Regulations for On-Campus Living

Alcohol consumption is illegal for persons under 21 years of age. This applies to all students, including those who live in university housing. Students who are 21+ years of age and choose to possess or consume alcohol in university housing are prohibited from providing alcohol to anyone under the age of 21, including roommates or guests. Empty containers of alcoholic beverages (e.g., beer cans, liquor, and wine bottles) are indicators of consumption and therefore prohibited in rooms of underage students. The delivery of alcohol to university housing is prohibited. For regulations covering the consumption and possession of alcohol, refer to the Code of Student Conduct.

Please refer to the Miami University Policy Library: Students: Undergraduate: Housing: Student Room Regulations.

Many rooms are equipped with bunk beds. Glides for the legs and pins for bunking the beds are available from the residence hall staff. Mattresses and bedsprings may not be placed directly on the floor. Due to safety concerns, the construction or use of loft beds, waterbeds or any other alterations of university beds by students are not permitted. Students may not turn the bedframe upside down as this may damage the frame. The use of bed risers or cinder blocks is prohibited because they may damage the floors or the beds.

Walking is the most common form of transportation on campus but students are encouraged to use bicycles for transportation around campus and Oxford. Bicycle racks are conveniently located adjacent to every residence hall and most other buildings on campus. Students are encouraged to lock their bicycles. Bicycles may not be hung from the pipes or wall molding and may not be left in any public areas of residence halls, such as lobbies and hallways. Abandoned and illegally parked bikes are collected and sold at the university auction.

Students are expected to operate bicycles in a safe and courteous manner and comply with university regulations and state laws pertaining to bicycle operation, including safety equipment standards. Bicycles are subject to the same driving laws as motor vehicles, and citations for improper and unsafe riding may be issued. Bicycles may not be operated in the residence halls at any time. Complete bicycle regulations are contained in the Student Handbook and are also available from the Miami University Police Department.

Please refer to the Miami University Policy Library: Students: Undergraduate: Housing: Student Room Regulations.

Because cooking is not permitted in student rooms, each hall has a kitchen or kitchenette for the use of all residents. Residents of each hall are responsible for keeping the kitchens and kitchenettes clean by washing dishes, counters and appliances, taking excessive trash to the designated trash area or outside dumpster. Uneaten food/scraps are to be disposed of in the trash and not poured down the sinks. Burnt or spoiled food should be taken directly to the outside dumpster for disposal.

Students are responsible for the condition of their room, the furniture assigned to that room, and the interior of the room door. When students move into a residence hall room, a Room Inspection Record must be completed and signed by each resident. From this record, hall staff can identify problems and make needed repairs; students also avoid charges for damage done by previous occupants. Students will be charged for any damages found in the room that are not noted on the room inspection record. A minimum charge of $15 will be assessed for damage resulting from the use of tape, tacks, nails, screws, or pins on walls or furniture. Refer to the Room Inspection Record for a list of potential charges for damage to the room or missing furniture.

Propping exterior doors of any residence hall is strictly forbidden, as it compromises the security of the residence halls.

Certain doors on each residence hall are equipped with a card reader to allow residents of the building to enter. Some entrances are only accessible for maintenance and building services staff. From 11 p.m. until 6 a.m. students will only be able to enter the building through one central entry.

Anyone turning in a false fire or bomb report, either by telephone, electronic communication, or by activating or tampering with an alarm, and anyone tampering with fire extinguishers or smoke detectors, is subject to suspension from the university and prosecution under the Ohio Revised Code and/or the Code of Student Conduct and/or may be held financially responsible for clean-up, repairs/replacements as a result of activating these systems.

Students are expected to know the locations of fire alarms and exits in their residence hall. Prompt and complete cooperation in case of fire is important for everyone's safety. Each room is equipped with a smoke detector which is tied directly to the hall’s fire alarm and monitoring system. Most, but not all halls/rooms also have fire suppression (sprinkler head) systems. Tampering with smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and/or suppression (sprinkler head) systems is strictly prohibited. In case of a fire in a room, a fire alarm in the hallway must be pulled to activate the hall system; 911 should be called to report the fire's location. NOTE: Items must not be hung on or obstruct the room’s sprinkler head(s) or smoke detector.

