Residential Life and Housing
There are more than 1,500 undergraduate students who reside in the University's eight residence halls and 14 houses. The goal of the Residential Life and Housing (RLH) office is to provide a living environment that allows for academic pursuits, interpersonal interactions, educational opportunities and social events. The environment created is intended to encourage freedom of action and self-expression within the context of community responsibility.
Residence Requirement
Residence Life Staff
About the Residence Halls
About Your Room
Housing Options
Residence Requirement
Students entering college for the first time must live on campus for their first four semesters at Clark. Exceptions to this policy must be granted by the Office of Residential Life and Housing and are only made if the student will be living with a parent or legal guardian and the primary residence is no more than 25 miles from campus.
Students who transfer into Clark as juniors or seniors are not required to live on campus, but are certainly invited to. Those who transfer in as first-years or sophomores must live on campus until junior status is reached. Students reaching junior status in the middle of the year, however, are reminded that their housing contract extends through the academic year, and they must remain on campus for the entire year. Questions about this policy should be directed to RLH.
Residential Life Staff
Director of Residential Life and Housing
The Director is responsible for providing the overall supervision and direction for the department. S/he works with the Assistant Director of RLH, Area Coordinators, Head Resident Adviser and Resident Advisers to assess the needs of students and to provide services that fulfill both the University's mission as well as the department's.
Assistant Director
The Assistant Director of Residential Life and Housing is responsible for managing and maintaining the room-assignment process for new students, the room selection process for returning students, the room-change process and opening/closing processes. S/he also advises the Residence Hall Association.
Area Coordinators
The Area Coordinators (AC) are professional staff members living in the residence halls who are committed to the growth and development of residential college students. ACs are responsible for advising residents concerning personal and/or academic concerns, supervising the Resident Adviser staff, promoting hall programs and activities, advising hall councils and managing all aspects of residence hall life. Each of the three Area Coordinators is responsible for different areas of campus: Wright, Johnson, and Sanford; Bullock, Dana, Dodd and Hughes; and Maywood Street Hall and University Houses.
Head Resident Adviser
Each of the residence halls on campus will have one junior or senior student acting as a Head Resident Adviser (Head RA). The Head RA will be responsible for working with the Resident Adviser staff of their designated building to create and maintain a sense of community. Head RAs will also work closely with the professional staff in order to more appropriately assess the needs of the students within the community.
Resident Advisers
The Office of Residential Life and Housing employs undergraduate paraprofessional staff members as Resident Advisers (RAs) in each living area. RAs work to create and maintain a sense of community on the floor and in the hall/house by initiating and encouraging campus and hall programs, answering questions and referring students to different campus services, advising resident, addressing inappropriate behavior and helping to interpret the policies outlined in Synergy.
About the Residence Halls
Residence Hall Association/Residence Hall Councils
Residence Hall Councils (RHC) represent students living in specific residential halls/ houses and are formed at the beginning of each academic year. The purpose of these councils is to promote community, diversity and awareness through programming and advocacy with an ultimate goal of increasing the quality of life in these buildings. The Residence Hall Association (RHA) that represents the entire resident student population governs the RHCs. The RHA ensures that each council remains active and focused. Additionally, RHA works with the Office of Residential Life and Housing to maintain the quality of life for resident students.
Emergencies
In the event of an emergency in your residence, immediately call University Police (x7575) and the Resident Adviser. University Police can be reached 24 hours a day. The Resident Adviser staffs are on duty each night from 9:00 pm – 7:00 am
Fire Safety
Fire drills are held periodically, and all residents and guests are expected to leave the building during these drills. You should be aware of the quickest and safest ways out of the building in the event of an emergency. The residential life staff will provide this information at the beginning of each semester. Fire doors may not be propped open. Moreover, it is a violation of federal law to tamper with fire alarms, sprinklers, extinguishers and other fire equipment. Judicial action may be pursued in cases where students fail to evacuate a building during an active fire alarm.
Food Service
First and second-year students living in on-campus housing are required to participate in one of the meal plans. Exceptions will only be made for documented medical reasons that cannot be accommodated by the food service. The Business Manager in the Business Services Office reviews petitions for exception from the meal plan. Junior and senior students living in on-campus housing may, but are not required to, participate in a meal plan.
Housing Contract
The housing contract that you signed prior to check-in is a full-year agreement. You are obligated to reside in University housing throughout the period of time designated on your contract. You may apply for a request to be released from your contract, but there must be substantial documentation that supports your request. The “Request-to-be-Released” form is available at the RLH Office.
