Housing
Incoming Students
Incoming students who request to live in a residence hall must have completed a room application and paid the $250 deposit before a room assignment can be considered. The deposit must remain on file until final checkout. The Housing coordinator makes all room assignments and is responsible for approving or denying room and roommate changes and consolidating vacancies. Assignments will normally be made on the basis of two students per room. Rooms are to be occupied only by the students assigned to them. A student’s right to occupy a room may not be transferred by the student.
Walk Ins
Students who apply after permanent assignments have been made who have not completed an application form and/or not submitted a deposit, may be placed in supplemental housing. Supplemental housing is a temporary placement with one or more roommates, or in a converted lounge or guest room space. As cancellations are received, students in supplemental housing will be assigned to a permanent space.
Returning Students
During Spring Semester, continuing residents who have chosen a roommate and have paid a housing deposit will have the opportunity to secure their room assignment for the following school year. A student’s class standing will determine the selection order. Students can request a specific roommate, and must have a roommate in order to reserve a specific room. While consideration is given to roommate preference requests, it may not be possible to grant requests received after June 1: though every effort will be made to honor specific roommate/room/hall requests, such requests are never guaranteed. Room Assignments are considered annual contracts for both semesters of the academic year. More information about this reservation process will be given during the school year. It is the policy of the University to assign roommates without regard to race, color, national origin, age, or handicap.
Consolidation
Housing reserves the right to consolidate rooms to ensure full capacity, and may move students to another room when such consolidation becomes necessary. All room changes must be completed within five (5) school days after notification to consolidate. All residents who have not contracted for a single room, and who do not have a roommate, must either find another roommate or be assigned to live with another resident. If a resident’s roommate moves out of the room, and another roommate is not assigned to the room, the student may have the option of entering into a single room agreement and will therefore be charged the single room rate. This provision is offered as long as the roommate moved out of the room through no fault or cause of the student remaining in the room. However, it is important to bear in mind that Housing retains the right to assign another roommate to that room, should it be deemed necessary. If you are alone but have not requested to be you may:
- Find a roommate
- Expect to be assigned a roommate, and keep room in readiness
- Expect the room to be used to house visiting groups (music festival, college days, etc.)
Residents who refuse roommates, who make use of both sides of the room, or whose ‘cleaning’ practices or ‘welcomes’ make others unwilling to room with them may be automatically assessed the single occupancy fee or be required to move.
Single Occupancy
Housing is typically is double-occupancy, that is, two residents per room. Since rooming alone limits availability of space for both new residents and for those wishing to change rooms, single housing is not always available. But when it is, you will pay a single housing charge (an additional 50% of the double rent rate) if you wish to live alone. Damazo spaces are more likely to be filled, but if availability allows single housing, it will be at double the usual Damazo Hall rent. Neither facility is likely to be able to confirm single housing until all student housing requests have been confirmed.
Roommate mediation process
Andrews University is committed to “roommate mediation” as our dispute resolution process. Roommate mediation is an assisted dispute resolution process in which you discuss your concerns with your roommate in a controlled and respectful manner in the presence of a dean housing coordinator.
We feel strongly that disputing roommates should make an honest and sincere attempt to reach a resolution, including participation in roommate mediation. We will not simply arrange for a room switch as a solution for disputants. Since disagreements often arise from a lack of communication, we have learned that discussion facilitated by a residence hall staff member is a process with proven positive results.
If your attempt to reconcile your differences is still not successful, contact a student dean to obtain a `Room Change Request Form.' Please note that the student dean will NOT hand you a Room Change Request form if you have not completed a Roommate Agreement Form and gone through the steps of the Mediation Process. Participating in the room change process does NOT guarantee a new room assignment, except in cases involving Mutual Trades.
Room Changes
Room changes are permitted for students if and when roommates are having adjustment problems and for other special circumstances. Prior to a room change being approved, students are expected to have made a good faith effort toward resolving the roommate situation. This includes completing a Roommate Agreement Form, discussing the situation with the RA or professional staff member, going through the mediation process, and completing a roommate conference if requested.
