St. Edward's University

Residence Hall/Apartment Contract

Fall 2008–Spring 2009

 

This contract establishes a mutual agreement between the student resident and St. Edward’s University (referred to as “university” throughout the contract) with regard to living in the residence halls and apartments. Please read this contract carefully. Accepting a housing assignment indicates your agreement to adhere to the terms of the contract.

  1. Required Residency Policy
    1. All freshmen are required to reside in the university residence halls unless they are married or live with their immediate family in the Austin area. Exceptions to this are unusual and are authorized by the Office of Residence Life.
    2. The on-campus residency requirement does not preclude the removal of students from the residence halls. The university may terminate a residence hall contract if the student resident is unable to abide by the rules and regulations of the university.
    3. All students residing in residence halls must participate in the university’s meal-plan program. Students living in apartments may opt out of the meal plan. Students must have completed 31 credit hours at St. Edward’s University to be eligible to purchase the $525 meal plan.
    4. If a freshman student is living off campus and has not received approval from the Office of Residence Life, the university reserves the right to bill the student up to a year’s worth of on-campus housing fees.
  2. Eligibility
    1. Any person who is seeking a degree, has been admitted and will be enrolled as a student may enter into this contract with the university.
    2. If a student resident fails to enroll or pay fees and loses status as an enrolled student, the housing contract will be terminated and the resident must vacate the premises immediately.
    3. A student resident may not sublet or rent a room assignment or permit another person to share a private room assignment.
    4. A student resident whose housing contract is terminated by the university due to disciplinary reasons may have his or her semester’s housing fees pro-rated.
  3. Period of Contract
    1. This contract is for the entire 2008–09 academic year, which covers the Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 semesters (winter holiday excluded for students residing in the residence halls) and when approved, entitles the applicant to a space in the residence halls or apartments.
    2. The student resident may not stay in the residence hall during the periods in which the university or halls are closed. However, personal possessions may be left in assigned rooms in the contractual period when the university is closed and residents must leave campus, i.e. winter break for the residence halls.
    3. Failure to properly check out and/or return all keys will result in an improper checkout fee of $125 plus a charge of $20 per day past checkout time.
    4. Residents may not occupy or leave personal possessions in any residence hall before the hall officially opens and the student’s room is available. All possessions must be removed from the room as part of the checkout procedure.
    5. Any belongings left in the residence hall after closing or checkout will be disposed of. Reasonable attempts will be made to contact the owner of the belongings prior to disposing of the belonging. A student has 24 hours after his/her last final to move out.
  4. Student Housing Assignments
    1. The university cannot guarantee a student a specific room. Assignment to rooms in the residence halls and apartments will be made in accordance with the established policy for priorities and on the basis of available housing space.
    2. The resident agrees to provide the university with the information and preferences required on the housing application for the purposes of hall, room, and roommate assignments.
    3. Requests for assignment with a specific roommate will be honored whenever possible.
    4. The Office of Residence Life attempts to match first-time freshmen with other first-time freshmen as roommates using the housing application. Occasionally, a first-time freshman may be matched with a transfer or returning student.
    5. A resident is assigned to a room after he/she has been matched with a roommate.
    6. The majority of residents are housed in suite-style rooms.
    7. Double rooms, unless otherwise specified, are to be occupied by two persons. If a vacancy occurs in the assigned room, the remaining resident agrees to accept another roommate as assigned, move to another room if requested, or pay additional charges based on single occupancy of the room.
    8. The Office of Residence Life reserves the right to consolidate available spaces or to assign the double rooms as a single room at a private room rate.
    9. The resident understands that the university makes all assignments without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.
    10. The university reserves the right to modify room assignments and cancel or terminate contracts for disciplinary reasons and/or dangerous or disruptive behavior, health, safety, catastrophe, closing of the facility, or irresolvable incompatibility of roommates.
    11. The university reserves the right to temporarily or permanently reassign a student for violation(s) of the university code of conduct or university policies.
    12. On occasion, students may be placed in temporary housing at the beginning of the semester due to space availability. This is a temporary status and students will be moved into permanent rooms as space becomes available.
  5. Assignment Changes
    1. Rooms will be occupied only upon assignment by the Office of Residence Life.
    2. The Office of Residence Life will not approve any room changes during the first two weeks of a semester. Room changes are not allowed at any time during the semester unless they are approved by the Office of Residence Life.
    3. All residents must receive authorization from the Office of Residence Life to cease to reside in their assigned room or to move from the residence halls or apartments.
    4. The Office of Residence Life reserves the right to levy an administrative charge for unauthorized moves and failure to follow proper check-in and checkout procedures. Residents must check in on the appointed date unless they have been granted permission by the Office of Residence Life.
    5. Any exchanges, transfers or cancellations of rooms must be approved by the Office of Residence Life.
  6. Cancellations and Refunds
    1. A student has 2 months from the date of signing (electronic signature) the housing contract during spring housing selection, to cancel his/her room assignment.  After this time period, the student is bound to the housing contract, and will forfeit his/her housing deposit ($150 halls, $300 apartments) and may incur a penalty up to an entire academic year’s housing fees if the contract is broken after the grace period.  This grace period only applies to contracts signed prior to May 1.
    2. If a student who has signed a housing contract transfers or withdraws prior to the first day of classes of the fall semester, room fees for the entire 2008–2009 academic year will be refunded. Room/apartment assignments not claimed by the first day of classes of the fall semester will be forfeited.
    3. All students who claim their room/apartment assignment and key will be charged room fees, provided they are academically enrolled at the university for that semester.
