Housing Residential Agreement

Expectations

Each resident agrees to conduct themselves in a manner that is conducive for fellow residents to study, live and sleep. Each resident agrees to not disturb the environment and agrees to demonstrate reasonable efforts to resolve housing problems.

Residents also agree to hold the college, its agents and employees harmless from all damage, liability or loss caused by the resident or resident’s guest(s) from the negligent, illegal or intentional misuse of the room.

Residents have the rights and responsibility to:

1. Maintain a clean living environment which supports their academic success.
2. Govern their space in an adult manner.
3. Understand all policies and procedures in the housing contract and St. Clair County Community College Student Code of Conduct.
4. Treat community members respectfully, regardless of any of the following, including but not limited to: gender, sexual orientation, race, heritage, religion or disability.

Substance-free living

College Housing is a substance-free living environment. By choosing to live in housing, all residential personnel, including housing staff, agree to keeping all residential spaces — public and private — free from any and all alcohol, drug or smoking-related substances/paraphernalia. Substances include but are not limited to:

• Alcohol
• Tobacco products (including smokeless)
• E-cigarettes and vaping pens
• Drugs and drug paraphernalia (including medicinal marijuana)
• Illegally obtained prescription medications

Residents who want to and are of legal age to consume alcohol or smoke legal products agree to responsibly do so off the St. Clair County Community College campus and housing property. If returning to housing, of-age residents under any influence of alcohol agree to remain in their private rooms for the rest of the duration of their intoxication. Physical housing communal presence of any aged resident under the influence of alcohol or other substances is in violation of housing policy.

Alcohol policy

No alcoholic beverages or alcohol paraphernalia will be allowed on the college premises, including College Housing. Alcohol paraphernalia includes but is not limited to empty containers, bottles, kegs and boxes. The alcohol and/or empty containers will be discarded by the resident and housing staff member. Any nonresidents of the room will be documented and asked to leave. Every student in the room at the time that alcohol is discovered will be subject to the housing code of conduct process or Student Code of Conduct process. Students who do not live on campus are not exempt from St. Clair County Community College’s alcohol policy. Students in the presence of alcohol violations within housing may also be held responsible for alcohol and/or student code of conduction violations.

Smoking and tobacco

The Board of Trustees of St. Clair County Community College recognizes the health dangers created by smoking and hereby prohibits the use of any tobacco products and paraphernalia — whether smoking, chewing or otherwise — anywhere on the St. Clair County Community College campus, including buildings, sidewalks, parking lots, building entrances, common areas, in college-owned vehicles and in College Housing.

St. Clair County Community College prohibits the use of all tobacco products (cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, loose-leaf tobacco, electronic cigarettes, hookahs and smokeless tobacco) on campus and in College Housing. Therefore, use of chewing and smoking tobacco is prohibited inside and outside of any room, building and parking lot in housing as well as any building or parking lot on the campus of St. Clair County Community College.

Residents may be subject to the housing code of conduct process or Student Code of Conduct process for smoking inside or on College Housing property. Additionally, the smell of smoke inside a room, which indicates smoking in the room has occurred, also finds residents responsible for housing code of conduct violations. Any evidence of smoking discovered inside or outside of any rooms will also result in a substance-free policy violation.

This policy also includes the smoking of marijuana (illegal and legal medicinal use) and chewing tobacco spitting containers. Students will be subject to the housing code of conduct process and legal processes for the smell or detection of marijuana (including for medicinal purposes) inside any housing room.

Drug-free workplace

The Board of Trustees of St. Clair County Community College acknowledges that the illicit use of drugs and the abuse of alcohol by students or by employees is detrimental not only to the health and well-being of the employee and students, but is also detrimental to the discharge of their respective responsibilities. Such use, possession or dispensing of illicit drugs or abuse of alcohol is inconsistent with the college purposes of higher education and the college’s attitude toward the use of drugs or alcohol by its students and employees.

