Avenue Housing Standards
Preamble
Living in a University Avenue house is considered a privilege. Residents of the Avenue enjoy a much higher degree of autonomy, the use of family-style kitchens, more private restrooms and access to yards and porches.
Because the houses were originally built as single-family homes, great care must be taken to ensure they remain in good condition. The responsibility for maintaining the houses, a process that can be considered stewardship, lies both with the university and the students that occupy the houses. Furthermore, while University Avenue is a part of our campus, it is also a well-traveled street within the community of Selinsgrove. Thus, it is important that this area be well-kept for the sake of our neighbors and the impression the university makes within the borough.
To this end, the purpose of the following document is to clearly outline and define expectations for residents of University Avenue houses, and to promote consistency within those facilities. These policies are in addition to those found in the Code of Student Conduct and any other policy document relating to student housing on campus.
Policies
- Attics:
All attics on the Avenue will be locked and considered "off limits" to residents.
Accessing attics for any reason will be considered a violation of university policy. Any personal items found to have been illegally stored in attics will be discarded immediately and without notice.
- Basements:
All basements on the Avenue will be locked and considered "off limits" to its residents.
Accessing basements for any reason will be considered a violation of university policy. Any personal items found to have been illegally stored in basements will be discarded immediately and without notice.
- Bathrooms:
The existing campus policy for bathrooms will be enforced. This means:
- NO storage of personal items/toiletries will be allowed in the bathrooms, unless there is an existing/purposeful cabinet or shelf provided.
- Items left in other locations, (especially those impeding proper cleaning), will be discarded without notice. Other areas include, but are not limited to, the tops/counters of vanities, in showers/tubs, added hooks/racks, etc.
- Billings/Damages:
- Bedroom damages will be billed to the individual resident(s) of that room.
- Common area damages will be billed to all building residents.
From there, it is the responsibility of the house residents to reconcile damages that were caused by other members of their organization. Non-residents must come forward and report responsibility to the Office of Residence Life in order to have the charges removed from the accounts of the residents. This must be done before the end of each semester when the billings are posted to student accounts. If the person responsible does not come forward before the billing, he/she will need to privately reimburse the house residents for the amount that was billed to their accounts.
- Donated Items
- Items that have been donated to a house or organization must be identified by the residents as an organizational item. The item must then be handled as such according to the guidelines of this document.
- Items that are found to be out of compliance with this document and that are not identified as either personal or organizational will be disposed of.
- Electronics
The university does not provide electronic equipment such as computers, televisions, dvd players, etc. for the common areas of any houses. Existing equipment will not be maintained or replaced by the university.
- Exteriors of Houses:
- Porches and yards of Avenue houses must remain free and clear of all furniture, trash, recycling, equipment and any other miscellaneous items.
- Any item found on the porch/yard areas for an extended period of time will be discarded upon inspection.
- Nothing that is conspicuous or in bad taste will be permitted on the visible exterior of the house at any time. This includes, but is not limited to, porches, yards, driveways and windows.
Patio furniture is permitted from August 30 until November 1 and from April 1 until May 15. It must be pre-approved by the Associate Director of Facilities Management before being placed outside. Houses can be asked at anytime to remove approved or unapproved patio furniture.
- Organizations wishing to have identifying letters visible from the outside of their house must provide their own letters. Letters must be submitted to the Office of Facilities Management for approval and installation.
- Furniture:
- Bedroom furniture will be provided by the University.
- For non-Greek houses:
- Common area furniture will be provided by SU. Additional furniture can be self-provided as long as it meets fire and safety inspection standards. At any time, university staff may deem the amount of furniture excessive and officially request that items be removed.
- All personal items, including furniture must be removed from the house at the end of the spring semester.
- For Greek houses:
Common area furniture can be provided by SU or can be self-provided. Furniture in common areas will be limited to 3-4 upholstered pieces, per room, depending on the size of the room. An excess of furniture or furniture that is in poor condition will be discarded upon inspection.
- General Condition:
It is expected that all areas of Avenue houses, both interior and exterior, will be maintained in a clean, orderly fashion. If at any time, a house is found to be in violation of this, the residents may receive an official request to rectify the situation. Failure to comply with the request will be considered a violation of university policy.
- Grills:
There are to be no gas grills of any kind in or around the student Avenue houses. Charcoal grills are permitted, but briquettes must be disposed of properly after they’ve cooled (not thrown on the ground). Grills will not be stored over the summer and any grills left behind will be removed and discarded.
- Kitchens:
- A refrigerator, stove, microwave and sink will be provided by the University.
- Any other small appliances must be provided by the residents and removed at the end of the academic year. The university may choose to limit the number of self-provided appliances at any time.
- At the end of the spring semester, before the last resident leaves the house, the following items must be completed:
- All food must be disposed of.
- All cooking/eating implements must clean and stored in cupboards.
- Anything dirty or not properly stored will be discarded.
- Second Floor Porches
All second floor porches are considered restricted areas and may not be accessed for any reason.
- Staff Access
The common areas (all areas except student bedrooms) of houses on University Avenue are subject to the same policies that apply to common areas in other residence halls.
- University personnel, including but not limited Facilities Management staff, Public Safety officers and Resident Assistants will have unfettered access to common areas.
- Only when an organization has properly registered a closed/ritual event with the Greek Advisor will the Resident Assistant on duty suspend rounds through the house. In this case, the Greek Advisor will notify the RA staff of the event. Residents may not restrict access to their house outside of the time frame outlined by the Greek Advisor.
- Storage:
- During the Academic Year:
- Like other residents on campus, storage for personal items is not available outside the confines of resident rooms.
- For non-Greek organizations, items for the use of the organization may be neatly stored in closets and common areas.
- For Greek organizations, fraternity and sorority items may be stored in the shed behind 310 University Avenue. Access to the shed can be obtained from the Greek Advisor.
- During the Summer:
- No personal or organizational items may be stored in common areas of houses. This includes furniture.
- Greek houses may store organizational items in closets within their house or in the shed behind 310 University Avenue.
- All non-greek organizations must completely remove all items from their houses.
- Personal items found anywhere on campus will be discarded at the organizations’ expense.
Conclusion
Any violation of the aforementioned standards will result in action taken by the staff of Student Life and/or Facilities Management, with any applicable notice being directed to the organization and/or individuals that inhabit the house in question. This may include, but is not limited to, documentation for violation of university policy, assessment of fines or cleaning/disposal fees, a deduction of points within the SUGAR Plan (Greek houses only) and loss of the privilege of living in an Avenue house.
Notice of violations may come from the Office of Residence Life (including resident assistants), the Office of Facilities Management (including housekeeping staff), the Office of Public Safety or the Greek Advisor.
This is considered to be a living document and therefore, may be added to or augmented at any time when conditions warrant it.
