Residence Hall Policies and Procedures

Residence Hall Information

Todd-Burch Hall, is an environment made up of students with diverse backgrounds, varying lifestyles, and differing interests. As a member of this community, each student must respect one another and must agree to live by one set of procedures and rules. Therefore, by adhering to the Student Code of Conduct each student can make the residence hall a comfortable home for all of its residents. The College has the right to refuse residence hall accommodations to any person whose conduct may be deemed potentially dangerous or harmful to the health and welfare of other residents or themselves.

What are the Residence Hall Procedures?

Check-in Prior to check-in, Resident Assistants (RA) inspect rooms and note normal wear and/or damages. During check-in, students sign a check-in sheet that identifies these preexisting conditions. Any damages not reported at this check-in or beyond normal wear are deducted from room deposit.

Check-out Prior to moving out of Todd-Burch Residence Hall for any reason, a student must formally check-out of the room. The student is responsible for contacting his/her Resident Advisor or Coordinator of Residence Life to arrange an agreeable time to inspect the room. The room key, front door key, and mailbox key must be turned in at time of inspection. Failure to check-out properly may result in forfeit of the $135.00 remaining deposit, plus a charge of $40.00 per key if keys are not returned. If residents neglect to clean their room before checking out, they are assessed a minimum $25.00 fine per resident. All original furniture must be in the room at the time of check-out. Replacement costs for missing furniture are charged to the room resident(s). Any additional furniture that is left in the room may result in a minimum $25.00 removal/disposal charge.

Room occupancy LCC reserves the right to place students in rooms and to reassign students to improve use of space and resources. Private room requests may be granted only if space/resources are available and include a Private Room fee.

Alcohol Poisoning If you fear a student has alcohol poisoning, please follow the procedure below.

1. Contact the Coordinator of Residence Life at 336.6660 or 688.3521 or LCC’s Campus Safety Officer at 688.1412 or 336.1192.
2. If you are unable to contact the Residence Hall Coordinator or Campus Safety Officer, find a Resident Assistant. R.A.’s are located on every floor of Todd-Burch Hall.
3. If you are unable to find any of the above, take the person to the hospital immediately or call 911. DO NOT ASSUME THE PERSON CAN RECOVER ON HIS/HER OWN.

Damages Students are subject to both restitution and immediate disciplinary action whenever damage occurs. If the individual responsible cannot be identified, restitution is determined in the following manner:

• Residents are responsible for any activities or damages that occur in the room to which they are assigned.
• Residents of the wing/floor are responsible for damage that occurs within that wing’s or floor’s common areas (hallways, bathrooms, etc.)
• Residents of the entire hall are responsible for any damage that occurs in common areas (i.e., lobby, stairwells, computer labs, and building exterior).

In previous years, many damages have been caused by sports being played indoors (hacky sac, hockey, tennis, football, lacrosse, etc.) Such actions not only result in damage, but are a clear violation of courtesy/quiet hours regulations.

Dorm deposit Each student is required to pay a deposit, which holds a bed for the student. If a student checks in by the end of the first week of classes, the room deposit becomes a damage deposit. If the student does not check in by this time, $100 of the deposit is refunded. Also, any student expelled from the hall for disciplinary reasons forfeits his/her deposit.

Evictions Students will be removed immediately from Todd-Burch Residence Hall and Kelley Union Cafeteria after receiving 5 or more points. If evicted, the student will forfeit the remainder of his/her deposit ($135.00). Evicted students are not allowed in the Residence Hall parking lot, tennis/basketball courts, volleyball courts, or in/around Todd-Burch Residence Hall for any reason without permission from Campus Safety, the Residence Hall Coordinator, or Vice President of Student Services. Appeals can be made to the Vice President of Student Services.

Emergencies Students should report emergencies to the first available hall staff member.

Fire Every resident must follow this procedure if a fire alarm sounds.

• Touch your door. If hot, do not open your door. Put towels under the door, open your window, and yell. Wait for fire equipment for rescue.
• If your door is cool, leave your room and close your door.
• Go to the nearest exit in a single line.
• Collect in the parking lot.
• Do not re-enter the hall until told to do so.

