INTRODUCTION TO LIVING ON CAMPUS
By living in facilities provided by the College (including space leased by the College off-campus), students accept responsibility to abide by all policies and guidelines established by Merrimack College and the Office of Residence Life. We work to provide a positive experience for students living on campus.
Our residential communities are maintained for the well-being of all students who live there. Each student is expected to live in a way that respects all community members. Each student is directly responsible for maintaining a safe, secure, and healthy living environment in their residential area, consistent with the College’s Community Standards. Resident students are not just “renting a room;” they are active members of a community. Residence Life expects residents to be active participants in maintaining standards of respect in their living area and should confront problems within the community.
Living in a community requires all individuals to be responsible and respectful of the policies, procedures, and standards that have been established. These have been developed to protect each student, ensure personal and College property is well maintained and protected, and to maintain a reasonable sense of order and structure. In order to ensure the rights of all, the following policies and procedures have been adopted for all residential areas. These items along with the Residency Agreement provide the basis for residential living at Merrimack College. Please see your Area Coordinator or Graduate Resident Director if you have any questions about these regulations.
RESIDENCE LIFE POLICIES
Agreement
All resident students are responsible for the terms of the Residency Agreement.
Break Periods
The College is closed during break periods, as noted on the academic/administrative calendar. Students are required to vacate their residence area by the time of closing. Permission may be granted by the Assistant Dean of Residence Life or a designee for students to remain on campus during break periods. Requests must be submitted to the Office of Residence Life via email at reslife@merrimack.edu at least five days in advance of the upcoming closing.
Building Safety
All students have a responsibility to protect the community and its individuals. The following policies are intended to promote safety in the residence areas.
- College staff may conduct bag checks on any and all bags.
- Propping or otherwise interfering with the closure of any exterior door or interior fire door is prohibited.
- The use of any propped exterior door or interior fire door is prohibited.
- Resident rooms must remain locked at all times.
- Forcible attempts to pull open a door are prohibited.
Check In/Out of Rooms
Residential students are required to check into their assigned room with the Office of Residence Life prior to gaining access to their assigned space. Students who fail to complete the check-in process forfeit the ability to appeal damage charges.
Residential students must check out of their room prior to closing in May, before studying abroad, after withdrawing from housing, or before the end of their tenure as a student - whichever occurs first. Prior to checking out, students must remove all personal possessions and clean their assigned space. Personal items left in a room will be disposed of by the College at the expense of the occupants in accordance with the Residency Agreement. Failure to check out properly may result in a fine. Students who withdraw from housing must move out of their space in the timeline designated by the Office of Residence Life.
Damages
The College holds students responsible for damages beyond normal wear and tear. Assessments and billing for damage are done at regular intervals throughout the year in conjunction with Health and Safety Inspections or as needed. Students occupying a space in a residence area will have 72 hours after checking in to report to the Office of Residence Life any damages which were not easily visible at the time of check-in using the Room Condition Form provided to students by the Residence Life office. Damages within a unit, suite, or room which are not attributed to a specific individual will be divided among all those living in the space.
Common area damages committed in public spaces within residential areas and are not attributed to a specific individual will be divided among all those living in that area. Common area damages are not eligible for appeal.
Students will be charged for items including, but not limited to: damaged, missing, or moved furniture; cleanliness; lost or otherwise not returned keys; damaged walls, floors, carpets, doors, fixtures, or appliances; and/or damaged or removed screens. Students will be notified of any damage assessments resulting in a bill via their College-issued e-mail account, and should make payments directly to the Bursar’s Office.
Eligibility
To be eligible for housing, matriculated students must be full-time in status and must turn 18 years of age by the end of their first academic year. A student can petition the Assistant Dean of Residence Life or a designee in writing for exemption from this policy.
Non-matriculated students are not eligible for housing.
Fire Safety
In the event of a fire, students must activate the fire alarm, evacuate the area, and report the location of the fire to the Merrimack College Police Department. In the event of a fire alarm, students must evacuate and stand a safe distance away from the building. Students are not permitted to extinguish a fire.
During fire alarms, the Merrimack College Police Department is authorized to check all rooms for proper evacuation. Re-entry by students is not permitted until clearance has been given by the fire department and the Merrimack College Police Department.