Residents must immediately vacate the building whenever a fire alarm is activated.

Fire suppression sprinkler heads are located in some student residence hall rooms across campus. These sprinkler heads contain significant water pressure and are capable of discharging hundreds of gallons of water per minute. It is strictly prohibited to obstruct or prevent the sprinkler head from operating properly. You are not permitted to use the sprinkler head as a "hook" on which to string holiday lights, hangers, clothing, hats or any other item. Please be aware that setting off the sprinkler head due to a person’s inappropriate use or horseplay may result in university discipline in addition to being held financially responsible for associated repairs, damages and flood water cleanup.

Grills and fire pits are prohibited on campus.

Some residence hall living rooms have wood-burning fireplaces. The use of wood-burning fireplaces in the residence halls is prohibited. The use of gas fireplaces (Hillcrest, Beechwoods, Marcum, Stonebridge, Withrow) is permitted if used with care. No other materials may be burned in the gas fireplaces.

Please refer to the Miami University Policy Library: Students: Undergraduate: Housing: Student Room Regulations.

University furniture will not be stored by the university and should not be removed from the room. Students will be charged a replacement fee for any furniture not in the room when the student moves out. Public area furniture may not be moved into student rooms.

Any arrangement of furniture or decorations that blocks or impedes exits or entrances to a residence hall room is prohibited.

Please refer to the Miami University Policy Library: Students: Undergraduate: Housing: Student Room Regulations.

Students are prohibited from playing sports or rough-housing in the halls as this may disrupt the living/learning environment. Hall sports include, but are not limited to, tossing, bouncing, or kicking a ball or frisbee, rollerblading, biking, using a scooter, or use of water guns or water balloons.

Dishonest use of a University ID is a violation of the Code of Student Conduct. Because the ID is used for admission to various university facilities and activities, the lending, borrowing, altering, or duplicating of an ID is strictly prohibited. Students should immediately report a missing card so it can be deactivated. Students can deactivate their missing ID card by logging in to WebCard Center. Once found, they can re-activate their ID in WebCardCenter as well.

Go to One Stop, notify Campus Service Center, and check out of your room with an RA or RD.

Noise violations are often viewed subjectively by both students and staff. Based on experience, the following examples constitute clear violations of the noise policy:

• noises, music, or voices that are clearly distinguishable in the corridor during restricted quiet hours
• heavy percussion or bass sounds that vibrate through any walls, doors, ceilings, or floors
• alarms or music playing in an empty room
• pounding on doors, bouncing sports equipment or other items on the walls or floor of a room or corridor
• failure to respect courtesy hours

In addition to items and activities mentioned elsewhere on this page, students are prohibited from possessing the following items or engaging in the following activities:

• Hot tubs
• Spray painting
• Any brand, model, or type of an electric or motorized scooter, bicycle, motorcycle, moped, skateboard, hoverboard, onewheel, or any other electric or motorized personal transportation device. These are prohibited from being used, charged, or stored in residential buildings due to substantial safety and fire risk. Please note that this does not apply to electric wheelchairs and other assistive devices that are used as mobility aids.

Please refer to the Miami University Policy Library: Students: Undergraduate: Housing: Student Room Regulations.

Please refer to the Miami University Policy Library: Students: Undergraduate: Housing: Student Room Regulations.

Quiet hours are a specified time each day when the hall is to remain quiet. The primary purpose of living in residence halls is to support a student's academic experience. Therefore, courtesy hours are in effect at all times. Courtesy hours indicate that all residents are expected to accommodate reasonable requests for quiet by students or staff. Failure to comply with these requests may result in documentation of a noise violation.

