 27,  2012.  The Office of Residential Life will be sending out a form for you to complete and return in March 2012.

Room/Unit Change Requests

Anyone interested in changing room/unit* must contact Amy Miller (amiller01@wesleyan.edu)  to request a room/unit Change. Room/unit change requests will be handled in date receipt order.
*We do not honor requests to move within Park Washington apartments

Check-In/Check-out Process

Check-In

New graduate students will be able to move into fall assignments on or after Tuesday, August 23, 2011. Graduate students can check in at the Office of Residential Life between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Students anticipating an arrival past 5 p.m. or on a weekend day must contact the Office of Residential Life so that the appropriate arrangements can be made.  Residential Life can be reached 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday at 860-685-3550.

Check-Out

Graduate students who will not be attending Wesleyan for the Fall 2012 semester must move out of their units by May 31, 2012. By that date, students must return their keys to the Office of Residential Life.  Any requests for lease extensions* must be submitted in writing to the Office of Residential Life by May 1,2012.  Leases will not be extended beyond June 15, 2012.  If a lease extension is granted the student is responsible for additional rent incurred as a result.

Please note: lease extensions are not guaranteed.

Lease

Students must sign a binding lease with the University upon receiving keys for their unit. Signing the lease indicates an agreement to live in graduate housing for the duration of one academic year. All leases end on May 31^st  each year. Current, matriculating, graduate residents who wish to remain in Wesleyan University housing past the May 31^st date are required to sign and submit a new lease prior to June 15^th.

Please note that the lease for new graduate students begins in August on the date they pick up their keys and continues until May 31st.  The lease assures housing at a particular location only for the length of the contract. Although it is unusual to require residents to move to a new location within campus housing, the University reserves the right to do so when necessary. Except in cases of unforeseen safety concerns, a minimum of 60 days notice will be given.

Summer Alternative Policy

The Office of Residential Life is offering a Summer Alternative Policy to graduate students residing in University housing during the spring and following fall semester. The policy is for students who need to live rent-free for the summer (May-August), but continue residency when they return. Students who wish to take advantage of the Summer Alternative must do the following:

1. Contact Amy Miller, Assignments Coordinator, about participation in the Summer Alternative
*You must have specific move-in and move-out dates when you contact the office.

2. Complete an online Graduate Housing Application

3. Move all belongings out of the unit (items must be stored in off-campus storage)

4. Return the key to Amy Miller during office hours (8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday -Friday)

5. Once the online application is complete, key returned, and the unit is inspected by facilities, rent is suspended for the leave period.

We cannot guarantee that you will receive the same assignment, however, we will try and reassign as many participants as we can. If any of the above steps are not followed, we reserve the right to charge rent since the unit is occupied.

Rent Payment

Rent is deducted from the stipend of the graduate student unless the student’s stipend does not cover the monthly rent or the student is no longer receiving a stipend. These students must submit a check payable to Wesleyan University. Checks must be submitted to the attention of; Sherri Condon, 237 High Street, #422A, Middletown, CT, 06459.

Living in Your Graduate Unit

Occupancy

You are not permitted to grant occupancy to anyone who is not a party to this or another lease of the premises, your children excepted.  If you wish to provide access for additional residents of your apartment, you must first make the request to the Assistant Director of Residential Life.  Permission will be determined based on reasonable capacity for the unit. 

Furniture

A limited number of furnished units are available to the graduate community. Students wishing to change their housing to a type that does or does not provide furniture must come in to the Office of Residential Life to request a room change into an assignment that accommodates those particular needs. Rental Properties will not move furniture into or out of a unit.

Group Housing – all bedrooms are furnished with a extra long twin bed, a dresser, a desk and a chair. Common areas may be furnished by the University.

Park Washington (256 Washington Street) – a small number of the apartments are funished with a full bed, a dresser, a desk, a chair, a sofa, a table and chairs.  These furnished spaces are extremely limited in number.

Linens are not provided.

Any damages to University furniture will be the responsibility of the resident(s) of the unit. Questions regarding furniture may be directed to the Assistant   Director of Facilities Administration. The University does not provide kitchen or bathroom supplies.