It shall be the policy of this college that there shall be no illicit use of drugs or abuse of alcohol allowed by students or employees on the college’s property or at or as a part of any institutional activities.

No employee or student shall unlawfully manufacture, distribute, dispense, possess or use any controlled substance or alcohol while on the college property or at any institutional activity.

Students found in possession of illegal drugs and/or paraphernalia of any type will be subject to legal action and possible eviction.

All prescription medication must be labeled with a pharmacy label and must be prescribed to the resident of the room.

Suspected drug use

College Housing reserves the right to mandate resident drug testing if College Housing has reasonable cause to believe the resident may be using prohibited substances as listed above. Reasonable cause includes but is not limited to:

1. Abnormal behavior and/or shown symptoms of consumption.
2. The smell of odor on person or in room/hall space.
3. Referral or reporting from another resident/roommate, college staff and/or faculty member.
4. Falsely set off fire alarms.

If a resident rejects to comply with a College Housing-requested drug-screening, the college will assume the rejection is an admission of guilt, at which the college reserves the right to terminate the resident’s contract. College Housing will pay for the requested drug-screening.

If the drug-screening results positive, College Housing reserves the right to terminate the resident’s contract. At the discretion of College Housing staff, the resident may be offered a substance recovery probationary period. If implemented (with mutual agreement of the resident), the resident agrees to the following for the following 30 days:

1. No cause or involvement with resident conduct infractions of the residential agreement including the substance-free living expectations on and off housing campus.
2. At the end of the probationary period, the resident must pass another mandated drug-screening test. A second failure will result in the termination of the resident’s housing contract.

Failure to abide by the substance recovery probation period requirements will result in the termination of the resident’s contract and dismissal from housing.

College Housing reserves the right to refer drug-screening results of residents to legal authorities and other campus staff and faculty.

Daily living

Quiet hours

Residents are to be courteous of others in terms of noise they are causing at all times. Additionally, College Housing has enacted quiet hours during the following times:

11 p.m. to 8 a.m., Sunday through Thursday.
12 a.m. to 9 a.m., Friday and Saturday

During these times, residents agree to not partake in any loud noise-producing activities, not including the use of essential living facilities such as showers, toilets, sinks and the kitchen. Residents who persistently violate quiet hours may be subject to the housing code of conduct process.

During final exam periods, 24/7 quiet hours will be enacted for studying and sleeping purposes, and overnight guests will not be allowed. Housing will notify residents in advance of these durations.

Keys and Lockouts

If a resident loses a housing keycard or becomes locked out of their room, they can receive a  replacement keycard from the front desk during normal hours. When outside of normal front desk hours, the resident is to contact the RA on duty phone listed at the front desk for assistance. Refer to Replacement Key Fee for fee information.

It is prohibited for a resident to duplicate or attempt to duplicate any housing keys or keycards.

Parking

Each resident can receive one parking permit for the academic year, available at the front desk.

The parking permit allows residents to park in any of the college housing parking spots on a daily first-come, first-served basis. College Housing does not provide guest parking. We encourage residents and guests to utilize the free, no-limit city parking lots that can be found on the city of Port Huron website. uHuron

If a resident needs to register a different car for their parking permit, the resident is required to do so at the front desk.

During checkout, residents must turn in their parking permit with their housing keys, otherwise a $50 fee may be charged to the student’s account.

Note: College Housing parking is shared with an adjoining city lot. Residents are encouraged to park only in confirmed designated resident spots. College Housing is not responsible for any city parking or towing fees. It is the responsibility of the resident and guest to understand the City of Port Huron parking regulations. Residents who illegally park in the designated St. Clair County Community College lots (double parking, in handicap spaces, blocking the driveways, broken-down vehicles, etc.) may be towed at owner’s expense.

Bikes

College Housing provides bike racks for resident use and communal bikes for residents to check out during fall and spring. It is recommended that residents use U-Lock bike locks to secure their bicycles. Any bicycles left on college housing property after move-out or locked to anything other than the bike racks are subject to be discarded by the college (see “Abandonment”).

