Communal Principles of the Bantam Network Residential Learning Community

The Bantam Network Residential Learning Community is committed to building a community of inclusivity, care, accountability, respect, and excellence (I.C.A.R.E.). Our communal principles serve as guide for all members of our community, encouraging them to act in a manner that promotes the best of what the Trinity community has to offer.

Be safe, be caring, be respectful, and be engaged!

· Inclusivity: We foster an environment where we embrace our differences, celebrate diversity, share our experiences, and value the individual and collective contributions we make to our community.

· Care: We create spaces that facilitate a sense of belonging and care and that provide a network of care by creating opportunities where students, staff, and faculty can create meaningful connections.

· Accountability: We expect and embrace shared responsibility, care, wellness, respect, fairness, integrity, open communication, and dignity.

· Respect: We promote a community of care, one in which everyone is treated with dignity, integrity, and civility. We recognize respect as the foundation for honesty, trust, and meaningful communication.

· Excellence: We embrace challenges as opportunities for growth by engaging in initiatives that deepen our learning, broaden our knowledge, enhance our understanding of self and others, and enable us to make positive contributions to our communities.

Bantam Network Residential Learning Community Guidelines

Terms and Conditions of Occupancy

Residents are expected to abide by all published fee and occupancy schedules and are required to pay their semester room fees prior to assuming occupancy.
Residents must occupy their accommodations as assigned by the Bantam Network Residential Learning Community. Written approval from the Bantam Network Residential Learning Community must be secured for all residence assignments before a student may occupy a residential space.
Any student who vacates or is required hereunder to vacate accommodations shall remove all personal property prior to the time specified herein for yielding such space. In the event such property is not removed, it shall be deemed abandoned and may be disposed of in any manner deemed appropriate by the College. Assignment switching (changing rooms) without written permission is prohibited and will result in disciplinary action.
The College supplies custodial services only for public common areas. Residents are responsible for maintaining clean private spaces.
No sanctioned storage areas are accessible to students. Students should seek outside vendors for this type of service.
All residents without approval to remain on campus must vacate their on-campus residence by noon on the day following the last final examination of each semester.
Residents are not permitted to remain in campus housing during the winter and summer breaks without approval from the Bantam Network Residential Learning Community. Residents who enter or remain on campus without prior approval will be subject to the residential student conduct process and will need to vacate campus.
To obtain permission to stay during break periods, students must submit an application for break housing to the Bantam Network Residential Learning Community. Students granted permission to stay during the break periods must stay in the room approved by the Bantam Network Residential Learning Community and must abide by all policies contained within these residential guidelines.
During the winter break, some residential communities may be closed for safety and energy conservation reasons. Each year, the Bantam Network Residential Learning Community in collaboration with Facilities will determine which residential communities will be closed. Residents of residential communities selected for closing will be assigned to another residential learning community.
Students approved to remain on campus during the winter and summer breaks must remain in their assigned rooms and abide by the Bantam Network Residential Learning Community Guidelines. Any damages that occur in these spaces during the breaks will be charged to the students granted occupancy for that time period.
Although College services (such as dining facilities) are limited, students are permitted to remain in campus residences during the Thanksgiving break and spring break periods. Students will be asked to complete a request to remain on campus for these breaks so the Bantam Network Residential Learning Community staff will be aware for emergency purposes.
Fall semester students who are not residing on campus for the spring semester must vacate their room completely at the conclusion of the fall semester. Vacated rooms will be cleaned, and students will be charged a repair/replacement fee for damage to the room and/or College-issued furniture. Personal items left behind will be disposed of, and students will be charged a cleaning fee for the removal of items left in the room.
With the exception of members of the senior class, at the conclusion of the spring semester, the only students who will be granted access to their rooms are the community and resident advisers as well as other groups who have received approval for extended stay. Summer housing residents, Commencement/Reunion workers, international students, athletes participating in competition, etc., who have been approved for extended stay may be subject to temporary relocation. These students must relocate to a temporary assignment upon request by the Bantam Network Residential Learning Community.
Upon closure of residential buildings, representatives from the Bantam Network Residential Learning Community and Facilities will inspect all rooms for damages, noting missing College-issued furniture and determining if excessive cleaning is required. Students will be charged a fee for missing and/or damaged furniture, damages to the residential space, and excessive cleaning.
Students are responsible for the condition of their rooms and their furnishings during their periods of occupancy. Damage to the furniture, walls, or any part of the room will be assigned a cost and will be charged to the responsible student(s). If a responsible party cannot be identified, the assigned cost will be distributed equally among the roommates of the space. Upon vacating an assigned room, students should return the room to its original condition.
Once room inspections are completed, all rooms will be cleared and prepared for the following semester. Any personal belongings left in rooms will be considered abandoned and discarded. After residential closures, students will be granted access to their former residential assignment only at the discretion of the Bantam Network Residential Learning Community.
Please Note: A per-day fee may be assessed to any student who occupies their room outside the dates stated in the residential contract.
Housing selection for fall occupancy is an online process, and students will receive instructions and important dates prior to the selection period.
Trinity is a residential college, and all students are expected to live in housing provided by the College. Prior to the spring housing selection, the Bantam Network Residential Learning Community will publish guidelines for students requesting to live off campus. Note that there is a maximum number of students each semester who are released from on-campus housing. Students are not guaranteed that they will be granted permission to live off campus.