Cleaning

Cleaning service is not provided in graduate housing.  You are responsible for cleaning your house.  It is also expected that the house be left in a clean condition at the end of your lease (refrigerator cleaned out, stove and oven cleaned, bathtub/shower cleaned and all trash, furniture and personal effects removed) or you will incur cleaning charges.

Renters’ Insurance

Wesleyan is not responsible for theft, loss or damage to personal property of its students or guests.  The Office of Residential Life highly recommends that each student at Wesleyan consider purchasing personal property insurance through a renter’s policy or a homeowner’s policy rider.  An example of a renter’s policy can be found at:  http://www.nssi.com.

Storage

If you have a basement that is not locked, you may use it for storage for the duration of a lease.  Items cannot block boilers, fuse boxes, doorways, and other areas that Physical Plant may have  to access for maintenance and emergencies.  All belongings must be removed when a lease ends or the individual will be fined and the items will be  removed by Physical Plant immediately after the tenant leaves.

Community Standards

Community standards have been developed by students, faculty, staff and Middletown neighbors in order to better facilitate neighborly relations.  All graduate students are bound to these standards and are responsible for knowing and understanding them.  A copy of these community standards are located within the Policies & Procedures section of the Residential Life website at www.wesleyan.edu/reslife.

Guest Policy

Anyone not listed on a lease as either the student or immediate family member (domestic partners/spouses, children, or legal dependents) are considered guests by the University.  Graduate guests do not need to be registered for short stays (few days). However, if someone has a guest for a prolonged period of time, they must contact the Assistant Director of Residence Life to notify the Residential Life of the guest. 

Pets

Pets are not permitted in graduate housing.  If found, there will be a fine for each observation and students will be required to show proof that pet has been removed.

Mail Service

The University has a small post office located in the Usdan University Center. Graduate students who have an assistantship with a department on campusmay inquire at their department as to receiving mail there. This is the most popular option for graduate students.

Students Living in	Mailing Address	Example
Park Washington Apts.	256 Washington St., (Apt#) Middletown, CT 06457	Student Name 256 Washington St, #100 Middletown, CT 06457
Group Houses	Your Street Address Middletown, CT 06457	Student Name 43B Home Ave Middletown, CT 06457

Keys

Keys are distributed through the Office of Residential Life. Students will receive one set of keys for their assignment and are not  authorized to make copies of University-issued keys.  Students requiring additional keys for partners/family
members must contact Residential Life .  Additional keys will only be issued to people registered with Residential Life.  Students who have lost their apartment/house keys must report the loss to the Office of Residential Life.  Charges for lost keys will be billed to student accounts.

A lost, stolen, or misplaced key to ANY residential graduate space will result in a lock change.  The cost of a lock change for graduate housing is $50 for materials, $20 for labor and $5 per key needing to be cut according to the capacity of the space and including at least one spare key for the Office of Residential Life.  Please keep in mind that most graduate houses require two cylinders each (one for the front door and one for the back door) and that we will usually cut three copies of the key for all family housing and Park-Wash apartments.  For group housing, we will cut two bedroom keys and one front door key more than the number of possible residents.

For lock-outs, students may get a spare key at the Office of Residential Life, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. –  5p.m.  During non-business hours, students should contact Public Safety at 860-685-2345 or extension 2345, located at 208 High Street, to gain access to their unit.  Public Safety cannot provide students with additional keys.  You will be charged $10 for Public Safety to come and unlock your door.

Work Order Requests

Damages and repairs must be reported to Customer Service via email at work_order@wesleyan.edu or telephone at 860-685-3400. When reporting a work order request, students should include their name, phone number, address, and specific repairs needed.

Laundry Facilities

Residence	Laundry Facility Location	Payment Accepted
Park Washington Apts.	Park Washington basement	WesCard
258 Court Street	258 Court Street basement	Coin
Group Housing One-Person & Family Housing	1 Vine - basement 253 Pine Street	WesCard

Parking           

All students, faculty and staff must register their vehicles if they park on campus (including driveways).  Student lots are located in several locations and require a student parking sticker.  You will be ticketed if you park in a lot and you do not have a parking sticker.  Public Safety enforces parking rules and regulations by ticketing, immobilizing, and towing.  Copies of parking regulations are available at the Public Safety website at www.wesleyan.edu/publicsafety/vehicles.htm.

