Frequently Asked Questions

On Campus Residency Requirements Lock Haven University is committed to the academic success of all its students and endorses the benefits of on-campus living as a requirement for its students. Students admitted for the first time to Lock Haven University main campus will comply with the following on-campus residency requirements. Students must remain in University housing until they have earned 30 credit hours . Students who reside at their permanent residence within a 50-mile radius of the University's main campus may be considered to be commuting from their permanent residence and are not required to live on campus. The University will make an initial determination regarding students' housing status.                       Housing Policy The student must sign a residence hall or apartment agreement for housing and food service, which he/she will submit when registering for a room.  Residents of Campus Village are not required to have a meal plan.  Residents of all other halls need to choose a 19, 14, 10 or 175 block meal plan. Students living in University residence halls are expected to be aware of their responsibilities as outlined in the Housing Agreement and Lock Haven University Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities found later in this Handbook. All university housing agreements are for a period of one academic year, unless a senior has a student teaching assignment out of the Lock Haven area. Penalties for room cancellations are specifically outlined. Campus Village Apartments are considered to be a part of on-campus living and as such, residence hall room policies and procedures also apply to students residing in those apartments. The University reserves the right to change the eligibility standards for students based upon available space. Room assignments for freshmen/new students are processed according to the date the Admissions Office receives the advanced deposit fee. Final assignments are contingent upon availability of space.             Room Changes Students who encounter difficulties in adjusting to a certain roommate or hall should consult their Resident Assistant or Resident Director for assistance. Room changes will be granted only if the proper procedures are followed, space is available, and the reason for the request warrants the change as determined by the Student Life staff.                                   Single Room Requests Because of the uncertainty of the housing requirements for the Fall semester, single rooms will not be available to any residence hall student at the start of that semester. Applications for single rooms will be accepted by the Student Life Office. As space develops, single rooms will be offered according to seniority and other factors. Those students who sign-up for rooms which are not specifically designed as singles should understand that a second student may be assigned on a temporary basis. Extra furnishings in single rooms may not be removed. Room Consolidation Policy Students who find themselves in un-requested single room/apartment situations because of losing a roommate have the following options: · Consolidation with a student in the same residence hall who is in a similar situation without a roommate. · Retain the single room and pay the established single room rate, only if there is no overcrowding.                     Resident Directors Each residence hall has a director who supervises the hall and is available to consult with any student. Resident Directors have responsibility for administrative matters associated with operating a residence hall, supervising Resident Assistants and advising hall council. Professional staff members are trained in the area of counseling, or student personnel, and are available to help students with personal, social and academic concerns.  Resident Directors also act as judicial hearing officers.                           Resident Assistants Resident Assistants (RAs) are upper class students who are carefully selected for their ability to help resident students. They are directly responsible to and work very closely with Resident Directors. RAs are responsible for helping students to maintain a safe, comfortable, friendly academic atmosphere. They serve as helpers, information disseminators, friends, rule enforcers, programmers for events, and administrators. Please feel free to consult your RA about any concerns or problems.                                           PROCEDURES FOR ROOM SIGN UP Each Spring semester, students may reserve a space in the residence hall/apartments by paying the $100 deposit, signing a Housing and Food Service License Agreement, picking a lottery number and then signing up for a room, in lottery number order.  Students are only able to sign up for a specific room if they have a roommate who has also gone through this housing process.   Final assignments are contingent upon availability of space. Room assignments for freshmen/new students are processed according to the date the admissions office receives the advanced deposit fee. Final assignments are contingent upon availability of space. All room assignments are made by the Student Life/Housing Office, which reserves the right to change such assignments if it becomes necessary. Information pertaining to single rooms or other arrangements are available from the Student Life/Housing Office.                                             Keys Each student is issued a room key and, in some of our residence halls, a separate mailbox key. If keys are lost, the original lock will be replaced at a cost to the student. Residents of Russell Hall also receive a Proxy Card for use on the locked stairwell doors.  Lost or broken cards will cost $15.00. Students are permitted three (3) room lock outs per semester.  On the 4th lock out, the Student Life Staff will issue a lock change request for the room and the student will be billed the appropriate cost.  This policy is designed to provide a service to the student while also encouraging responsible and mature behavior.                                           Mail You will be assigned a mailbox with a lock when you move into your residence hall. Please inform your family, friends and others of your residence hall address so that mail will be delivered directly to you. This must be in the following format: Mary Jones Name of Residence Hall Box or Room Number Lock Haven University Lock Haven, PA 17745 Mail address to Campus Village should be addressed as follows: Mary Jones 500 W Church Street Apartment Number Lock Haven, PA  17745 Please encourage parents and friends not to send cash in the mail. Checks or money orders would be more appropriate.                         Television Cable Television cable is available in all residence hall rooms and apartments and the expanded basic service is provided without cost to students.  The residents of the room should be prepared to provide their own cable wire to run from the cable box to the TV.                           Quiet Hours and Consideration Hours "Quiet hours," is a time set aside for minimal noise within a hall, and will be set by each residence hall council. All times other than quiet hours are known as "consideration hours." During this time it should always be quiet enough so that anyone who wants to can sleep or study. Students are expected to respect the requests of others for quiet, and share in the responsibility for developing and maintaining a positive atmosphere on their wing or apartment complex.                             Smoking/Tobacco Products Policy All residence halls and apartments are considered to be non-smoking.  