University Housing move-out policy on ‘honor system’
University Housing, including Wassaja Hall, require students to move out within 24 hours of their last final; however, its policies aren’t strictly enforced.
May 1, 2017
Current University policies state that students need to move out of University Housing 24 hours after their final exam.
However, Andrea Cailles, assistant director for residential life, said the policy is on an honor system and is not actively enforced unless the resident is disruptive to the learning environment.
“Sometimes when students are done with finals, they tend to let loose a bit,” Cailles said.
The move-out policy is in place to ensure that those with exams on May 12 have a quiet environment conducive to studying, Cailles said.
But Alan Ren, freshman in Engineering, said that his residence hall, Illinois Street Residence Hall, usually maintains a peaceful atmosphere. Ren said he wasn’t aware of the policy, but hasn’t made plans for moving out yet.
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“I know in some dorms, (the atmosphere) is much worse,” Ren said. “I don’t really study in my room anyway, so it doesn’t really affect me.”
Danielle Catlett, freshman in DGS, said she doesn’t plan to move out immediately after her last exam. She said that the lively atmosphere after exams isn’t a concern for her either.
“If I want to have some quiet, there are plenty of places to go,” Catlett said. “There’s a whole library in the residence halls and there’s a library on campus.”
Cailles said although the policy is not actively enforced, University Housing contracts allow residence halls to remove a student if they get too rowdy.
“(The policy) is on an honor system, but we do reserve the right to ask somebody to leave if they’re being disruptive and their final exams are done,” Cailles said.
The undergraduate residence halls officially close at 3 p.m. on May 13, the day after the last final exam day. Before then, there is no fee for staying in the halls even after a student’s last final exam.
For students participating in commencement ceremonies, an extended stay can be requested to stay until 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 14 at no extra charge.
Without an approved extended stay, however, students are charged a $25 late checkout fee for every hour after 3 p.m. on May 13, up to $100.
“We have a lot of students whose final exam periods go into the very last time slot,” Cailles said. “We want our halls to be as quiet and conducive to their study needs as possible.”
