Policy & Regulation

Chapter 09.08 - Residence Life and Student Housing

Regents' Policy  |  University Regulation

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REGENTS’ POLICY
PART IX – STUDENT AFFAIRS
Chapter 09.08 - Residence Life and Student Housing

P09.08.010. General Statement: Residence Life and Student Housing.

  1. In order to provide students a supportive place to live and study, chancellors are authorized to designate facilities to be used for student housing, within the limitations of available facilities, resources, and personnel. This chapter and the accompanying university regulation refer only to facilities designated as student housing. Residence life programs provided with student housing will be designed to promote academic success and an awareness of educational, cultural, and social issues, and to contribute to student personal growth. 
  2. Each chancellor will establish MAU rules and procedures consistent with regents’ policy and university regulation regarding the operation and occupation of student housing and associated residence life programs, taking into consideration the housing needs of shortterm as well as semester-based instructional programs. All residents and their guests must comply with MAU rules and procedures pertaining to housing and residence life. Noncompliance may subject a resident to disciplinary action, including dismissal from student housing. The university will not permit or tolerate behavior toward residents of student housing that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive living and learning environment.

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P09.08.020. Eligibility for Student Housing.

  1. Each chancellor will establish MAU eligibility criteria for occupancy of student housing, grounds for removal from student housing, and limitations on the length of stay in student housing. Criteria may vary among campuses and will include academic status and performance and status of financial obligations to the university. 
  2. The opportunity to be considered for student housing will be provided in a manner consistent with regents’ policy, university regulation, MAU rules and procedures, and applicable law. The university may deny housing to a student on the basis of past or present behavior if, in the judgment of the senior student services officer or designee, such behavior might threaten university property or the health and safety of the residents. 
  3. The university has the exclusive right to make housing assignments. In making student housing assignments, consideration will be given by the university to such things as promotion of educational goals, student safety, student privacy interests, and the provision of housing for students' dependents. 
  4. Residents for particular housing facilities or locations within facilities may be selected with a preference for a certain interest or focus such as gender, class standing, academic performance, student organization membership, and academic, cultural, or other special interest.
  5. Each chancellor may establish MAU rules and procedures for eligibility and occupancy of student housing by non-students, for example, faculty, staff, conference attendees, or dependents. Non-student residents must be affiliated with the university unless otherwise approved by the senior student services officer or designee.

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P09.08.030. Student Housing Agreements.

Each student of record for student housing will be required to sign a housing agreement, the purpose of which is to establish the terms and conditions for occupancy of housing assigned by the university and to document the acceptance of such terms and conditions. Residents will be required to agree to allow the university the right to enter, with reasonable prior notice, a residential unit for facility maintenance, health and safety inspections, enforcement of regents’ policy, university regulation, and MAU rules and procedures, and in emergency situations. Each chancellor will designate an official responsible for preparing, in coordination with the university's general counsel office, MAU student housing agreements.

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P09.08.040. Housing and Residence Life Information.

The chancellor or chancellor's designee will be responsible for making available to residents of student housing information regarding rights and responsibilities pertaining to housing and residence life.

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P09.08.050. Student Housing and Residence Life Staff.

  1. In accordance with regents’ policy, university regulation, and MAU rules and procedures, individuals being considered for any student housing and residence life employment will be required to disclose pending criminal charges and past criminal convictions and to consent to a criminal background check. 
  2. Persons with pending criminal charges or a history of criminal convictions relevant to the position will not be offered staff positions in any university student housing or resident life employment unless written authorization is provided by the senior student services officer or designee, following procedures specified in university regulation and MAU rules and procedures.

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UNIVERSITY REGULATION
PART IX – ACADEMIC POLICY
Chapter 09.08 - Residence Life and Student Housing

R09.08.020. Eligibility for Student Housing.

Each chancellor may, at the chancellor's discretion, designate for each campus classifications of students who will be required to live in student housing, and determine criteria for granting exceptions to such requirement.

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R09.08.030. Student Housing Agreements.

Student housing agreements must include:

  1. Terms of agreement for entry of student housing by university personnel.
    1. When feasible, the university will provide reasonable prior notice of housing entry for routine or preventative maintenance and repair and health and safety inspections (“routine entry”) by maintenance and other authorized personnel. Notice of routine entry will include the reason for entry, who will be entering the residence, and an approximate time the entry will occur. Two attempts to contact the affected students should be made within the 24-hour period preceding the routine entry; such attempts may constitute, for example, knocking on the door. Residents need not be present at the time of routine entry. If present, residents are entitled to request identification from the authorized personnel. 
    2. University personnel may enter a student housing residence with prior notice but without contemporaneous permission when they have reason to believe that there is a violation of the student code of conduct in progress. Such entry must be done by, or have the authorization of, university personnel designated by the chancellor or senior student services officer or designee. Prior to entering, such university personnel must knock on the door of the student housing residence and announce their names and titles and their need to enter the residence for such purposes. When feasible, the university personnel will knock twice and announce that they are entering prior to actually entering the student housing residence. 
    3. University personnel may enter a student housing residence without prior notice or contemporaneous permission when they have reason to believe there is imminent danger to persons or property. Such entry must be done by, or have the authorization of, university personnel designated by the chancellor or senior student services officer or designee. 
    4. When feasible, university personnel entering a student residence to enforce the student code of conduct or under emergency situations should be accompanied by at least one other person.
    5. Entry of student residences for purposes of searching for evidence for law enforcement must be conducted in a manner consistent with law.
  2. Notification that the housing agreement is not subject to provisions of the Alaska Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (AS 34.03).

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R09.08.040. Housing and Residence Life Information.

Information will be available to residents of student housing regarding:

  1. student residence life/housing conduct standards; 
  2. judicial processes pertaining to student conduct and residence life; 
  3. personal and facility safety and security; 
  4. housing and residence life staff; and 
  5. conditions under which entry to student residences by authorized personnel may be made without the resident's presence or contemporaneous consent.

Residents will be responsible for being familiar with this information.

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R09.08.050. Student Housing and Residence Life Staff.

The senior student services officer or designee will be responsible for setting the qualifications for employment of student housing and residence life staff; determining the balance between student employees and professional staff; and establishing training and development programs.

  1. Employment of student housing and residence life staff.
    1. When a person under consideration for employment has a previous criminal conviction or pending criminal charges, the hiring official must consult with the senior student services officer or designee, the applicable personnel office, and the office of the general counsel prior to further consideration of the applicant for hire. The circumstances of the conviction or pending charges and how they relate to the duties and responsibilities of the position will be reviewed. All applicable Regents' Policy, University Regulation, and MAU rules and procedures will be followed. The senior student services officer or designee must approve in writing the hire of a person with pending criminal charges or a previous criminal conviction. 
    2. Failure to reveal criminal convictions or pending criminal charges will constitute just cause for immediate dismissal.
  2. Training and development for student housing and residence life staff.

    The senior student services officer or designee is responsible for ensuring that training appropriate to level of responsibility is provided all residence life staff. Training programs will include, but are not limited to, information on:
    1. university organization;
    2.  university facilities;
    3.  housing facilities;
    4.  safety and security;
    5.  position responsibilities;
    6.  personal development;
    7.  student life and development;
    8.  programming methodology; and
    9.  legal obligations and limitations.

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