Policies and Procedures

• Residence Hall Contract
• Room and Hall Changes
• Residence Hall and Roommate Assignment
• Private Rooms
• Roommate Consolidation
• Opening and Closing of Residence Halls
• Check-In
• Check-Out
• Damages
• Early Move-In
• Refund of Housing Fees
• Payment of Housing Fees
• Room Entry
• Withdrawal from the University
• Eviction from Housing due to non-payment of fees on the Student account
• Application Renewal / Room Re-Assignment (SHARP)
• Cancellation Policy
• Contract Appeals
• Email and Communication Practices
• Storage Policy
• Furniture
• Maintenance Requests
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Residence Hall Contract

• To be eligible to reside in Mississippi State housing, an applicant must be an enrolled student making normal progress toward a degree. The University does not currently require any students to live in on-campus housing; however, beginning Fall 2008, the University will require freshmen to live on campus and purchase a meal plan. All students desiring on-campus housing during the regular academic year are required to fill out a housing application, pay the $50 non-refundable reservation fee and sign a residence hall nine-month contract. This contract is mailed when a housing assignment is issued. The term of the contract is for the academic year as specified in the University bulletin.
• The housing contract is a legally binding contract between the student and Mississippi State University. The contract is an agreement to live in MSU on-campus housing for the entire nine-month academic year. Students are reminded that simply moving out of the residence hall does not negate the housing contract. The student is responsible for all fees for a residence hall room unless granted a release from the contract through the contract appeals process (see Contract Appeals).

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Room and Hall Changes

• Once an assignment has been made, a request for a change should be submitted to the Residence Director after the student has checked into the hall in the fall or spring. One day is set aside each semester as Room Change Day for students desiring to make a room change within a hall or between halls. Room Change Day is held the day after classes begin each semester. Room change requests must be submitted to the Residence Director no later than 5 p.m. the day before Room Change Day. All room changes must be approved by the Residence Director. No further moves will be allowed after Room Change Day, except upon the recommendation of the Residence Director or the Department of Housing and Residence Life Assignments Staff.
• All moves must be coordinated through Residence Directors and/or the Department of Housing and Residence Life. A student who makes an unauthorized move must pay a $40 penalty and move back to the proper assignment.

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Residence Hall and Roommate Assignment

• The student may state his or her preference for hall and roommate. New students who will be living on campus for the first time will begin receiving their assignment by mail beginning in late-Spring.
• Every effort is made to honor roommate preference. Roommate preference will be honored if:
  • both applicants request each other; and
  • a double-room vacancy exists.

  Students who do not state a preference will be assigned a roommate.

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Private Rooms

• Residents in any residence hall may apply for a private room at any time; however, a request will be honored each semester only after all applicants have been assigned on a double-occupancy basis. The rate for a private room is an additional 50% of the double-room rate per semester. The additional payment is due upon assignment to the private room by the Department of Housing and Residence Life and will be prorated after the third week of the semester, dependent upon the date on which the student became the only resident in the room.
• Residents having private rooms during fall semester automatically retain the private room, at the appropriate rate, for the spring semester. The possibility always exists that a residence hall having ample space for private rooms in the fall may not have enough space in the spring due to new assignments. The Department of Housing and Residence Life reserves the right to assign two residents to a room that was previously private, if adequate space is not available elsewhere, and charge both residents the double-room rate.

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Roommate Consolidation

The University may consolidate rooms to full capacity when vacancies occur and may move students to another room when such consolidations become necessary. Students who have not contracted for a designated single occupancy room, do not have a roommate, and have been requested to consolidate may either select another roommate, have another roommate assigned by the University, or change rooms. Any room change must be approved by the Assignments Office or Residence Hall Director and be completed within three days after notification to consolidate. If the consolidation has not occurred within this three-day period, the student may be relocated or will automatically be charged and legally obligated to pay the single room rate.

The roommate consolidation procedure is as follows:

• The Residence Director compiles a list of all residents without roommates within his/her hall at the end of Room Change Day.
• The Residence Director provides each resident on the list with an explanation of the consolidation policy and the names of other residents in the same situation.
• The resident has five (5) calendar days in which to declare the room private and agree to pay an additional 50% of the double-room fee, or voluntarily choose a roommate from the list of names and inform the Rresidence Director of the mutual decision to room together. This gives the resident an opportunity to find a roommate of his/her choice. Declaring a room private is based on space availability. Double rooms may not be declared as a single room in Ruby Hall, Griffis Hall, Hurst Hall, and Building 3.
• On the sixth day, residents who have not voluntarily moved together or declared their rooms private will be assigned a new roommate or a new room by the residence director based on each student's assignment priority number. Residents with low numbers may stay in their assigned rooms and residents with high numbers will be re-assigned.
• By the end of the seventh day, all remaining residents who have not consolidated will be charged the appropriate private-room fee.

