Alcohol and Other Drugs
When
alcohol is found in the residence halls or apartments, it will be disposed of
immediately. In cases where the alcohol is in the possession of an
individual student, Residence Life staff will supervise the disposal,
otherwise staff will dispose of the items. Any alcohol will be
poured down the drain and any empty alcohol containers will be taken to
the outside dumpsters.
If other
drugs are suspected, residence life staff will contact the Rapid City
Police Department immediately and will assist the officers in identifying
where the controlled substances may be located. If controlled
substances or drug paraphernalia are found in the residence halls or
apartments,
residence life staff will immediately turn them over to RCPD.
In all cases, any alcohol or other drugs
found in the residence halls or apartments will be documented in an Information Report
for review and probable disciplinary action.
Application/Agreements
You are encouraged to review the agreement
language before application. Do so on-line
dorms and
apartments.
Assignments
Residence Life makes apartment, room and wing assignments. Assignments are gender
specific - either to a living area or within a specific room. Preferences expressed when
applying for a room are given full consideration, but are not guaranteed.
Room assignments need not be permanent, and sometimes changes are
advisable. Application for a change in room must be made with your hall
director and must be agreed upon by all students involved. Changes in room
assignment may be necessary to accommodate single room requests and
consolidation needs.
Deposit
All housing applications must be
accompanied by a $100 (one hundred dollar) damage deposit which is
kept on account until you vacate the residence halls or apartments at the end of your
tenure on-campus. Single room priority is
determined, in part, by the date deposit is made. Deposits may be carried
over from year to year to secure application for the following academic
year. Students must request in writing refund of deposit following
their tenure in on-campus housing (currently this is done via email to
maureen.wilson@sdsmt.edu; we
hope by April 1, 2009 to have an on-line form to expedite deposit refund
requests). See the Application/Agreement (dorms
and
apartments) for further information on refunds and
forfeiture of this deposit.
Entry, Search and Seizure
The
rights of students to be secure in their person, living quarter, papers
and possessions against unreasonable entry, search and seizures will be
assured. Entry, search and seizure by civil officers shall be governed by
civil law. Institutions are delegated authority and responsibility to
establish and publish reasonable administrative entry and/or search and/or
seizure procedure for the enforcement of institutional regulations and
facility maintenance. Entry shall occur when:
-
Maintenance requested by
the occupant(s) is being performed;
-
Maintenance is performed
upon institutional initiative (preceded by at least twelve (12) hours
written or posted notice to occupant(s));
-
There is imminent danger
to safety, health or property of occupant(s) or to institutional
property;
-
Conducted pursuant to
an administrative entry/search permit based upon probable cause to
believe that a college policy or regulation, or a local, state or
federal law is being violated. Only those designated by the University
President may authorize administrative entry/search permits. Those
authorized to conduct a search are the Director of Residence Life or
members of ResLife Sr. Staff or
their designee as identified in a properly executed permit. Such permit
must indicate:
-
The room(s) to be
searched;
-
The regulation(s)
allegedly being violated;
-
The item(s) being
sought (if applicable);
-
The names of those
authorized to enter and conduct the search.
-
Routine room/apartment inspections:
room/apartment inspections for the purpose of health, safety and maintenance will
be held at least once during the semester. The individual RA or AM will
inspect rooms on their wing/floor with a minimum of twelve (12) hour
notice of the inspection will be given. The inspections will be held in
the occupants’ room in their presence. If occupants cannot meet at the
scheduled time, they will schedule an inspection with the RA within 24
hours. The inspection will consist of a reasonable check for health,
safety and maintenance problems to ensure that the housing regulations
are being followed. The inspections are not searches, and no closets,
drawers or refrigerators may be opened without the permission of the
occupants.
-
Any unsafe or unhealthy
findings need to be corrected in an agreed upon time between the student
and the RA. Failure to comply with directive to correct an unhealthy or
unsafe condition in a resident’s room may result in the student entering
the judicial process.
The Director of Residence
Life may authorize specific personnel to enter student’s rooms to verify
occupancy, and for the purpose of performing maintenance and enforcing
safety/health standards.
Keys and Card Access
For
Palmerton and Connolly residents: the charge for a lost room key
will be $15. The charge for a wing door security key or an outside
entrance key will be $25 each. For Peterson Hall residents: the charge for
a new access card will be included with the cost of replacing your student
ID (total charge $25).
Missing Student
If you notice that
your roommate or a neighbor have not been around and no one knows where
they are, please be sure to let your RA know that you believe the student
is missing.