    4. Residents who are withdrawing from school or are transferring to another institution for the spring semester must notify the Office of Residence Life in writing before leaving for the winter break.
    5. Residents who have been released from their contract due to exclusion, transferring, or withdrawal must vacate their rooms, check out with a staff member, and return room keys before leaving for the winter break. Failure to complete these steps could result in additional fines.
    6. Residents who have been excluded from the university for academic reasons should notify the Office of Residence Life as soon as possible in order to receive appropriate refunds in a timely manner.
    7. All refunds are contingent upon the following:
      1. Compliance with the university’s Residence Hall/Apartment Guide to Living and the provisions of the residence hall/apartment contract;
      2. A written notice of reservation or assignment cancellation submitted in a timely manner to the Office of Residence Life; and
      3. Settlement of all assessed fines and damage charges.
    8. All refunds for fees are made in the form of a credit to the student’s account at St. Edward’s University.
  7. Furnishings, Utilities and Sanitation
    1. The university agrees to equip residence hall rooms with a bed, chest of drawers, closet or wardrobe, desk, and desk chair for each resident. The apartments are unfurnished by the university.
    2. The university assumes no liability for loss or damage to a resident’s personal property due to fire, flood, theft or other causes. The temporary failure or interruption of water, heat or other utilities shall give residents no claim for damages or reduction of rent. The university will work to resolve any of the above-mentioned issues as soon as possible. Students should report such concerns to their Residence Life staff immediately.
    3. Residents may not move or rearrange any stationary furniture or remove any authorized furniture from their rooms. Additionally, residents may not move any furniture belonging to the university into their rooms that was not originally intended to be in that room.
    4. The university reserves the right to levy and collect charges for damages, unauthorized use or alterations to rooms or equipment.
    5. The resident may not install equipment, make alterations or do repairs to their room.
    6. Waterbeds and modifications to the intended use of room furnishings are prohibited.
    7. Lofts are prohibited in residence halls. The construction of a loft for use in the resident’s room will result in a fine and removal and disposal of the loft by campus personnel.
    8. The university agrees to provide reasonable amounts of heat, water and electricity during the contract period in the residence halls. Interruptions of one or all of these services on a temporary basis for reasons of maintenance, repair or catastrophe will not be considered a breach of this contract and the university assumes no responsibility for damages as a result of any interruptions, such as food spoilage. If an interruption occurs, the university agrees to restore the affected service within a reasonable time.
    9. Apartment residents must place the City of Austin utilities bill for their assigned apartment in their name within one week of moving in and are responsible for payment of this bill for the duration of their stay on-campus. Failure to transfer the bill to their name will result in the cost of the bill being charged to their accounts plus an administrative fee of $25 per bill.
  8. Care of Facilities
    1. The student resident agrees to be directly and financially responsible for keeping the room/apartment and its furnishings clean and free from damage, to cooperate with roommates in the common protection of property, and to advise the residence hall staff of any deteriorated conditions of the room or its furnishings.
    2. The student resident agrees to pay charges assessed for room damages, special housekeeping or maintenance due to misuse or abuse of facilities by the resident or his or her guests. The student resident also agrees to pay an equal portion of charges assessed to all occupants of a room when those persons responsible fail to assume responsibility for the damages. A non-refundable move-out cleaning charge will be assessed against your housing deposit.
    3. The university reserves the right to assess residents of a hall, floor or apartment community the expenses of repair or replacement of any property damaged in common areas used by those residents and their guests, unless the individual or individuals responsible for the damage is identified. Students will be notified if such charges are levied.
    4. The resident agrees to use public areas and residential corridors in a careful and proper manner and to contribute to the orderliness and cleanliness of all areas used by residents and guests.
    5. The resident agrees to report loss of a room key and to pay the charges for key and lock replacement on the doors affected by the loss of the key. If a student resident fails to return the assigned key upon checkout or withdrawal, the same fees may be assessed.
  9. Rules, Policies, and Regulations
    1. The resident agrees, as a condition of this contract, to comply with all St. Edward’s University rules, regulations, and policies incorporated in this contract and those found in the Student Code of Conduct (www.stedwards.edu/stubook/stu_code/index.html), the Guide to Apartment Living for Apartment Residents (www.stedwards.edu/reslife/docs/GuidetoAptLiving_08.pdf), or the Guide to Residence Hall Living for Residence Hall Residents (www.stedwards.edu/reslife/docs/GuidetoResidenceHallLiving_08.pdf).
    2. Policies may be changed during the course of the year by the Office of Residence Life. Students will be notified of any changes.
    3. The student resident agrees to assume financial responsibility for the cost of repairing any damage done to his/her room or public area beyond normal wear and tear.
    4. If the student resident violates St. Edward’s University and Residence Life regulations, creates undue disturbances for other residents, or unreasonably withholds his/her cooperation from other students or university staff, he/she may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from the residence halls and possibly St. Edward’s University.
    5. The student resident may be required to move within 24 hours notice if the university determines that the continued residency of the student will pose a danger to the life, health or general well-being of the St. Edward’s University community.

Residence Hall and Apartment Information
Subject to change based on the academic calendar

Fall Semester

Spring Semester

By signing below or by accepting a housing assignment, I agree to abide by the terms of the 2008–2009 St. Edward’s University housing contract. If I am signing up for housing online, my completion of the assignment process with no cancellation within the approximate two month grace period (February 22, 2008–April, 15, 2008) binds me to the terms and conditions of this contract. I understand this contract is for the full 2008–2009 academic year. I further understand that by agreeing to this contract a deposit ($150 for residence halls or $300 for apartments) will be charged to my student account.

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