Residence Hall Policies
Open House Policies and Procedures
The on-campus living experience at Calvin College offers a unique and valuable opportunity for all residents to learn and grow within a Christian community of students from widely varying backgrounds, interests, and Christian traditions. The college desires that all residents live comfortably within this environment, are able to integrate classroom learning with out-of-class experiences, and are challenged to grow in all aspects of life. All Calvin students who do not live at home with their parents are required to live on-campus for at least their first two years after high school. Students who are 21, married, or part-time students are exempt from this residency requirement.
To accomplish our goals and better order our lives together, we have established certain rules and expectations for living in community here at Calvin. These “rules” are meant to be guidelines for mature, responsible conduct, but in no way cover all the possible conflicts and questions that arise during a year. Some of the policies are designed to create norms of behavior within a large, diverse group of people, while others are meant to preserve the appearance and function of college-owned property. We expect that members of our community will strive both to live within these guidelines and to be obedient to the explicit teachings of God’s Word.
Students involved in infractions of residence hall and campus policies as outlined here and in the Student Conduct Code will have a hearing with the Resident Director or may be referred a Student Life Dean. See the Student Handbook for complete details on the Student Conduct Code, including the judicial and appeals process. Appropriate sanctions will be given to restore the individual to healthy membership in the community.These sanctions include restitution, community service hours, educational initiatives, probationary periods, and suspensions. Fines have less educational value, but are occasionally utilized as well. Unless otherwise noted, a $25 fine applies to all policies, and fines may be converted to community service hours. In addition, students on probation may lose certain privileges such as hall or room choice, or the ability to study abroad for the following year.
Community areas
Damage or Defacement: Damage to residence hall property due to vandalism or unclaimed accidents (where individual responsibility can not be determined) may be charged to the entire floor or hall through housing deposit deductions.
Fire Extinguishers and Alarms: Tampering with fire extinguishers, fire alarms, smoke detectors, or emergency procedures signs in or around the residence halls is prohibited.Violators are subject to a $500 fine and possible suspension.
Furniture: Furniture in public lounges and floor lounges may not be moved from these areas.
Hallways: The floor hallways of the residence halls must be kept clear and may not be used for storage. Items left in halls are subject to removal and a fine without notice by maintenance staff. In addition, biking, skating, roller-blading, and all other sports are not permitted in the residence hall complex.
Laundry room: Only residents of the building are permitted to use laundry facilities for their personal laundry.
Portrait Displays: The portraits in the residence hall lobbies are original pieces of art.They depict the lives of the people for whom the halls were named.These portraits should not be tampered with in any way. No food, tape, or any other material should come into contact with the portraits or frames at any time.
Roof and Sundeck: Residents are not permitted on any part of the roof area of the hall, nor are they permitted to throw items from the sundeck.The sundeck is open when weather permits and is locked at midnight.
Sidewalk Chalk: Announcements made with sidewalk chalk may not be written under overhangs, on bricks, or on any building.
Student rooms
Student room and roommate assignments are made during the summer prior to each academic year. Students may change rooms or roommates only after proper authorization has been given by the resident Director. Residents should always contact the Resident Director for housing assignment concerns.
Housekeeping functions are the responsibility of the student. Cleaning supplies are available from the service closet on each floor but remain the property of Calvin College and may not be taken from campus.Students are not permitted to paint any area of their rooms.As a precaution, announced shower checks will be made by the Resident Director before Christmas vacation and spring checkout. Calvin reserves the right to require room and bathroom cleaning at any time for health and maintenance concerns.
Under the terms of the Residence Hall Contract, each resident is held responsible for his/her actions which may result in damage to buildings, grounds, or college-owned furnishings. Residents are also liable to a service charge for any unusual housekeeping service which they may incur.
The college and its staff reserve the right to make routine maintenance inspections or to enter a student’s room without prior notification and/or permission when there is reason to believe there is a violation of college, state, or federal regulations. The college staff may also enter rooms for maintenance purposes during vacation periods.
Aerials,antennae,satellite dishes: are not permitted on the exterior of the building.
Alcohol and alcoholic Beverage Containers (empty or full, including those thought to be decorative): are not permitted anywhere on campus, including rooms and vehicles. See the complete alcohol policy in the Student Handbook for community standards and sanctions.
Appliances: Hot plates and all small appliances, except for coffee pots, are prohibited in student rooms. Refrigerators are permitted under the following
conditions:
a) the refrigerator may not be more than four feet in height.
b) if alcohol is found in a student’s refrigerator, the refrigerator may be permanently removed from the room and residents of that room may lose all privileges of having a refrigerator while living in Calvin residence halls.This is in addition to the normal disciplinary action for the possession of alcohol on campus.
