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Room Rates

The Trustees of the College set annual room rates with the assistance of RLO, the Controller, and the Business Office. After the tenth day of classes, RLO makes no refunds of room rent. If a student pays fees in advance but does not register for the semester, RLO will refund these fees in full. Students in a double room who lose a roommate will continue to be charged a double rate and the space may be filled as needed by the Residence Life Office.

Room rates for the current academic year can be found here.

NOTE: Students with special physical or medical needs who are assigned a double room but not a roommate are charged the single room rate. If the College removes a student from on-campus housing for disciplinary reasons, the student will be charged for the full contract rate.

Room Assignments

Davidson requires all currently enrolled students to live in college housing as long as space is available. The college grants off-campus permission to upperclassmen based on lottery number and campus occupancy numbers. Lottery numbers are determined by class (e.g. senior, junior), which The Office of the Registrar determines based on credit hours. Residence Life strictly abides by the Registrar's Office determination of class. RLO charges one semester's double room rent to students who move off-campus without permission. Due to a lack of housing on campus, housing is not guaranteed. In the event of minimal available bed space, lounges may be used, but in some rare cases students may be asked to live off campus.

The Contract and Agreement Period

The Contract
By accepting a room assignment and living in the residence halls, a student agrees to abide by all rules and regulations set forth in the Student Handbook and by Residence Life, and to accept decisions and rulings made by RLO and Davidson College. Students' failure to do so may incur Code of Responsibility charges, fines, and/or sanctions. Sanctions for violations of residence hall policies vary according to the severity of the infraction, but may include community service, mandatory program attendance, counseling referrals, eviction from college housing, or suspension from the college.

Agreement Period
Room rent covers the period from the time when the residence halls open until the time when they are officially closed. These dates vary each year (see below for more details). During the academic year, residence halls are closed down only for winter break. All students are required to vacate campus during winter break, beginning at noon following the last day of exams. Students leaving after hall closing time are subject to a $250.00 late fee. Students may not occupy their rooms any time before the official opening of the halls (usually 8:00 am on the Saturday before classes begin).
The Security Access System is designed to deactivate all students' cards at winter break and at the end of the school year. Residents who are planning flights during hall closing time should make travel reservations well in advance to avoid conflicts with this policy. Laundry and dining services are not available during winter break.

Departure Dates and Times

Students who withdraw during the semester must checkout of the hall within 24 hours of their withdrawal notice.

Winter Break Closing
Students who have completed their course work and exams at the end of the fall semester must leave the residence hall within 24 hours of their last exam. The halls officially close beginning at noon following the last day of exams- all students must be clear of the hall by that time.

End of Year Closing
After spring semester, non-graduating students are allowed to stay until 5:00 p.m. on Commencement Sunday. Graduating seniors must check out by noon on the Monday following Commencement. See the Checkout page for more details on this year's check out process.

Check-In / Check-Out

All students must follow check-in and checkout procedures at the beginning and end of each contract period (academic year or semester) or upon departure at any point during the year. Students check in and out through the student staff member on their hall. In addition, students who change rooms at any time throughout the year must check out of their old assignment and into the new assignment with the student staff member(s) in those areas affected by the change.

Check-In
Students must meet with their student staff member to confirm room assignment, receive room key, and acknowledge the Room Condition Report (RCR). The RCR inventories the furniture provided by the College and records the existing condition of the room and all furnishings. The RCR is completed prior to check in and the student signs it during check in. Students should report all missing items or major damage to their hall staff member at check-in in order to avoid charges for such damages upon checkout.

Check-Out
Students must contact their student staff member to check-out of their rooms. After removing all personal furniture and other belongings from the room, cleaning the room, and returning all contents to their original position, the student will meet with their hall staff member to check-out (sign up for a time prior to check out). Failure to clean and/or restore a room satisfactorily results in cleaning charges billed to the occupant(s) of the room. If a student cannot locate his/her staff member, he or she should contact RLO. The staff member "clears" the student by signing the RCR and noting changes/damages from the original condition of the room. Students must not leave without signing the RCR form.