Hall/Floor meetings Meetings are mandatory and are scheduled throughout the year so that students are informed and understand the LCC rules and regulations. Students who miss a hall meeting without notifying the housing office are assessed one point.

Liability LCC, its Residence Hall, staff, and agents are not responsible for any goods lost or stolen from campus. This includes classrooms, residence hall and parking lots. Students must protect their own property. (Recommendations include locking dorm rooms and having private insurance.)

Lockouts Starting the third week of the semester, there is a $10.00 charge for lockouts through the rest of the year. You are encouraged to use the lanyard provided by LCC to assist in keeping your keys within reach.

Room inspection LCC reserves the right to inspect student rooms for health or safety concerns, cleanliness, and possible Student Code of Conduct violations. You need not be present for a room inspection to occur.

Make Yourself at Home

Cable TV All rooms are provided with basic cable.

Computer Use Students may use computers located in the West Wing Room #102W of Todd-Burch Hall. Students may use the Internet, do class research, and check e-mail, as well as complete and print course assignments. Rules students must follow for computer lab use include:

1. Leave the Lab clean;
2. Do not create/access pornographic material;
3. Save material to portable disks not on the hard drive;
4. Do not print email from the Internet;
5. Keep voices and noise low and to a minimum.

Residence Hall students are assessed a mandatory $75.00 Technology Fee for DSL service in the Halls.

Doors Residents are responsible for closing doors before leaving your rooms. External doors that are propped open have the unintended result of allowing unwanted visitors to enter the residence halls. Students are charged $25.00 for propping doors.

Garbage For your convenience, each hall has garbage cans. Please put your trash in a can. If your trash is too big to fit in a can, please take it to the dumpster.

Guests LCC allows 24-hour visitation in the Residence Hall. With this privilege comes responsibility. You and your guest must be considerate of roommates and neighbors. If your roommate objects to a guest, other provisions must be made. You are responsible for your guest’s conduct and are liable for any damages that he/she may cause. All guests must check in with the Coordinator of Residence Life or the Resident Assistant on duty by 10:00 p.m. on the night of the stay. The maximum length of stay is three nights. Under special circumstances additional nights may be approved by the Coordinator. If approved, additional fees may apply.

Mail The mail is delivered Monday through Saturday and is usually in your box by 2:00 pm. If a package arrives, a note is placed in your box and you should find an RA to assist in retrieving your package. If you are expecting a package from UPS, the Campus Bookstore contacts you.

Your address is: Todd-Burch Hall, 2419 S. Main (your box #), Lamar, Colorado 81052.

Non-transferability of agreement Residence Hall facilities are reserved for the use of those who have a current Agreement for On-Campus Housing in the Residence Life office. Rooms may not be sublet, nor may any unregistered guests be housed. Meal tickets are for the exclusive use of the person contracting them and are not transferable.

Keys You are provided with two keys—a mailbox key and an “ibutton” which opens your room and provides exterior door access. There is a $40.00 charge for each replacement key. If you become locked out of your room, find your RA, another RA, or Residence Life Coordinator.

Laundry rooms Washers and dryers are provided by the Automatic Laundry Company and are on the first floor of each wing. It is $1.00 per load to wash and $0.75 per load to dry. Respect one another’s clothes—do not take someone else’s clothes out unless they are completely dry; do not leave your clothes in the laundry room for an extended period of time; and leave the laundry rooms neat and clean.

Lobby The lobby area is available to you 24 hours a day. Volume is to be kept at a minimum between the hours of 10pm- 8am. Recreational equipment may be checked out from the Residence Life Coordinator.

Maintenance If you have a maintenance problem in your room or anywhere in the hall, find an RA or the Coordinator to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Quiet hours 11 P.M. –8:00 A.M. every day. See “Quiet Hours” under Residence Hall Offense for additional expectations and penalties.

Parking Residence hall parking is located on the northwest side of the dorm. Parking is not permitted east of the residence hall or in the west lot directly adjacent to the Cafeteria. And designated RA parking is available in the first seven (7) spaces on the southeast corner of the RH parking lot. A $25.00 fee will be charged if you park in a reserved parking space. The Wellness Center lot may be used if overflow parking is needed.

