Housing & Residence Life

Housing & Residence Life

Elizabethtown College offers a variety of housing options including traditional residence hall rooms, suites, and independent living units (ILUs).   Independent living units include the Brinser Suites, Vera Hackman Apartments, Schreiber Quadrangle, college-owned houses. ILUs are reserved for students with junior or senior academic standing.

Residency Requirements

The College views residential life as an important part of a student’s college learning experience. Students are encouraged to engage in meaningful co-curricular programs and activities and to utilize all services available for academic success and student wellbeing. All full-time undergraduate students are required to live in college-owned or leased residential facilities for the entirety of their undergraduate enrollment at Elizabethtown College, except when they are classified as commuters or are granted permission, in writing, by the Office of Housing & Residence Life to live elsewhere. If a student is formally classified as residing off campus, that student is no longer guaranteed College housing. Part-time and graduate students, including 5th year students are not guaranteed housing but are encouraged to contact the Housing & Residence Life regarding available housing options.

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Residency Agreement

The student is expected to be aware of all responsibilities set forth in the Residency Agreement, as well as all regulations, policies and standards as outlined in the Student Handbook and within each residential facility.

The following provisions are part of the Residency Agreement. Exceptions to any part of this Residency Agreement may be made if approved in writing by the Director of Residence Life. Special conditions may apply depending on the student’s year of entry; please carefully review your agreement.

• Students entering Elizabethtown College must sign a Residency Agreement to reserve a room in one of the residential facilities. Residency agreements are binding throughout a student’s undergraduate enrollment at Elizabethtown College. This agreement reserves space for the student and outlines the responsibilities of both the College and the student to safeguard the rights of all residents. The agreement is for room space without regard to designated residential facilities or specific rooms. The Residency Agreement states that students are required to live in College-owned residential facilities during their undergraduate experience at Elizabethtown College.
• Students who wish to change their housing status to commuter may do so by completing the Commuter Housing Status Change form on JayWeb and return it to the Office of Housing & Residence Life for reveiw.Commuting means that students live within 30mile/minute radius of campus and live with family.
• Students who wish to break the housing contract to live off-campus on their own are strongly encouraged to review their housing agreement. Breaking the housing agreement means students are beholden to the double room rate on top of their off-campus financial obligations.

• A student may not reserve housing without registering for the following semester as a full-time student without signing a residency agreement, or if they do not process.

• Failure to participate in the housing lottery and housing selection processes will result in an assignment made by Housing & Residence Life during July.

• Students and their families should not sign any off-campus lease agreements prior to being formally released from the College Residency Agreement.

• Misrepresentation of residential status is considered a violation of the College’s Residency Agreement, as well as the College’s Code of Conduct .

Room Security and Privacy

The College is not responsible for the theft or other loss of money, valuables, or personal effects of resident students or their guests. Therefore, each student is advised to carry personal property insurance. All resident students are encouraged to lock their doors when absent from their rooms.

The College respects the basic privacy of the student at all times, and reserves the right to enter rooms should there be a reason to believe that College policies have been compromised or violated.  Student on-campus residences may be entered at any time for purposes of routine maintenance, repair, health or safety inspections, alleged policy violations, or in response to any emergency situation. 

See Residence Access and Authorized Search.

Health and Safety Inspections

The Housing & Residence Life staff conducts health, safety, and wellness inspections at least once during each semester. The inspections promote safe, clean, and well-maintained living areas. In addition, the inspections provide opportunities for students to learn about their individual and community responsibilities.

Facility Maintenance

It may be necessary for College staff to enter student rooms for purposes of maintenance, repair, or routine health and safety/quality assurance inspection. An effort will be made not to interfere with the normal routine of student activities when such work must be done and to inform students when College staff or contractors must enter student rooms. College staff and contractors should be readily identifiable, and are required to provide identification upon request. Students should immediately contact Campus Security with any questions or concerns about non-residents in the building.

