at Summer College

• A supportive environment
• Activities
• Dining
• Health and safety
• Housing
  • Community
  • What to bring
  • Staying in touch
  • Laundry
  • End-of-program checkout dates and procedures
  • Residence hall rules
• Community policies / House rules

see also

• at Cornell University
• in Ithaca and the Finger Lakes

Residence hall rules

Nightly check-in

Nightly check-in times are 11:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 12:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Residence staff members will conduct an evening check to be sure you are in your building. Missing the nightly check-in, or other violations of residence hall rules, can result in dismissal from the program or spending time on early check-in—this means being in your room starting at 7:30 p.m. every night, including weekends. While you get a whole lot of studying done, an early night-check-in doesn't do a thing for your social life.

If you want to go to bed before night check (i.e., request an "Early Bed Check"), you must decide this before 10:15 p.m. and follow one of the options below:

• If you know before 9 p.m. that you want to request an early bed check that night, please send an e-mail to the check-in coordinator (you will receive this e-mail address at the beginning of the program) stating that you'll be going to bed before 11 p.m.
• If you know between 9 and 10:15 p.m. that you want to request an early bed check you must check in with your Residential Community Advisor (RCA) on call to inform them you are going to bed.

Unfortunately, requests for early bed check may not be made after 10:15 p.m.

Please note that early bed check means that you are in bed, sleeping, during the regular night check period. Staff will be keying and entering your room to confirm you are in your bed.

Your residence-hall responsibilities

During your stay on campus, you'll be responsible for the physical condition of your room and its furnishings. If your visitors damage property belonging to the university, or if items are lost from the room, it is your responsibility. You should indicate the condition of the room and its contents on the room-inventory check-in form that you receive with your room key. Please complete the form and return it to the residential staff on your floor within twenty-four hours of checking in.

You'll also be responsible for cleaning your own room and exchanging the bed linens weekly. Building custodians will take care of the common areas-lounges and the like. However, as a community, the students share some of the responsibility for the condition of the floor lounge and bathrooms. Furnishings in common areas are for the use of all residents; they need to stay put. The university considers appropriation of such furnishings for personal use as theft. Wrongdoers may be prosecuted for a misdemeanor or felony, depending on the value of the item involved.

Always be sure to lock your room when you leave it; there are occasional thefts of computers and other personal property. Make sure your parents' insurance policy covers your valuables and that serial numbers, descriptions, etc., are recorded in your files. The university is not responsible for loss of personal property.

If something in your room is not working properly, report it to your service center, and the Campus Life facilities staff will see that it's fixed.

Smoking

Smoking is prohibited in Cornell buildings and residence halls-in all public areas and student rooms. New York State law prohibits persons under the age of 18 from purchasing tobacco. We appreciate your not smoking outside any residence halls. Outside smoking is permitted 25 feet from any building.

Noise annoys

There are plenty of opportunities at Cornell for parties, social activities, and spontaneous fun. But everyone needs some peaceful time and a quiet place to study and sleep to make the most of their summer program education. Noise must be reduced at 7:30 p.m. Quiet hours (truly quiet) are in effect from the nightly check-in time until 8:00 a.m. Of course, it goes without saying (we'll say it anyway) that the volume of stereos and radios must be kept at a reasonable level at all times.

Guests

On weekdays, you may host two guests in your room per occupant (they must leave by nightly check-in). In other words, if your room is a double, you are permitted to have four guests visit during this time. If a violation of house rules occurs as a result of your guests, including a quiet hours violation, they will be required to leave the room.

You are not permitted to have overnight guests on weekdays (Sunday through Thursday). This includes outside guests and/or other Summer College students. All guests must leave by nightly check-in.

You may on occasion request permission to entertain an overnight guest of the same gender on a weekend (Friday and Saturday night only). To do so you must obtain the express consent of your roommate(s) and prior permission of the Head Resident of the your residence hall. We require forty-eight hour's notice or your guest's arrival and you may invite no more than one overnight guest at a time. Overnight guest forms may be obtained from the student’s Head Resident. Failure to follow these procedures is a violation of the House Rules.

Electrical cords

We ask that you not suspend lamps or lights by their own cords, and that you do use heavyweight extension cords for heat-producing appliances such as irons or coffeepots. Extension cords may be no longer than six feet and cannot run from your room to a corridor outlet. Only university electricians are authorized to make electrical connections to the circuit breaker panels.

Cooking

There's really no need for you to do any cooking while at Summer College. Only the residential staff may use the residence hall kitchens.

Under no circumstances may you use hot plates, toasters, electric frying pans, deep-fat fryers, electric ovens, electric grills, microwave ovens, rotisseries, immersion coils, coffeepots, or water heaters without thermostatic controls. We'll be forced to confiscate any cooking appliances used in violation of these regulations. Another thing: we don't allow any cooking in the hallways. Infractions of these regulations jeopardize the safety of all residents and will result in disciplinary action.

Decorations

You're welcome to bring posters and plants to make your room feel more homey. But please don't hang plywood paneling, fabric, or blankets on the walls or ceilings; these items are usually combustible. You may hang posters from the molding strip, using tacks, but do not use tape or tacks on the walls themselves. Sad experience has taught us that curtain rods, like sprinkler pipes, are not strong enough to bear the additional weight of plants, so we ask that you restrain yourself in your interior decorating.

Candles and incense

Candles and incense have their attractions, but they are fire hazards. We don't allow them in the residence halls.

Storage

For your own protection, do not store heavy objects such as irons, trophies, and radios on high shelves. Do not store food, beverages, or other heavy articles on window ledges or suspend them from windows or window frames.

For more information

For more information, refer to our "General policies and disclaimers" page and the University's "Policy Office" Web site.