Policies & Procedures

Housing contracts

Prior to being assigned to College housing, students are required to sign a Housing Contract. The Housing Contract, which outlines the rights and responsibilities of both the student and College, is a legal commitment for the full academic year, beginning with the fall term and ending with the spring term.

Students signing up for housing for a summer session require a contract covering that particular period.

Check-in/check-out

When students begin occupancy of their residence, they are required to check in formally. At the end of occupancy (usually at the end of the spring term), students are required to check out.

Students moving into a hall, apartment, or townhouse are checked into their residence by a member of the Residence Life staff, usually an RA. A Residence Condition Report (RCR) is completed, and the student receives a key. The Residence Condition Report documents the condition of the residence upon check-in. When a student leaves the living assignment, the RCR is used to assess any damage done during the student's residency.

At the end of the spring term, the Residence Life Office will post the dates and times during which students may check out. A proper check-out requires that a student removes all personal belongings, cleans the living space, checks out with a residence life staff member, returns keys, and signs check-out paperwork. Students have the option to be present during an initial inspection to verify the condition of their room/apartment upon check-out. Students who fail to check out with the proper paperwork, who have not followed the proper procedure, or fail to checkout during designated times will be charged a $75 improper check-out fee. Students who do not return assigned keys will be charged a $50 lost key charge. Residents who fail to move by the posted date and time for summer and temporary housing will be assessed a $100 fine per hour.

The housing contract that the student signed is for a full academic year. Students leaving at a time other than the scheduled check-out times (in the spring term) must notify the Residence Life Office and make arrangements (i.e. set up a time to check out) with their RA to check out of their residence properly.

Housing over breaks

As stated in the Housing Contract, freshman housing is closed over breaks. Only students authorized to stay may remain over the breaks. Students living in the freshman residential area must contact their Hall Director for permission to remain in housing over breaks.

Upperclassman students who plan to stay in their apartments over break must notify their RAs prior to the beginning of break.

Students with permission to remain on campus during a break should be aware that they are here as a courtesy and not because they have the right to stay. Students who act inappropriately over the break may be asked to leave campus for the remainder of the break and are subject to disciplinary action.

The College discourages leaving valuable belongings in the halls or apartments over breaks; the College is not responsible for any loss or damage. Students who leave campus should take their keys with them, enabling them to reenter their living space upon return.

Room/apartment changes

The atmosphere residents choose to create in their residence will depend on their relationship with each other. Contrary to popular belief, roommates do not have to be best friends;a positive relationship with roommates depends much more on the mutual consideration of each others' differences.

Students may not make room or apartment changes without the approval of either their Associate or Assistant Director or the Residence Life Office. Adjusting to living with others takes time. Many students believe that a relationship will not work out before they have taken the time to communicate with their roommate(s) to try to work out the issues. Learning to work through problems and to communicate with others is a vital aspect of living in a community, and college is an excellent place to hone these skills.

In order to give students time to become acquainted and to work through issues with their roommates, the Residence Life Office does not allow room changes for the first two weeks of each term, or during the consolidation process, except in cases of extenuating circumstances. When conflicts arise, the students involved are asked to discuss their concerns and issues. If informed of the problem, staff members will mediate and facilitate these discussions in order to resolve the issues or to make the situation more comfortable.

Consolidation policy

The Consolidation Policy was developed to make the best use of available residential space at Mercyhurst. In addition, it is intended to allow those students interested in having preferred housing the opportunity to obtain it (when available), to allow for students not presently living together the opportunity to share rooms, and to be fair to those students who have already paid for preferred housing. Therefore, due to the high demand for campus housing, it will be necessary to consolidate spaces to accommodate housing requests and student housing needs.

Consolidation will occur primarily at the end of the fall and winter terms, although as vacancies become available, some residences may be consolidated throughout the year. Information and specific dates will be announced by the Residence Life Office. During the consolidation periods, no other student moves will be permitted. Residents who have vacancies should expect to be consolidated. When a vacancy occurs, the remaining roommates, at the discretion of the Residence Life Office, have the following options:

Retain their current housing with a new roommate of their choice who is involved in the consolidation process;
Be assigned a new roommate by the Residence Life Office;
Choose to move;
Be assigned to another living space by the Residence Life Office;
When space permits, retain the space at current occupancy at the preferred housing rate.

If consolidation is necessary, Residence Life will provide all students involved with the necessary information including the date of the move, the new location (if applicable), and the new roommate's name.

Students given the opportunity to pay for preferred housing can do so only during the consolidation period, based on availability. Once the consolidation period is over, students having a vacancy will be eligible to receive a roommate; paying to retain the space as preferred housing will not be permitted.

Students living with a Resident Assistant must understand that if a Resident Assistant resigns, is terminated, or is reassigned, the roommates of the Resident Assistant will also be relocated to another apartment or reassigned to available open spaces on campus.

Housing searches

The Residence Life Office reserves the right to enter and search a residence any time it is deemed necessary. College personnel working the front desks of the residence halls have the full authority to inspect any package, box, book bag, etc. being carried into the halls. The College reserves the right to remove property belonging to the College or its agents found in a residence without the approval of the residents. Prohibited items will be confiscated in accordance with the Residence Life Office's Confiscation Policy. Police&Safety will be given any items confiscated that are illegal (fireworks, firecrackers, drugs, drug paraphernalia) or some items that are prohibited by College policy (kegs, party balls, weapons).