Four basic criteria must be met for a change to occur:
- Students involved have done their best to resolve roommate situation
- Vacant space is available
- Students affected have each consented to the change
- The Housing coordinator has approved the change
Room Freeze Period
Room changes are available after a two-week room freeze from the beginning of each semester.
Room Change Period
Students may apply for a room change during the three week room change period that follows the room freeze. Any room change initiated after this time will come into effect only in the following Semester. After this period, only mutual trades will be granted for the current semester. Residents are welcome to initiate and apply for a room change for the following semester.
Room Change Fee
Room changes other than Mutual Trade changes may incur a fee. This will help to defray administrative costs involved with the process: payment must be paid in cash or check prior to the move.
Room Change Frequency
Only one room change can be granted for any given school year, as repeated moves are tough on students, roommates, and administrative staff records.
Mutual Trades
These can happen any time of the school year and do not incur a room change fee. A mutual trade is when all residents of two rooms agree to switch rooms and roommates. Each person obtains a Room Change Request Form from the housing coordinator, and completed forms must be handed in personally to the Housing office. Due to the nature of this type of request, all parties must be in absolute agreement.
Room care
To foster good relations and mutual respect, roommates and suite mates in residence halls with a bathroom share the responsibilities of room and bathroom care. In fact, if housekeeping must specially clean your shower during or after your residency, you will be charged for this additional cleaning. Extreme uncleanliness may jeopardize your status as a residence hall student. Rooms may be spot-checked for cleanliness, appropriateness and fire/safety hazards, and changes/charges implemented as needed.
To foster cleanliness, and make final checkout more pleasant for student and housekeeping staff alike may conduct suite room shower checks throughout the semester.
Semesters are figured as being about 105 days each. If arriving early, or staying later, the nightly rental rate is charged.
Meals
Undergraduate residents younger than 22 are required to select a meal plan.
Student Status
Each residence hall only houses currently registered Andrews University students. If you are not financially cleared for a semeter you will not be permitted to move into the residence hall.
If at any time during the school year you are unable to register, or drop classes, rent cannot continue to be billed to your account, and you must move out. Exceptions will be made only for those with excellent citizenship records and after securing the signatures of departments indicated on a petition slip obtained from a Dean or from Student Life, and should be returned to Student Life within 7 working days.
Residence hall rent is based on double occupancy, which means that each resident should plan on having a roommate. Your rent includes a number of services: keep in mind that once you've moved out, you no longer have access to these services. Your rent includes: rent; electricity; water; trash removal; monthly phone line charges; unlimited free local calls; reduced rate at Lamson & Meier Health Clubs; access to low-cost laundry facilities; 25% off current rate for your parent's guest rooms; basic cable access; access to residence hall treats such as cookie days, soup nights, etc; limited health services, on-call physician services, and limited services at University Medical Specialties.
Summer charges
Student housing lengths vary widely, so it's best to figure out your housing charge based on per-day charges. Multiply the number of days you'll be here by the daily rate to find the amount you'll be paying. If you are here for summer, you'll see one charge on your statement from the day you arrived till June 30 a second charge for July 1 to either the length of your stay or through summer graduation, and another charge from August graduation weekend to summer's end.
Between sessions
If you live in a residence hall for the fall semester, and return for spring semester as well, there is no additional charge for the time between fall and spring semesters. However, if you aren't returning in the spring, you are to move out of residence at the end of fall semester final exam week. If you choose to move out following or during the break; you will be charged for each additional day after the package plan ended for the previous semester: transfer students need to move in during this time. Since you have not paid for these additional days, you are not being penalized for the extra time, but charged for time for which you have not yet paid. Those living in a residence hall during spring semester who are not spring graduates, and aren't staying for summer, must move out by the night of their last test. Those living in a residence hall for the summer but who are not staying for fall must move out no later than the end of August graduation weekend. At that point, our priority has to turn to those who'll next be registered for classes, not those who no longer are.