Students who cause fires, intentionally activate a false alarm, and/or fail to properly evacuate a building may be subject to criminal prosecution and/or College disciplinary action.
Fire Safety Equipment
Fire safety equipment is not to be tampered with, disconnected, covered, damaged, or obstructed in any way.
Outdoor grills are for cooking purposes only. Charcoal is the only form of combustible material to be used on outdoor grills.
Furniture and Other College Property
All College furniture and other College property may not be removed from its assigned space. College furniture or property may not be moved from community spaces to other areas. College furniture or property is not permitted to be moved to exterior areas.
For fire safety purposes, any small furniture brought into the residence hall must comply with California flammability standards (California Fire Code 117 or higher). No large furniture, outside couches, oversized chairs, mattresses, or bed frames will be permitted in the residence halls.
Garbage Removal
Residents must take out their own garbage to dumpsters or trash rooms.
Health and Safety Inspections
The Office of Residence Life will conduct health and safety inspections at regular intervals throughout the year. During these inspections, Residence Life staff are authorized to enter the rooms of residential students without notice. Prohibited items discovered during these inspections will be confiscated and may be disposed of, and any policy violations will be documented. Repeated health and safety violations may result in disciplinary action.
Health and Safety Inspection Process
Once a month, Residence Life will check students’ spaces to ensure that they are living in a clean and safe environment. This will be a visual inspection of the room done by a staff member of the Office of Residence Life. Residence Life staff members will be looking for items that are a violation of the Residence Life Policies, or Merrimack College Community Standards.
Health and safety violations include Prohibited Items, broken college property, stolen property, or cleanliness issues. Additional violations include anything that goes against the Merrimack College Drug Policy, Merrimack College Alcohol Policy and/or Residence Life Policies.
Health Forms and Health Insurance
All students must carry the Student Accident and Sickness Insurance or provide proof of comparable insurance coverage. Students are also required to complete health forms and provide immunization records to the Hamel Health Center prior to enrollment. Students who do not comply will not be allowed to live in college residences.
Housekeeping
Students are required to maintain a clean environment in their assigned space. Students are not permitted to store personal items in hallways, lounges, stairwells, or other public spaces within the residence areas.
Indoor Recreation
Indoor sports and recreational activities are prohibited except when sponsored by the College.
Keys and Mack Cards
Students living within College housing are issued a room key upon their arrival to campus. Students are responsible for picking up their key at the time of check-in. Keys are the property of the College and their duplication is forbidden. Students must carry their keys at all times. Students who lose their keys will be charged a $63.00 replacement fee per lock. Failure to return keys will result in lock replacement charges. Students may not lend room keys.
All Merrimack College students are issued Mack Cards. Students must carry their Mack Cards at all times and present them to Merrimack College staff upon request. Students may not lend Mack Cards.
Leaves of Absence
Residential students taking a leave of absence must inform the Office of Residence Life. Students on a leave of absence are not eligible to remain in student housing.
Liability for Personal Property
Students are liable for their personal property. The College is not responsible for the theft, damage, or destruction of personal property.
Lockouts
Students may contact the Merrimack College Police Department at 978-837-5555 or their Resident Advisor for assistance with a lockout. A $25.00 lockout fee will be applied to the student’s account for each lockout.
Prohibited Items
The following items are prohibited from the residence halls and adjacent areas, and area subject to confiscation:
- Multiple-outlet electrical plugs
- Microwave switchbox outlets
- Cooking appliances with exposed heating elements such as hot plates, toaster ovens, George Foreman grills, coffee pots without automatic shut-off, air fryers and coil hot water heaters
- Halogen lamps
- Fog machines
- Black lights
- Space heaters
- Air conditioners
- Lava lamps
- Electric wax burners
- Electrical extension cords that are longer than eight feet, and/or are not UL listed
- Refrigerators larger than 5 cubic feet
- Candles, lit or unlit
- Incense and/or incense burners
- Potpourri burners
- Candle warmers
- Hazardous liquids including, but not limited to turpentine, paint, gasoline, propane, kerosene, butane and ether
- Grills
- Lighter fluid and charcoal
- Neon signs
- Hookahs
- Natural trees or wreaths
- Pyrotechnics and fireworks
- Tiki torches
- Fire pits operated by anyone other than Merrimack College staff
- Vehicles which use combustible fuel
- Upholstered furniture which does not meet California Fire Code 117 or higher
- Hoverboards
- Vaporizers/electronic cigarettes
- Pools
Pets
No pets other than fish in a tank no larger than 10-gallon capacity are permitted. Students with college approved service or emotional support animals must abide by the policies set by the Accessibility Services office. Students are required to remove any animals during college break periods.