Laundry Facilities
All University residence halls and houses have coin-operated washers and dryers. As a courtesy to others, if you find that one of the machines is broken, please put an “out of order” sign on it and report it to your Resident Adviser or to Residential Life and Housing at x7453.
Lost Keys/Clark ID Card
If you lose your room key during the course of the year you will be charged a replacement fee for your room lock and key. It is strongly recommended that you keep your keys on a reliable key ring and that you carry your keys and Clark ID at all times. Do not lend your keys or Clark ID to anyone for any reason. If you lose your room key, you should immediately notify your Resident Adviser and go to the Cashier's Office (20 Downing St., 2nd floor). Upon paying the cashier $35 for the replacement key and lock, you will get a receipt to take to physical plant. If you are unable to pay this fee immediately, it will be added to your student account—you'll need to see the Accounting Office (Student Billing Office) to do this. Locks are changed for security purposes when keys are lost. Be sure to report a lost key immediately.
Lost Clark IDs should be reported to University Police. A replacement ID can be obtained for $15.
Remember to return your room key before leaving at the end of the year to avoid being charged for its replacement.
Lounge Furniture
Furniture is provided in most of the lounges and study rooms in each residence hall and house for the use of all residents. All University-provided furniture is expected to remain in the room/suite/apartment. If community furniture is removed from lounges or other University facilities, you will be billed the replacement cost of each item taken if the furniture is not immediately returned. Judicial action may be pursued in cases where furniture has been removed from public areas or is damaged or misused.
Roommate Agreements
All new students are expected to complete a roommate agreement within the first three weeks of the fall semester to facilitate communication regarding the expectations roommates have of each other. Returning students are encouraged to complete a roommate agreement. Communication is the key to a successful living environment for roommates; therefore mediation will be the first step in addressing roommate issues. The RAs and professional staff of RLH are available to facilitate the mediation process. If, after the mediation process, roommates are found to be incompatible, the Office of Residential Life and Housing reserves the right to move one or all roommates to a different location.
Security
The University residence halls are secured by a computer controlled card-entry system. Residents may enter their residence hall by using their Clark ID. An alarm will go off at University Police if one of the outside doors is kept open for a period longer than is reasonable for entry. Individuals who prop doors jeopardize security. Wright, Bullock and Dodd Hall residents are the only students with access to their respective buildings. Students residing in one of the mixed-class buildings will have access to all of the mixed-class residence halls with their Clark ID.
The University Houses are locked 24 hours a day. The room keys for residents of the houses open the front door. All residents are strongly encouraged to keep their room door locked while they are out of the room, asleep, or otherwise not able to control access to their room.
The University cannot assume responsibility for the theft of or damage to personal property. Any loss of personal property should be reported to University Police (x7575). You are encouraged to consider having your personal belongings covered under your parents' or guardians' homeowner's insurance if possible or by purchasing renter's insurance.
Storage
Limited locked storage space is available for trunks, large suitcases or boxes. Students are limited to four boxes of items in storage. Due to limited space, storage may be limited to students residing more than 500 miles from Clark University. All items must be labeled with a current University storage label available from the RLH Office. Please note that all belongings are stored at your own risk. RLH is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged items. Furniture, touchier lights, refrigerators, TVs or bicycles are not permitted in storage. If items remain for more than one year in storage, RLH reserves the right to dispose of these outdated items.
About your room
Damage Charges
A room-condition card will be completed by the Residential Life and Housing staff who will check the condition of rooms and furniture before you move in and after you move out. You should review this form upon check-in to confirm the information and provide additions to your AC if needed. You are liable for damages sustained throughout the year and may receive a damage bill in June.
Residents are also responsible for damages in common areas, including, but not limited to suites, kitchens, lounges, hallways and stairwells. A reasonable attempt will be made to determine the responsible individual(s) by holding building meetings and informing campus police. If the person(s) responsible is not identified the cost of repair/replacement may be assessed to all residents of the building/floor.
Room Assignments
First-year student roommates are assigned by taking into account complementary life styles. Assignments are made regardless of race, religion, place of origin, sexual orientation or intended majors. All students will be assigned to nonsmoking rooms. Yet, since some students may smoke outside their residence hall rooms, students are matched as smoking or nonsmoking roommates. Traditionally, first-year students are not placed in singles, suites or houses.