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Residential Standards

• Bicycles, Scooters, Skateboards and Hoverboards: Bicycles may be stored only in designated areas in select residence halls. Students are encouraged to lock their bikes. In-line skates, scooters and skateboards are not permitted to be used in any College-owned facility (however these are allowed outside on college walkways and paths).  Hoverboards are not permitted in College buildings or on College property.
• Electrical Appliances: Electrical outlets must not be overloaded. Students may use electrical devices in their rooms so long as the voltage demand does not exceed 115 volts, such as: radio, TV, CD, DVD, lamps, fans, and computers. Large amp speakers and sub-woofers are prohibited.  Microwave ovens are permitted; however, heating and cooking appliances with exposed elements (including hot plates and space heaters) may not be used because of potential fire hazards. Hot tubs are prohibited.
• Fund Raising and Solicitation: Soliciting is not permitted on campus including college housing without the written authorization of the Vice President of Student Life and  Dean of Students. In general, no solicitation requests involving personal gain, or by agencies or individuals from outside the College will be approved. In addition, door-to-door solicitation in residence halls by campus clubs, organizations, or individuals is prohibited.
• Drying Racks: No drying racks are permitted in residential area hallways. Students who would like to use drying racks must keep them in their assigned residential space( room or unit). In the event of an emergency that requires students and staff to vacate the buildings the hallways must be free of all obstacles. Impediments such as drying racks in the hallways are a violation of NFPA Life Safety Code.
• Grills: George Foreman grills are permitted on campus and college-owned grills may be used with permission from Housing & Residence Life. Other grills are strictly prohibited.
• Halogen and Lava Lamps: Due to fire safety hazards associated with halogen and lava lamps, their use is prohibited in student housing.
• Personal Air Conditioning Units & Portable Heaters: Personal air conditioning units (units not supplied by Elizabethtown College) are not permitted for student use in any residential facility.  Due to fire safety hazards associated with space heaters, all portable heaters are prohibited.  Students requesting residential accommodations for health-related reasons should follow the procedure at the following link: http://www.etown.edu/offices/disability/Housing_accommodation.aspx.
• Personal Items on Walls: Students are not permitted to hang items on the walls in the residence halls, except in their personal room. Items should not be hung on the walls in restrooms, hallways, laundry rooms, or common areas (with the exceptions of approved college communications).  If items are found hanging on walls outside of personal rooms, they will be removed by College staff. Students should utilize College-approved adhesive when posting items on walls. To limit the potential of fuel for a fire, only 20% of room walls may be covered. Nothing is to be hung from or affixed to ceilings. 
• Potential Fire Hazards: Flammable materials are strictly prohibited in college housing. All candles, including wickless and incense are prohibited regardless of intended use. Open flames of any kind, including incense, are not permitted. No materials or items (including tapestries) may be placed over exit signs, fire doors, or any electrical/HVAC fixture. Live Christmas trees are prohibited except those provided by the College and placed in designated locations in the residential facilities. Any decorations used must be made of flameproof or fire-resistant materials. Extension cords or multi-plug adapters that lack a built-in surge protector/breaker to the list of fire hazard items that are prohibited.  Hoverboards are not permitted in College buildings or on College property. Covering of fire/life safety equipment, including smoke detectors, is strictly prohibited. The College reserves the right to require students to alter, change or remove any items deemed unsafe and hazardous.
• Sports in the Halls: Because of the danger of personal injury and damage to property, hitting golf balls in and around residential areas is not permitted This includes but is not limited to: nerf toys, soccer balls, footballs, basketballs, golf sets, etc. Students who violate this directive may be fully responsible for any and all damages caused by sports in the halls.
• Trash must be removed from the student’s room on a regular basis and placed in the appropriate trash receptacle outside of the residence hall or ILU as provided by the College.
• Recyclable Materials: The College provides communal containers for both paper products and for commingled materials. With guidance from Housing & Residence Life Staff, students set up a system to ensure that these containers are emptied at the pickup point in the building on a regular basis. Facilities Management collects the recyclables and takes them to the Brown Building where they are transported to their final destination. The College encourages students to take advantage of this opportunity to impact the environment in a positive way. Residents living in an ILU will be provided a recycling bin, which they are responsible for emptying on a regular basis to the external building bins.
• Smoking: Smoking is prohibited in all campus buildings including college housing. See the section on the Smoke Free Campus.
• Windows: Climbing through windows is prohibited; tampering with functionality of window screens and other window safety systems is prohibited. 

Violations of residential facilities policies are resolved through the Student Code of Conduct procedures as outlined in Student Code of Conduct .

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General Policies and Procedures (listed alphabetically)

Building Exteriors

Students may not hang, drape, or display any banner, flag, or object from residential facility windows or on the exterior of any residential facility at any time.

Building Security

Residential facilities are locked at all times, with the exception Check-In Day and Check-Out when the buildings are open to accommodate for increased pedestrian traffic. Academic buildings are locked when classes are not in session. All residential and academic buildings are equipped with ID card access to exterior doors. Propping doors is prohibited.