Carpet: Students are responsible for all damage to room carpeting. No items (e.g. wires, extension cords, etc.) may be taped to the carpet.
Electrical extension Cords: By order of the City of Grand Rapids Fire Hazard Inspector, no electrical extension cord shall be fastened or run through any doorway, partition wall, floor baseboard or casting, or run across any doorway or walking area, or placed under any rug.
Furniture/room accessories: Residents are responsible for the furniture provided by the college. Furniture may not be removed from student rooms. Waterbeds are not permitted in the rooms. Residents may not tamper with or remove room accessories (bulletin board, draperies, doors, or any other items fastened with hardware). Furniture must be stacked according to the manufacturer’s design only, and no lumber supports or other structure may be used. Furniture may not be disassembled.
Pets: (except fish) are not permitted in the residence halls. A per day fine will be levied for violations.
Posters and room/Door Decorations: Inappropriate and/or offensive decorations, including any alcohol related posters or advertising, may not be displayed.The residence life staff reserves the right to require that decorations which it judges to be in conflict with the nature of Calvin College as a Christian academic community be removed. Students should exercise care in attaching any room decorations to the walls, using removable tape or poster putty only (no duct tape). Students are responsible for removing all residue when they check out. Any damage to the room will be assessed to the student responsible.
Security Equipment: Tampering with locks, card access, or building video equipment is prohibited. Violators are subject to disciplinary action and a fine of $100.
Smoke Detectors: May not be removed or tampered with in any way. Students may not remove batteries. A fine will be levied for tampering with or relocating the smoke detector. The college maintenance staff will undertake periodic room checks to make certain that the units are operating properly.
Windows/Screens: Screens are not to be removed from the windows and objects may not be thrown from open windows. Persons removing windows or screens are subject to a fine as well as repair charges.
Window area: Stereo speakers may not be placed in or directed out of windows. Discretion should be used with signs, cans, etc. Calvin reserves the right to require removal of any items from windows.
Student Behavior
Alcohol: As stated in the Student Conduct Code, use or possession of alcoholic beverages or of alcoholic beverage containers on campus is prohibited. Students present in a room where alcohol is present and/or being consumed will be in violation of this policy. Underaged possession or consumption and intoxication by any student are unacceptable behaviors for which the college has zero-tolerance. A student is subject to a fine of up to $100, educational and community service hours, disciplinary action, and parent/guardian notification (first offense) for such behavior, and his/her enrollment at Calvin College will be in jeopardy. The complete alcohol policy is found in the Calvin College Student Handbook.
Athletic activities: Except for equipment provided in the recreation basement, athletic activities are not permitted inside the residence halls. In addition, skateboarding and rollerblading are allowed on campus paths, but campus architecture may not be used for stunts, and pedestrians have the right of way.
Candles and incense: Due to fire regulations, burning of incense, candles, or potpourri is prohibited in the residence halls. Electric potpourri pots are also prohibited. In addition to the risk of fire, these items produce aromas which are difficult to contain in one area.
Complicity: Students present with other students who are actively violating a policy of the college may be disciplined for complicity. Examples include, but are not limited to, alcohol or unprescribed drug violations.
Computer Use: The Student Conduct Code clearly prohibits certain behaviors that may be enacted by means of computer technology, such as theft, copyright violations, profanity, harassment, or pornography. See the Student Handbook for complete details on these policies. Violations may result in loss of access to technology at Calvin.
Cooperation with Staff: The orderly operation of a residence hall requires the cooperation of all students. Non-compliance with the residence life staff in the fulfillment of their job responsibilities is a violation of the Student Conduct Code and cannot be tolerated.
Dining Halls: Food items and dishes may not be taken from the dining rooms. Students who behave inappropriately in the dining halls (i.e. fraudulent use of ID cards, theft, throwing food, etc.) will be referred to the residence life staff for disciplinary action.
Disturbances: Raids, pranks, disturbances (which include, but are not limited to shouting obscenities, profanities, running through another hall, and destroying property), and “initiation” practices are not permitted. Students involved in such activities, which are demeaning to an individual and break down Christian community, will be subject to a disciplinary action and/or a fine of $100.
Fireworks: The use or possession of fireworks, firearms, or explosives of any kind is prohibited. Violators are subject to a $100 fine.