A residence may be entered and searched if it is believed to be in the best interest of the College, for reasons that pose a threat to the community, or if it is believed that the law or College policy is being violated. When possible and appropriate, College personnel will ask residents for their consent prior to the search. If consent is not obtained, the residence can be searched with authorization from the Director of Residence Life&Student Conduct or designee. When possible, a Residence Life staff member will be present to ensure that the search is completed in a reasonable and proper manner. All contraband, weapons, or fruits of crime will be seized and secured in the Police&Safety Department's evidence room. Any legal items (items that are legal to possess but nonetheless restricted by campus rules and regulations) that are confiscated by Police&Safety may be returned to the student if the student can prove ownership via documentation. Items falling into this category will be released to the custody of the student immediately prior to leaving campus.

Authorized College representatives have the right to inspect students' quarters for standards of maintenance, preservation of physical structure, and the identification of damage.

Health and safety inspections

Periodically the residence life staff, in conjunction with the housing maintenance staff, will conduct health and safety inspections in all rooms and apartments occupied by students. The staff will be looking for conditions that may pose a health or safety hazard. The date of inspections need not be posted in advance. Staff may enter rooms and apartments with or without the presence of the occupants. If there is a problem or condition that needs to be corrected, the residents will be given ample time to make the necessary alterations or adjustments.

Any illegal or prohibited items found during these inspections may be confiscated in accordance with the confiscation policy and the residents of the room or apartment may be adjudicated through the college's student conduct system.

Confiscation policy

Certain items are prohibited in the residential areas of the college because of health, fire, or safety reasons; city, state, or federal law; or college policy. When these items are encountered or discovered by college officials, they are subject to confiscation. College personnel, including Police & Safety officers and residence life staff members, have the authority to confiscate items.

Items prohibited by college policy for health, fire, or safety reasons may be returned to the owner at the end of the term (or earlier by arrangement with the assistant director or hall director of the respective area) provided that the item be removed from campus immediately and not returned to the premises. Illegal items (such as controlled substances, drug paraphernalia, and weapons) are not items that can be released and will not be returned.

Prohibited use or possession of alcohol will result in its confiscation and disposal. Typically, the resident in possession of the alcohol will be asked to dispose of it. In the freshman area, alcohol containers, whether empty or full, are prohibited and will be confiscated.

Any confiscated item not claimed by the owner by the end of the academic year in which the item was seized (or at the end of the summer term if confiscated during the summer) will be disposed of without notification. When possible and appropriate, items will be donated to a local charity.

Housing sign-up process

Students sign up for housing during the spring term. The sign-up is based on a point system that determines the order in which students choose housing. Groups having the most points have first choice, and within each point total, the sign-up order is based on randomly drawn lottery numbers.

Points are awarded based on the number of credits at the end of the current spring term. Points are lost when students receive disciplinary sanctions. A negative point status is possible. Points do not carry over from one sign-up period to the following year's sign-up period.

Class standing

Post-Bac. and graduate: +7 points
Undergraduates with 90+ credits: +6 points
Undergraduates with 60-89 credits: +5 points
Undergraduates with 30-59 credits: +4 points

Disciplinary sanctions

No Sanction/Warning: +2 points
Written Reprimand: -1 points
Social Probation: -2 points
Disciplinary Probation: -3 points

The housing sign-up process begins in the spring term. The Residence Life staff will provide students with information and specific sign-up dates. Students without full housing groups will not be permitted to participate in the sign-up meetings, but rather will be assigned to full apartments by the Residence Life Office over the summer.

The procedure for the housing sign-up process is as follows:

Students select their roommates for the following year.
Students get their housing packet consisting of contracts and a tally sheet from the Residence Life Office.
The group of roommates submits the completed housing packet (signed contracts and tally sheet) to the Residence Life Office by the assigned deadline. It is recommended that all students have their parent or guardian read and sign the housing contract. When the housing packet is returned, the group leader draws the lottery ticket to determine the group's place in the housing lottery.
Point totals are posted outside the Residence Life Office. Residence Life strongly recommends that each group review its posted point total. Concerns should be addressed BEFORE students begin selecting their housing at the start of the housing sign-up meeting. Please note: Students will not be able to dispute their point total once students begin selecting their housing assignments at the sign-up meeting.

Guidelines for housing sign-up

Residence Life strongly urges students to find roommates and have a complete group, as Residence Life assigns all incomplete groups over the summer. In addition, incomplete groups will be assigned additional roommates to fill vacancies.
Students will be provided the opportunity to attend a meeting to assist them in finding roommates.
Any group caught deliberately falsifying information in their housing packet, including forging signatures or reporting inaccurate housing points, may be placed at the end of the lottery, regardless of their group's point total. Individuals found responsible for deliberately falsifying such information may also be adjudicated through the student conduct system.
Preferred housing is limited. Groups with the most points sign up first.
Groups not obtaining preferred housing need to regroup as a four-person apartment and resubmit their revised housing packets.
Any student not receiving housing during the Housing Sign-Up process will be assigned by the Residence Life Office over the summer.

Note: The rules and regulations outlined above are provided as a resource for incoming students and do not represent a comprehensive collection of all policies, procedures, or regulations. Please refer to the Student Handbook for more information.