Conference Housing Policies

Terms of Use
Trinity Washington University, hereby referred to as University, grants to Licensee a license to use the facilities under the terms and conditions of the Agreement. The parties mutually agree that nothing herein shall create a tenancy, that the license does not constitute a lease, that Landlord-Tenant laws will not apply, and that it does not create or transfer interest or a lien on real estate. Licensee waives any right to remain in the assigned space beyond the end of the license period or after termination for any reason.

Room Usage
Conference guests are prohibited from using the room for anything other than residential purposes and may not allow other persons to occupy said room or conduct any activity without the prior written consent of the University.

Restricted Areas
During timeframes in which residence halls are occupied by University residents (August – May), conference guests are prohibited from utilizing any facilities and/or entryways located within resident wings. Such locations include, but are not limited to, the main hallway, lounge, communal restrooms, and laundry facilities. Conference guests must use the rear entrance of Kerby Hall when entering and exiting the building.

Keys and Building Access
Conference guests are issued a key that permits access to their assigned room and building. Keys are given for a resident’s personal use and are not transferable. Conference guests are advised to always lock their doors at all times. For the safety and security of all Conference guests, guests should not hold or prop any door open to allow non-Conference guests to enter.

Conference guests are not permitted to make personal copies of any keys provided to them from Conference Services. Guests that are found making personal, non-University provided room key copies will either receive an additional $250 charge for lock changes or may be asked to end their housing agreement early and removed from campus.

Conference guests who lose or temporarily misplace their keys should immediately report the loss to the Conference Services at 202-884-9136 or the Department of Public Safety at 202-884-9111. If the originally issued key(s) is/are not located the key(s) will be considered permanently lost and a lock change will be authorized. After 3 consecutive lockouts, the resident will be charged $25 per lockout. There is a $50 fee (per key) for a lock change/lost key on a single room.

Appliances in Rooms
Depending on the type of housing accommodation, miniature microwaves and refrigerators may be provided. In all residential rooms personal appliances are not permitted.

Cleanliness, Damage Charges and Room Condition
Conference guests should be concerned with the safety and handling of University property, in individual rooms, shared spaces and common areas, and should do their best to ensure University property is not damaged or stolen and residential communities maintain clean, safe and sanitary conditions. Conference guests are expected to keep their assigned space reasonably neat and clean at all times and to correct issues pointed out by a University representative. Conference guests are responsible for providing their own cleaning supplies, materials and equipment.

Trash
Trash can be discarded on the 1st floor of Kerby Hall. There are trash cans near the elevator bank next to the vending machine. You also have the option of discard trash in the dumpster in the parking lot outside of the C-wing entrance. If any trash is being discarded Friday afternoon and over the weekend, we ask that you use the dumpster. Housekeeping will not be back until Monday. Please do NOT get rid of your trash in the public restrooms on your floor. If you need trash bags, please let us know.

Laundry Facilities
Conference guests are only permitted to use washers and dryers in designated laundry facilities.

August – May: Conference guest must use laundry facilities located on the 4th floor of Main Hall
June-July: Conference guests are permitted to use laundry facilities located within their occupied dormitory.

Conference guests should report repair needs to the Conference Services at 202-884-9136. Be prepared to provide the specific location of the machine and the nature of the problem if known. The University is not responsible for the theft or destruction of personal items. Conference guests should not leave personal items unattended in the laundry rooms.

Furniture
Each room is issued specific furniture items, including a bed, dresser, desk and desk chair, closet or wardrobe; some rooms may have additional furniture.

University issued furniture that is assigned to a resident’s room must remain in the room, regardless of other furniture a resident may add to the room. Broken or damaged furniture should be reported to Conferences Services at 202-884-9136 and should remain in the room until a staff member has either repaired or replaced the item.

All hallways must remain clear of all personal belongings and furniture. Personal items, including bikes, sports equipment, and other items may not be left in hallways, stairwells, and/or common areas. The storage of furniture and other items in hallways, common areas, and/or stairwells creates a safety hazard and may be considered a nuisance to other Conference guests.

Conference guests may not remove furniture from their rooms. A $25 fine will be billed to any resident who moves furniture from his/her room or moves lounge or study room furniture into his/her room. Conference guests will be billed the replacement value for pieces of furniture not present at check-out.

