Policies and Procedures

Concord’s Residence Life program is intended to facilitate individual responsibility. However, there are certain restrictions governing residence halls. The following policies and procedures are in place to ensure that all students can live in a healthy and safe environment. In order to maintain health and safety standards, students are responsible for the care and cleaning of their rooms as well as cleaning up after themselves in the shared spaces.

Volume containers such as kegs are not permitted. Any confiscation shall be permanent, and shall include any paraphernalia items associated with the violation, including, but not limited to: chests, tubs, kegs, taps, pitchers, glasses, mugs, cans, bottles, funnels, and any drug paraphernalia.  

The following electrical appliances may not be used in the residence hall rooms or suites: stoves, air fryers, hot plates, air-conditioners, immersion heaters (water heating coils), heat lamps, toaster ovens, toasters and any other appliance with an exposed heating coil, electric blankets, electric heaters, and/or any other such appliances that use great amounts of electricity or generate heat. Each residence hall has a public kitchen with appliances for student use.  

  • Upon moving into or out of a room, each resident must sign for her/his keys, or sign saying he/she has returned the keys to the Residence Life Staff.
  • Failing to check-out of one’s room officially will result in a $5.00 charge. Failure to return one’s room key immediately upon check-out is a charge of $25.00 per key.
  • All rooms are thoroughly inspected by the residence life staff before the hall opens. At this time, a record of the room condition and furnishings is created. The occupant of the room has the opportunity to sign and correct, if necessary, this record when he/she checks in. Room inspection will again occur upon departure. Be advised that you will be held financially responsible for any conditions noted after check-out which are not noted on the initial inspection.
  • A charge of $25.00 or more will be assessed to any individual whose possessions must be removed from a room by the University after the student has failed to remove such belongings. The fee must be paid before any belongings will be returned to the student. If you do not claim your personal property within four weeks of checkout, the University will dispose of said belongings.

The Residence Halls Policies Contract is a legal agreement between the University and the individual student. It entitles the student to the use of the residence halls as set forth within this document, and in other sections of the Concord University Student Handbook. This document is a contract entered into by the student and University for said student’s use of the University-owned residence hall. Subletting of any portion of the room, or allowing someone to reside for free, is not permitted. The room is to be used as a living unit only and no commercial operation shall be carried on therein. Eligibility to occupy the premises is limited to full-time (12 or more credit hours) undergraduates who are appropriately registered for course work. Student occupancy of residence hall rooms is solely an incident to an academic relationship. Eligibility for occupancy automatically ends upon withdrawal or termination of enrollment as a full-time student, unless an exception is granted to reside with under part-time status.

Contract Term
The Room Reservation Form (Housing Contract) is for the full academic year when the institution is in session from August, or the student’s official arrival date, until the spring session ends in May, and cannot be terminated or canceled except under the conditions cited in the withdrawal or housing exception sections of this agreement. If entered into after August, this agreement applies only to the balance of the academic year.

Payment
Payment of semester room and board fees must be made to the Business Office according to published University deadlines.

Room Reservation Fee
When applying for a University residence hall room, each student must submit a $50.00 room deposit. This security deposit encourages the faithful performance by the student of all obligations, including payment of rent, all monies due and owing to the University on any account, and payment for the student’s share of repairs and damage to a room and general residence hall areas over and above normal wear and tear. No scholarship can be applied to this deposit; it must be paid by the student directly. There are NO exceptions to this policy. The balance of this deposit is refundable at the end of any academic term if the student is not returning to the residence hall the following semester; students who leave during an academic term will forfeit their deposit. The room deposit is a damage deposit and any damages that are charged to the resident will be deducted from this $50.00. Whenever the balance of your room deposit fee drops below $0.00, you are required to pay the amount that returns the balance to $50.00.

Each occupant of a room is solely responsible for their conduct and that of his/her guests (invited and/or uninvited), as well as any damages they may incur. The University is not liable to the occupants or their guests for property damages or personal injuries suffered by them on University premises.  