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Opening and Closing of Residence Halls

• University residence halls will open as announced in University publications prior to registration for each semester. Rooms must be vacated no later than 10 am the day following the student's last scheduled final examination unless the student is graduating, in which case a room will be available until after commencement exercises. Between semesters, the University will close all residence halls. Students may stay in break housing during these breaks. For more information about break housing, contact the Department of Housing and Residence Life at (662) 325-3555. University apartments do not close during break periods.
• All residents are required to turn off lights, unplug appliances, empty trashcans, remove perishables from refrigerators, and take home pet fish or plants before holiday closings. Locked windows and doors and drawn blinds and drapes will enhance the security of a resident's room during vacation periods. The Department of Housing and Residence Life is not responsible for personal belongings which may be lost, damaged, or stolen. Valuables should be removed from the room by the resident during holiday closings to prevent theft or damage. Students failing to adhere to the closing procedures may be assessed a $40 safety/security violation penalty.

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Check-In

Students checking into a residence hall as part of MVNU2MSU in the fall semester should check in at the Humphrey Coliseum between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm. More information about MVNU2MSU is available at http://www.housing.msstate.edu/mvnu2msu/. Students checking in after 5:00 pm on opening day should check-in at the reception desk in the hall to which he or she has been assigned. At this time, room keys will be issued and hall orientation material will be given out. Each resident will complete a room inventory condition form which lists the general condition of the room. It will be used to assess any damages at the end of the semester/year.

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Check-Out

• Rooms must be left clean and in a rentable condition. Rooms must be vacated no later than 10 a.m. the day following the student's last scheduled final exam. Refrigerators and microwaves must be empty and cleaned. All personal belongings must be removed from the room, keys must be returned, and other checkout procedures completed with a residence hall staff member.
• Failure to properly check-out will result in the student being assessed a $50 improper checkout penalty.
• For on-campus residence halls and apartments, cleaning fees begin at $25 and increase depending on the extent of the cleaning.
• All residence halls and apartments close the day after the last scheduled exam at the end of each semester. Graduating students will be provided a room until after the commencement exercises.
• If you leave the residence halls during a semester, you must check out with the Residence Director and go to the Department of Housing and Residence Life office in Room 118 Herbert Hall to complete a notice of cancellation form. This completes the checkout process. The contract cannot be cancelled during the 9-month academic year if you are enrolled at MSU.
• Apartment rent may be prorated at check-out. The prorated amount will be based on the date of the complete check-out and whether the check-out occurred by the official closing date and time of the residence halls and apartments. Students staying beyond the regular check-out date and time are not entitled to a prorated rent.

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Early Move-In

The Department of Housing and Residence Life recognizes that some students may need to move in earlier than the scheduled opening of residence halls in order to meet academic or department requirements.

Effective Fall 2008, the Department of Housing and Residence Life will charge a $25 nightly rate for all approved early residence hall move-ins. This charge is to cover the cost of staffing, services, and utilities required to accommodate early move-ins. Any students who are required to return to campus prior to the scheduled opening of residence halls should keep this charge in mind. The nightly charge will be assessed to the student's Banner account unless the sponsoring department/unit requests to be billed for the charges. All early move-ins must be approved a minimum of one week in advance. Students not approved in advance will be denied access to the residence halls prior to the scheduled opening.

Requests for early move-in may be submitted by e-mail at housing@saffairs.msstate.edu, by fax at 325-4663, or by campus mail at Mail Stop 9502. Please submit requests or questions to the attention of Mike Green, Associate Director for Administrative Operations.

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Damages

The student is responsible for damages to his/her room or apartment and shall reimburse the Department of Housing and Residence Life for damages or loss of accommodations and furnishing. Damages to public areas may be billed to the responsible student(s) or to the residents of the hall or floor.

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Refund of Housing Fees

• Refund of fees will not be made to a student who moves from student housing unless he or she withdraws from the University. Students who register and pay their fees or move into a residence hall for any period of time and then move out of student housing are not entitled to a refund. Students who withdraw from the University are entitled to a prorated refund based on the schedule published in the university bulletin.
• Students who move off campus at mid-semester to student teach may be refunded one-half of the semester housing fee.

