Housing Guidelines

HOUSING OFFICE REGULAR WINDOW HOURS: Monday through Friday – 12:30p to 4:00p
HOUSING OFFICE NEW U.S. STUDENT ARRIVAL DAY LOBBY DESK HOURS: 10a to 8p

Arriving on Campus: On Move-in Day, a Welcome Committee will be present in the Argiro Student Center Lobby to help students find their assigned rooms. The Resident Advisors (RA’s) are available to assist students on arrival by helping them complete the Move-in process, and orient themselves with their new buildings. Please note: Door cards and keys will only be issued if you have signed the Housing Agreement Form online prior to your arrival.

After-hours/late move-in date policies:
International students arriving late may call Campus Security at 641-472-1115.

U.S. Students: If you arrive after office hours, please make arrangements to stay in a local hotel for the evening; the next morning your RA or Security will be able to let you in until you can pick up your door card and key from the Housing Office.

If you are unable to move in by the expected arrival date (Please see the Academic Calendar), you must notify your Housing Office of your expected arrival date in writing, either by email or U.S. mail, at least four days in advance. (Phone calls are accepted only if you experience a travel delay on your way to Fairfield.) If you do not notify the Housing Office of a late arrival date, Housing will hold your space for up to seven days and then your room will be reassigned to another student.

Early Arrivals: Students who arrive before Move-in Day must find their own accommodations off campus.

Students wishing to change rooms must obtain approval from the Housing Director before moving, and then properly complete each step of the Move-out process outlined on their Arrival-Departure Form. (Please see section on Room Changes below.)

Room Keys: To obtain a dorm room key, a student must bring proper ID to the Housing Office. Students must return residence hall keys to the to their Residence Director (RD) when they leave for summer vacation or depart MIU. There is a charge for each lost or unreturned key as listed in the Housing Charges section.

Door Cards: Door cards issued by the Housing Office must be visibly posted on doors at all times with a valid enrollment sticker. There is a charge for failure to post the door card or have a proper (updated) registration sticker. Door cards which have been altered are unauthorized and are subject to a charge.

Bedding and Linen: U.S. students must provide their own bedding and linen, pillows, and towels. International students will find bedding and linen, pillows, and towels in their rooms upon arrival. These linens must be returned to the Housing Office at the end of the school year or when the student leaves the University.

Housing Forms: The Housing Department will issue all new residents an Arrival-Departure Form. This form outlines both the Move-in and Move-out process for students. Resident Advisors (RA’s) are available to help all new students with this form. Once the Move-in portion is completed, the form is to be given to the building’s RA or Resident Director (RD). It is important that all students comply with this process in order to keep our residence halls well-maintained for present students and generations to come. When moving out of a room, the student must get the Arrival-Departure Form from their RA or RD, fill out the Move-out section, and then give the completed form, along with their room key, to their RD or RA. The RA will then check the room to confirm the move-out. If the room is in good order when the student moves out, no housing charges will be applied against his or her student account and the Housing deposit can be refunded. The RD’s will tape the room key to the completed Arrival-Departure Form and submit it to the Housing Office.

Room Alterations: All physical alterations to campus rooms or common areas, such as painting, must be approved by the Housing Department before the work is done, or a charge will be levied.

Furniture in Student Rooms: University rooms are furnished with beds, dressers, chairs, and desks (or built-in desk space). For rooms with two built-in desks, no stand-alone desk(s) will be included. Students must see their Resident Advisor to request the removal and proper storage of any room furniture and indicate on the Arrival-Departure Form what University furniture is to be stored. An RA or RD must sign this form to approve the move. The Resident Advisor will help the student store the furniture in the residence hall storage room if space is available. It is the students’ responsibility to have the furniture returned to the room whenever they move out. If furniture is missing from the room after departure, the student will be charged accordingly.

Non-Smoking Campus: State law and University policy prohibit smoking anywhere on campus. Violators are subject to fines and other disciplinary consequences. (See Tobacco-Free Campus section).

On-Campus Storage: The University does not provide storage for students. Students should only bring items which they can fit comfortably in their rooms. (Private storage facilities are available off campus for a monthly fee.)

Room Changes: Students may change rooms during the year for a $50 room change fee. This room change is not automatic: it must be approved by the Housing Office. Students will be charged for any room changes during an academic year that are not due to maintenance problems. Please note that during the first four weeks of each semester, students will not be able to change rooms unless there is a physical problem. First, the student must get approval from Housing to change rooms and to find out what rooms are available. Then, any student eligible to change rooms will need to ask the Resident Director/Advisor to view available rooms in the residence hall in which the student wishes to live. If the room change is approved, the student will need to follow the Move-out procedure on the Arrival-Departure Form for the current room and turn in the old door card and keys within 48 hours.

Key Procedure

• The student goes to the Housing Office and receives the key to the new room.
• The student goes to the RD to get the Arrival-Departure Form for the old room, fills out the Move-out segment on the back, and returns the Form with the old room key to the RD.
• The student will then have 48 hours to move.
• Failure to move out within 48 hours will result in a $50/day Unauthorized Room Use charge.

Once a new room has been assigned, students must:

• Have their door card validated with a date sticker from the Enrollment Center
• Complete the Move-In section of the Arrival-Departure Form for the new room and submit it to their new RA or RD.
• Vacate the old room within 48 hours, after cleaning and vacuuming it.