Meal rates and plans

Housing does not require residents to purchase a meal plan, however it is encouraged that any student or staff purchase the partnered Elevate meal plan. Elevate is the St. Clair County Community College off-campus meal plan. Students can enjoy preset meal combos from nearby restaurants in downtown Port Huron.

Please refer to sc4.edu/mealplan for more information.

Laundry

Laundry washers and dryers are available for use by residents at standard costs ($1.50 for wash, $1 for dryer). A coin machine is provided in the laundry facility. Residents are expected to provide their own laundry products. Washer and dryer use for non-residents is prohibited.

Mail

All residential mail is to be sent using the post office box listed below. All mail is processed internally through the St. Clair County Community College print shop. Mail is picked up from the PO box, processed in the print shop, and delivered to housing every business day. Please note: If a package is delivered to the PO box over the weekend, the mail will be delivered to the residence hall the following business day.

College Housing staff reserves the right to return mail to sender if the mail is not addressed to the legal name of current in-house contracted resident or personnel.

Please send mail to the following address:

(Student’s name)
SC4 College Housing
PO Box 5001
Port Huron MI, 48061-5001

Guests

All guests are to check in at the front desk using the sign-in sheet and all guests must have a photo ID on them at all times.

Residents must be with their guests at all times while in housing. Additionally, residents are responsible for the behavior of their guests and are to ensure that guests follow all housing policies.

All roommates must be in agreement to guest visitations and overnight stays in the resident assigned spaces. Guests may not stay longer than two consecutive nights and no more than 10 nights total per semester. Overnight guests under the age of 18 are not allowed in housing.

Overnight guests are prohibited during 24/7 quiet hours, which occur during final exam periods. These durations will be announced to residents in advance. 

Residents are permitted to have guests under the age of 18 only during the hours of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Residents with guests under the age of 18 must have completed the Minors Visitation Permission form, including written permission from a parent or legal guardian. This form can be picked up and turned in from the housing office.  

Community Resources

College Housing offers residents access to community resources such as TVs, Commons spaces, bike rentals, and other rental equipment. Residents are expected to share community resources equally with other residents. Failure of community resources being shared equally may result in College Housing to place limits on the use community resources by residents.

Kitchen use and cooking policy

The commons kitchen in College Housing is provided as a convenience for residents as a self-serve area to prepare meals beyond a microwave option but less than a full-service kitchen.  The kitchen is not designed as a large-scale meal preparation area and therefore is limited in function.

Permissible kitchen uses:

Oven

• Warming prepackaged food (TV dinner, premade lasagna, pizza, chicken patties, etc.)
• Broiling hamburger, steak, etc.
• Baking ham, turkey, chicken, etc.

Stove top

• Boiling water (pasta, hardboiled eggs, oatmeal, etc.)
• Warming (spaghetti sauce, soup, etc.)

Prohibited kitchen uses:

• Unattended cooking — someone needs to be present at all times.
• Burning food (excessive smoke is not allowed at any time. Items shall be cooked at proper temperatures.)
• Stove-top grease cooking (frying of any kind is not allowed — this includes oil and butter.)

Other important considerations:

• Residents must ensure oven, stove and other self-contained grills are turned off after use.
• All remaining food and other trash must be properly disposed.
• Counters and other work surfaces must be properly cleaned after each use.

Residential staff shall enforce the cooking policy. It is required of all residents to follow the policy and remind all community members to follow the policy. Improper use of the kitchen may result in loss of cooking privileges. 

Residents are required to provide their own cooking items and dishware. Kitchen items that are left uncleaned and not stored away will be cleaned and put into housing storage. A resident may speak with a College Housing Professional Staff member to reclaim their items.

Appropriate attire

Dress, grooming and personal cleanliness standards contribute to the ambiance and character of the college and College Housing. College students are required to adhere to prevailing standards of good judgment in their choice of attire and are expected to conduct themselves in a way that best represents themselves and the college. Residents are required to be fully clothed while in common spaces (indoor and outdoor) of housing. All residents must wear some form of acceptable footwear while in the housing commons area such as shoes, sandals or slippers.  Bare feet are unacceptable in the housing commons area.