If a vehicle receives five (5) parking tickets in one semester, the student/owner’s on-campus parking privileges will be revoked, resulting in the tow/removal of the vehicle at the owners’ expense. The student/owner will be required to meet with Security and the Physical Plant Director.

Voice Mail Each room comes with voicemail free of charge. Follow the instructions on the Todd-Burch voicemail system brochure for more information. (Brochures are located in the literature rack in the residence hall lobby.)

Student Rules and Offenses

Lamar Community College has high expectations for student conduct; in some cases, these expectations are not met. To create a safe and enjoyable environment for all residents, LCC has set the following consequences in cases where behavior does not conform to expectations.

LCC reserves the right to immediately expel any student from the Residence Hall who poses a harmful threat or act to him/herself, another student, College personnel, or campus visitor.

The Residence Life Office adopted a discipline policy based on a point system. The Residence Hall Coordinator may reduce or increase points based on situation and attitude of those involved or may choose to assign community service in lieu of or in addition to assessed points. This is in addition to any community service penalties already levied. (Failure to accomplish community service is punishable to assessment of 1 to 3 points.) Points accumulate over a two-semester period.

All RAs, campus security and temporary head staff have the authority to recommend points be assessed under this system. Only the Coordinator of Residence Life or an assigned representative may assess the points and disciplinary action.

Criminal charges can be made only by the victim of the crime or by the College. Once an investigation is in the hands of the police, it cannot be halted by the Office of Residence Life.

Residence Hall Offenses

Abuse of resident: Interfering with other residents’ right to live in a safe environment is not tolerated. Pranks, physical, and verbal abuse do not belong in the Residence Hall Community. 2 to 5 points and possibility of criminal charges.

After hours guests: Residents are allowed to have guests of the opposite sex during visitation hours. These hours are 8:00 A.M. – 11:00 P.M. Sunday through Thursday and 8:00 A.M. – 1:00 A.M. Friday and Saturday. 1 to 2 points

Alcohol Under state law, LCC is a dry campus. Alcohol is not allowed on any campus property including residence hall rooms or personal vehicles. Any alcohol and/or empty containers found by Hall staff or Campus Security are confiscated and judicial action is taken. All persons in the immediate vicinity are issued 2 points and a summons under Lamar City Statute 10-6-40. Any persons found in violation of this are turned over to Campus Safety and/or local police for action. 2 – 5 points

Antennas No antennas or dishes will be installed outside of the building. 1 point.

Bicycles Riding bicycles is not allowed inside the building. Bikes can be stored inside hall rooms but cannot be secured to LCC property. 1 point.

Candles and incense Due to fire hazard and damage, candles and incense are not allowed to be burned in the Residence hall. Odors from these products can be objectionable to students, so burning them is not allowed. 1 to 3 points.

Cooking Cooking is not allowed in the Hall to prevent unwanted pests, electrical safety concerns, and fire hazards. Exposed heating elements and microwave ovens are not allowed. Equipment that does not comply with these guidelines must be removed from the campus immediately. (See electrical appliances.) 1 point for first violation plus confiscation of item.

Drugs Possession, use or sale of drugs is prohibited by law. Any drug and/or drug paraphernalia found by Hall staff or Campus Security are confiscated and judicial action is taken. All persons in the immediate vicinity are issued 2 points and a summons under Lamar City Statute 10-6-4. Any persons found in violation of this are turned over to Campus Safety and/or local police for action. 2 -5 pointsPossession, use or sale of drugs is prohibited by law.

Any drug and/or drug paraphernalia found by Hall staff or Campus Security are confiscated and judicial action is taken. All persons in the immediate vicinity are issued 2 points and a summons under Lamar City Statute 10-6-4. Any persons found in violation of this are turned over to Campus Safety and/or local police for action. 2 -5 points

Electrical appliances/equipment Microwaves are not allowed. Refrigerators with a capacity of 2.0 cubic feet or less are allowed. Coffeemakers and popcorn poppers with self-contained units are also allowed. Musical instrument amplifiers and devices capable of achieving excessive decibels are not allowed. (See cooking.) 1 to 3 points plus confiscation of item.