Each spring a room selection process is held to allow you to choose your housing assignment for the following year. You will receive information in February regarding the room selection process. Please note that the $100.00 housing deposit is non-refundable. Single rooms are selected on a seniority basis. Any student needing to request a single room for medical reasons must submit the following:
- A letter stating the specific medical condition and the specific housing need that it requires.
- Medical documentation from a medical professional supporting the request.
A committee comprised of representatives from Residential Life, Academic Advising and Health Services will review the information. Information about your request and medical condition will only be shared with appropriate University staff. A response to each request will be communicated by mail.
Please note: a granted request will guarantee that a regular single accommodation will be available. The location of that room will not be guaranteed, unless related to the medical need. Medical singles are charged at the same rate as non-medical single rooms.
Room Change/Consolidation
There is a “room freeze” in effect during the first two weeks and the last two weeks of each semester. Otherwise, room changes can occur at anytime during the semester with the approval of the Office of Residential Life and Housing. Please come to the Office of Residential Life and Housing for the “Room Change Procedure Guidelines and Form”. It is the expectation of RLH that all perspective roommates be treated fairly and respectfully.
Residents participating in unauthorized moves will be required to return to their original assignment and may be referred for judicial action.
After the room change period, a sole occupant of a double room may be required to consolidate. The Assistant Director of RLH will make consolidation assignments. Residents who are required to move to a new room or who will be having a roommate move into their room will be notified in writing when to meet with the Assistant Director of RLH to complete the necessary paperwork. Additionally, “pull-in” days are held in December to allow those students with a confirmed spring vacancy the opportunity to “pull-in” someone into their vacant space prior to RLH assigning other students.
During Spring 2006, students will have the option of occupying their room alone, if space permits, at an additional cost with a guarantee that no roommate will be placed with them for the remainder of the semester. This housing option is only available during the spring semester. Students interested in this housing option are asked to contact the RLH Office for further details.
Room Maintenance
You are responsible for the care and general upkeep of your own room. Cleaning equipment is located in each building. Resident Advisers can provide access to this equipment. Please be sure to return equipment promptly after use so that it will be available to other students.
Only scotch tape, masking tape or pushpins should be used to hang objects on walls. Hooks, nails and mounting tape should not be used on walls or ceilings. You will be responsible for repairing damage to the walls caused by nails, hooks, etc.
If you need maintenance and repairs in your room, report it to the Resident Adviser or to your Area Coordinator.
Room Occupancy
The occupancy period begins at 9:00 am one day before registration for returning upper class students and 9:00 am the day of orientation for new students. The University residence buildings close at noon the day after final exams for both fall and spring semesters. All students are expected to vacate their room 24 hours after their last exam. Graduating seniors may remain in their rooms until noon the day after Commencement.
If you wish to remain in your residence hall/house during the October, Thanksgiving and March break periods, you may do so, but the halls and houses will be closed between semesters.
Rooms must be vacated at the end of the academic year, which means that all personal belongings must be removed from the room by the established deadline.
Painting Rooms
Ask your Resident Adviser to contact the Physical Plant office if you believe your room needs to be painted. If the Physical Plant staff determines the room needs to be painted, they will do the work. Residents are not permitted to paint their own rooms.
Telephones
All residence hall rooms and all University houses are equipped with telephones offering both local and long distance service. Each student will receive a valid authorization code to be used for accessing the University's long distance network. The code will remain valid as long as the long distance monthly invoice is current. Each student will be billed at the beginning of each semester for unlimited local service and will be billed monthly for long distance charges. Campus phones can be used for internal calls by dialing the last four digits of the number. To make a local call, you can dial 9, 1, the area code and the telephone number. You can also receive long distance calls on the campus phones as long as they are not collect calls. For safety reasons, we ask that all phones be plugged in with student voicemail activated.
Residential Life and Housing Policies
While an effort has been made to keep rules and regulations to a minimum, there are some general considerations that should be kept in mind when you are living in a residential community. These considerations are concerned primarily with freedom, privacy and the physical integrity and security of the facilities. They are not intended to restrict your activities. Rather, they are designed to promote the rights and freedoms of every student. By signing the housing contract, you have committed to abide by the policies and regulations as stated in Synergy. Violations of these policies may result in judicial action. You may pick up an additional copy of the housing contract from the Office of Residential Life and Housing, 22 Downing Street.
