Residence Hall Roommate Policy and Procedures

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to outline rules and procedures associated with students sharing a room in residence halls at Columbia College.

Scope

This policy applies to all Day Campus students residing in a residence hall at Columbia College.  

Policy

The College reserves the right to establish room/roommate assignment procedures.  

Roommates Rights

The following list is a reminder to each resident of their responsibility to their roommate. Students’ enjoyment of life in a residence hall will depend, to a large extent, on the thoughtful consideration that they demonstrate toward each other.

Basic rights of a roommate include but are not limited to:

1. The right to read and study free from undue interference in one’s room. Unreasonable noise and other distractions inhibit this right.
2. The right to sleep without undue disturbance from noise, guests of a roommate, etc.
3. The right to expect that a roommate will respect one’s personal belongings.
4. The right to a clean environment in which to live.
5. The right to free access to one’s room and facilities without pressure from the roommate.
6. The right to privacy.
7. The right to host guests with the expectation that guests are to respect the rights of the host’s roommate and other hall residents.
8. The right to be free from fear of intimidation, physical and/or emotional harm.
9. The right to address grievances. Students should contact the residence hall staff for assistance.

Roommate Contracts

Residential Life requires that students complete a contract with their roommate(s) and file the document with the Area Coordinator. In this contract, students and their roommate(s) discuss basic lifestyle issues up-front so as to avoid later conflicts. Some issues addressed in the contract include privacy needs, hours of sleep, sharing of personal property, room noise and guests. It is important to note that until a roommate contract has been officially filed with the Area Coordinator, the student will not be entitled to 24-hour visitation privileges. The Resident Assistant will be available to facilitate the roommate contract process at the start of each semester.

Room Changes

No room changes are permitted during the first two weeks of the semester. All room changes must be authorized by the Area Coordinator. Any unauthorized room or hall changes shall be considered a violation of the housing agreement and may subject the resident to disciplinary action. Room changes will not be made because of roommate conflicts until all attempts have been made to settle differences.

Room Consolidation

If students have not been assigned a single room and do not have a roommate, students have the following options:

1. Find a roommate.
2. Move into a different room with a single occupant, thereby making it a double occupancy room.

If students do not exercise either of these options within one week of notification, Residential Life may elect to:

1. Reassign the student to another room where a vacancy exists.
2. Assign the student a new roommate.
3. Charge the student for a single room.

Single Rooms

NO ONE AT ANY TIME IS GUARANTEED A SINGLE ROOM. In the event that single rooms are available, students will need to fill out the single room request form online.

Anyone living in a single room will be charged an additional $900 per semester. Signing up for a single room in the fall does not guarantee a single room in the spring, however priority is given to those who had singles in the fall. If a student does not wish to have a single in the Spring semester, Residential Life may place an incoming student or consolidate returning students accordingly.