Damage to Property

Students are expected to respectfully use College facilities. All damage to college-owned, leased or managed property, regardless of the reasons for the damage, should immediately be reported to a Housing & Residence Life or Campus Safety.  At the beginning of each academic year or when a room change occurs, a Room Condition Report (RCR) will be completed by each resident to track damages beyond wear and tear.

• Damage to property within student rooms is the responsibility of the students residing in the room.
• Damage to public areas of residence facilities, outside of student rooms, will be charged to the student(s) responsible, or to the residents of the smallest living unit who can be held responsible.
• Damage to property on the exterior of the residential building is charged to the student(s) responsible.

The Residence Life Office is responsible for determining which individual(s), if any, is held financially responsible for the damage, and what disciplinary action, if any, is appropriate. Damage resulting from irresponsible or willful acts may result in disciplinary action beyond the restoration costs for repairs, replacement, or labor.  The Facilities Management department determines the cost of replacement or repairs for which the student(s) is responsible. Charges are made on the basis of estimated damage to existing College property and, in many instances, estimated labor charges. While charges for cost or replacement are made immediately following the occurrence of damage, the actual repair or replacement may be scheduled at a later date. This enables the Facilities Management department to consider how repair/replacement work may affect daily student activities. It also allows for consideration of projected repair/replacement/renovation schedules as determined by the College.

There are often incidents of vandalism that do not necessitate a repair to the facility but require special cleaning services. These incidents fall into two categories: a biohazard charge and a personal trash clean-up charge. The fee for biohazard clean-up is $100 and the fee for personal trash clean-up is $25 per garbage bag or $25 per hour of clean up time.

Students will be notified of each damage charge as it occurs via email. In addition, students will be notified of any monthly totals that accrue. Students will be billed at the end of the semester for all of the accrued charges.

A student has the right to appeal a damage charge in writing to the Office of Housing & Residence Life. This must occur within five (5) calendar days of the damage notice. A student should consult with their building professional staff if the student has questions regarding the appeal process.

For additional information regarding damage investigation and billing, please contact the  Residence Life Office.

Guests and Visitors

See Guest and Visitor Policy .

Keys

Individual room keys are issued to students by Campus Safety. A $75 charge is assessed for any key that is lost or not returned at the time the student leaves College housing. Residents are not permitted to have their room keys duplicated. The College ID card is a building key – see policies regarding college ID card.

Life Safety

Life safety systems are an essential for individual and community safety. To alter, obstruct, or in any way defeat the purpose of these systems is to place yourself and other students in harm’s way. Tampering with life safety systems will result in serious disciplinary action.

A student who knowingly tampers with a life safety system at Elizabethtown College may be fined up to $1,000 or any amount above for repair and/or replacement of college property. The College may refer life safety violations to local law enforcement.

• Elevators: Please observe the following related to elevators:

• When there is smoke or fire in the building, do not use the elevator.
• When elevator cars are overloaded, exceeding 125% of its rated capacity, they will normally stop.
• There are emergency phones in all elevators with the exception of the freight elevator in Myer Hall.  
• If you are stuck in an elevator, activate the phone and report the incident to Campus Safety.
• When you are stuck in an elevator, stay in the car until help arrives; the car is the safest place to be. Do not attempt to exit a car, even if the doors are open, if the car is more than 8” to 10” out of level.
• Do not jump up and down in an elevator; it may cause the car to get stuck in the shaft.

• Evacuation Procedures: All individuals are required to exit the building and proceed to designated assembly point during the sounding of an alarm, regardless the reason for the alarm. Designated assembly points exist for each residential facility (see table below). At the time of the drill each student will move to the closest exit and proceed to the assigned assembly point where a student accountability check will be conducted. Remain at your assigned place outside the building until you are told you may return to your room. Failure to vacate during fire drills is considered a violation of policy and will be handled through the student conduct process.

• Exit Signs: Exit signs are installed to direct students to exits during times of emergency. It is important that they be illuminated at all times. If they are not illuminated, contact Facilities Management at 717.361.1408.
• Fire: In the event of fire, immediately move to the closest exit alerting others to exit the building. If the fire alarm system has not been activated, activate a pull station along the way. Proceed to the designated assembly point and remain until dismissed by the officer in charge. Under no circumstances should students reenter the building until they are told that it is safe. Students should call 717.361.1111 and report the fire when they are out of harm’s way. Notify your Housing & Residence Life staff immediately. If a fire occurs and is put out, residents still need to contact Campus Safety to report the fire. If a fire extinguisher is used, a work order must be submitted to have the fire extinguisher recharged.
• Fire Alarm Systems: Fire alarm systems are installed in all residence facilities. The system will alarm when products of combustion are sensed or when one of the pull stations is activated. Pull stations are generally located close to the exits. All residence buildings are equipped with smoke detectors. Yearly inspections are conducted by Facilities Management, Housing & Residence Life, and local service providers. Batteries needing replacement should be reported to Facilities Management via a work order.
• Fire Drills: At least one fire drill will be held each semester.

