Procedures and Expectations

Boise State University and Housing and Residence Life are not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged personal property in the university owned spaces or public areas of these communities. Items left in rooms, suites, bathrooms, apartments or common community areas at the end of the lease term for apartments or at the end of the academic year for residence hall will be stored for a minimum of 48 hours and a maximum of 30 days, after which Housing and Residence Life will consider these as “abandoned property” and disposed of accordingly.  Tenants may be charged for the staffing needed to dispose of property left within facility.

• All organizations including Hall Council, RHA, outside groups, etc. may reserve space for meetings and activities; reservations for space should be conducted through the Resident Director for the area.
• Space around the residence halls is governed by Housing and Residence Life policies. Groups may reserve outside space, such as the quad between Keiser and Taylor, but must first gain permission from Housing and Residence Life’s assistant director of facilities and operations through the appropriate forms.
• Information tables may be arranged on a limited basis. Any group or office that would like to set up an informational table in the lobby of a hall, must contact the assistant director of Residence Life. No tables will be permitted during the opening and closing of the buildings or other high-traffic periods or times deemed inappropriate by the resident director or associate director of housing. Recruitment activities are limited to informational tables; members tabling may not approach students walking by but rather must allow students to approach the table freely.

Each residence room/suite/apartment is equipped with its own air-conditioning and heating controls. Do not obstruct or damage air-conditioning or heating units or set anything near the wall mounted units as this may interfere with normal operation. Students are not allowed to bring additional air-conditioning or heating devices without expressed permission of the assistant director of Housing and Residence Life Facilities and Operations. Housing staff check extended forecasts and reviews monitoring data to determine the heating and cooling needs of the 1,500+ students that live with us. Housing’s general practice for heating and cooling is to provide room temperatures between the range of 68 and 76 degrees. If your heating/AC unit does not seem to be providing this range, please visit the service desk for your hall/apartment to submit a work order.

Residents wishing to transfer to a different room, suite, townhouse or apartment space must first contact their resident director to determine availability and learn about the process.   As with applications, transfers are offered based on the date received, unit/space availability, and with the approval of Housing and Residence Life. Transfer need to be completed within 48 hours, unless otherwise approved by Housing and Residence Life.

All residential spaces have free basic cable service delivered directly to each residential space as an amenity. Residents having problems with their cable signal should contact their front desk to troubleshoot and/or complete a work request. Residents residing in Heights, Manor, Park and Village can opt to subscribe for cable TV directly from a private vendor.  Residents subscribing to satellite television services may not attach or locate dishes or antennas to the exterior of the building, nor should they modify the interior of their space by drilling holes or installing anything that permanently changes the facility.

All facilities provide direct, high-speed access to the Internet, provided users have an Ethernet card, current virus scan software, and a myBoiseState user account to gain access. Wireless access is limited in the apartment communities and residence hall.  Contact your front desk for help or more information about your computer/Internet needs.

Upon checking-in to a new room, residents will be given a room inventory, keys, and mailbox key or combination as applicable. Residents will also be required to meet with their resident assistant to sign a Roommate/Suitemate Contract and Balcony Use Agreement if applicable. Residents must complete the check-out process within 24 hours of their last final exam or by noon of the last day the halls are open, whichever comes first.

Closing information will be provided via email, flyers and floor meetings. Any damage to the room/suite/apartment will be charged to your Bronco account. Failure to follow posted and written information about the checkout process may result in additional administrative charges. This includes check-outs during the middle of the year due to room changes, petitioning out of the housing agreement, removal from the halls, etc.

Do not drive cars or trucks on grassy areas to load or unload belongings. Such action could cause damage to sprinkler systems or landscaping and will result in damage charges. Housing and Residence Life provides carts for students to use during check-in and -out. Students will need to provide their ID in order to gain access to the carts.

Classrooms are located on the first floor of Keiser Hall. The classroom space is dedicated towards residential learning and formal class scheduling. Space can only be reserved by faculty members, hall councils, and Housing and Residence Life Association or Housing and Residence Life staff. Reservations are handled through the Housing and Residence Life Office and the resident director of Keiser Hall.

Twenty-four hour computer lab access is available in Towers Hall for Towers Hall residents; access is gained by using a student ID card. Keiser residents have 24-hour computer access to the computer lab in Keiser Hall. Student ID cards will grant access to the computer lab located on the second floor in Keiser Hall. Chaffee, Driscoll, Morrison and Taylor residents may come to the Keiser Front Desk and sign out a temporary access card during open desk hours to gain access to the Keiser Computer Lab.

A variety of computer technologies are available for checkout for residence hall students. Laptop computers, a digital camera, and a digital video recorder are available for checkout with a student ID card between 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. through the Keiser Computer Lab. Students are responsible for following the policies regarding check-out of equipment. This includes any damages, loss or theft, or if the item is not returned by the stipulated date.