Explosives Explosive devices are not allowed on campus. This includes, but is not limited to fire crackers, bottle rockets, and firearm ammunition. 3 to 4 points for fireworks, 4 to 5 points for firearms and/or ammunition.

Fire alarms and equipment It is illegal to pull a false fire alarm. All alarms are investigated by the Hall staff, Lamar Police and Fire Departments. Setting off fire equipment (i.e. extinguishers) is not allowed except in the event of a fire. 4 to 5 points and possibility of criminal charges.

Flammable liquids For safety, flammable liquids may not be kept in the hall. 2 to 5 points.

Food fights Food fights are expensive in terms of waste and clean-up time. People who start and contribute to food fights are disciplined by the College. 1 to 4 points plus a cleaning fee.

Furniture damage/removal Lobby furniture is not to be taken to individual rooms. Community furniture found in personal rooms carries disciplinary action and added rental fees. Destruction of college furniture is not tolerated. 1 to 2 points plus a damage fee.

Gambling Gambling on campus is a violation of Colorado state statutes and is not allowed in the residence hall. 1 to 3 points.

Harassment Harassment is behavior that persistently disturbs, annoys, or infringes on another person’s rights. It can include, but is not limited to: annoying phone calls, inappropriate teasing, name calling, touching, or even excessive noise. Harassment can be verbal or physical. 2 to 5 points.

Illegal pets Legal fish and dogs for the disabled are allowed in the Residence Hall. Other pets are not allowed. 2 points plus confiscation to Lamar Animal Shelter.

Littering Students are expected to refrain from throwing trash and other objects onto the campus grounds. Students in residence halls may not throw trash or other objects out of windows, or into hallways. Violations of this policy result in a 1 point infraction, including possible fines.

Quiet hours violations These are observed from 11:00 P.M. to 8:00 A.M. Sunday–Wednesday and 12:00 A.M. to 8:00 A.M. Thursday–Saturday. During quiet hours and finals, all noise kept to a minimum, and doors shut if needed. At other times, residents are expected to be considerate and maintain moderate noise conducive to study. 1 point for excessive noise.

Restrooms The restrooms in the halls are gender specific. Men may only use male restrooms on the men’s floors and women may use only female restrooms on the women’s floors. Presence in wrong restroom. 2 points.

Screens Screens on the hall windows are placed there for reasons of hygiene and safety and therefore should not be moved or removed. If screens are damaged or must be replaced, a maintenance fee is charged to the individual(s) responsible and 2 points.

Roughhousing Roughhousing, wrestling, water fights, and running are not allowed. Sports and recreational activities should be played outside. Damages are assessed. 1 to 2 points.

Solicitation Door to door solicitation is not allowed in the Hall. This includes placing flyers under the door. 1 point.

Theft Any type of theft must be reported immediately to the Campus Safety Officer on duty or the Coordinator of Residence Life. 3-5 points and possibility of criminal charges.

Tobacco use Smoking and smokeless tobacco is not permitted in any part of the residence halls. In addition, smoking is not permitted in/on residence hall entryways, porches, or within 25 feet of the aforementioned locations. Non-compliance at any time of day or night results in -

Vending machine abuse/theft Vending machines are on campus for convenience. Any abuse to the machines will be reported to the vendor. Stealing from machines is theft. 3 to 5 points.

Weapons Firearms are forbidden on the LCC campus. Knife blades cannot be longer than three inches. Weapons cannot be stored on campus including in your vehicle. 2 to 5 points and possibility of criminal charges.

Window screen damage/presence on roof Screens must be left on at all times. No one allowed on ledges or roof. 2 to 5 points.

What if a student disagrees with a violation assessment?
The assignment of points may be appealed to the Coordinator of Residence Life. Evictions may be appealed to Vice President of Student Services. All appeals must be filed within 72 hours of receipt of a letter informing student of disciplinary action. Regardless of appeal status, resident must vacate his or her room immediately.