There is limited parking available on campus and around residential units.  Units at Park Washington are limited to one vehicle per apartment. 

All other graduate housing units have limited availability; students whose units share a driveway with others are encouraged to negotiate an acceptable     parking agreement with members of those units.  Street parking is available; but students need to look for signs that designate parking related to garbage pick up and street cleaning. During times of snow, the City of Middletown may declare a snow ban, requiring that all cars be removed from the streets.  The Office of Public Safety, upon notification of such a snow ban, will inform all students, faculty and staff via email.

Trash and Recycling

For students living in group or other housing, trash and recycling are picked up on a weekly basis according to the following schedules. Trash and recycling containers must be brought to the curb the night before the  scheduled pick-up and the containers must be returned to the rear of the house the same day as the pick-Items available for recycling: glass bottles, metal cans, #1—#7 plastic containers, drink boxes, milk cartons, aluminum foil,  & pie  plates, mixed paper, magazines & catalogs, Please make sure all items are clean before setting them out for recycling.  Please check the Residential Life website for schedule changes.

 

Students living here...	...have trash picked up here
Fairview Avenue	Tuesday mornings
Brainerd Avenue (west side) Church Street Court Street Lawn Avenue (south side)	Wednesday mornings
Brainerd Avenue (east side) Miles Avenue (west side)	Friday mornings
Park Washington Apartments	Daily, dumpster located in the rear of parking lot

Students living here...	...have recycling picked up here
Fairview Avenue	Tuesday mornings
Church Street Court Street	Wednesday mornings
Brainerd Avenue Lawn Avenue Miles Avenue	Friday mornings
Park Washington Apartments	Daily, dumpster located in the rear of parking lot

Fire & Safety Guidelines

All University-owned housing has fire/life safety equipment. It is there to protect you and your neighbors. Please do not tamper with them and report any problems to Physical Plant Customer Service at 860-685-3400 or work_order@wesleyan.edu.

In the event of a fire alarm activation, you must evacuate the building via the closest exit and call 911 or Public Safety (x3333) to report the details of the incident.

Do not cover, or in any way tamper with smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, pull stations, horn/strobe devices, sprinkler heads or pipes, or fire extinguishers. There is a $500 fine for tampering with any fire/life safety equipment.

The following items are NOT allowed in resident rooms or common areas (including porches) because of the fire and safety risk:

• Used smoking materials—no smoking within 25’ of any university building
• Candles or Incense - even decorative candles are  prohibited
• Ungrounded extension cords (two prong); only grounded (three prong type)  extension cords and fused power strips are permitted.
• Tapestries hanging on walls or ceilings
• Halogen lamps
• Portable electric or space heaters
• Open burning - bonfires, camp fires, fire pits, etc. (Also prohibited by City of Middletown ordinance)
• Explosives, ammunition, fireworks, and incendiary devices ($500 fine)
• Mercury thermometers – due to the potential environmental hazard and significant clean-up costs associated with a mercury spill or contamination, mercury thermometers are prohibited in any student residence.
• Kerosene or propane lamps, or any combustible fuel or devices
  • Vaporizers—the type that uses a ceramic heating element to diffuse aromatherapy herbs and oils.
  • Plug adapters (3 prong to 2 prong)
    • Cooking Appliances are allowed in the kitchens only - which includes anything with a heating element, such as hot plate, electric kettle, electric frying pan or wok, toaster or toaster oven, waffle maker, electric grill, popcorn popper, rice cooker, etc.
    • Coffee makers and water kettles are only allowed if they have an automatic shut-off.
    • Charcoal or Gas Grills are not allowed in any university-owned houses or residences, or on porches or balconies at ANY time (i.e. grills can not be stored on porches).

For more information regarding fire safety, including policies and procedures and educational resources, please visit the Campus Fire Safety website at http://www.wesleyan.edu/firesafety