Posted Notices
Students must obtain approval to post notices in the residence areas. Approval must be obtained from the Office of Residence Life.
Quiet and Courtesy Hours
Minimum quiet hours are 11:00 PM - 8:00 AM, Sunday through Thursday. Minimum quiet hours on Friday and Saturday nights are 1:00 AM - 8:00 AM. During quiet hours, any noise must be kept at a level such that it cannot be heard by neighboring residents.
Courtesy hours are in effect at all times. Students are expected to be courteous and to conduct themselves in a way that does not disturb neighboring residents.
During break and final examination periods, 24-hour quiet hours are in effect. Final examination periods begin at 5:00 PM on the last day of classes, as defined in the academic calendar.
Room Assignments and Reassignments
Room assignments and reassignments are the responsibility of the Office of Residence Life. Students are prohibited from changing assignments without prior approval. Room change requests are not permitted during the first two and last two weeks of any semester or summer session, unless due to extraordinary circumstances.
The Assistant Dean of Residence Life or a designee reserves the right to refuse, revoke, suspend, or reassign housing of a student or group of students based on inappropriate behavior or damages.
Room Entry
College staff respects your right to privacy and will work to assure that no unwarranted intrusion or entry into your room occurs. Designated College staff members, including, but not limited to, the Merrimack College Police Department, Residence Life, Student Affairs and Success, and Facilities, have the authority to enter your room without your knowledge or consent, as outlined in this section. The College reserves the right to inspect a student’s room periodically. Authorized College personnel or authorized agents of the College may enter a student’s room whenever there is reasonable cause concerning the safety, health and wellbeing of the individual residents, if there is reasonable suspicion that a violation of College policy is occurring, to perform damage assessments and/or repairs, and to inspect for fire safety violations, check a vacancy within a room, or for other necessary reasons. When feasible, the College will notify the student in advance of any such inspection. College officials, including College Police Officers, will have access to lobbies, hallways and other common areas for inspections and patrol, with or without advance notice. The Office of Residence Life will conduct health and safety inspections at regular intervals throughout the year as described in the Health and Safety Inspection Process.
Room Personalization
The following policies apply to residential students in the personalization of their rooms:
- Students are not authorized to paint (including washable paint), renovate, modify their rooms in any way, or attempt to make their own repairs to damages made in their room.
- Furniture must not obstruct smoke detectors or sprinklers, block heating vents, damage pipe coverings, or impair quick exit from the room or window in case of an emergency.
- Students must use blue “painter’s tape” to adhere pictures and posters to your wall to prevent damage to the student’s room.
- Wall hangings, posters, curtains, or tapestries are prohibited from covering doors, windows, lights, smoke detectors, sprinkler heads, or electrical outlets. Items may not be attached to or suspended from the ceiling.
- The Office of Residence Life reserves the right to require the removal of any decorative items in view of the public.
- Bed raisers, cinder blocks, and other devices used to elevate the height of the beds are prohibited. Students who choose to bunk their beds must utilize College provided bed pegs.
- Decorative lights may not be hung over doors or other fixtures that prohibit easy exit from a room.
Room Selection
Only full-time, registered students are eligible for participation in room selection.
Royal Crest
Students who reside at Merrimack College leased apartments at Royal Crest are required to abide by additional policies and procedures set by Royal Crest. Eviction of a resident by Royal Crest for a policy violation may result in additional sanctions. Please review the Community Policies and Procedures found in the Lease Agreement for more information aboutRoyal Crest policies: Royal Crest North Andover.