Smoking is prohibited within all residence halls and apartments even within student’s rooms.  Chewing tobacco is only permitted in the students' room with the roommate(s) permission.  Please check with residence hall staff if you are unclear about this policy.                           Pets Pennsylvania Health and Safety regulations prohibit the keeping of animals or pets for any reason in state-owned residence halls or apartments. In keeping with these regulations, Lock Haven University permits tropical freshwater fish in a five-gallon tank or less as the ONLY permissible pets within the residence halls/apartments. Aquariums of five gallons or less are only permitted if adequate and routine maintenance of the tank is performed. Should proper care and maintenance not be performed, the residents will be asked to remove the aquarium and this privilege will be revoked. This will be done at the discretion of the student life staff. During holiday and vacation breaks, electricity is turned off in the residence halls as a cost and energy saving practice. In these instances, it is up to the resident to arrange for the removal of the fish from the hall, as the University will assume no responsibility for feeding or care of the fish at any time.                         Visitation Regulations Visitation in the residence halls is permitted twenty-four hours a day. Anyone entering the residence halls during front desk hours must show valid photo identification and register at the front desk, or the host must make prior arrangements (48 hours prior to the visit) with the Resident Director. All guests and visitors must be escorted by a resident at all times. Current policy defines guests as those non-students visiting students and visitors as Lock Haven University students who do not live in the specific residence hall visited.   Important points to remember about visitation: It is the responsibility of roommates to agree upon the times when their room will be used for visitation. It is the responsibility of every resident to report violations of hall visitations policies to a Resident Assistant, Resident Director or the Desk Receptionist.  It is within the jurisdiction of the residence hall council and the resident director to temporarily suspend visitation privileges on a wing, a floor or the whole building if the residents have not accepted the responsibilities of adhering to and enforcing the policy.  A host is considered responsible for the behavior of guests or visitors.  Visitors and guests must be met in the lobby and escorted by their host at all times within the residence halls.  Visitors and guests are required to use only the bathrooms which are clearly marked for their gender's use.  Any guest or visitor found unescorted may be required to leave the building/apartment area immediately.                         Health Students feeling ill should visit Health services, located in Glennon Infirmary, or contact the Health Services at ext. 2276.  If the Health Service is closed, please contact a Resident Assistant or Hall Director. If it is necessary to go to the hospital during the evening or weekends, please notify the Resident Director. An ambulance may be called by either Law Enforcement or the Resident Director.                         Fire Alarms IF YOU BECOME AWARE OF A FIRE, SOUND THE FIRE ALARM AND CONTACT YOUR RESIDENT DIRECTOR OR RESIDENT ASSISTANT IMMEDIATELY. Do not try to put the fire out if there is any personal danger involved, or if it causes a delay in contacting the Resident Director or sounding the alarm. A number of fire drills are required and scheduled during the year in order to ensure that all individuals know safety precautions and evacuation routes. When the fire alarm sounds, it is mandatory for you to leave the building immediately. In case of illness or injury, contact your Resident Director or Resident Assistant at once. The following procedures should be followed when a fire alarm is sounded: ·     Close the window in your room/apartment. This cuts down on a draft that fans a fire. ·     Leave the door to your room closed. ·     Wear hard-soled shoes and a coat to protect you from the fire and the weather, and carry a towel to protect you from the smoke. ·     Leave the building quickly and quietly. Try to be aware of alternate routes you can use in case your regular evacuation route is blocked. ·     Assemble outside the building, out of the way of fire equipment, and await further instructions. ·     Do not use elevators.                         Vacation Instructions Whenever you leave your residence hall/apartment for a vacation period, you are asked to leave your room in an orderly, sanitary condition. During the summer break students are asked to remove all of their belongings from their room.  For all other breaks we ask that for reasons of safety and hygiene, you do the following: Clean your room thoroughly, and leave your possessions in order.  Empty, wash and unplug refrigerator.  (Remember defrosting time!)  Discard all perishable food.  Empty wastebaskets and remove trash.  Unplug all electrical appliances, including clocks, lamps, etc.  Close windows.  Lock your room door. Your room will be checked for these safety precautions at the beginning of each vacation by your Resident Director or Resident Assistant. A $25 improper checkout fee will be imposed if these instructions are not followed. Before each vacation period, you will receive notice of the closing instructions that include the date and time of reopening for your hall. Students who cannot comply with the announced closing and opening times should contact their Resident Director as soon as the closing notice is posted to see if it is possible to make other arrangements. Once the hall has officially closed, students will not be readmitted to the hall until the published date and time. Violators are subject to judicial action and a $200 fine.                             What is there for a student to do on campus? Pursuing an education is about more than classes and studying and final exams. It’s about enjoying college life too! The Haven is a perfect place to do that. The Haven provides: Over 80 clubs and organizations … A wide variety of intramural and varsity sports … Recreation facilities open to all students, including several gymnasiums, athletic fields, a swimming pool, weight training and cardio equipment, and a climbing wall … Guaranteed housing for all freshmen in comfortable dorms, with all rooms wired for Net access … Food that will make Bentley Dining Hall one of your favorite places on campus … Beautiful surroundings … A friendly campus community … All in all, it’s a great “home away from home!”                         ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE POLICY Alcohol is not permitted on University property. Violation of this University policy can result in dismissal from the University. Students may be referred to local or state assistance agencies for counseling services for alcohol misuse. Pennsylvania law states that no one under 21 years of age shall possess, sell, transport, or consume alcoholic beverages. Underage drinking violations are dealt with in accordance with Pennsylvania statutes. The possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages in the University residence halls or apartments is not permitted by any student or guest including those 21 and older. In addition, students are reminded that intoxication does not excuse offensive behavior and that disciplinary action will be taken against offenders.