ResLife staff will
initially attempt to contact the student via email or by phone. If no
contact is made, the Hall Director or Assistant Hall Director will double
check the student’s room to see if they are in their room or if visible
personal property might indicate if the student has taken an extended trip
or other planned absence from the residence hall. Upon confirming the
student is not around and hasn’t been seen, ResLife staff will notify the
Dean of Students, who will then follow BOR Policy/Procedures for students
believed to be missing.
Students residing
on-campus will be given the opportunity to identify an emergency contact
within their housing application. ResLife will use this confidential
information in the event the student is believed to be missing.
Painting of Rooms
Students
may paint their rooms only if the Hall Director approves their request.
Approval will be given only in unusual circumstances. Presently, only an off-white color has been approved for use in
resident rooms, with the exception of Connolly Hall.
Payment Schedule – Room & Board
Charges
for room and board are to be paid in advance for each semester at the time
of registration. All questions regarding these charges are to be presented
to the Student Accounts and Cashiering Services Office in Surbeck Center.
Non-payment will result in the student no longer being eligible for
on-campus housing. Normally, upon notification from Cashiering Services,
Residence Life will give a student who has not made payment 24 hours to
vacate.
Room Changes
Room
changes are prohibited without prior approval of the Residence Life Office. If you
desire a change, you should first contact your RA or HD to get a Room
Change Request form. Moving without prior approval may result in
disciplinary action being taken including improper check-out fines.
Room Condition Report (RCR)
As you occupy your room, room
contents and conditions are inspected and described on a Room Condition
Report (RCR) or Apartment Condition Report (ACR). You will be held responsible for all furnishing and
equipment, and are expected to exercise care in their use as you would in
your own home. It is not permissible to move furnishings or other
equipment out of any common areas or lounges or individual rooms, or to
move these furnishings from one room to another without permission of the
HD or AM. Residents are expected to report room or equipment damage or need for
repair promptly to their HD or AM.
Single Rooms
A
premium rate will be charged for all single rooms. Guaranteed single rooms
are available only in Connolly Hall. Assignments to guaranteed singles are
prioritized first by room requests made before April 1. Next priority
is given to those with higher number of earned credit hours (in
combination with date of deposit payment).
Single rooms awarded in Palmerton or Peterson
Halls will be done so on a space-available basis only. Priority for single
rooms in Palmerton and Peterson Halls is also based on earned credit hours
and date of payment of deposit.
Residents who are paying double room rate, but
have not had a roommate assigned or whose roommate has left the room for
some reason, will not be permitted to reside as singles. Such residents
will be allowed two weeks to do one of the following:
-
Find a new roommate of
their choice. If this option is selected and no new roommate is found,
the student will be billed the single room rate from the date of the
departure of the former roommate.
-
Take out a single room
contract for the remainder of the year, provided there is no demand for
the space and pay the additional cost associated with that agreement.
-
Remain in your room and
accept assignment of a roommate by Residence Life. If such a person is
not available, the resident may be reassigned to another half-occupied
room in any residence hall.
Students will be charged single room rates
after a roommate moves out if they do not find another roommate, accept
relocation to another room, or refuse an assigned roommate. Single room
rates will be assessed from the date of departure of the former roommate.
The higher rate will not be charged if another room or roommate is not
available.
When a single room is available and offered to
any student and is declined, that student is removed from the prioritized
lists for single rooms. If such a student wishes to be added to the list
for future consideration, he/she must submit a written request and be
placed at the bottom of the prioritized list for single rooms.
Vacating
Rooms (end of semester/vacation
periods)
Individual residents of the
dorms must vacate
their room by noon on the day following completion of their last final
examination for a given semester unless permission has been received from
the hall director of their building for an extension of departure.
Additional rental charges may apply. During extended stays, residents
remain liable for individually caused or community area damages. Before
the end of each semester or vacation period, all dorm residents will be
notified of planned door closings and given the opportunity to make any
special arrangements. RAs will complete room checks for
compliance with posted closing procedures for semester break and spring
break. Residents are responsible for following closing procedures as
posted.
Apartment occupants
are contracted for the holidays and break periods per their individual
agreement (continuous 9 or 12 month period starting August 15).
Withdrawal
A
student withdrawing from school must vacate the residence hall or
apartment within 24
hours of his/her withdrawal. A student is not officially checked out of
the halls/apartments until all personal property is removed from the room/unit, the room/unit
has been cleaned by the student, and is inspected by a member of the
ResLife staff. Keys must be turned in at the time of check-out.