Housekeeping and Maintenance

Residents are expected to maintain a standard of cleanliness within their assigned rooms that deters health and safety hazards including but not limited to pests and rodent infestation, mold and bacteria. Additionally, it is the expected responsibility of all residents who choose to use the communal facilities (laundry washers and dryers, kitchen, public restroom, common space, and furniture) to maintain a clean environment for the entire community.

If pests or rodents are discovered anywhere within housing, residents are expected to report to any College Housing staff member immediately. 

Residents are expected to report any discovered or caused damage of the housing facilities to any member of College Housing staff. The following problems should be reported immediately: discharged fire extinguisher, malfunctioning smoke detector, pipe leaks, broken tile or cracked grout, ceiling or wall leaks, and appliance malfunctions.

Room inspection, entry and search

College Housing reserves the right of entry into the resident’s room to assure proper maintenance and repair, to provide for health and safety of all residents, to assist residents with lockouts, and/or to investigate when there is a reason to believe that violation of a state regulation, housing policy or college regulation is occurring within the resident’s room. Rooms should be kept clean and free of health hazards. Illegal items will be confiscated and students found with illegal materials will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action. A minimum of two room inspections will be conducted per semester.

When possible, maintenance and/or College Housing will work to provide the residents prior notification of an upcoming room repair service/room entry. Maintenance will leave notices for residents after entry of the room for repair requests.

Requests for repairs in a room

Residents can make room repair requests by emailing housing@sc4.edu or contacting a professional Housing Staff Member and/or the RA on Duty.

In the event of an immediate emergency issue with a room or other building facility, a resident should inform a College Housing staff member immediately. If after front desk hours, please call the RA on duty (phone number posted at the front desk). The following should be reported immediately: loss of electricity, gas leaks, water/plumbing issues, structural issues and heating issues.

Residents are expected to take initial responsibility for the handling of plunging clogged toilets/private bathroom drains before submitting a repair request.

Decorations or alterations to room and furniture

Residents are not to make any modifications — whether structural, electrical or plumbing — to the housing and room facilities, nor to attempt any construction or remodeling, no matter how minor. No furniture may be removed from the resident’s room. Residents are not allowed to decorate any wall or other surfaces with paint, wallpaper, paneling or contact paper. Walls that need repainting are painted in between academic years. Carpet squares that need to be replaced are replaced in between academic years. Residents who wish to personalize their rooms must exercise good judgment to ensure their personal safety as well as the safety of others living in the community. The following guidelines should be observed:

1. Construction, decoration or arrangement of furnishings in a manner that hinders easy exit from a room is not permitted. No obstacle should prevent a door from completely opening.
2. Excessive amounts of burnable material should not be kept.
3. Decorative items and other paraphernalia such as cloth, netting, paper, parachutes or any other highly combustible material may not be hung from the ceiling or from other overhead room structures.
4. Open-flame decorations (e.g., candles, oil lamps, wax-melting devices and incense) are prohibited.
5. Outdoor banners/flags and public posting on the exterior of doors or in windows is prohibited. (College Housing staff door decorations are exempt from this policy.)
6. Painting or writing on doors and walls is prohibited.
7. Nails should not be used in the walls or furniture. Decorations may be hung with 3M Command strips and hooks. Do not use double-sided tape.
8. No alcohol, smoking or tobacco advertisements. Signs and/or bottles are prohibited.
9. No items shall be hung outside of windows.
10. Roommates should agree on the decorations in their room.
11. Window screens should not be taken out of the window and nothing should be passed through them.

College Housing provides furniture by New England Woodcraft. When rearranging the furniture, it must be arranged in a fashion that aligns with New England Woodcraft-approved configurations. All furniture provided in College Housing, including but not limited to chairs, tables, beds, dressers and closets, must remain in their assigned rooms and communal spaces. Mattresses may not be substituted.