Balconies/Windows and Screens
For safety and security purposes, screens must remain in windows and closed at all times. Objects should not be thrown from windows or balconies. Windows on first floor level rooms should not be used as an entrance or exit to the room/suite, nor should windows be used to pass materials in or out of the room/residence hall. Balconies in RLH houses will be locked.
Cooking Appliances
For health and safety reasons, the Worcester Health Department prohibits the use of cooking appliances such as hot pots, electric frying pans, microwave ovens (except for micro fridge units), popcorn poppers, toasters and toaster ovens in residence hall/house rooms. All University houses and residence halls have kitchen facilities where students may use these types of appliances.
Entering Rooms
The University staff reserves the right to enter and inspect room(s) as needed for the purpose of verifying compliance with health and safety standards, to investigate probable violations of the Code of Student Conduct, for inventory purposes and for making necessary repairs to rooms and furnishings periodically throughout each semester.
Fire Hazards
Hanging items from the smoke detector, sprinkler pipes and/or ceiling is prohibited. No additional dividers or partitions that block entrances or exits will be permitted. Removal of batteries or disconnecting the smoke detector is prohibited. Fire laws forbid the storage of gasoline-containing vehicles (e.g., motorcycles) in or near residence halls. Halogen lamps, lava lamps, candles, incense and oil lamps are prohibited in residential areas. Possession, manufacture or use of fireworks or explosives on University property is expressly forbidden. All residence halls are smoke-free.
Guests
A guest is any person not currently assigned to the room in which they are present. Guests may only stay overnight in a residence hall/house room with permission of all the room occupants. A guest may not remain in a residence hall room for more than three consecutive days per month. Residents are responsible for the behavior of their guests.
Hall Sports
In order to prevent injury to students, damage to fire equipment and the building, playing any sports in the hallways of any University housing is prohibited.
Health and Safety Inspections
Periodically the Residential Life and Housing staff inspects each room to ensure the safety of the buildings. During the December break, all electrical appliances are checked to confirm they are unplugged (with the exception of micro-fridges) and windows/shades are closed. Prohibited items found in a student's room/suite during room inspections will be confiscated and judicial action may be taken. Notification to your Clark email account will be sent out one week prior to health and safety checks in residential halls and houses.
Illegal Articles
Possession of illicit drugs, drug paraphernalia, firearms, weapons, fireworks and other flammable or explosive items is not permitted on University property. See additional list of items not permitted in “prohibited items” heading.
Lock-out Policy
The following lock-out policy is established to ensure the safety and security of all residents by immediately replacing the keys lost by residents. Since the security of a campus residence is of utmost importance, the following policy will be enforced if you should lose your room key.
- First lock out: no charge
- Second lock out: student will be charged $10.00
- Each subsequent lock out: student will be charged in $5.00 increments
This charge will be assessed to your student account.
Musical Instruments
In order to provide a conducive environment for academic pursuits, amplified musical instruments or amplified music may not be played in University housing. Students are encouraged to utilize the musical practice rooms available in certain academic buildings like Estabrook Hall or the Traina Center for the Performing Arts. Please refer to the Quiet Hours section for additional information regarding courtesy hours.
Parties
A party is defined as any gathering where the number of persons present is equal to or greater than twice the designed occupancy of a room or suite (or 10 persons, whichever is smaller).
Pets
Pets or animals (except for fish) are not permitted in residence halls or houses. Fish tanks should be limited to 10 gallons. Lizards, snakes, turtles and reptiles are prohibited, as it is a violation of the Worcester Health Department regulations.
Posting Policy
The following guidelines have been established to help support the efforts of student groups and organizations in advertising their events while maintaining a respectful and clean residential hall environment.
All signs for advertisement of events must be stamped, initialed and dated by the Residential Life and Housing Office (located at 22 Downing Street, 1st floor) or by Student Activities before they may be posted in the residential halls or houses. The Director of Residential Life and Housing, the Director of Student Activities, the Assistant Director of RLH, Area Coordinators and the Residential Life and Housing Assistant will stamp and date all signs. All signs should include the date, time and event location, admission charge (if applicable) and name of contact person. The advertising of alcohol must not appear on the announcement. Any signs/ announcements that are considered to violate the Code of Student Conduct will not be stamped. Any office or student group that would like posters/signs displayed in the residence halls or houses should complete the following steps:
- Bring copies of posters/signs to the RLH Office between 8:30 am-5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.