Boise State University employs an IT staff which is available to all Housing and Residence Life students for problems such as connecting to the Internet, eliminating computer viruses, etc. Students interested in learning more should visit their service desk and/or the IT section of the Housing and Residence Life website.

University security and Boise Police officers may confiscate/destroy any items found that are in violation of Housing and Residence Life standards, Boise State policies, or local, state, or Federal law, or that are deemed unsafe by designated university officials.  Certain items are prohibited in the residential areas of the university because of health, fire, or safety reasons, city, state, or federal law, or university policy.

In instances where an item is confiscated when the owner is not present (for life safety issues/concerns), a notice will be left in the room and the resident(s) of that room should expect to receive further notification from their resident director, university security staff, or Boise Police officers. Students that receive these notices are encouraged to seek out their resident directors (or resident assistant on duty) to receive further information about their individual situation. Items prohibited by college policy for health, fire, or safety reasons may be returned to the owner at the end of the term (or earlier by arrangement with the resident director for their respective area) provided that the item be removed from campus immediately and not returned to the premises.

Illegal items (such as controlled substances, drug paraphernalia, and weapons) are not items that can be returned. Confiscated items not claimed by the owner by the end of the semester in which the item was seized will be disposed of, or if appropriate, items will be donated to a local charity.

In order to be fair and equitable, it is important to assess the proper fees or room assignment based on the payments a student is making. Therefore, Housing and Residence Life has developed a consolidation process to reassign students based on occupancy after the second week of the semester. By the second week of the semester, Housing and Residence Life will assess the occupancy of each building, making note of rooms where residents are living alone in a double room. If the space needs to be reallocated, Housing and Residence Life may contact the resident(s) and inform them of the following options:

• The resident may be asked to find another roommate to move into the room by the deadline prescribed by the resident director
• The resident may be moved into another room where a space is available
• The resident may be given the opportunity to “buy out” the room at a large single room rate for the rest of the semester based on availability, capacity and the discretion of Housing and Residence Life staff.  Students will be given 72 hours to complete a room change if warranted.

Residents who do not presently have a roommate may get a roommate at any time and should not take possession of the other part of the room.

Public cooking facilities are available in Driscoll, Keiser, Morrison, Taylor and Towers Halls. These areas must be cleaned and maintained by the residents of the community. Residents will face cleaning charges or a closing of the facilities if any unsanitary conditions exist or if the facility is abused. Furthermore, if there is any damage to the facilities or an inadvertent fire alarm during the course of cooking, the resident will be held responsible for any costs incurred for cleaning, damage, or false alarms.

All residential spaces are equipped with a service desk in their area for packages delivery, submission of work order requests, scheduling computer tech appointments, scheduling meetings with their resident director, and checking out recreational items. For current hours of your service, please check with you resident assistant or check with the desk in your respective area. Hours may be modified during breaks and summer but will be posted throughout the communities prior to the break for resident planning purposes.

Please be respectful of elevator equipment and the safety of others. Do not jump up and down, shake, tamper, disable, or overload elevator cars or affect the controls in such a way that might cause malfunctions. The elevators are serviced regularly, but should an elevator get stuck between floors, remain calm and use the call button inside. A staff member will respond to assist with the appropriate evacuation. Do not try to evacuate an elevator or pry open the door as this may create an unsafe situation. If damages are noticed, please report these to the front desk immediately. In the case of a fire, do not use the elevator and evacuate the building using stairwells.

Witnesses to emergency situations are encouraged to contact either a campus security or Boise Police officer. Housing and Residence Life will inform residents of situations requiring broad notification by sending staff members to doors, placing messages on students’ Bronco Card, or posting general area announcements on bulletin boards or doors. In any of these instances, it is imperative that residents follow any instructions given. Residents are also highly encouraged to opt-in to the university’s electronic notification system for timely notices of emergency information.

Residents are required to complete a Tenant Information Card during check-in, which lists contact information of parties to call in an emergency for all occupants of an apartment. Residents living in the residence halls are required to provide this information on their housing application. This also serves to inform Housing and Residence Life staff of any conditions that might require special medical assistance. A copy of this confidential information is kept on file with the Resident Director. If you a medical emergency occurs and an ambulance or other emergency personnel are needed, call 911 then alert a Housing and Residence Life staff member.

