Making Your Residence Hall Your Home

Room/Apartment Condition Reports 
Any physical damage to the area and/or its furnishings that existed prior to occupancy will be listed.  Please pay particular attention to the condition of your room when you move in and list any discrepancies on your Room Condition Report (RCR)/Apartment Condition Report (ACR).

If your room/apartment condition report is not submitted by the required date, any and all damage to your room will be assessed to you at the conclusion of your residency.  If you should have any questions as to whether or not certain items are permitted, check with your RC, RC, CL or the Office of Residence Life.

At the end of the academic year, a room inspection and assessment of damage will be completed.  Any damage that occurred during the time of occupancy will be charged to the student's account by the Facilities Services Department.  Any related inquiries should be directed to Facilities Services through CNAV by completing a work request in "My Helpdesk."  In the event of an emergency which occurs during business hours, please contact Facilities Services at 717-337-6700 (x6700).  After hours, please contact the Department of Public Safety at 717-337-6911 (x6911).

Common Area Damage and Vandalism
Any repair/replacement cost due to damage to common areas such as vandalism to lounges, hallways, bathrooms, fire safety equipment or vending machines will be assessed and charged to the entire floor or hall if the responsible individual(s) cannot be determined. Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their hall either by claiming damage they may have caused, encouraging other students who have caused damage to come forward, or providing information to college officials about damage and who is responsible for it. Common area damage is assessed and billed at the end of the academic year. Once this type of charge has been billed, you are not able to appeal the charges unless you are able to provide new information as to who is responsible.

Room Damage
All rooms in residence halls will be inspected at the end of academic year and when room changes are made throughout the year. The Facilities Services Department will conduct damage assessments. Damage bills will be produced based on room conditions and time spent returning the room to the status that it was found upon the student's arrival. To avoid being assessed a damage bill, please follow these guidelines:

During Academic Year: 

• Complete your room condition report within one week of arrival to your room in August. Note any and all discrepancies and inadequacies on the report, which is provided by the Facilities Services Department and will be in your room upon your arrival in August.
• Report all room repairs to Facilities Services throughout the year as they occur. You may do this through CNAV by completing a work request in MY Helpdesk.
• Use extreme caution when hanging items in your rooms. The use of tape, tacks and nails will cause damage to the walls, resulting in possible repairing and repainting of the walls at the end of the year. We recommend the use of white Poster Putty for attaching items to the walls. This can be purchased in the College Bookstore.
• Gettysburg College furniture may not be removed from your room. Students are responsible for all furniture that is in the room upon arrival. Students will be billed for missing or disassembled furniture.

Before departing your room for the year, please complete the following:

• Clean entire room (sweep floor, clean Micro-Fridge, clean out drawers; Apartment residents are responsible for cleaning kitchen cabinets, appliances, bathrooms)
• Remove all non-college furniture. These items can be taken to the College provided recycling truck or designated trash area. Leaving items in the hallway will result in a removal fee.
• Remove all trash from rooms and take to designated trash areas outside of residence halls. Leaving items in the hallway will result in a removal fee.
• Remove all cinder blocks from rooms and take to designated areas outside of residence halls. Leaving items in the hallway will result in a removal fee.
• Reassemble all furniture that was dismantled (beds, mirrors on dressers, closet doors that were removed).
• Return all room keys. Any student who loses his/her key after May 1, or does not return his/her prior to leaving campus will be billed for a lock change.  For the Academic year 2008-2009 the fee is $100.00 per lock. 

Room Decorating
When it comes to decorating your room, you may be as creative as you like. Posters, plants, and throw rugs are a few of the typical items used to enhance student rooms. Remember when attaching things to the walls or floors that care must be taken not to damage these surfaces with prohibited items, such as double-sided tape, tacks, nails, etc. Students will be charged for such damages. If you are uncertain as to what is permitted in the personalization of your room, ask your RC/RA/CL or a professional staff member prior to initiating your idea.

Furnishings 
Rooms in residence halls and apartments are equipped with single beds, desks, dressers, closet space, window shades, mattresses, and one recycling container.  There are two types of bed sets in our residence halls; the type of beds depends on the residence hall and students are not able to request a specific type of bed.  Bunkable beds (with metal frames) allow students to stack their beds.  Loftable beds (with wooden frames) have multiple settings for the height of the bed and have an ability to place the desk and dresser underneath the bed.  Beds with metal frames can be bunked but not lofted , while beds with wooden frames can be both bunked and lofted.   Students may request the additional pieces necessary to bunk or loft their bed by calling Facilities Services at 717-337-6700 (x6700).   Please note that the College has a limited supply of the additional pieces to loft the wooden beds.

Residents may arrange furniture within their rooms in a reasonable and safe manner; providing that all furniture is returned to its original location when vacating the premises.  The arrangement of furniture cannot block or restrict egress from the bed/bedroom to the door.  Residence Life reserves the right to limit the number of furnishings in an individual room if the amount or location of furniture is excessive.  Furniture may not be moved from one room to another within residence halls or from one apartment to another.  Extra furniture resulting from a vacancy in a room may not be moved into the hallways or storage.  Furnishings provided for lounges, study rooms and recreation areas may not be moved into students' rooms.  The Residence Life Staff is authorized to return furniture to its proper location.  Unauthorized possession of College property could result in disciplinary actions and/or monetary fines.

Room, Restroom, Hallway and Lounge Cleaning
Each resident is responsible for keeping his/her room in a reasonably neat and clean condition at all times. Students will need to supply their own cleaning supplies. Trash must be taken to the appropriate receptacles and recycling to the recycling bins. At no time should a student place their room trash in the hallway or in a community bathroom. Any trash left outside a student room will be subject to disciplinary action including fines. Students who violate these policies create a hazardous living environment and may be relocated to new housing.

Community bathrooms, including showers, in our traditional halls (Rice, Stine, Paul, Musselman, Stevens, Hanson, Patrick and Huber) and many Theme Houses, are thoroughly cleaned each week. If you are living in a room/apartment with a private bathroom, Gettysburg College will clean these bathrooms between the Fall and Spring semester. Otherwise, it is the responsibility of the residents to clean and maintain private bathrooms.

Hallways, stairways, study rooms, and other public areas are to be cleaned weekly. However, common areas within suites, apartments and some theme housing buildings are the responsibility of the residents.

Maintenance Needs
Residents should not attempt to repair damages to their rooms or common areas of the residence halls. To report maintenance concerns, you may contact Facilities Services through CNAV by completing a work request in "My Helpdesk." In the event of an emergency which occurs during business hours, please contact Facilities Services at 717-337-6700 (x6700). After hours, please contact the Department of Public Safety at 717-337-6911 (x6911).

Expectations
Residents are expected to do the following: 

• Empty full and/or foul smelling wastebaskets and sweep dirt into appropriate receptacles
• Participate in recycling efforts by placing materials in appropriate receptacles
• Clean own room and its furnishings
• Upon vacating room for overnight or longer; close and lock windows, hook screens, unplug appliances, turn off lights, remove trash and lock door
• Turn off lights and fans in shower rooms when shower is not in use
• Avoid excessive use of hot water and excessive steaming in bathrooms which set off smoke detectors
• Clean up kitchen facilities after each use, as well as private bathrooms
• Contain all noise inside your room during courtesy and quiet hours (TV, Stereo, etc.)
• Avoid any wall or ceiling fasteners that may cause room damage
• Always keep room door locked when you are not present in the room or when you are asleep in your room