Students who do not check-out with a student hall staff member will be charged $40. Also, failure to turn in the same key issued at the beginning of the year will result in a $40 fee. Students leaving after the deadline times (see closing materials for deadlines) are subject to a $250.00 late fee. This fee covers expenses for contract cleaners who are paid to begin service at those times. If students have not left by then, the college is responsible for paying the cleaners whether they can work or not.

Room Keys

The college abides by the following key policy:

1. Each resident receives one residence hall room key upon check-in from his/her student staff member. (Tomlinson Hall residents also receive a common area key.)
2. In the event of a lockout during regular office hours (M-F, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm), students can come to the Residence Life Office and borrow a lock-out key. A student who borrows a key from RLO and does not return it within 48 hours will be charged $40 to recore the lock. (Tomlinson residents will be charged $80 for two keys.)
3. If a student is locked out at night or on the weekend, RAs, HCs, and Building Managers are able to let students into their rooms.  If a student cannot locate an RA or HC, he/she may contact Campus Police. Responses to lock-outs by Campus Police may be subject to a $10 fee.
4. Lost keys require recoring and new keys cut at a $40 charge. Students may borrow a key from RLO to use in the interim, but must return it when the new key is issued.

Room Condition Guidelines and Damage Charges

The college does not allow any alterations to residence hall rooms without approval from RLO. Students should check with an Area Coordinator or the Residence Life Office to ensure whether a change is permissible. The following incidents may result in substantial damage charges:

• Removing shelves or furniture, attempting to rewire any outlets or lighting, sawing doors to accommodate carpeting, installing water filters or other specialized plumbing fixtures, etc.
• Painting and/or repainting a room. Painting will result in charges from Physical Plant for the cost for materials and labor (which may be outsourced) to repaint the room.
• Using putty or two-sided tape to hang posters, picture frames, bulletin boards, etc.
• Decorating with contact paper or "glow-in-the-dark" stars.
• Failing to remove personal furniture/carpeting upon check-out.
• Failing to sweep/vacuum room upon check-out.

Damage Charges and Billing
Actual billing for damages occurs at the beginning of the summer with the aid of the Physical Plant Staff. Billing for room damages ordinarily appears in the July billing from the Controller's Office (January for those students who move out in December). Students should retain a copy of the RCR form in the event of any questions regarding checkout. Damage amounts are assessed at a later date by professional staff.

Furniture Replacement Costs are as follows:

Room Inspections

In an effort to not only do as much as possible to ensure students are living in a safe and healthy environment, but also to try to ensure the long-term integrity of the buildings, Residence Life reserves the right to enter and inspect residential spaces for cleanliness and continued care at any point throughout the year. These inspections would generally only occur at the following times:

1. If a concern (by another resident, student staff member, or Physical Plant staff member) is brought to RLO attention due to the presence of a strong odor, pest problem, maintenance concern, or safety issue.
2. Once or twice a semester on a regular and announced schedule.

Health and Safety Inspections
Health and Safety Inspections will occur once or twice a semester throughout campus. Notice of inspection dates will be given at least a week ahead of time. These inspections will be conducted by RLO student staff. Two staff members will enter each room / apartment on campus and will be checking for the following things:

• Fire Safety Hazards (e.g. candles, flammable materials, fire safety equipment that has been tampered with)
• Appliance concerns (e.g. improper cooking appliances, excessive refrigerators, halogen lamps)
• Maintenance concerns (e.g. excessive damages, broken door locks, improper lofts)
• Health concerns (e.g. cleanliness issues, trash not removed)

Furthermore, any College or Residence Life policy violations that are witnessed during the inspection, such as illegal drugs or paraphernalia, weapons, or unauthorized pets, will be dealt with appropriately. Apartments or rooms that contain improper or hazardous items will likely be reinspected at a later date. In some cases, residents who have hazardous items or other policy violations may be fined accordingly. Immediate threats to safety or major violations will be confiscated immediately.

In order to ensure cleanliness in the rooms/apartments, vacuum cleaners are available in the residence halls, but are not available in Martin Court. Further cleaning supplies should be purchased by the residents of the room/apartment.

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