Fire code requires that entryways, stairways, landings, and other common areas be kept free of any item including toys, bicycles, barbecues, furniture, garbage, shoes, etc., as these pose tripping hazards to residents, staff, and emergency response crews. All statements below pertain to restrictions on entryways, stairways, landings, balconies, decks, landings and breezeways:

• Items may not be displayed or hung in these areas as this is not consistent with the aesthetic appeal of the community
• Behaviors that are dangerous to self or others (e.g. jumping from, repelling, hanging over the edge, climbing up to the stairwell landings, etc.) are not allowed
• No items should be thrown to or from these areas
• Grills may not be used in these areas
• Smoking is prohibited on all campus properties
• Furniture and other items may not be stored on any of these areas for any period of time (including trash)
• Ground floor patios are not to be used as a primary entrance and exit from the suite area

Due to graduation or other changing situations of students, space may become available in the Housing and Residence Life system in December. Students with a roommate that is not returning for the spring semester will be required to make the room presentable for new roommates. This must be done prior to departure in December for Winter Break. Students may not take possession of the other half of the room. Clean the room and be sure that the other bed, dresser, closet, and so forth are ready for a new student to move in.

Housing staff will enter all rooms/suites/apartments each semester for health/fire safety and facility checks. Housing and Residence Life staff will give at least 48 hours’ notice of entry for this purpose. Housing and Residence Life encourages residents to be home when staff checks, but it is not necessary. Staff will look at fire safety equipment (smoke detectors, sprinkler heads, fire extinguishers), screens, window and door locks, overall cleanliness, ensure personal effects are not placed against heaters and air conditioning units, check that electrical outlets are not overloaded, etc.

Residents will receive a notification directly after the inspection to inform them of the observed status of their room/suite/apartment. Rooms/suites/apartments deemed unacceptable or in violation of university or housing policies/standards or of state/federal law, will be left a notice identifying the specific violation for the resident(s) to address. Residents of the room/suite/apartment in question should expect a follow-up meeting with their resident assistant or resident director depending on the severity of the violation

Housing and Residence Life will provide regular upkeep of the landscaping around all facilities. Lawn mowing will take place between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., and usually on weekdays.

Each residential facility provides communal washers and dryers for use by the residents of that facility only. Clearwater, Payette and Selway Suites; Aspen, Cedar, Hawthorne, Juniper, Spruce and Tamarack Townhomes; and University Square Apartments have washers and dryers in each individual unit within the building/complex. Communal laundry facilities provide energy efficient machines activated by “flex dollars” specific to laundry machines only. Residents will need to place money on their Bronco Card to enable them to use the laundry machines. Additional information about laundry machines can be found under the Laundry section of the website.

The community centers are meant for the general use and enjoyment of all the residents of that community. This furniture must remain in the lounge or public area. If public furniture is found in a student’s room/suite/apartment, it may result in university and/or criminal charges.

Each resident is assigned an individually numbered mailbox with a private combination or key. Residents will be informed of their mailbox number during the room assignment process and will be given their combination or assigned their key during check-in. Mail and packages are received and can be retrieved at the front desk that services each building. Driscoll, Morrison and Taylor residents will utilize the front desk at Keiser Hall for mail, package and other services. Residents living in the apartments will be assigned a numbered mailbox with a private key. The mailboxes for the apartments are centrally located in each apartment complex. Oversized mail and packages for Park, Heights, Manor and Village can be retrieved from the service desk in the Village Community Center. University Square can pick up packages at the service desk in Clearwater Suites.

For non-emergency repairs or maintenance needs, residents should visit the service desk to complete a work request. The following information must be provided: location, nature of problem, and contact information. If there is emergency maintenance needed during regular desk hours (burst pipe, overflowing toilet, broken window or door, etc.), please contact the desk immediately. If an emergency occurs after the desk has closed, please contact a staff member by calling the on-call phone number in your area. Computer repairs do not qualify as emergencies; please submit a work request at the desk to schedule an appointment with a technician.

All residents are required to follow the guidelines for preventing mold and moisture issues in Housing and Residence Life facilities. This includes allowing for proper ventilation of the room/suite/apartment with special attention given to the bathroom and kitchen (where applicable) where damp conditions in combination with warm temperatures are of particular concern. Preventative measures include but are not limited to: using the fan in the bathroom and over the stove top (where applicable), prompt clean-up of water spills in any room/suite/apartment, judicious use of temperature controls within the room/suite/apartment and immediate attention and clean-up to any condensation formed on any surface in the room/suite/apartment. Residents should notify Housing and Residence Life should any problems persist despite taking the precautions mentioned above.

Most facilities are equipped with outdoor barbecues. Use is on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to residents of that area. Reservations can be made through the resident director. Only charcoal briquettes and Dura flame logs can be used; no liquid lighter fluids of any sort may be used. Following use, the barbecue must be cleaned appropriately.

The only approved personal safety devices recognized by the university are pepper spray and mace. Residents who own and/or carry personal safety devices should be informed of proper use, including keeping these devices in their possession only. Inappropriate discharge or failure to use these devices according to manufacturer’s instructions will result in a referral to the student conduct system.