- 6 copies for the residential houses
- 8 copies for the residence halls
- Posters/signs will be distributed, through the RLH Office, to the Head RA/House RA for each building or house after they have been stamped.
- Posters/signs will be hung up on Monday and Thursday of each week.
- Posters/signs will be hung up on a bulletin board in the main lobby area. Posters/signs found anywhere else in the building will be taken down immediately.
- The RLH staff will take down all flyers once the event has taken place.
- Only the RLH staff will be allowed to hang posters/signs in areas other than the main bulletin boards.
Prohibited Items
Prohibited items that are found in any room/suite are subject to confiscation by University staff or University Police. The following materials are not permitted in the residence halls:
- Candles
- Hot plates
- Space heaters
- Incense
- Fireworks
- Traffic signs
- Halogen lamps
- Lava lamps
- Oil lamps
- Weapons
- Hookahs
Quiet Hours
For the residential environment to be safe and comfortable, University residents must be respectful and considerate of the rights of other students. Stereos, televisions, musical instruments and radios should not disturb other residents who are sleeping or studying. Please respect 24 hour courtesy hours. (Residential Staff are available to help you establish compatible living situations).
Quiet hours are
- Sunday – Thursday: 11:00 pm – 7:00 am
- Friday – Saturday: 1:00 am – 9:00 am
- During reading days and final exams 22-hour quiet hours will be in effect. Courtesy hours will be in effect from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Room Furniture
Each student is provided with a bed frame, mattress, desk, desk chair and wardrobe/ closet. The furniture that is provided in your room must remain there for the year. It may not be removed from the building, moved to storage or moved to another room. You may not bring your own bed/mattress for fire safety reasons. You will be held financially responsible for any furniture that is missing or damaged at the end of the academic year.
Smoking
All University housing is smoke free. Smoking is not permitted in any public area of the residence halls/houses. Public areas include, but are not limited to, social lounges, kitchens, hallways, stairways and laundry rooms. Smoking immediately outside the entrance doors to residence halls is also prohibited. Smoking outside a residence hall/ house must occur at least 20 feet from the building and away from all entrances and exits.
Social Lounge Reservation Policy
The Office of Residential Life and Housing recognizes campus organizations' need for meeting space. While the office will try to accommodate organizations as need be, it also realizes that the social lounges within the residence halls are a place for the residents of that building to gather on a spontaneous basis or to be used for programming.
Taking into consideration all the above, RLH has established the following guidelines to help accommodate all interested parties:
- Call the Office of Residential Life and Housing at extension 7453 at least one (1) week prior to the event and ask to speak to the Area Coordinator for the building in which you would like to reserve a space.
- Only social lounges will be available for use by campus organizations. Study lounges may not be reserved.
- Recurring reservations may not be granted. If a group is meeting in a social lounge without a reservation, the group may be asked to leave if there is a conflict.
Solicitation Policy
Distributing information or soliciting door–to-door is not permitted without appropriate approval of the Residential Life and Housing professional staff. Approval for door-to-door solicitation is limited to Student Council, hall council and residential life programs. Outside vendors and/or organizations are not permitted to solicit within Clark University residence halls and houses.
Housing Options
First Year Experience
The goal of the First Year Experience (FYE) program at Clark University is to provide first-year students with a supportive and caring residential environment to assist them in their transition to college life. The FYE staff includes an Area Coordinator, Resident Advisors and Residential Fellows who have special training in understanding the needs of first-year students. Working together, the FYE staff organizes numerous educational and social programs to enrich the lives of FYE students. Wright and Bullock Halls are home to the FYE program.
Theme Housing
The Theme Housing program is intended to create strong links between the living and learning experience. It is designed and intended to provide direct and environmental support to the academic, social and/or extracurricular elements of the University. It provides students with the opportunity to define their on-campus living experience and to contribute to the greater campus community in accordance with their goals, interests and pursuits by planning educational programs that relate to the theme of each house. Theme programs are located in suites and apartments on campus. Applications for theme housing are available during the spring housing lottery process.
Special Interest Housing
Special Interest Housing is comprised of the Quiet House (2 Downing Street), Year Round/Winter Break House (21 Maywood) and Wellness Living (23 Maywood, 3rd floor of Johnson and Dana Halls). Students interested in these housing options need to apply through the RLH Office.
Residential Life and Housing Office Web Site
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