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Payment of Housing Fees

The fee is payable by check or money order at registration (Controller's Office, Garner hall). The residence hall fee is based on two students assigned per room. Students who apply for housing after registration will pay a prorated fee based on the beginning date of the week in which they are assigned. Private room and certain other special housing fees are also to be paid at registration.

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Room Entry

The University reserves the right to enter a student's room for maintenance and security measures, as well as in the event of an emergency which may jeopardize the well-being or the occupant or other students in the halls.

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Withdrawal from the University

• The process of withdrawal begins with your academic dean. The cademic calendar will show the withdrawal deadline dates.
• The student should be aware that properly checking out of the residence hall is a part of the process of withdrawal from the University. The student should contact the Department of Housing and Residence Life at 325-3555 or housing@saffairs.msstate.edu for specific instructions on checking out of the residence hall during any time other than the end of the semester checkout period.
• A student who withdraws from the University has 48 hours to vacate the residence hall.

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Eviction from Housing due to non-payment of fees on the Student account

Students who are evicted from housing due to non-payment of fees on their student account are ineligible to return to on-campus housing. Once the debt is cleared through the Controller's Office, the student will be eligible to reapply for on-campus housing. The decision as to placement of the student back into housing rests with the Director of Housing and Residence Life, or his/her designee, and will be made on a case-by-case basis.

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Application Renewal / Room Reassignment (SHARP)

The application renewal / room re-assignment period allows current residence hall students to indicate their request for housing for the following semester. The room reassignment period for the Spring semester takes place during a week in mid October or early November and is called SWING to SPRING. The application renewal / room reassignment period for the Fall semester takes place in mid-February or early March and is called SHARP (Student Housing Application Renewal Process). Residents will receive an email at their MSU email address with instructions for submitting an online application renewal or room reassignment request prior to the room re-assignment period. Students needing to cancel due to withdrawal, co-op, internship, National Student Exchange, or graduation may cancel their contract for Spring by submitting written notification of cancellation to the Department of Housing and Residence Life prior to December 1 to avoid a cancellation penalty.

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Cancellation Policy

Cancellations for the Fall semester are accepted up to May 15 without a penalty. Students canceling after May 15 and on, or before, June 15, will incur a $100 cancellation penalty. Cancellations received after June 15 and on, or before, July 1 will incur a $200 cancellation penalty. Contracts cannot be canceled after July 1.

If a student cancels and/or does not return for the Spring semester, it does not necessarily mean he/she has cancelled the nine-month contract. A student must be participating in co-op, internship, student teaching, or a student exchange program, withdrawing from MSU or transferring to another college in order to cancel a contract for the Spring semester. Students getting married will need to furnish proof of marriage. Residents may submit cancellation requests by e-mailing housing@saffairs.msstate.edu or by obtaining and completing a Cancellation Request Form in Herbert Hall Room 118. If cancellations for Spring semester are made prior to December 1, there will be no penalty. Students canceling after December 1 and on, or before, December 20, will incur a $100 cancellation penalty. Cancellations received after December 20 will incur a $200 cancellation penalty. A contract cannot be canceled after the residence halls open for the Spring semester.

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Contract Appeals

Occasionally, extraordinary circumstances arise which make it difficult for a student to fulfill his/her contractual obligations. Such circumstances include, but are not limited to, sudden and severe financial hardship, sudden and severe medical diagnosis, or a suddenly developed family problem. The Department of Housing and Residence Life has established the Contract Appeals Process to determine if a specific situation merits release from the contract. It is the student’s responsibility to provide adequate documentation to support his/her reason for appeal. A student’s failure to provide adequate documentation may result in immediate decline of the appeal.

Housing contracts can be appealed by picking up a contract appeals form in Room 118 Herbert Hall, filling it out and returning it with the appropriate documentation to 118 Herbert Hall. An appointment with the Housing Appeal Review Committee will be scheduled. All appeals will be reviewed by the Committee, chaired by the Associate Director for Administrative Operations, or his/her designee, for adjudication. Any student who does not appear for his/her appointment with the Committee will forfeit his/her privilege to appear and will have his/her appeal adjudicated based on written documentation. Contract Appeals will incur a non-refundable $50 contract appeal hearing fee. Contract appeals will be reviewed each semester until the refund rate, per the University refund schedule, goes to $0. This is approximately the third week of September for Fall and second week of February for Spring.

If an appeal is granted, a $100 cancellation penalty will be assessed. Any refunds of fees will be based on the University refund schedule as established by the Controller’s Office. Refunds will be based on the date the student meets with his/her Residence Director.

