Services and Resources

While most room or hall changes are made at the request of the resident, there may be times when an administrative room change is necessary based on specific situations where health or safety are of high concern. If an administrative room change is determined to be necessary, the resident will be moved to another campus space determined by Housing and Residence Life staff. The resident may be moved temporarily or for the remainder of the academic year. The residents’ bill will be adjusted to reflect the new room, which may result in increased cost. The resident’s access to their former residence hall room or residence hall may be restricted temporarily or for the remainder of the academic year.

The utilization of bed lofts, bunkbeds, or bed risers may provide additional living space for students in their residence hall rooms.

• Disassembling university beds is prohibited.
• Students may purchase commercially made plastic bed risers to allow for more space under the bed. These should be no higher than 12 inches.
• All requests for beds to be bunked should be made through Facilities Management.

Lofts are provided in most triple rooms to maximize floor space.  It is important to note that lofts may be utilized in most, but not all, residence hall rooms. General room information is provided to help students and staff understand their options.

• The only bed lofts permitted in residence hall rooms are those provided by the university or those from BedLoft.com. Students may order bed lofts from Bedloft.com prior to move-in or purchase a bed loft during move-in from the on-site vendor tents.
• Housing and Residence Life is not responsible for the distribution, care, or pick-up of lofts from BedLoft.com. Students are responsible for moving the bed lofts if they change rooms during the year.
• Personally constructed lofts are prohibited and are subject to confiscation.

Throughout the year you may notice that your room needs some basic maintenance (light bulb burnt out, window won’t shut, etc.). Maintenance requests can be completed online or by calling Facilities Management. If the request is an emergency (water leak, suspected mold, or severe pests), call Facilities Management at 740.593.2911 and notify hall staff immediately.

Students must check into their building or complex to receive their keys. All residents are required to attend their Community Meetings during Move-In Weekend.

Residents are expected to move out within 24 hours of their last final or by the official closing time, whichever comes first. When moving out of a room, students must officially check out with a hall staff member. Checking out of the room includes the following:

• Clearing the room of all personal items
• Removing all trash and recycling
• Defrosting and drying the microfridge and freezer
• Wiping down furniture and surfaces
• Sweeping and cleaning the floors.
• Completing a room inspection with hall staff.
• Turning in key to hall staff.
• Failure to follow these steps can result in an improper checkout and a charge of $100.00.

After your departure from your residence hall room, the room is assessed by your RD, ARD, or GRD for maintenance and/or cleaning needs. RA may not determine if a student will be charged for maintenance or cleaning needs. The assessment for maintenance or cleaning needs assessment is based on a visual inspection of your room after you leave and is compared to the Room Condition Report that you completed upon arrival. Any bills for maintenance or cleaning will be added to your student account. Students who do not check out with in hall staff will waive their right to appeal any charges associated with maintenance or cleaning.

Belongings forgotten or left in a space after a student has checked out will be considered abandoned property and discarded. Items of perceived value will be temporarily stored for 30 days in on-campus storage. Students with items stored will receive notification and an itemized list from hall staff. After 30 days, the stored items will be disposed of through Campus Recycling or University Surplus. Ohio University is not responsible for the loss or damage of furniture left in spaces.

As part of the statewide energy conservation initiative and to renovate the residence halls across campus, one or more residence halls may be placed offline within a given year. Students will be given notice over the summer or at move-in if they are affected by this policy. The following situations may occur:

Room Vacancies or Under-Assigned Rooms

You may experience a period of time without a roommate (if you reside in a double, triple, or quad room). If a student resides in room that is not at full capacity, they must keep that room “move-in ready.” This means that the room is adequately prepared for someone to move in at any given moment. This includes keeping all items off and away from the vacant desk, bed, and closet space. Hall staff conduct regular vacancy checks to make sure that spaces are ready for new residents to move in. Any space that is not deemed “move-in ready” may be subject to a fine and potential referral to the Office of Community Standards and Student Responsibility. It is important to be aware of your options if you find yourself in this situation:

• Students with a vacancy in their room may not refuse a roommate.
• Students may select another roommate to fill the vacancy within their room.
• Students may wait for the vacancy to be reassigned to another student during the room change process.
• Students may move out of their room and into another vacancy.

Closure of a Residence Hall

Although rare, residence halls can be closed if they reach an insufficient capacity or experience significant maintenance issues. This decision is only made if there are enough vacancies across campus to provide housing for students impacted with a hall closure.

Housing and Residence Life permits students to change their room with approval from their SRA, RD, or GRD/ARD.

Students must complete the Room Change Request form. It is recommended that students be as specific as possible in their reason for request, along with specifying a particular area of campus or building style that they prefer for their new space. Availability of vacancies cannot be guaranteed.

After a room change is approved, students can pick up their keys to the new room between the hours of 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday by going to the building/complex staff office of the hall in which the student is moving into. Once a student has checked into a room, they must be fully checked out of their old room by 10 p.m. Sunday night of the same weekend.

Students are not allowed to move without having the room change approved. Failure to gain this approval before moving will result in a cancellation of the move and/or a fine.

A room change freeze will be in effect Monday through Thursday of each semester's opening. Students who are reassigned or make a room change to a different style of room will be credited or re-billed for the difference. Credits or re-billings are prorated daily. Additionally, a room change freeze will be in effect around Halloween weekend and for the last three weeks of each semester.