COMMUNITY SAFETY
- All residents are required to tap their University ID card at the Front Desk each time they enter their Residence Hall to verify their identity and access privileges.
- Sabbath-observant residents can gain access during the Sabbath by providing their UChicago ID number, first name, last name, and housing assignment to the Front Desk clerk for verification.
- Do not allow unknown individuals to enter the building behind you.
- Close doors properly and tightly, ensuring they are not propped open.
- Lock room doors securely; do not leave them bolted open.
- Report any suspicious activity immediately to University Housing staff or UCPD.
HOUSING RESOURCES
DAMAGE CHARGES
- Lost Room Keys – $125.00. Core changes will be processed for security purposes in the event of a lost key. If a key is lost due to theft or you have any questions around your core change, please contact your Assistant Director of Operations.
- Lost Mailbox Key- $25.00
- Lost University ID Card [UCID] – varies by instance at ID & Privileges Office
- Improper Room Change – $25.00
- Late Check-out – $50.00/hour
- Trash Removal or Cleaning Required to room: A minimum charge of $25.00 will be billed per resident.
- Any and all labor (union rate) and material cost for repairs will be billed to students; only rarely are punitive fees added.
- Painting Room- $100.00 minimum per wall
- Smoke Detector- $90.00
- Furniture Relocation or Replacement: Minimum charge of $25.00 will be billed per resident.
FURNITURE
All student rooms are furnished, and residents are not permitted to bring any additional furniture to campus. All University supplied furniture must remain in your room.
Upon check out, all residents are responsible for returning the room furniture to the same condition and layout as was found upon moving in.
BedLoft is our preferred vendor for fridge or microwave/fridge combo rental. If you want a microwave, it must be a combo unit to comply with the housing contract.
RECYCLING
The residence halls participate in the University single-stream recycling program. Look for designated bins in lounges, common areas, hallways, and/or trash rooms. If you cannot locate a recycling bin, contact your Resident Head or the Assistnat Director of Operations. Recycled items have to be clean (empty of food and if possible, rinsed) and include:
- Aluminum food and beverage containers, including cans, foil, and pie tins
- Glass food and beverage containers – brown, clear or green
- Iron cans
- Plastic containers – clear and pigmented
- Newsprint
- Corrugated cardboard (flattened)
- Magazines and catalogs
- Cereal boxes
- Telephone books
- Office paper (including envelopes with plastic windows)
- Mail, including FedEx envelopes and envelopes with plastic windows
FIRE SAFETY
When a fire alarm sounds in the building, all occupants of the building are required to evacuate the building in a swift but orderly manner. Biannual fire drills are conducted to assist students in learning what the fire alarms sound like and how to safely execute the information within the memo in the case of an actual emergency.
If a resident is in their room when an alarm sounds they should feel the door to the corridor before opening it. If the door is hot, keep it closed. Cover or stuff clothing in the cracks around the door. Take no unnecessary chances to get out of the room. Unless there is an immediate danger, it may be safer to remain where you are. Residents should hang a sheet out of their window to alert the Fire Department to their location.
If a resident must leave in heavy smoke, they should stay as close to the floor as possible. A wet cloth over their face may aid breathing.
Residents should NEVER use the elevator when evacuating the building. They should proceed down the stairwells in as orderly a manner as possible, keeping calm.
If a student discovers a fire or a strong smell of smoke, they are to immediately pull the nearest fire alarm pull station. The Chicago Fire Department will respond immediately to all alarms. Upon exiting the building, the resident should find a staff member to report what they observed. This will help the Chicago Fire Department upon arrival.
HEATING/COOLING
All Residence Halls are heated, and all are air conditioned except our most historic buildings: Burton-Judson, International House, and Snell-Hitchcock. The heating and cooling systems within our Residence Halls cannot operate concurrently, nor can we switch between the heating and cooling systems, except seasonally. Residents should not expect air-conditioning beyond October 1 or before May 15.
Should a current or incoming student require year-round air conditioning due to a disability, the student must seek an accommodation with the Student Disability Services Office. If approved, Housing & Residence Life will order, install, and maintain the required equipment.
PESTS
Facilities Services works with a specialized Pest Control vendor to regularly monitor areas in and around the Residence Halls. Residents are responsible for reporting suspected pest issues through Maximo as soon as they become aware of a possible issue. Pest Control services are not available on weekends or holidays.
Residents can help prevent pests by keeping their clean and clear of food debris.
HOUSING POLICIES & DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES
The University safeguards the House communities through policies and procedures. Housing & Residence Life seeks to serve the educational objectives of the University by providing communities which further and enhance individual study. The Housing Rules and Regulations are intended to establish reasonable limits within which the greatest number of residents can work effectively and live pleasantly. These limits help to guarantee the basic rights of all residents to protection from behavior that creates excessive noise, endangers or disturbs other residents, or invites the intrusion of public authorities into Housing…[read more]
ROOM DAMAGE
HALLWAYS
Fire Code Regulations prohibit leaving luggage, furniture, bicycles, and other items in the corridors (including basement corridors) AT ANY TIME.
POSTING POLICY
The only posters/flyers authorized to be posted on in-house bulletin boards or elsewhere within a House (other than those posted for House or Hall business) are those approved by a Recognized Student Organization (RSO). Each House has at least one bulletin board that is reserved for the Resident Staff of the House, and RSOs may not post their posters/flyers on those boards. There are additional areas where posters/flyers may not be posted in the Residence Halls/Houses: inside stairwells, inside elevators or on elevator doors, and student room doors unless the students in that room hang the poster/flyer on their room door. Posters/flyers may not be hung using duct tape, nails, tacks, glue, or any semi-permanent or permanent adhesive. Students must use “blue tape” for hanging signs as it typically does not damage surfaces. Damages that result from the posting of posters/flyers will be billed to the organization that sponsored the event. RSOs are asked to remove their posters/flyers from the Residence Halls/Houses after their event has occurred. Flyers and announcements may neither advertise nor refer to the availability of alcohol at a specified event. A posting will not be restricted unless it violates the law, falsely defames a specific individual, constitutes a genuine threat or harassment, unjustifiably invades substantial privacy or confidentiality interests, or is otherwise directly incompatible with the functioning of the University.
Door-to-door solicitation is not allowed. If Resident Staff members become aware of anyone going door-to-door to solicit students or to push commercial or other advertising materials under students’ doors, they will ask the individual(s) to leave, escort those involved out of the building, and report the incident to their Assistant Director of Residence Life.