Visitation
Conference guests are responsible for adherence to the following guidelines:

Overnight visitors are not permitted without prior communication and approval by the Director of Conference Services.
The University reserves the right to remove a visitor from the residence hall at any time and in its sole judgment, when it deems that the guest’s or his/her host’s behavior is contrary to its mission, goals and objectives
Conference guests are responsible at all times for the actions and damages incurred by their guests
Conference guests and their visitors are not permitted unauthorized entry into University facilities and/or events

Abandoned Property
Items left after a resident vacates the halls or items improperly stored in common spaces will be deemed abandoned and may be collected and donated to charity. Conference guests may be charged for the removal of such property.

Liability
The University does not insure the personal property of any resident on or off campus. The University has no responsibility for any theft, damage, destruction, loss, etc., of any personal property, including but not limited to, money, valuables, or equipment belonging to or in the custody of the resident, whether caused by intentional or negligent act, failure to act, natural causes, fire, or other casualty. The University is not liable for the failure or interruption of utilities or for conditions resulting from failure or interruption of the same.

Maintenance and Custodial Requests
Please report maintenance and custodial concerns to the Conference Services at 202-884-9136. If the maintenance request is of urgent nature (ie. water overflowing, lack of heat, non-working faucets), the Department of Public Safety should be contacted at 202-884-9111.

Room Entry
A conference guest’s room is considered private, and representatives of the University will enter only after knocking on the door to:

Address maintenance needs or complete projects
Assist in any emergency
Re-establish order, including the enforcement of this policy or other University policies.
Recover any university property
Prevent destruction of university property
Perform health and safety inspections
Investigate alleged violations of federal, District of Columbia, or University policies, rules, or regulations

All University maintenance, custodial services, power plant, and Conference Services staff are required to wear identification while working inside the residence halls. Similarly, all contractors are required to wear identification while working in or around a residence hall. Contractors must be escorted by a Trinity Washington University staff member when inside occupied residence hall rooms.

Storage
Storage space for personal possessions is not available in the residence halls. Personal belongings (including sporting equipment and bikes) should not be stored in common spaces such as lounges or hallways. Additionally, storage is not available on campus for excess residence hall furniture. Beds, desks, chairs, dressers, wardrobes, mattresses and other University items may not be removed from rooms, apartments, or suites. Conference guests will be charged the full replacement cost of furniture not in his/her room upon check-out.

Room Maintenance
Conference guests are expected to maintain their living space in a manner that does not cause damage to the building or that would require extensive maintenance, repair and/or housekeeping to restore the building to a standard that is appropriate for future Conference guests. In addition, certain activities are prohibited because they may be harmful to students or could cause damage to the building if used inappropriately.

The prohibited items and activities in this category include but are not limited to:

Adhesives (other than 3M Command)
Bed lofts, bed risers, cinder blocks
Painting of rooms
Removing screens from windows
Hanging or placing items on the ceiling
Waterbeds
Exercise weights
Animals, except bona fide service animals

Fire Hazards
Kitchen appliances and tools are prohibited from residence hall rooms because the items pose a serious fire hazard and threat to the safety of all guests who live in the building. In addition, open flames or other items with exposed heating elements are not permitted in any residence hall room because of the potential fire hazard and threat to the safety of Conference guests.

The prohibited items in this category include but are not limited to:

Candles, including decorative
Coffee pots and espresso machines
Crockpots, electric frying pans, woks, grills
Halogen lamps
Heating and immersion coils
Hot plates
Oil popcorn poppers
Space heaters
Toaster and/or toaster ovens

Failure to evacuate during a fire alarm or emergency will result in a $25 fine and possible removal from campus housing facilities.

Utility Concerns
Certain items demand more energy, places a strain on available utilities, may be considered a fire hazard, and/or may cause additional damage or harm to a building and therefore cannot be used in a residence hall. In addition, Conference guests may not use devices that modify the utilities available to all occupants and provided by the University.

The prohibited items in this category include but are not limited to:

Air conditioners
Cable splitters, splicers, or other devices used to re-route cable outside of the room in which the cable connection is located
Extension cords, except UL-approved surge protectors
Satellite dishes
Microwaves: personal microwaves should be no larger than 700 watts
Refrigerators: personal refrigerators should be no larger than 3.6 cubic feet

Prohibited Activities
Certain activities are not permissible in the residential communities because of the damage they could cause to the building, the threat to health and safety that they present to individuals, and/or the danger inherent in the activities. Be mindful of the choices you are making and the activities you are engaging in. Match your actions with your intentions.

