Policies and Procedures

Your choice to live within University housing brings with it exciting opportunities to meet new people and forge new friendships which enhance our experience at Richmond. At the same time, your choice to live in this environment requires each individual to accept certain responsibilities. The following policies and guidelines are designed to create and maintain a safe and comfortable living and learning environment for all at Richmond. These policies and guidelines are designed for the benefit of everyone within a diverse and multi-cultural student atmosphere.

We hope students respond positively to the guidelines presented in this manual. We believe that they are reasonable policies which will promote an enjoyable living environment for as broad a population as possible.

Quiet and Study Hours

‘Study Hours’ is the term used to describe the time when noise should be kept to a minimum and neighbours should be conscious of the fact that others may be trying to study along their corridor.

Study hours in University residences are between 8:00 pm and 12 midnight

‘Quiet Hours’ is the term used to describe the time when noise from within a student’s room, or noise from the corridor, will corridor will not be heard in student room.

Quiet Hours are from 12 midnight to 8:00 am

Noise occurs when people congregate in corridors and while people are talking on the telephone. It travels and echoes and the walls are quite thin. Please be aware of this.

As a general rule you should never make noise
that extends beyond your bedroom door.

Common rooms are available for students to socialise in a setting which does not interfere with other students who may be sleeping or studying.

Students living in satellite residences must also be conscientious of neighbours who live next door to your building. Some of these residences are located in quiet residential areas and disturbing noise from Richmond students reflects negatively on the University, and gives rise to University interest to intervene.

Security and Residence Life staff monitor Quiet Hours very closely and your co-operation is appreciated. It is expected that during daytime residence will be busy as people go about their business BUT YOU SHOULD STILL BE CONSCIOUS OF KEEPING NOISE TO A MINIMUM. Those students who repeatedly ignore these policies face disciplinary measures for the disruption and aggravation caused. Where excessive noise occurs or residents and/or rooms receive repeated verbal warnings an official WARNING will be issued. This will detail the time and date of the incident and allow residents to dispute it if they wish, with their own amended statement. A resident who receives 3 WARNINGS in any one semester will be asked to leave the University residence without refund of remaining room and board. This warning comes in the form of a ‘Residential Record’. A good faith determination by staff concerning residents and guests shall be conclusive.

Alcohol

The legal drinking age for alcohol in Britain is 18. Students of this age are allowed to drink on this basis. However, the University does not condone the effects of excessive alcohol use. Alcohol is not allowed in common areas such as corridors and common rooms. Students may drink in moderation in their own rooms in such a way that does not adversely affect others. Alcohol must be transported to student rooms in closed, sealed containers.

Bed Bugs

The Office of Student Affairs and Property Services are committed to providing a safe, healthy living environment for all students housed in University accommodation. To this end, we have developed a policy in response to a possible outbreak of bed bugs. For your safety and comfort, staff will adhere to this policy to ensure that any occurrence of bedbugs is swiftly eradicated.

1. If you suspect you may have bedbugs, contact the Residence Life Office as soon as possible. You can do this through your Resident Advisor or Resident Director. If you are unable to locate a member of the Residence Life team, please contact security in the Main Building or in Atlantic House.

2. Property Services will be notified of your concern and will call out an exterminator to examine the room as soon as possible. Generally, the exterminator will attend within 24 hours. If this is not possible, residence life staff will contact you and let you know what to do next.

3. The exterminator will examine the room thoroughly and determine whether or not bedbugs are present. If the exterminator sees no evidence of bed bugs, no further action will take place. If evidence of bed bugs is found, the room will be sprayed.

4. Once the exterminator sprays your room, you must not re-enter the room for 4 hours. This gives the chemicals enough time to settle and work to kill all of the live bugs and their eggs. Property services will take the advice of the exterminator about replacing mattresses and/or furniture. After your room is sprayed, a bed bug monitor will be placed in your room in order to identify quickly if re-infestation takes place.

5. After 4 hours, the housekeeping staff will clean your room and replace your bedding. You will be notified by Residence Life staff when you are free to re-enter the room.

What do I do with all of my stuff?

You will be required to remove, bag and seal all clothing and bedding prior to your room being sprayed. Black bags will be provided from housekeeping. Your clothing and bedding must be washed on a hot wash and dried in a hot dryer in order to ensure that all bugs and their eggs are killed. Failure to follow these procedures could mean re-infestation, so please be vigilant. If you are unwilling or unable to launder your own things, the University will do this for you at a cost to you.

Personal items such as books and papers may remain in your room, but it is likely that they will be in direct contact with pesticide, so please remember to wipe them down and/or vacuum them before you re-use them. The clearer your room can be, the more effective the treatment will likely be.
At times, the exterminator may recommend spraying an entire floor or the rooms bordering (next door, above and below) an affected room in order to ensure that the bugs do not disperse. The exterminator may also leave bed bug monitors in your room and inspect them within several days of spraying to ensure the treatment was successful.

I want to move rooms…now!
Since bed bugs can spread very easily from room to room, changing rooms will not solve the problem. If we are unable to attend to your room within 24 hours of verifying that you do indeed have bed bugs, we will provide you with a room in an isolated building (based on space available) and will contact you about what will happen next.

It is VERY important that you tell us if you have moved rooms or stayed at a friends in the recent past so that we can manage a possible infestation.
Bed bugs are a serious community health concern and we take infestation very seriously. Please help us keep our residence halls free of bed bugs.