  

Whenever damage occurs, an effort will be made to determine the individual or group responsible for the assessment of charges. Whenever the participants cannot be determined, the damage to rooms is charged to the occupant(s). This policy also applies to occupants of suites that contain an empty room. The charge for damage elsewhere is divided among the students living in the area (or the entire unit where the damage is located). Charges not deductible from the reservation fee shall be payable within ten (10) days after the receipt of the notice of the charges (plus up to $20.00 for administrative cost after ten days).  

The following procedures have been developed for the health, safety, and welfare of persons residing in Concord University residence halls. Persons residing in the residence halls are required to observe these procedures and completely cooperate with staff and other personnel during all evacuation conditions. Failure to comply with any of the following procedures may result in disciplinary action.  

  

  1. It is illegal to tamper with fire hoses, fire extinguishers, standpipe, sprinkler heads, or fire alarms.  
  2. It is illegal to block, wedge, or otherwise prevent any fire door from closing.  
  3. When fire and emergency alarms sound, all persons will immediately proceed to the nearest exit in a quiet and orderly fashion.  
  4. If the nearest exit is blocked, proceed to an alternate exit.  
  5. Close all doors as you leave.  
  6. Upon exiting the facility, move away from the evacuated building.  
  7. Listen for directions.  
  8. Report observance of any fire or people who could be in danger to those individuals in charge.  
  9. Do not re-enter the building until instructed by staff to do so; silencing of the alarm is not a signal to re-enter.  
  10. Re-enter through the main entrance only.  
  11. Elevators are not to be used as a means of exiting a residence hall during an evacuation  

  

NOTE: Upon moving into a residence hall, each person is responsible for identifying the locations of various evacuation exits available in case an emergency should occur. When the alarm sounds, assume an emergency exists and vacate the premises immediately to reduce the possibility of being trapped. The sounding of the fire alarm is the only warning that you will receive for a possible emergency.  

  

What you will need to do when you smell smoke:  

WHERE THERE IS ANY AMOUNT OF SMOKE, immediately activate the alarm system and evacuate the building.  

  1. Keep in mind the following guidelines when regular fire procedures are being followed:  
    • Heat and most toxic gases rise. Therefore, you should crouch or crawl to avoid the most dangerous atmosphere.  
    • Take short breaths, breathing through your nose only.  
    • If trapped, placing any room with a closed-door between you and the fire/smoke may offer refuge. Wait at a window for rescue. Open the window or break it out when breathing becomes difficult.  
  2.   NEVER OPEN A HOT DOOR—SMOKE CAN BE FATAL.  
    • If there is enough heat in the hall to penetrate the wood panels, there is more than enough to kill you before you get to the head of the stairs or exit the door. This is what you should do:
      • Place the back of your hand on the door panel above your head. If there is heat, DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR! The hallway is already filled with deadly heated gases.  
      • If you cannot escape through a window, then REMAIN IN THE ROOM with the door closed. Wait at the window for rescue. Shout for help.  
    • If the door does not feel hot you may open it slightly provided caution is used: 
      • Brace the door with your hip or foot.  
      • Place your hand across the opening to determine the temperature of the air.  
      • If the air is hot, or if there is pressure against the door, CLOSE IT HARD. It is already too late to exit.  
      • If the hallway appears safe, use a planned exit, and loudly arouse other occupants as you leave.

Combustible materials are strictly prohibited in all residence halls. This includes, but is not limited to, items enumerated under the heading of Items You Are Required To Leave At Home. Confiscation and disposal of such items shall be permanent.  

  Disabling smoke detectors, or any fire safety equipment, by removing batteries or covering the detector with any material, is a violation of federal fire safety code and strictly prohibited. Fines/fees shall be determined by either the State Fire Marshal or the Director of Housing and Residence Life.  

 Concord University is a tobacco free campus. The use of all tobacco products (Smokeless tobacco, smoking, and vaping) is prohibited in residence halls and on campus. Residents are required to observe this policy at all times.  

 When a fire alarm is sounded, all students are required by law to vacate the building.  

Glass items are allowed in the residence halls with some restrictions. However, the Office of Housing & Residence Life recognizes that glass bottles do represent a potential hazard for students, staff, and custodians. Students who create a hazard by shattering glass items will be written up under the Student Life Policy. The following policies apply:  

  1. Residents may not dispose of glass objects in garbage chutes. They must be disposed of in a public trash can.  
  2. Residents may not throw any object from a window.  
  3. Residents may not create any threat to the health or welfare of others (i.e. intentionally shattering glass objects).  
  4. Students may not litter on campus.  