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Royal Crest is a smoke-free property. Students who are documented for smoking will be assessed a $250 fine per Royal Crest policy. Students who have smoking residue found in their space can also be assessed this fine.
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Royal Crest has extended quiet hours beginning at 8 p.m. every day.
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Royal Crest residents are provided a cable box/router, wireless lock hub and TV remote. It is prohibited to remove the provided cable box/router, wireless lock hub, or TV remote from the room. Further, Residents must keep the wireless lock hub plugged into the router and power at all times.
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Royal Crest residents with a car are able to request a parking pass by submitting a Vehicle Registration Application through Merrimack College’s Office of Parking and Transportation. Residents will be assigned a numbered spot by the Office of Parking and Transportation and must park only in that designated spot. Vehicles parked in a spot not assigned to them will be subject to tow and/or fines at the owner’s expense. Royal Crest residents with a car are able to request a parking pass by submitting a Vehicle Registration Application through Merrimack College’s Office of Parking and Transportation.
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Royal Crest residents are provided an individual 4-8 digit pin for their apartment door access and a key for the front door of their apartment building. It is prohibited to share this PIN or key with anyone else.
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For residents of Royal Crest, please note that pets are not allowed and pets inside the leased spaces there can subject the resident to eviction.
Smoking
Smoking is not permitted in any residence room, common area, porches, stairwells, or apartment or within 50 feet of the residence halls, including the possession/use of vaporizers and electronic cigarettes.
Solicitation
All persons soliciting on campus must obtain authorization from the Dean of Students Office. The College retains the authority to remove any unauthorized materials distributed within residence areas. Any strangers or solicitors without clearance should be reported promptly to the Merrimack College Police Department. Rooms are for residential use only and no student is to use or allow their room or common area/lounge to be used for any commercial purposes. The only exception to this policy is solicitation in conjunction with approved student organization activities.
Storage
The College does not provide any storage for personal items. All student belongings must be removed upon checkout.
Vacancies
A vacant spot may be offered to another student at any time. Students with a vacancy in their room are only permitted to occupy one set of furniture. Students may not disassemble or remove furniture for a vacancy in their room.
Windows, Screens, Balconies, Rooftops and Outdoor Spaces
Screens shall not be removed from windows. Decorations or personal items may not be hung outside a window or be placed on windowsills, ledges, or rooftops. Throwing objects out of windows or off of balconies is prohibited. No resident may use a window to enter or exit any residential area. Students are not permitted to access any roof.
Students are prohibited from climbing outdoor fixtures around or adjacent to the residence halls. This includes, but is not limited to, light poles, trees, statues, outdoor fixtures, balconies, and/or stairwell exteriors. Outdoor sports and recreational activities must be held a proximate distance away from all residential buildings.
Social Gathering/Party Registration Process
Residents who are eligible may request to host a Registered Event on Friday and Saturday nights, starting at 10pm throughout the academic year. Events must be registered online via the Office of Residence Life Website. All procedures for registered events are outlined on the Office of Residence Life Website and must be followed. These procedures include but are not limited to:
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The residential areas where Registered Events are permitted are O’Brien Hall, St. Ann/St. Thomas Apartments, North Residential Village, and South Residential Village.
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Half of the residents of the space must be 21 years or older.
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All students and registered guests must be 21 years of age to be in attendance, unless they are a student that lives in the space assigned by Residence Life.
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Registered events cannot exceed the occupancy limit for their assigned space. Please see the occupancy limits on the Office of Residence Life website.
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Registered Events must have a designated Sober Host who is a resident of the assigned area. Sober Hosts must abide by the sober host expectations including being present at all times for the duration of the event and being substance free for at least eight hours prior to the start of the event.
Failure to follow procedures may result in the registered event being ended by the Office of Residence Life or Merrimack College Police Department. The Office of Residence Life reserves the right to not approve a registered event due to prior or pending community standards violations for the residents of the apartment. Residence Life and/or the Merrimack College Police Department may disband any Registered Event at any time. The privilege to host Registered Events in the future will be taken from individuals who are found to violate any of these policies.The College reserves the right to modify and/or temporarily suspend the ability of students to register guests in order to preserve the health and safety of the entire community.
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