I travel a lot, what can I do to reduce my risk of bringing these bugs back with me?
1. Look at the room where you are staying (abroad) to seek potential hiding places for bedbugs, such as carpet edges, mattress seams, pillow case linings, head boards, wall trim or other tiny crack-like places bed bugs might hide.

2. Look specifically at the mattress seams for signs of bed bug activity: droppings, eggs, bloodstains or even bed bugs themselves – hiding in tiny folds and seam lines.

3. Never leave your clothing laying on the bed, or any location of possible infestation. Instead, use hangers or hooks capable of keeping all cloth distant from the floor or bed. It’s also not a bad idea to elevate suitcases off the floor on a luggage stand, tabletop or other hard surface.

4. Close your suitcase, travel bag, when you're not using it. This way, during the night the bugs may move over top of your luggage with greater difficulty to get inside.

5. Keep any bed bug you find (intact if possible) to show the hotel owner. When you return from any travel (especially abroad) it is a good idea to take your suitcase to the laundry so you can wash ALL items before taking the suitcase to your home, residence hall, etc. If you do your wash in hot water before entering your residence, you will stop the spread of these bugs.

Parties and Gatherings

As a general policy parties are not permitted in University residences. Student groups and individuals may book classrooms and the Common Room for group activities through the Registrar’s Office and the Student Activities Office. Parties and gatherings involving alcohol require the approval of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.

Controlled Substances

The University enforces a strict drug policy in conjunction with British Law which prohibits both the recreational use and supply of any illegal drugs ranging from cannabis to harder substances such as cocaine and heroin. Richmond will not tolerate the use of any such substances on its premises. Richmond’s drug policy is outlined in greater detail in the Richmond Student Handbook.

Residence Life staff and Security will respond to any indication of use or possession of illegal substances and are authorised to carry out room searches where such activity is suspected or where the health or safety of the resident(s), other persons or property seem threatened.

Smoking

In line with UK law, smoking is not permitted in any enclosed areas of the University; this applies to all dormitory rooms, corridors and the common room.

Please respect the university’s no-smoking policy. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action of the following kind. Tampering with fire-related equipment and/or smoking in unauthorized areas will result in an automatic fine of £500 for the first offence, a second offence could result in loss of housing (if you live on campus) or dismissal from the university. Failure to evacuate the building during an alarm will also result in an immediate fine of £500. As smoking in enclosed areas is now also a violation of UK law, you could be penalized further by British police.

Visitors

When entering any University building, students are to show their Richmond I.D. which will confirm their status as a registered student. Students who wish to bring a friend or relative into a University residence, but they do not intend to stay overnight, must register their guest(s) in a Visitor's book at the Security/Reception desk.

This procedure provides the University information about who is in a building at any given time in line with Fire and Health & Safety requirements. Upon leaving the building, students must sign their guest(s) out in the same way. Students in satellite buildings without a Security/Reception desk must notify the Resident Director/Advisors of their building when they have a visitor. If the Resident Director/Advisor is not present, a written note should be left on the staff person’s door.

Overnight Guests

Students who would like to have an overnight guest have to complete a form. This procedure is designed to ensure that staff know of the whereabouts of people at any given time. Students should complete an ‘Overnight Guest Request form’ which is available from the Residence Life Office or from your Resident Director in satellite residences. A downloadable form is at the bottom of this page.

You must obtain written authorization from the
Residence Life Coordinator (or a Resident Director)
at least 24 hours in advance.

If you have roommates, you also need to have their signature(s) to show that they have agreed to act as a host for your guest. If there are different rules for a satellite residence, your Resident Director will inform you of the specific policies of your building. Please remember, requests at short notice may be denied. All guests will be issued with a temporary Guest Paper ID; the paper ID must be carried with the guest at all times during their stay at Richmond.

The University will hold you as the student responsible for the behaviour of your guests at all times. Any single guest may stay a maximum of 3 consecutive nights during the Fall and Spring semesters and 1 night during the summer sessions, and no more than one guest per room is allowed. Each resident is allowed a maximum of 7 guest nights total for the fall and spring semesters and 3 for the summer sessions.

Although there is no general restriction on the gender of a guest, certain areas of residences have been designated as "single sex" corridors, in this instance, you must find a friend of the other sex who will host your guest. For insurance purposes, each guest must be at least 18 years of age. At particularly busy periods in the semester, such as mid-semester break, the University reserves the right to restrict the overall number of guests within a particular residence. This policy is designed to recognise the right of students to welcome a friend or relative into their residence while retaining the right of the University to maintain safety and comfort for other residents. Overnight guests are not allowed during any exam period.

Litter/Damage

The University invests a lot of time in maintaining and improving the condition and appearance of its residences while understanding that communal living spaces are naturally more prone to “wear and tear" over a period of time. We all play our part in this process. Reasonable effort should be made to keep all public areas and student rooms neat and tidy. Garbage cans / litter bins are provided in and around all residences and it takes no extra time to use them properly. Residential common rooms are particularly likely to suffer from excess litter.

Damage to University property is taken very seriously. In recent semesters damage has occurred in bathrooms and shower rooms and on corridor walls. Disciplinary measures will be taken against those found to be responsible. The University reserves the right to charge students for collective damage where responsibility cannot be attached to any particular individual(s). Again, a good faith determination by staff concerning the assessment of individual or collective damages shall be conclusive.

Weapons

Weapons of any kind may not be kept in University residences. This includes such items as guns, bows and arrows, hunting knives, and ammunition. Laser pens used to highlight words for overhead projectors would also be considered a weapon when not used for their intended purpose. Such items will be confiscated by security.