There will be a charge for damages to the room, furniture, and appliances. Charge depends on the damage.

Prohibited Items

For the safety and security of housing residents, guests, staff and facilities, the following items are prohibited. Please note: This list is not holistic; thus, College Housing reserves the right to remove additional items not listed on a case-by-case basis. If a resident has a question or concern as to what items are permissible, the resident should email housing@sc4.edu.

Technology/electrical

• Wireless routers
• Consecutive extension cords/outlet adapters
• Electric blankets
• Halogen lamps or bulbs
• Heating pads without an automatic shutoff
• Subwoofer speakers
• Tanning beds
• Space heaters
• Humidifiers

Food/cooking

• Any appliance with exposed elements/flames
• Grills (a mini-grill is offered in the communal kitchen)
• Coffeemakers without an automatic shutoff
• Rice cookers without an automatic shutoff
• Popcorn poppers
• Slow cookers
• Toasters of any kind (communal toasters are provided in the kitchen.)
• Refrigerators larger than 5.5 cubic feet

Room modification

• Bed risers (height of bed is adjustable)
• Satellite dishes
• Third-party door locks or latches
• Vent covers
• Mercury thermometers
• Pesticides (bug bombs, poison bait)
• Housing communal furniture in resident rooms
• Individual washer and dryers
• Bidets

Standard policy/fire safety

• Firearms, explosives, weapons (including nerf/paintball/airsoft/pellet/BB guns, and for decorative purposes)
• Drug, alcohol or smoking paraphernalia including but not limited to cigarettes and vape pens
• Flammable liquids, incense, burning candles, wax-melting incense and accessories
• Any sleeping accessory that prevents the notification of a fire or severe weather alarm
• Gasoline, highly flammable substances and general fire hazards
• Stolen property

Other

• Fog machines
• Amplifiers without headphone jack and use
• Pets (see “Pet Policy”)
• Hover boards
• Excessive amounts of greenery (beyond a potted plant)
• Pianos and organs (keyboards with headphone jack accessibility are permissible)
• 3-D printers
• Trampolines
• Water beds, water-related furniture or pools
• Excessively large exercise equipment (weight machines, treadmills)
• Hammocks for inside use (storage of hammocks for outside use is permissible)

Accommodations

If a prohibited item listed above is needed for accommodation (health, religious practice, etc.), please contact College Housing to make approved arrangements.

Weapons policy

St. Clair County Community College Board Policy 2.18 prohibits weapons on campus, applicable to all students, staff and guests of St. Clair County Community College. All weapons are prohibited on St. Clair County Community College property except as permitted under the limited circumstances described in the Weapons Policy.

Please refer to the St. Clair County Community College policy for more information. Anyone who witnesses a violation of St. Clair County Community College’s weapons policy should contact Campus Patrol at 810-989-5757. Violations of federal, state or local laws or college policies may result in discipline up to and including expulsion from the college, criminal charges and monetary fines for personal injuries and property damage.

Pets and service animals

Pet policy

College Housing prohibits animals of any kind inside or outside of housing, with the exception of emotional support or service animals.

Should an employee of St. Clair County Community College discover a pet that is not allowed by the college (cats, dogs, reptiles, etc.) within College Housing, the employee has the authority to remove the pet and place it with the county Humane Society. Residents will receive a pet fine of $30 if animal feces are discovered anywhere in the room at any time. Fines will increase by $10 for each additional incident of continued noncompliance.

Emotional Support Animals (ESAs are not service animals)

Residents requiring the assistance of emotional support or service animals in housing must provide appropriate documentation and receive approval through The Office of Disability Support Services and College Housing prior to obtaining the animal. Please contact the Office of Disability Support Services at (810) 989-5558 to request accommodations for emotional support or service animals. Additionally, residents should contact housing@sc4.edu to arrange room placement and roommate assignment accommodations as soon as possible.