Students who move into another room without prior approval will be charged and must move back to the original room. A student who wishes to move from a traditional room into a single Vāstu room must apply to the Department of Student Life and notify Financial Aid once the request is approved. Additional charges apply. See On-campus Housing above. It is located under the term “Vastu Housing”.

Pets: To maintain standards of health for all housing residents, no pets of any kind are permitted on campus, either in buildings or on campus grounds. Pets are not to be left outside while students are in campus buildings, including the dining hall. Violations may result in a warning and/or fines as per the Housing Charges section of this handbook. Stray animals are not to be fed or sheltered. Resident Advisors may be able to help find a solution for a lost or stray animal. Keeping a pet in a student room is a violation of University policy. The student will be fined according to the Housing Charges section that follows.

Environmental Guidelines:

• Dumpsters: Please do not put the following items in dumpsters: appliances, batteries, bricks, construction materials, greenery, yard waste, liquids, paint, tires, rocks, or flammables.
• Antennas and Satellite Dishes: Because they can cause extensive damage to buildings and roofs, antennas and satellite dishes are not permitted. Violators will be charged.
• Telephone, Internet, & Television: Alteration of telephone/internet/cable television lines, or jacks, or installation of telephone/internet/television equipment, including wifi, without the written permission of the Associate Director of Residential Life is not allowed. Any unauthorized installations or alterations of this nature will result in a fine, in addition to repair charges
• Restrooms in Residence Halls: Because of sanitary requirements in areas for public use, no personal items (e.g., towels, etc.) are to be left in the residence hall restrooms.

Energy Conservation: The following guidelines for thermostat settings, heating and cooling, etc. are based on normal conditions; however, when special energy concerns warrant, special instructions will be posted which may supersede these guidelines.

To ensure energy efficiency and the best utilization of resources, doors and windows must be closed, except as listed below. This is because negative pressure, which draws conditioned air from the building, occurs even when individual room heating or cooling elements are shut off.

• Windows can be open for up to five minutes before morning and evening program during all seasons.
• During “Heating” season windows can be open if the temperature is above 65° F (18.30 C).
• During “Cooling” season windows can be open if the temperature is below 75° F (23.90 C).

Dial 601 from campus phones for the temperature. Students may be charged if windows or doors are left open during heating or cooling seasons.

Housing During Vacation Periods: Winter and summer holidays are not included in room and board charges for fall and spring semesters. (Students may stay on campus for Thanksgiving and Spring break.) Students must vacate their rooms within 24 hours of the last class before winter break, and within 48 hours of the last class before summer break, even if they will be occupying the same room after the break. Students may return after winter or summer break on the Friday before classes resume. Rooms must be left clean.

Students who wish to stay on campus during winter or summer break may seek an 18-hour-per-week work position, if available, through the Human Resources Office, or may apply to work full-time to earn tuition credit in addition to room and board. However, temporary employment is not guaranteed. Students participating in the 18-hour-per-week work option will be billed for room and board charges if they work less than the 18 hours per week, for any reason.

Graduate students also have the option of staying on campus over the winter and summer breaks by paying the appropriate room charge ($100 per week, payable in advance) to the Housing Office.

Students who are participating in the Invincible America (IA) Assembly may also remain on campus with the approval of the Department of Student Life. Students participating in IAA pay $250/mo for a room, in advance, to the Housing Office. (Not available for the Winter Break.)

Please note that faculty and staff dependents may not stay in student residence halls over the winter or summer holidays unless authorized to participate in one of the above programs.

Students not authorized to remain on campus over winter or summer vacation may not access their rooms during these holidays. Unauthorized use of a room is not permitted and results in a charge.

The University reserves the right to use students’ rooms during these holiday periods, and to give temporary room assignments to students remaining on campus.

Room Reservation: Continuing students may reserve a room for the next academic year. Prior to summer break the Housing Office will provide continuing students with the opportunity to reserve a room for Fall Semester. The Housing Office will assign rooms to students who do not take advantage of this room reservation process. Students have until July 1 to cancel their Fall Semester room reservation.

Housing When Withdrawing from a Course: Students must be registered and attending class to remain on campus. Students who withdraw from a course have two options:

• move off campus; or
• receive permission to stay on campus in an activity approved by the Department of Student Life.

Room Inspections: The Housing Office routinely inspects student rooms throughout the year. Notices are posted in advance to announce the time and dates so students may be prepared. However, the University reserves the right to enter rooms without prior notice. If the condition of a room differs from that described in the Arrival-Departure Form, the student will be charged. There are charges for missing items or damages to the room; there is also a charge if public University property is damaged or found in private rooms.

Housing Policies for Guests: Residence halls are for students only, and guests are not permitted to stay overnight in the residence halls. However, guests may request overnight accommodation as follows:

• Prospective students and their families are welcome to apply for Visitors Weekends, which are generally held monthly. Please contact the Office of Admissions by calling (641) 472-1110 or emailing: admissions@miu.edu for information and to apply.
• Parents are welcome to stay in our Visitors Center — if there is availability — for one night when their son or daughter arrives on campus for their first semester, and for up to three nights when their son or daughter is graduating. Parents who are interested in reserving a room for either of the above times should contact Housing by calling (641) 472-1126 or emailing: housing@miu.edu. There is a charge per night per room. Parents should note that the Visitors Center is divided in half by gender. This is because it is a dormitory with common bathroom facilities. Men will stay on the men’s side, and women on the ladies’ side.