Personalizing the space in rooms and/or apartments is encouraged. However, Housing and Residence Life requires that this be done in a manner that does not cause damage, and does not violate state law, university policy, Housing and Residence Life community standards or is deemed to be defamatory and/or degrading to members of the university community. Room décor must take into consideration all roommates’ tastes.

Poster-hanging products that guarantee no surface damage, such as a product produced by 3-M called Command picture hanging strips, are the only products permitted on our walls and furniture surfaces.  Due to fire safety reasons, decorations may not be affixed to ceilings, or be attached to or block any fire safety equipment including smoke detectors, sprinkler heads, and exit signs. Decorations must not impede access to hallways, doorways, stairs, corridors, or other equipment.

Due to fire safety concerns, no more than 10% of a room’s wall space can be covered by combustible decorative materials including but not limited to: including paper, posters, streamers, polyester materials, lights, etc. No rugs, bed sheets/spreads or tapestries can be hung in any Housing and Residence Life space. Small twinkle lights, artificial trees, wreaths, and other such decorations, are approved, provided they are UL listed.

Exteriors of room doors (the side that faces hall corridors) and room windows are considered public space. Housing and Residence Life reserves the right to have removed items that could be construed as bigoted, demeaning, degrading, or victimizing in a discriminatory manner. Other questions about what is permitted should be referred to your Resident/Community Assistant or Resident Director.

Housing and Residence Life respects students’ right to privacy. However, there are times during which Housing and Residence Life staff may enter a student’s room/suite/apartment without notification. These include: (1) When an immediate threat exists to the health, safety or property of students or occupants of the room; (2) When university or private property is at risk of damage or destruction; (3) To secure space during breaks and conduct routine safety inspections; (4) To make necessary or desirable repairs and perform routine or other maintenance; (5) For other purposes as deemed necessary or desirable by university. Housing and Residence Life staff will knock and announce their presence prior to entering a student’s space. However, it is within the rights of housing staff to enter as deemed necessary.

Due to health concerns and building maintenance, smoking is prohibited on all Boise State University property, including in and around all Housing and Residence Life facilities. Boise State is a smoke-free campus (including buildings, grassy quads, parking lots, sidewalks, etc.). More information on this policy can be found at the Health Services Smoke-Free website.

This policy includes but is not limited to: cigarettes, pipes, cigars, hookahs, etc. E-cigarettes and other forms of “vaping” are permitted on campus property but, not within the residence halls and apartments.

During the winter, Housing and Residence Life staff will remove the snow and ice from the sidewalks, landings, and most frequently traveled walkways surrounding housing facilities. Housing and Residence Life will ordinarily clear the snow between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. During periods of prolonged snowfall, snow may be removed after 5 p.m. and before 7 a.m.

Students are not permitted to operate or promote a business from their residence hall room/suite/apartment, common spaces, or other use Housing and Residence Life spaces, including their own privately-owned businesses. Students may not use housing facilities to host parties for the purpose of promoting private businesses or engaging in sales of products. The university does not allow door-to-door solicitation of funds, products, services, or donations for charity in Housing and Residence Life facilities. This also includes companies/businesses attempting to give away free items/samples. Entry into Housing and Residence Life facilities in these situations will be considered trespassing and will result in removal by Boise Police at a minimum, but may include exclusion from campus and/or arrest. Any solicitors should be reported to a Housing and Residence Life staff member or the Boise City Police Substation (208-426-1453) immediately. Students or student organizations wishing to raise donations for charity through social/community programs or other means may obtain permission from their resident director.

Due to limited space and liability issues, Housing and Residence Life is unable to accommodate storage of residents’ personal items or room furnishings. Residents may wish to explore professional off-campus storage services to accommodate any additional storage needs. Provided room furnishings are not permitted to be removed from student rooms.

Students must dispose of garbage in the appropriate bins and locations. Garbage is not to be left on landings, in stairwells, lounges, elevator lobbies, by the doors, on the ground by dumpsters, or in the trash chute rooms. Room trash is not to be emptied into smaller trashcans that are placed around the buildings. A fee for removal will occur ($25 minimum) if students are found disposing of their trash inappropriately, with increasing fines for subsequent offenses.

Boise State University is situated in close proximity to the Boise River and discharges storm water directly into the river. Due to proximity and environmental laws, vehicle maintenance needs to be done responsibly and without adding pollutants to the storm drain system or to landfills. Washing vehicles should be done without the use of any soap, preferably at a low-water usage location such as a car wash. Oil changes may be done on campus but students must properly dispose of the oil and clean up afterwards. Used oil may be dropped off at any Boise AutoZone location, up to 12 quarts in containers that are not leaking and have lids (milk jugs or similar). Select Schucks locations around Boise accept up to 5 gallons and require the individual to keep the container the oil is brought in. Other acceptable disposal methods include either the Ada County Hidden Hollow Landfill (208) 577-4736 or Household Hazardous Material mobile collection sites (208) 384-3901.