Students denied a release by the Committee may appeal to the Student Housing Appeals Board. The Board is a standing committee reporting to the Vice President for Student Affairs. Board decisions are final.

Students dismissed from the residence halls for disciplinary reasons are not automatically released from the financial obligation of the housing contract. The student may appeal for release from the housing contract through the Housing Contract Appeals Process.

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Email and Communication Practices

As a student of Mississippi State University, all residents are issued an official MSU email account. The Department of Housing and Residence Life uses this email account to communicate announcements and important Housing information to residents. All residents are required to abide by University email policies.

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Storage Policy

Residents who live in Building 3, Cresswell Hall, Critz Hall, Griffis Hall, Hathorn Hall, Hurst Hall, McKee Hall, Ruby Hall, or Sessums Hall can not store new furniture. Residents cannot move unwanted housing furniture/appliances into the hallways for any reason. It is a safety hazard and against fire codes to have furniture/appliances in the corridors. Furniture/appliances must be inside the resident's room or in Housing Facilities' storage building.

Residents who live in Evans Hall, Hull Hall and Rice Hall can request to have unwanted housing furniture stored. The resident must come to Housing Facilities at 812 University Drive #25 and fill out a Housing and Residence Life Storage form. After the form has been completed, the Facilities Staff will pick up and store the furniture as soon as possible. The appropriate storage fees will be billed to the resident's account.

Students must request the return of furniture one-week prior to check out. If bed frames, mattresses, springs, and other furniture items are found in the hallways, Facilities Staff will picked them up (if they do not disappear first) - because it is a fire and safety hazard. It is the RA's responsibility to locate the room the furniture belongs in and inform the student that the furniture must be moved back into his/her room or they must go to Housing Facilities and fill out a storage form. Students who are missing furniture at the end of the year will be billed replacement cost for the furniture unless there is a paper trail (initiated by the resident completing a storage form).

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Furniture

• Each student is provided with furnishings that may include a single bed and mattress, study desk, desk chair, chest of drawers, and mirror. Students may not move additional items into the room from public areas of the hall or from other student rooms. Fluid-filled furniture is prohibited. Students may bring items from home to personalize their rooms.
• Care should be taken not to damage walls or the general condition of the room. Residents will be charged for any damages or changes to the general condition of the room or its furnishings.
• A student can request Housing Facilities Department, (662) 325-2190, to pick-up, store, and return residence hall furniture for a fee. The following new and renovated halls are exempt from this: Building 3, Cresswell Hall, Critz Hall, Griffis Hall, Hathorn Hall, Hurst Hall, McKee Hall, Ruby Hall, or Sessums Hall.
• A student or parent cannot remove furniture from the residence hall room or MSU campus at any time.
• Furniture cannot be left in corridors as that is a violation of security and fire codes.
• Furniture that is broken will be picked up and replaced when a Fix-It request form is submitted. Students found responsible for damaged or broken furniture will be billed for repair or replacement costs.
• When furniture storage is requested, the student is required to come by the Housing Facilities Office to complete the storage form.
• All storage fees will be charged to the student's MSU account. Fees may be paid for by the semester or the year. Fees are non-refundable. If a roommate leaves his/her loft beds and/or personal furniture in the room for the other roommate's use, then it becomes the responsibility of the roommate to pay the necessary fees if fees have not already been paid.
• It is the responsibility of the student to request the return of the furniture one-week prior to checking out. Students will be charged for missing furniture.
• Resident Advisers of each residence hall are required to maintain an accurate inventory of all property and perform a visual inspection of each room prior to check-in and check-out and reporting discrepancies to their Residence Director each semester.
• The Housing Inventory Office is also required to perform a visual inspection and internal audit of all property each semester and report their findings to the Residence Directors and department administration.
• Cinder blocks or any devices other than an approved loft used to elevate beds are prohibited for liability and security reasons.
• Lobby furniture is designed for the lobby and must remain in the lobby Students are prohibited from removing furniture from the lobby to any other location. Students found with lobby furniture in any location other than the lobby will be charged accordingly for the removal of such property.

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Maintenance Requests

Maintenance requests may be submitted online by clicking on the myHousing link located at the top right-hand of the menu bar on the Housing homepage. You will log in to the myHousing system using your MSU NetID and NetPassword. Once you have completed the online form, click submit and your request is automatically entered into our maintenance system.

Most maintenance requests may be completed in 24 to 36 hours depending on severity. More severe issues may take longer. Students may contact the Housing Facilities Office at 325-2190 to check the status of a maintenance request.

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