The prohibited activities in this category include but are not limited to:

Dangerous Conduct: Intentionally or carelessly engaging in conduct that threatens or endangers the health or safety or causes physical harm to any person, including the violator
a. Placing a person in fear of imminent physical danger or bodily harm
b. Causing bodily harm to a person, or engaging in aggressive physical contact that would likely have caused bodily harm despite the lack of any measurable harm
Harassment: Any actions, threats, gestures, and/or words directed toward another person which have the purpose or which tend to incite a breach of the peace, create a hostile environment, or cause emotional distress to that person because of the humiliating, degrading, intimidating, insulting, coercive, ridiculing, and/or alarming nature of the conduct. It frequently, but not always, involves a pattern of conduct. Any unsolicited, offensive behavior that inappropriately asserts sexuality over status as a resident or an employee; unwelcome sexual advances; requests for sexual favors; and other unwelcome verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. See University harassment policy, http://www.trinitydc.edu/policies/harassment/.
Dangerous Items: The use, possession or storage of any firearms and/or ammunition, explosives, other weapons, fireworks or dangerous chemicals
a. Firearms are defined as any gun, rifle, pistol, or handgun designed to fire bullets, BBs, pellets, or shots (including paint balls), regardless of the propellant used
b. Explosives and fireworks including, but not limited to, firecrackers, cherry bombs, smoke bombs, and other similar devices
c. Knives or other weapons or objects that could be construed as weapons or items that pose a potential hazard to the safety or health of others. Other weapons are defined as any instrument of combat or any object not designed as an instrument of combat but carried or used for the purpose of inflicting or threatening bodily injury or damaging/destroying University property or the property of others.
d. Unauthorized hazardous materials or chemicals
Interfering with Fire Safety: Misusing, tampering or damaging fire safety equipment including, but not limited to, fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, sprinkler systems, and/or exit signs
a. Unauthorized burning of any material in any University building, on University property, and/or on areas adjacent to University property
b. Disregarding a fire alarm signal or refusing to evacuate a building or a section of a building when a fire alarm is sounding
c. Recklessly or intentionally activating a fire alarm when an emergency situation does not exist
Alcohol: The use, abuse, possession, and/or distribution of alcohol, is strictly prohibited on campus. Failure to adhere to this policy could result in immediate removal from campus premises.
Smoking: Smoking on campus (including all buildings and landscape owned by the University) is strictly prohibited. Failure to adhere to this policy could result in immediate removal from campus premises.
Drugs: The use, possession, and/or distribution of any controlled substances, including those without a valid prescription, natural hallucinogens, and/or designer drugs and/or prohibited substances, and/or the possession of drug paraphernalia
a. Possession of paraphernalia including any item typically used to inhale, ingest, inject, and/or mask illegal substances, regardless of whether the item has been used for illegal purposes
b. Possession and/or use of prohibited substances
c. Distribution (any form of exchange, gift, transfer or sale) of prohibited substances
Theft and/or Unauthorized Possession of Property: Theft of property or of services or possession of stolen property
a. Unauthorized possession of University property (including residence hall lounge furniture) and/or the property of others
Damage to or Misuse of Property: Intentionally or carelessly destroying or damaging University property or the property of others
a. Unauthorized entry into any University facilities and/or property
b. Unauthorized use or misuse of any University property and/or the property of others
Disorderly Conduct: Acting in a manner to annoy, disturb, interfere, obstruct, and/or be offensive to another and/or others
a. Shouting and/or making excessive noise either inside or outside a building to the annoyance or disturbance of others
b. Verbally abusing University officials (including students appointed to act as representatives of the University) acting in the performance of their duties
c. Behaving in a lewd or indecent manner
Non-Compliance: Failure to comply with reasonable directives of University officials, including students appointed to act as representatives of the University, acting in performance of their duties
a. Directives to provide identification and/or participate in a University disciplinary process are included in the scope of this provision.
Gambling: Participation in any form of illegal gambling is prohibited
Violation of Law: Violations of local, District of Columbia, federal laws, regulations, and/or ordinances, and University policies, rules, or regulations will not be tolerated

Click here to sign the acknowledgement of the Housing Policy. This must be submitted to the Conference Services Department prior to check-in via email.