Quiet hours are set by residents via the community agreement and Community Standards process as directed by the Residence Life staff. During finals week, there are 24 hour quiet hours from Friday before finals until the end of finals. Students may be asked to leave the residence halls if they are found to be in violation of quiet hours during the 24 hour quiet period.

Radio transmission is not permitted in residence halls except through authorized agencies such as WMSR (student carrier radio) and ham radio clubs.

Compact refrigerators are provided to students. The cost of the use of the refrigerator is included in the housing fee. Students are not permitted to bring their own refrigerators. The university is not responsible for perishable items stored in any refrigerator, including loss caused by mechanical failure or electrical outages.

Students are not permitted to paint or plaster their rooms. Storage cabinets and closet doors may not be removed or altered from their original design. Construction or room alteration involving heavy building materials, wooden or cloth material platforms, or self-constructed lofts (see below) are prohibited due to fire and safety regulations. Screens which keep insects from entering the room must be left latched on windows to reduce the likelihood of damage from wind or falling screens. Window ledges are not to be used for storage. Removing university property from student rooms or public areas of the hall is prohibited.

Room changes prior to the semester can be requested through the Campus Services Center. Room changes during the term should be requested through the Resident Director or Graduate Assistant. If there is a vacant bed in a student room, the Resident Director or the Campus Services Center may assign another student to that room at any time. Current residents of that room who create a hostile environment for new or potential new roommates may face disciplinary action. Before the end of fall semester, students with vacancies in their room must prepare the room for a roommate. Preparation includes moving all personal belongings from the space and furniture to be used by the incoming roommate and cleaning the room.

Please refer to the Miami University Policy Library: Students: Undergraduate: Housing: Student Room Regulations.

The university respects the student's desire for privacy. However, to maintain an environment supporting the academic mission of the university, the right to make periodic health, safety, maintenance and policy compliance checks of rooms is reserved. Any materials or modifications determined to be a health or safety hazard must be removed or corrected on request. This policy is designed to ensure a reasonable, restrained use of this contractual right by authorized university representatives without violating students' fundamental constitutional rights. The effectiveness of this policy depends on mutual trust, cooperation, and sound judgment. Typically, room inspections occur once per semester and/or at hall closings throughout the year.

A university official may also enter rooms during an emergency evacuation drill to confirm compliance with fire safety regulations or in the case of an unattended noise source that needs to be silenced (such as a TV or clock radio).

Each set of roommates is expected to complete a roommate agreement at the beginning of the year and/or whenever a new roommate relationship begins. Roommate agreement forms are distributed by RAs. The residents of each room will retain a copy of the roommate agreement form, as will the RA. All roommates are expected to honor the rights of roommates, which include the rights to:

1. Read and study free from undue interference in one's room.
2. Sleep without undue disturbance from noise, guests of roommate(s), etc.
3. Expect that a roommate will respect one's personal belongings.
4. A clean environment.
5. Free access to one's room and facilities without pressure from the roommate.
6. Privacy, including the right to exclude non-residents of the room from the room. This right supersedes the right to have guests (see "Visitation" below).
7. Address grievances.
8. Be free from fear of intimidation and physical or emotional harm.
9. Expect reasonable cooperation and the use of "room shared" items such as a refrigerator, rug, or other room amenities.

Ohio Law prohibits the purchase and use of tobacco related products by individuals under the age of 21. In addition, Miami University is a smoke- and tobacco-free campus. Smoking or using tobacco (including electronic cigarettes) in any area inside or outside of all campus buildings is prohibited including, but not limited to: stairwells, bathrooms, lobbies, lounges, living rooms, study rooms, and hallways. Students may not smoke in their residence hall rooms. 

Students are expected to participate in the recycling program by placing recyclables in the designated bins in each residence hall. In addition, students are expected to remove personal trash from rooms and place in the central trash collection area within the hall or in the dumpster located near the residence hall. Students who disregard trash and recycling procedures may face disciplinary action.

See Guests policy on this web page.

Please refer to the Miami University Policy Library: Weapons.