Language: Because the language we use can offend, hurt, or degrade individuals or God, students are asked to maintain high standards of communication. Profanity, obscenities, and hate speech are not appropriate in a Christian, academic community. Words which are abusive, insulting, intimidating, harrassing and/or which incite others to violence, hatred or discrimination, when directed at people or groups based on who they are (or who they’re perceived to be) will not be tolerated. Examples are slurs regarding nationality, religion, ethnicity, skin color, socio-economic status, sexual orientation or disability.
Students should use caution when applying terms that could be misconstrued as disrespectful to vulnerable groups. Phrases such as “that is so gay” or “that is retarded,” when used out of their proper contexts, can be hurtful to individuals (or to those who know individuals) in such criteria.
Open House Hours: Students may visit members of the opposite sex in their rooms, halls, and stairwells only during designated open house hours.
Pornography: Involvement with pornography can be addictive and damaging to relationships— with others and with God. Pornography in all its forms (video, internet, print, etc.) is prohibited. Resources for help are available anonymously from the Broene Counseling Center.
Quiet Hours: It is important that students observe quiet hours in the residence halls. A break in these hours occurs Monday through Saturday between 4:30 pm and 6:00 pm. In consideration of others, at all other times the right to quiet supersedes anyone’s privilege to make noise. the resident director may require a student to remove stereo speakers, sub-woofers, or musical instruments from the room.
Sexual misconduct: Calvin College holds that premarital intercourse is in conflict with Biblical teaching, and that conduct promoting such intimacy (i.e. nudity, partial undress, lying or sleeping in bed together) is unacceptable. Persons engaging in such conduct face disciplinary action including parent/guardian notification, or suspension.
Smoking: Smoking is not permitted anywhere in the residence halls. A student may smoke outside the residence halls but only in designated areas. Littering of cigarette butts is inappropriate and unsightly, and will not be tolerated.
Soliciting: Soliciting, peddling, vending of all types, and distribution of literature are prohibited in the residence halls unless permission is obtained from the Dean of Residence Life.
Sunday observance: Calvin students are expected to observe Sunday by keeping the spirit and purpose of the day. Woodlawn Christian Reformed Church services and an evening Calvin College worship service are held in the campus chapel each week. A number of local churches also provide transportation to their worship services.
Theft: While theft can take many forms (“borrowing” furniture, stealing others’ laundry, taking an item which belongs to the college or dining hall, etc.), it will not be tolerated and could result in a fine, restitution, other disciplinary action, or suspension.
Unprescribed Drugs and Paraphernalia: As stated in the Student Conduct Code, the possession, use, or distribution of all unprescribed chemical or biological substances that alter the physical, emotional, or mental state of a person and the paraphernalia associated with these substances (e.g water pipes, hookahs, etc.) is prohibited on campus.Violators may be suspended, as Calvin has “zero-tolerance” for drugs.
Water fights: Water fights are not permitted inside the residence halls.Water is not to be transported inside the building or thrown from the sundeck or out of windows.
Weapons: No weapons of any kind are allowed in the residence halls or on campus.This includes switchblades,paint-ball guns,“Air-soft” guns,potato launchers,slingshots,and similar devices.
Open House Policies and Procedures
'Open House” at Calvin College is intended to promote healthy Christian relationships between men and women for the purpose of studying and socializing, within the context of large communities of students living under the same roof.The reasons these hours are limited are so that some privacy is assured for students and so that individual floors are able to create strong communities.
While the college recognizes students desire for privacy, it seeks to avoid situations of absolute privacy because of the potential for abuse. For this reason, a regulation of the open house policy is that one’s room door may not be closed when guests of the opposite sex are present.This policy provides some privacy for students, while at the same time recognizing the temptations which closed door privacy may represent. It seeks to create a setting which encourages responsible and thoughtful relationships between men and women. It also takes realistic account of the fact that some students confuse Christian liberty with sexual license or do not accept the standards of the college on sexual behavior.
The specific guidelines for open house are as follows:
1. During non-open house hours, men are not permitted in the private areas (which include the rooms, corridors, and stairwells) of women’s halls, and vice versa.
2. During open house hours, the room door is to remain open.To avoid accidental closing, the lock may be turned outward so that the door will remain out of the doorframe and will be free swinging.A door blocked by a dresser,bed,or other object is not considered open.
3. Also during open house hours, consideration must be given to roommates and other hall residents. Quiet hours are still in effect.
Failure to comply with the above policies could result in a fine, loss of open house privileges, probationary periods, and suspension for subsequent offenses.
Visitation hours are the following:
Wednesday- 4:00 pm- 10:00 pm
Friday- 12:00pm- 1:00 am
Saturday- 12:00pm- 12:00am
Sunday- 12:00pm- 11:00 pm
Additional times during breaks and exams will be posted. Hours are subject to modification.
