Housing Rules and Regulations

The following are rules that apply to the residence halls and should be followed. These rules apply to all residence halls. 

HOUSING RULES AND REGULATIONS

1. Apartment/Room Inspection: WVSU Housing and Residence Life reserves the right to inspect individual rooms to: a) ensure proper maintenance of health and safety standards; b) take inventory; c) make necessary repairs; d) perform extermination/pest control services; e) add/remove furniture, and f) enforce university policies. Housing and Residence Life staff will make periodic, announced/unannounced checks of all residence hall rooms. These checks are performed to identify health, safety and maintenance problems. Residents do not have to be present during these checks. Residence Life will leave a sheet stating whether your room passed or failed. If the room fails, then you will have 48 hours to make the correction(s). If the correction(s) aren’t made within the time period, then the student may be subject to a fine.

2. Room Care: Residents are responsible for: a) cleaning their rooms; b) removing waste material regularly (Both Keith and Dawson residents are responsible for taking their own waste out. Keith Hall students must dispose of their trash in the trash room, which faces the Quad area. Dawson students must dispose of their trash in the large trash bins to either the South or North stairwell located first floor of Dawson Hall); and c) maintaining sanitation and safety conditions acceptable to the university.

3. Decorations: Pictures, posters and other materials may be hung using pushpins and/or tacks. If damage is done to the walls (paint peels, drywall tears, etc.) the room/suite occupant(s) will be charged for labor and materials to repaint the area. The use of nails, screws, glue, masking tape, Command Adhesive, and other adhesives on walls, ceilings, wardrobes, woodwork, appliances, fixtures, doors or furniture is prohibited.  All decorations must be removed when the resident vacates or the student will be charged a cleaning fee. In addition, students may not attach anything to the sprinkler system head.
Students may decorate the outside of the door provided decorations: a) are not lewd; b) do not block exits; and c) do not create a potential fire or safety hazard. 

4. Noise: All WVSU residence hall quiet hours are from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m during the week and start at midnight during the weekends.  While music may be played outside of the quiet hours, noise levels during those hours should be low enough not to disturb others. It is always 24/7 courtesy hours – meaning that any excessive disturbances will not be tolerated. Students will be fined accordingly if they violate this policy. During Finals week, there will be 24/7 quiet hours during that week and weekend to provide residents with an atmosphere conducive to preparing for exams.

5. Safety

• Do not give building/room access codes to anyone. This includes letting anyone in the residence halls who do not reside in them.
• Do not prop open exterior doors or permit people to enter residence halls through Fire/Emergency Exits.

6. Overnight Guests: Every guest is subject to University rules and regulations. Guests must be escorted by their hosts at all times. Overnight guests are limited to two per resident. Guest can visit for up to three (3) consecutive days (72 hours), and up to six (6) days in a given month on a space available basis in the assigned room of the host. Only if there is advance consent by all residents of the room/suite, and in accordance with the specific visitation policies established.

7. Complicity

• Presence during any violation of university policy in such a way as to condone, support, or encourage that violation. (NOTE: As a Residence Hall family, we are responsible for our home away from home. Students who anticipate or observe a violation of university policy are expected to remove themselves from the situation and are encouraged to report the violation.)  

8. Furniture: Students are not permitted to bring additional furniture such as futons, sofas, dressers, etc. into the residence halls without prior approval from the Director of Housing and Residence Life. WVSU does not provide storage space for additional personal items or unversity furnishings, to make room for additional personal items. In addition, WVSU furniture must remain in their respective unit and common area; i.e., beds should remain in the student’s room as opposed to within the common space. Removal of furnishings from the unit, common areas and/or buildings is prohibited. The responsible student(s) may be referred to the WVSU judicial system and/or civil process. Common area furniture found in an individual unit will be removed and the resident(s) will be assessed a fine.

9. Housing during Winter/Spring Break
During the academic year, students wishing to stay during the following breaks: Winter Break (Winter Break is not covered in student costs. Student will have to pay extra), and Spring Break will need to contact Residence Life to request to stay over the break. If granted permission to stay during the break, you may be asked to move to another location during the break period.

10. Solicitation: No door-to-door solicitation is permitted in WVSU owned or managed buildings by individuals or groups. The occupant of an individual suite is permitted to invite individuals, groups, organizations, associations, and corporations to conduct group or individual commercial and noncommercial solicitation in the individual suite provided such activity does not: a) create undue noise; b) disturb either the occupant’s roommate(s) or occupants of nearby rooms; or extend out into the hallways; d) break any policies and laws.


All residence halls are smoke-free environments.

• Burning candles, incense or other such ‘open flame’ luminaries are not permitted. Wax burners are also prohibited.
• Electronic cigarettes are not permitted in the building(s).
• No marijuana use inside the residence halls and/or outside of the halls.

Prohibited Items. These include, but are not limited to:

• Weapons
  • Firearms
    • Guns and ammunition
    • BB Guns
    • water/toy guns etc…
  • Knives (not including butter knives) larger than 3 inches.
    • switchblades, hunting knives etc…
  • Tasers
  • Fireworks and or any explosives
  • Bow and arrows etc…
• Candles and wax burners/melters
• Pets of any kind (Unless approved by the Office of Counseling and Accessibility Services prior to the pet being on campus)
• Natural trees or evergreens
• Futons
• Hotplates
• Halogen lamps
• George Foreman grills
• Air Fryers
• Crockpots/Rice cookers
• Toaster oven​
• Alcohol, alcohol paraphernalia, shot glasses
• Possession, creation, use, and/or sale of illegal substances and paraphernalia
  • sale or distribution of legal/over the counter medication is also prohibited. 

** This is not an exhaustive list. Residents should contact the Housing and Residence Life Office if they are unsure if something is allowed.

HAZING POLICY AND SANCTIONS

Any person or persons who cause(s) hazing is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be: fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars; or confined in a county or regional jail not more than nine months; or both fined and imprisoned.  Provided that if the act would otherwise be deemed a felony as defined in the hazing code, the person committing such acts may be found guilty of such acts and/or may be found guilty of a felony and be subject to penalties provided by law for such felony. 

In accordance with the goal of educating and assisting students with conduct problems, the Vice President for Student Affairs may recommend such other forms of disciplinary action as may be appropriate to the individual case.  These may typically involve work or research projects or recommendation for counseling options.

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION STATEMENT

West Virginia State University is an EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION institution and does not discriminate against any person because of race, sex, age, color, religion, disability, national or ethnic origin. This policy extends to all West Virginia State University activities related to the management of its educational, financial and business affairs. It affects all employment practices including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, transfer, promotion, training, compensation, benefits, layoff, and  termination.