Dormitory Affairs Committee  |  Roommates
Roommate Conflicts and Room Changes  |  Termination of Residence Hall Privileges

Dormitory Affairs Committee
Beyond the many elected dorm positions, residents may participate in the overall residence hall governance through the Dormitory Affairs Committee (DAC). DAC consists of an elected student chair, a secretary, presidents of the eight residence halls, the ASHMC Social Committee chair, the DORL, and a representative of F&M. The DAC co-chairs for 2008–2009 are Sam Gordon and Kacy McKibben.

Roommates
Living successfully with a roommate requires flexibility, respect and the willingness to openly and honestly communicate. The following are basic levels of respect roommates should show each other:

1. the right to undisturbed sleep,
2. the ability to study in your room free of unreasonable noise and distraction,
3. the ability to get into your room at all times,
4. security against physical or emotional harm,
5. a clean and safe environment,
6. privacy in the room,
7. and respect for your belongings.

Roommate Conflicts and Room Changes
If residents are having roommate problems, they should first have a frank discussion with their roommate to  express  their feelings and seek a solution that is workable for both people. If communication and compromise have been unsuccessful, they should consider involving a third person who can listen objectively to each roommate and assist in reaching a satisfactory solution. A proctor is a good person to consider for this mediation. The DORL, or any member of the DOS staff, is also available to help negotiate a solution.

If mediation efforts prove unsuccessful, a room change may be the next option. First-year students may change rooms after the second week of class (beginning September 15, 2008). The reason for this “freeze” is to allow time to work through initial impressions and difficulties before deciding that the pairing simply won’t work. Upperclass students may change rooms at any time. The major restriction for upperclass moves is on changes that provide an advantage that the person would have been unable to gain during room draw. Intra-suite room swaps and moves to open spaces are fine. Mutually agreeable, inter-suite swaps may need to be reviewed by DAC, but are possible. Room changes that create coed rooms are not allowed.

Students wanting to change rooms should contact the DORL. The DORL will show the person all available spaces on campus. The waitlist will be available from the housing webpage at www.hmc.edu/studentlife1/housing.html. Any unfilled space is available for any HMC student (of the same sex in an occupied double, triple or quad room) to move into. The person wanting to move will then need to contact the potential roommates (and/or suitemates, if appropriate) to inform them of his/her interest in moving to the open space. If everyone is agreeable, then the DORL will make the move official and authorize the exchange of keys with F&M.

People with single doubles or any open space should anticipate that someone may move into the empty space in their room at any time. They may not reject potential roommates to preserve the extra space for themselves. If they feel that a potential roommate is someone they would truly not be able to live with, they should honestly tell the person why living with them will not work. In any case, the advantage for room selection will go to the person seeking to move into an empty space. Given our ongoing tight housing situation and equal room pricing, people with single doubles may not buy out the extra space for themselves. Additionally, the college retains the option to consolidate people living in single doubles when necessary.

Also, students should not switch rooms without consulting with the DORL first. Room changes that contradict DAC-established room draw regulations or college policies or create coed rooms will not be approved by the DORL. Unauthorized room changes will be referred to the DAC for resolution. Possible outcomes include, but aren’t limited to, a $50 fine, restoring the original assignment and/or referral to the Disciplinary or Judiciary Board (DB/JB). Under extraordinary circumstances, the college may change room assignments in the interest of health or general welfare of the residents or community.

Termination of Residence Hall Privileges
Living in the residence halls is a privilege. The decision to terminate residence hall privileges is made by DOS and/or the DB or JB. Residents may be asked to leave the residence halls for one or more of the following reasons:

1. indications that the student’s behavior could result in harm to her/himself or others,
2. failure of the student to make a required payment for room and/or board (after receiving written notice),
3. failure of the student to maintain full-time enrollment with the college,
4. violation of any state or federal law, the Residence Hall Agreement or policies as stated in this Student Handbook.

The housing agreements for continuing and new students are located at www.hmc.edu/files/studentlife/housing/roomdraw/agreement.pdf.