  

The Office of Housing & Residence Life may, at any time, institute a ban on glass if it is determined that infractions relating to glass are occurring on a widespread basis.  

Initiating abusive, harassing, or obscene telephone calls and other messaging is a violation of University policy under the Student Life Policy. Students who receive annoying, harassing or obscene messages should report it to the Residence Life Staff immediately.  

Certain specific actions that are inconsistent with an academic environment are prohibited, including public nudity and other obscene conduct.  

The following policies apply to residence hall keys issued to students:  

  1. Students are issued a room key and a suite door key (if in North or South Towers) during residence hall check-in. All keys remain the sole property of Concord University and may not be duplicated for any reason.  
  2. Students must report lost or stolen keys to housing immediately.  
  3. For safety and security purposes, if a key is lost, a new lock may be installed and new keys issued to the student and his or her roommates/suitemates.  
  4. Students must pay a fee of $25 to cover the cost of rotating the core of a lock and cutting new keys. Students will be charged the full cost of a replacement lock that if purposefully damaged.  
  5. Room and suite keys are required to be returned to Housing and Residence Life Staff between each semester and immediately upon discontinuing an academic relationship with the University.  
  6. Providing your residence hall room, suite, or building key to another person is strictly prohibited.

Microwaves may be no larger than 0.9 cubic feet. Per the WV Fire Marshal, microwaves must be plugged directly into a wall outlet; extension cords and/or surge protectors cannot be used for microwaves.  

All students who possess a valid driver’s license are permitted to bring and park their personal vehicle on campus. Any motor vehicle brought to campus is required to be registered and the owner/primary driver is expected to obtain a numbered parking decal at the Office of Public Safety located in the Rahall Technology Center. Parking decals are valid for one semester and must be revalidated for every semester that the vehicle is on-campus. Complete parking information is provided in the current edition of the Concord University Vehicle Registration and Parking Regulations Handbook.  To apply for a Concord University Parking decal, please click here.

Fish kept in aquariums (maximum of 20 gallons or equivalent per room) are the ONLY pets permitted in the residence halls. Semi-aquatic pets that can live in the same kind of aquarium must be approved and may be allowed on a case-by-case basis. Both roommates must consent to keeping pets in the room. If there is a dispute between roommates, Residence Life Staff will support the removal of the pet. Cats, dogs, ferrets, mice, gerbils, hamsters, birds, spiders, snakes, etc., are not permitted. This list is not inclusive. Any student who violates this policy will be subject to disciplinary action. In addition to being written up, a minimum cleaning/pest control fee of $75 will be charged to any resident who has an animal in the residence hall without written approval from the Office of Housing and Residence Life. All residents in the room (Wilson Hall or Mill St. Hall) or suite (North Tower or South Tower) will be required to vacate the room/suite for at least 2 hours while the room is being treated for pests.  

  

Accommodations will be made for documented disabled students who require trained service and assistance animals. Please see the Student Handbook section titled, “CONCORD UNIVERSITY: PROTOCOL AND PROCEDURES FOR SERVING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES COVERED UNDER SECTION 504/ADA: Service and Assistance Animals.” (p. 98)  

The following items are NOT permitted in any residence hall:  

  • Air conditioning units of any kind or window air cleaners  
  • Barbecue Grills  
  • Candles, Incense, Potpourri Burners  
  • Dart Board  
  • Displays made from alcohol containers and/or denoting illegal drug use  
  • Electric blankets  
  • Electric heaters  
  • Extension cords  
  • Halogen Lamps  
  • Hammer and Nails  
  • Heat lamps  
  • Holiday Lights that are not LED  
  • Pets  
  • Stoves/hot plates (including Coffee Makers with Hot Plates)  
  • Toaster ovens; toasters  
  • Weapons (Actual or Replica)  
  • Weightlifting equipment  
  • Wireless Router  
  • Any appliance not specified above that generates heat, electricity, or has an exposed heating element and/or is deemed by the Office of Housing & Residence Life as unsafe.  
  • Unauthorized University property.  