• Fire Extinguishers: Fire extinguishers are strategically located throughout all residence halls, quads, apartments, and SDLC’s. Students are encouraged to take the time to know where extinguishers are located, particularly those closest to their rooms. Housing & Residence Life Staff will familiarize students with the location of fire extinguishers. Extinguishers should be used on small fires only. If there is a large fire (working fire) leave the building immediately. If an extinguisher is discharged, please submit a work order to have it replaced or recharged and contact Campus Safety.
• Smoke Detectors: Each residence hall room has a smoke detector that is monitored and supervised by Campus Safety. It is important that the detectors remain in working order. If a problem is noted, it should be reported to Campus Safety at 717.361.1264.
• Sprinklers: Sprinkler protection is installed in the Hackman Apartments and will automatically activate in the event of a fire. If the sprinkler system is activated report it immediately to Campus Safety at 717.361.1111.

Lock outs

Students can seek assistance from the on-call RA during on-call hours (8pm – 7am daily) or Campus Safety to gain entry into their residence room when locked out. A charge of $5 per lockout will be assessed to the student’s account. 

Meal Plans

Students residing in Elizabethtown College residence halls are required to participate in one of the College’s mandatory meal plans (Gold, Silver, or Bronze).  Students commuting or residing in Houses, the Brinser Suites, Vera Hackman Apartments, and Schreiber Quadrangle are exempt from this provision but may purchase any meal plan.

See Dining Services’ Webpage for current information.

Pets

A pet is a privately owned animal (vertebrate or invertebrate) that is not a service animal or an assistance animal. The only pets permitted in residential areas are non-carnivorous fish in an aquarium of ten (10) gallons or less capacity. Non-carnivorous fish may be kept in student rooms with the agreement of all roommates.  Assistance animals must be approved by the Office of Disability Services. (Elizabethtown College Assistance Animal Policy and Agreement). All animals brought on campus, and not confined to a cage, must be leashed. All animals must be kept under the owner’s control at all times while on campus, including Service and Assistance animals.

Quiet Hours

Courtesy hours are in effect at all times. This includes being courteous, considerate and respectful of others.

Quiet hours are from 11:00 p.m.–8:00 a.m., Sunday through Thursday; midnight–10:00 a.m., Friday and Saturday. The responsibility for quiet hours is shared by all residents. It is the student’s right and obligation to inform residents of disruptive activities.

A violation of Quiet or Courtesy hours is any activity that is at a noise level that can be heard by others (either in the hallway, next door neighbors, or upstairs/downstairs neighbors) and is disrupting those who hear it.

Restroom Use Policy

Elizabethtown College encourages all students, employees and guests/visitors to utilize the restroom facilities that most closely align with their gender identity. Many people desire non-gendered restroom facilities for multiple different reasons. The College seeks to expand the availability of gender inclusive restrooms. It is not a requirement that a gender inclusive restroom be single-use, private or locked. Individuals utilizing gender inclusive restrooms do so with understanding and respect for the privacy of others.

Room Furnishings

Room furnishings must not obstruct or hinder access to any room in College-owned housing. A clear visual and physical path from the entry door to the window needs to available at all times in case of an emergency. Water beds, bed risers and lofts are not permitted. Alterations, additions, or unauthorized use of furnishings within the residence halls or other College-owned housing are prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, moving furniture from public areas to individual rooms, removing College furniture from a room or building, moving College-owned furniture from lounges or onto balconies or roofs, painting or applying adhesive backed wall-coverings to any window, ceiling, floor, wall, or furniture surface.  Due to safety concerns the use of bed risers, cinder blocks or other materials to raise beds/furniture off the floor is strictly prohibited. However, the College does have loftable beds and any student who is interested should contact Housing & Residence Life to request one for their room. All college furniture should remain indoors. Students found responsible for moving college furniture outdoors may be subject to disciplinary action and/or will be charged for any damages that occur in the process of moving furniture. Students in the Brinser Suites, Vera Hackman Apartments, Schreiber Quads, and SDLCs may not bring furniture other than what is already provided if they are not able to remove it when asked. College owned furniture will remain in ILUs and not be removed to make room for personal furniture.

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