Residence Hall Behavior Standards

Review of Behavior Standards

The policies and procedures that are enforced in the residence halls have been established to help maintain a cooperative living environment that supports both the academic mission of Marymount University, as well as allows individuals enough freedom to maintain a comfortable lifestyle. All members of the residence halls will be held accountable for observing the rules and policies contained in this publication, the Student Community Conduct Code, and the terms and conditions of each housing agreement.

A resident of the residence halls is expected to abide by the terms and conditions of the residence hall  housing agreement, including the behavior standards listed in this section.

The residence hall behavior standards are enforced with the procedures described in this section. They apply to students living in the residence halls and are in addition to the university’s general Standard of  Conduct for students. The focus of these policies is to create a comfortable, quiet community living environment that supports the pursuit of academic and personal goals of students rather than to restrict freedoms. A secondary focus of the residence hall behavior standards is to assist students in becoming more responsible members of the community.

It is important to realize that formal policies attempt to set standards to ensure that community members live together in a cooperative fashion. These policies, however, constitute only a small portion of what is necessary to ensure that residents respect each other and are considerate of each other’s feelings, needs and concerns. Successful residence hall operations require the residents of each community to take the time regularly to discuss the positive and negative effects of happenings in their community and come to a consensus on actions needed to solve problems.

Appropriate Residence Hall Conduct

Participating in any conduct covered by the following policies will subject individuals to action taken as  described in the following section. These policies apply to the behavior of all residents and their guests while in the residence halls, the grounds adjacent to the residence halls, and all residence hall sponsored on or off-campus activities.

In addition to those policies outlined in the Student Community Conduct Code, the following actions and  behaviors are specifically prohibited in the residence halls: 

  1. Violations of the University guest and/or visitation policies
  2. Exceeding (6) six people in a traditional residence hall room or (12) twelve people in an apartment, including the residents of that space
  3. Creating excessive noise in a residence hall that impedes another’s ability to sleep or study no  matter the time of day, and/or creating any noise that can be heard outside of a resident’s room  after posted quiet hours
  4. Placement of sound equipment or speakers in residence hall windows
  5. Playing sports or games in the residence hall hallways or lounges including, but not limited to,  bouncing basketballs, riding bicycles or scooters, playing Frisbee, playing lacrosse, rollerblading,  skateboarding, throwing footballs or other objects, running, or participating in water fights
  6. Possession or use of non-approved appliances, appliances in excess of 1000 watts,  oversized/non-approved refrigerators
  7. Possession or use of items determined to be a fire hazard, including but not limited to two-prong  extension cords, halogen lights or lamps, high-heat or open-coil appliances
  8. Possession or use of an open-flame source or flammable liquid in the residence halls including,  but not limited to, oil lamps, candles, wax warmers, incense, gasoline, and lighter fluid
  9. Removing screens from residence hall room windows
  10. Hanging banners, flags, or signs out of a residence hall window, in front of the window, or between the window covering and the glass of the window
  11. Covering more than one-third of the wall or door space of a residence hall room
  12. Altering a residence hall room in any way not authorized by the Housing License Agreement
  13. Failing to place trash and/or recycling in designated containers
  14. Using a residence hall room for business purposes
  15. Changing residence hall rooms without approval from the Office of Student Living
  16. Improper use and/or removal of their designated place of University furniture including lounge  and residence hall room furniture
  17. Possession of a pet, except for freshwater fish in a small aquarium (10 gallons or less) or a service/emotional support animal approved through Student Access Services
  18. Tampering with building windows, exits, locks, or corridors
  19. Failing to maintain appropriate care over one’s residential space
  20. Unauthorized possession, use, or duplication of any means of access (e.g. keys or student  identification) to a university residential space
  21. Throwing, dropping, or causing any object to fall from a building
  22. Failure to comply with the directions of an Office of Student Living staff member acting in the  performance of their duties
  23. Violations of the Marymount University Housing License Agreement

Residents are expected to inform their guests of the policies governing behavior in the residence halls.  Also, residents should make their guests aware that guests who fail to observe residence hall policies may be denied access to the residence halls and are subject to action through the Office of Student  Conduct and Academic Integrity. Residents are responsible for their guest’s actions and may be held accountable for their guest’s actions through the student conduct process.

Review and Resolution of Misconduct

The Office of Student Living may take reasonable action against a student when the evidence indicates that the student has been involved in a violation of a residence hall policy. When determining a  reasonable resolution to an incident, the Office of Student Living will take into consideration the interests of the residence hall community, the university community, the student who violated the policy, and previously documented incidents involving each student and residence hall policy violations.

When a residence hall policy violation occurs, one or more of the following processes of resolution may  be followed:

  • The Resident Assistant may discuss the problem with those involved and informally resolve the matter. Often this will be sufficient to resolve the problem
  • The matter may be referred for resolution to the Director of Residence Life or Assistant Coordinator, who will review the incident and determine the appropriate resolution
  • More serious or repeated violations or violations of the Student Community Conduct Code may be referred to the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity for review and resolution
  • Matters that involve possible criminal behavior also may be referred to Campus Safety and the Arlington County Police Department. This action can result in the issuance of citations or criminal prosecution.

Marymount University Campus Residency Policy

Undergraduates attending Marymount University are required to reside in University housing or University approved housing. Exceptions to the campus residency policy may be granted to students under certain conditions. The eight (8) conditions that can exempt a student from  the campus residency policy are:

  1. Student is living with parent(s) or a legal guardian within a 26-mile radius of Marymount University.  A “permanent residence” is defined as a dwelling that is owned, maintained, and inhabited for a minimum of 12 months by the parent(s) or legal guardian. For verification, the student must provide a copy of the parent(s)/legal guardian’s utility bill with an address matching the information provided on the exemption request
  2. Student has medical needs. Students must provide recent medical documentation within the last 60 days. Medical documentation must be from a physician, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), or other licensed medical professionals. Documentation must include the student’s medical condition and living requirements needed by the student based on their medical condition
  3. Students requesting exemption from housing based on financial hardship must provide supporting documentation showing extreme financial need. Documentation needed includes most recent financial aid verification/award (or if no FAFSA is on file, copies of most recent federal tax return, evidence of recent employment termination, evidence of extreme hardship i.e.: death of a primary income provider, medical expenses exceeding insurance maximum coverage, etc.). NOTE: Requests for residing off-campus for financial savings may not be considered for a valid reason
  4. Students who are married
  5. Students with one or more dependent children in their custody
  6. Students who are military veterans who completed at least two years of full-time, active military service
  7. Students over the age of 25
  8. Students will not be on campus for the academic year due to completing university-affiliated study abroad or internship programs in other parts of the world. Students must provide documentation of the program/internship they will be participating in

Students requesting an exemption based on off-campus residence must provide supporting documentation such as a signed lease in their name This exemption only applies to students in their Senior year who are in good academic standing.

Non-Compliance

The campus residency requirement is a university policy. As such, compliance is a condition of a  student’s admission to Marymount University. Students who are included in the Campus Residency  Policy must do one of the following:

  • Complete a university housing agreement
  • Complete a Housing Exemption Form and have it approved by the University Housing Appeal Committee

Students who do not follow one of the two compliance options by the stated deadlines will be given an  administrative double room assignment in university housing. The semester rate of the assigned room, as well as the cost of a meal plan, will be charged to the student’s account.