The Residence Life Staff will remove all prohibited items during any authorized entry of rooms, and occupants will be subject to disciplinary action.  

A quiet hours policy is in effect from 8:00 p.m. through 7:00 a.m., daily. Prior to and during final examinations, a 24-hour quiet hour policy is in effect. All requests to limit noise MUST be honored in order to avoid judicial action. The residence halls were not originally built to accommodate the powerful stereos and speakers of today. If you bring a stereo to campus, please bring headphones. You are also encouraged to purchase a rubber mat to place under any large speakers to reduce vibration to other rooms.

Each residence hall room is permitted a total of two refrigerators that must be UL-approved with a three-pronged, un-frayed power cord. The maximum size for student refrigerators is 5.0 cubic feet. Per the WV Fire Marshal, refrigerators must be plugged directly into a wall outlet; extension cords and/or surge protectors cannot be used for refrigerators.  

Room fees are refunded at the same rate as tuition, based upon the official withdrawal date and reflected in the Concord University Academic Catalog. Board fees are refunded per day based upon the last day of official occupancy in the residence hall. Refunds shall be pro-rated based upon the date the resident has signed out of the residence hall on the Record of Residence, returned his/her room key, and removed personal items from the room. Failure to perform any one step of this procedure will result in additional costs to the student. All refunds are calculated from the first day of upper-class check-in. Students receiving financial aid from Concord University will have their refund re-deposited into the financial aid account. A student who is asked to withdraw for disciplinary reasons forfeits all rights to a refund. Fees are subject to change. Such changes may take effect at once and apply to students already enrolled unless otherwise specified.

In the Spring semester of every academic year, the Office of Housing & Residence Life gives current residential students the opportunity to change their room assignment for the following academic year. Resident Assistants in each residence hall will provide each residential student with a sign up form that they can denote any request they may have. These will be utilized by the Room Assignment Coordinator to ensure that each residential student has input in their living situation for the upcoming academic year. If you have questions about the Room Sign Up process, please contact the Office of Housing & Residence Life at 304-384-5231 or housing@concord.edu.

Students are not authorized to make repairs themselves and will be billed for any damage incurred while attempting to do so. If repairs are needed, students should report work orders to their RA or notify the Office of Residence Life at 304-384-5231, or housing@concord.edu. All non- emergency maintenance requests will be handled Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Maintenance personnel will be dispatched as quickly as possible in response to emergency situations. 

Opposite sex visitors may use the community bathrooms on all floors in the traditional residence halls under the following conditions:  

  1. The resident which the guest is visiting goes into the bathroom first to see if anyone is present.  
  2. The host resident then stands by the bathroom door to inform others who may wish to enter that a person of the opposite sex is currently in the bathroom.  

To maintain health and safety standards and reduce the risks of pests, students are responsible for the care and cleaning of their rooms as well as for sharing in the cleanliness and upkeep of the hall. Rooms must be kept sanitary and free of obstructions to entrance and evacuation. Regularly scheduled room inspections will be made each semester, including during every official closing when classes are not in session. Responsibility for the care of the room and its furnishings also include refraining from defacing any University-owned property by use of paints, nails, cellophane tape, decals, glue, screws, etc.  

 

Please note, the University reserves the right of entry into any room for announced inspections, repairs, disciplinary action, and maintenance work without notice when the health, welfare, and/or safety of persons and/or property may be threatened.  

  

The Housekeeping Staff is responsible for maintaining all public areas. They are required/obligated to report student damages and violations of University property to the Resident Director or Director of Residence Life. 

During the first few weeks of each semester, you may reside in a room by yourself although this same room may have been scheduled for double or triple occupancy. When this situation occurs, you should not expect to continue single occupancy. You will be notified by the Resident Director to arrange for the correction of your occupancy. The Resident Director will explain the various options available to you. They will arbitrarily re-assign you to another room only if you request the Resident Director to do so, or if you fail to complete consolidation and a single room is not available for you to purchase. It is ultimately your responsibility to correct your room status.

