State law mandates that a fire drill be conducted in the residence halls at least once a month.  When the fire alarm sounds, you must exit the building.  Failure to do so is a violation of state and federal law as well as University policy.

In case of a fire alarm:

Touch the room door.  If the door is hot, do not open it!  Remain in the room, open the curtains, turn on the lights, and stand near a window.  If the door is warm, open it slowly to check whether it is safe to exit. Take a towel to protect your eyes and hair. Know your assigned and alternate exits. Leave the building in an orderly fashion as quickly as possible and go directly to your assigned meeting point.  If you are unable to return to the building, you will be notified and moved to an alternate location.

INCENSE AND CANDLES

Incense and Candles of any kind (with or without a wick) are not permitted in on-campus housing at any time. Housing Rules.

DRY BUILDINGS

The traditional residence halls of Senat, Lawrence, Niagara, and Perry are "dry buildings".  A dry building means that there is to be no alcohol transported into or consumed within these halls irregardless of the student's age.  Students found with alcohol in these buildings may be taken through the community standards or judicial affairs process

KEYS

For the safety of you and other residents, students are not permitted to share their keys with other persons.  Allowing your keys to be used by others is a violation of your Housing Contract and students who do so will be referred to the discipline system.  Housing Rules.

PETS

Leave the dog at home. The only pets allowed are fish and goldfish in tanks less than 10 gallons.

UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY/EXIT

For security and safety reasons, no one is permitted to use windows to gain access to a residence hall, room, or apartment.  All guests must be escorted through the lobby area in order to enter a residence hall floor. Students are not permitted to lend their keys to other students or guests.  Students are not allowed to exit onto building roofs at any time due to safety issues and because just walking on some of the roofs can cause hundreds of dollars worth of damages.  If an object is thrown upon the roof, you must contact the Housing Office to see about retrieving it.

LOCKOUTS

If you are locked out of your room:
During business hours (8 a.m. - 5 p.m. M-F), get a replacement key from the Housing and Food Services Office; During RA duty hours (8 p.m. - 1 a.m. daily), contact the RA on duty; Call Police and Safety during the following hours:

Mon-Fri.    5 p.m. - 8 p.m. and  1 a.m. - 8 a.m.

Sat. & Sun.  1 a.m. - 8 p.m.

ARMS, FIREARMS, FIREWORKS

The possession, carrying, or use of firearms, bows and arrows, handbillies, nun-chuks, sling shots, dirk knives, razors, switchblades and other dangerous knives, explosives, or chemicals is prohibited in the residence halls, apartments, and anywhere on University property, except by authorized individuals.  Pennsylvania law prohibits the possession or use of fireworks.  Any student found in possession of or using any of the above items may expect his or her Housing Contract to be terminated. Police Regulations.

COMPUTER CONNECTIONS

Students can access the Penn State Internet system in residence hall rooms using a personal computer and Ethernet connection. The software/hardware required for this connection, and information on how to have the data connection activated, is available online at www.rescom.psu.edu/pages/connectionagreement.htm. Specific information regarding illegal activity, bandwidth limitations, inappropriate content, servers, and personal responsibilities are also provided on the ResCom Web site. Use of the residence hall network connection also subjects the user to adhere to Penn State policy AD20 Computer and Network Security, which is available online at http://guru.psu.edu/policies/AD20.html.

MOTOR VEHICLES

All motorized vehicles are to be parked and driven on designated parking lots and roadways and may not be parked or driven in any other area including walkways, lawns, etc.  Vehicles are prohibited in the apartment quad at all times.  Gates to the apartment quad will be closed under normal operating conditions with the exception of during the winter for snow removal and for maintenance vehicles .  Even when the gates are open, private vehicles are not permitted in the quad.   It is never permissible to drive on the walkways in front of the suites or around Almy Hall and Ohio Hall. The university police are very active in inforcment of the parking regulations.  Do not park in tow away zones or handicap zones.  It may cost you up to $150.00 in fines and towing expenses to retrieve your vehicle. Police Regulations.

GRILLING ON CAMPUS

Barbecues are only approved for recognized university groups. All barbecues must be approved by Housing. Approval for a barbecue must be secured at least one (1) week prior to the event. The barbecue location must be approved by Housing. There must be a designated (Professional Staff) person in charge. Only propane grills will be approved for use. The use of charcoal grills is not permitted. A maximum of three (3) grills will be permitted per event. A 10 foot perimeter must be established and maintained around the grill(s) to prevent individuals from accidentally coming in to contact with the grills. Grills must be situated on a hard surface (not on grass), away from building entrances and overhangs. A minimum of one (1) 5lb. dry chemical fire extinguisher must be present during the barbecue. Building fire extinguishers shall not be utilized to meet this requirement. Cooked food must be removed from the grill(s) to a table for dispensing onto plates, rolls, etc.

SPORTS IN THE HALLS

For your own safety, to minimize damage charges, and to avoide disturbing others, ball playing of any type is not allowed in the residence halls, in the immediate area around the halls, or in the apartment quad area.  This applies to snowball battles as well.  Please make use of the many other areas on campus that are more condusive to recreational sports such as the Junker Center, the Behrend Fields, and intramural fields. Housing Rules.

POLICY ENFORCEMENT

Resident students who engage in behavior that violates the Terms, Conditions, and Regulations of the Housing Contract and/or the Student Code of Conduct will be required to work with Residence Life, Housing and Food Services, and/or Judicial Affairs to resolve the issue. A number of administrative and educational interventions have been identified to address inappropriate behavior. If a student is found to be responsible for the behavior(s) documented in the Incident Report, he/she may be assigned either or both types of the following interventions.

Administrative Interventions impact a student’s status within the residence halls. This list includes, but is not limited to, the following:

1. Verbal Warning: A verbal acknowledgment that community standards and/or expectations have been disregarded.
   
   
2. Letter of Concern: A written acknowledgment that community standards have been disregarded.
   
   
3. Contract Review: Implemented for either a serious breach of community standards or repeated inappropriate behavior. Contract review is for a specified period of time (semester, year, etc.) with the understanding that further disregard for community standards may result in the termination of a student’s Housing Contract.
   
   
4. Contract Termination: The cancellation of a student’s residence hall Contract.
   
   
5. Change of Room Assignment: The student is moved either temporarily or permanently to another residence hall location.
   
   
6. Restitution: The student must pay for damages for mis-appropriation of University property. This may be required through financial payment, community service, or both.

Educational Interventions require a student to become actively engaged in a process that will challenge the student to learn how his/her behavior impacts the community, and how he/she can make positive contributions to the community. This list includes, but is not limited to, the following:

1. Community Service: Assignments or tasks to be completed within a specified time frame.
   
   
2. Educational Projects: May include writing an essay, attending and/or presenting a workshop, creating a bulletin board, etc.

Appeals may only be heard in the case of contract termination. Judicial Affairs has identified sanctions relating to University Code of Conduct violations. More information is available in the Student Guide to General University Policies and Rules, found on the Web at www.sa.psu.edu/ja/pdf/PoliciesRules.pdf.