The deadline for completing consolidation is usually the end of the second week of the Fall semester or the end of the first week of the Spring semester. Although you may wish to maintain a single room (and pay the single room rate) this option will only be available to you if the overall occupancy situation permits it. If you are the last resident without a roommate, you will be obligated to consolidate at whatever point another resident becomes the sole occupant of a room in the building in which you reside. Students whose occupancies are affected by roommates moving out are subject to similar room consolidation up to the midpoint of each semester. In all consolidations, both residents involved will be given the opportunity to decide who will move, however, if an agreement cannot be reached the Resident Director will determine which resident moves based on the number of credit hours, GPA, and other building-related factors.

Consolidation means that a resident will be required to either move to another room or to accept a
roommate. If you later decide to pay for a single room rather than to accept consolidation, you will be liable for payment of the single room fee from the date you first became the sole occupant of the room.

The Office of Public Safety provides the Concord University with the proper procedures for emergency preparedness. Follow this link for our Quick Reference Guide.

No door-to-door solicitation without the prior approval of the Director of Residence Life, either from on or off-campus groups, is permitted in the residence halls.  

  

West Virginia State Law defines trespassing in a residence hall as follows:  

  1. If a person authorized to have access to a residence hall and by his/her presence or act interferes with the peaceful or orderly operation of the residence hall, he/she may be asked to leave the residence hall at any time.  
  2. If an individual other than a person authorized to have access to a residence hall enters such a facility, he/she may be asked to leave the residence hall notwithstanding the fact that he/she has not interfered with the peaceful or orderly operation of the residence hall or otherwise committed a breach of the peace or violated any statute or ordinance.  
  3. Such a request to leave may be made by the President of the institution, an employee designated by the President to maintain order in the residence hall, the Director of Residence Life, Resident Director, a University Police Officer, or their designee.  
  4. It shall be unlawful for a person to remain in a residence hall after being asked to leave. Any person who fails to vacate shall be guilty of misdemeanor trespassing.

Open Visitation of the opposite gender is permitted in every residence hall, with roommate’s consent, every night that the residence halls are officially open. Guests wishing to stay beyond midnight, or overnight, must present a valid ID and sign in at the front desk of the residence hall they will be staying in between 5:30 pm and midnight the night they plan to stay (Sign-in must occur each night someone is staying). Guests arriving after midnight will not be permitted to stay.  

 The main lobby entrance is the primary avenue for entry and exit to all residence halls. The main entrance is the ONLY avenue of access permitted for non-residents except when checking into or out of the residence hall. Each visitor of the opposite sex, and any non-Concord student(s), must be accompanied by the host within the residence hall they are visiting at all times. Residents can only serve as a host in the residence hall in which they live. Each resident may escort up to two visitors at a time and must stay with their guests while in the building. Each resident is held accountable for her/his guest’s on-campus behavior under University policies and procedures.  

In roommate conflicts over excessive visitation, the University will always side with the complainant. The University reserves the right to deny access to any guest if it has been determined that he/she has disturbed, disrupted, or endangered any residents.  

 While visitation is open in all residence halls, there are restrictions to the number of nights guests can stay to prevent “squatting”, subletting, and other prolonged stays by persons not contractually responsible for the room. Guests (regardless of gender) may stay only 2 consecutive nights when class is in session the following day (i.e. Sunday-Thursday). If found in violation of this policy, and the guest is a Concord Student, both students will be subject to disciplinary action and the visiting student will be charged $20.00 per night (the Concord Affiliate Guest Rate) for each night he/she is in violation. If the guest is not a Concord Student, the resident will face disciplinary action and be charged guest fees of $26.00 per night (Non-Concord Affiliate Guest Rate), and the guest will be banned from Concord University Residence Halls. 

Weapons or “look alike”/replica weapons may NOT be housed or carried into a University residence hall. Possession of rifles and firearms (including BB and paint ball guns), ammunition, tasers/stun guns, firecrackers, and/or explosive materials (including carbide) and similar items such as gas-powered guns (including paint and nail guns), and sharp tipped arrows are strictly prohibited. Hunting equipment should be stored elsewhere; contact your Resident Director or the Public Safety Office with any questions.