Medical Information

Residents must comply with all medical history information requirements and all health/medical requirements as established by the Health Center prior to assuming occupancy.

Housing Accommodations and Special Assignments

The College will consider requests for special room assignments. This process is explained in the room selection instructions. Special assignments may be considered for documented medical needs and physical disabilities. Students with documented medical needs or physical disabilities must apply for accommodations through the Student Accessibility Resource Center.

Special arrangements are certified at the time of assignment, often with additional contractual guidelines. Any misuse of the special assignment or any change in circumstance that invalidates the need for a special assignment may result in termination of the contract. The College may then take possession of the assigned accommodations.

Policy Regarding Pets

Undergraduates are not permitted to have animals on the Trinity College campus or in any of its buildings except when approved as an accommodation through the Student Accessibility Resource Center. Failure to observe this policy will result in disciplinary action, including the removal of the unapproved pet(s) from campus housing.

Eligibility to Live Off Campus

Rising seniors and juniors in good academic and social standing who have not yet accepted or are not yet assigned to on-campus housing for the upcoming academic year may apply to live off campus.
Incoming transfer students are required to live on campus during their first year as a Trinity student and may apply for off-campus housing approval the following year, provided they are rising juniors or seniors.
Students who are unsure of their academic standing must check their academic/advising transcript.
Students who are unsure of their social standing should email housing@trincoll.edu.
Please Note: Students who currently live off campus MUST reapply for approval to live off campus for the upcoming academic year.
Once applications are reviewed, students will receive notification of their application status. A maximum of 175 student applicants will be approved to live in housing not owned by the College.
Students whose applications are not approved:
o Will be placed on the off-campus housing wait list
o May elect to participate in the on-campus housing selection process
Please Note: Students who choose to live off campus without approval will be charged a $5,000 fee.
o The $5,000 penalty will NOT be waived.
o There is NO appeals process to waive the $5,000 fee.

Eligibility to Obtain Commuter Status

To be eligible for commuter student status, students must meet ONE of the following conditions AND be approved by the Office of Student and Community Life:

Student resides with their parents or legal guardians in their permanent legal residence within a 50-mile radius of the Trinity College campus
Student is aged 25 years or older
Student has children and/or dependents
Student is married and living with their spouse

Residential Facilities Policies and Personal Property Guidelines

Room Condition Report

Students are responsible for signing their room condition report within three days of assuming occupancy of a residential assignment. Prior to occupancy, a room condition report is completed by the Bantam Network Residential Learning Community staff, noting the condition of the space and including an inventory of furnishings.
It is the student’s responsibility to verify the condition of the room. Any damages or missing items must be documented to avoid future charges. Failure to complete the room condition report will impact the resident’s right to dispute charges due to damages or missing items that were inventoried for the room.
At the end of each term, rooms will be inspected by a representative of Facilities and/or the Bantam Network Residential Learning Community, and any damages or missing items not previously noted on the room condition report will be billed directly to the student’s account. Excessive damages found and/or necessary cleaning required at the end of a term will incur a charge and also may result in the residential student conduct process.

Room and Furniture Condition

Students are responsible for maintaining the condition of their rooms and their furnishings during their periods of occupancy. Changes including painting and installing shelves are not permitted and are considered unauthorized changes. Unauthorized changes and damages to College property that occur during the school year by residents or their guests are the financial responsibility of the residents of the room/suite/apartment. Students are required to report these unauthorized changes/damages immediately to the Bantam Network Residential Learning Community.
Unauthorized changes/damage to furniture, walls, or any part of the room will be assigned a repair/replacement cost and charged to the responsible student(s). Students with excessive damages in their rooms will face disciplinary action up to and including restriction from housing.
The Bantam Network Residential Learning Community staff conducts health and safety inspections in the residential communities once per semester. Rooms are expected to be free of any prohibited items/policy violations and hazardous materials such as bodily fluids. Students also are expected to maintain hygienic conditions to avoid attracting insects and rodents to the area. For safety reasons, rooms also must be free of debris and not overloaded with furnishings. Failure to comply will result in the residential student conduct process and/or a fine.
Each room is equipped with a bed frame, extra-long mattress, desk, desk chair, and wardrobe/bureau (if built-ins do not exist). Many common rooms are provided with a sofa and chair. Only a limited number of items are in back stock, but every legitimate furniture request will be honored. Please note that bookcases are not typically available.
For furniture repairs, maintenance requests, etc., students should submit a work order request via https://v1-identity.dudesolutions.io/app/login/username.
For door issues, whether access or a physical issue, students should complete an IT request at http://ishelp.trincoll.edu.
All furniture that is issued to student rooms must remain in that room for the duration of the year. If room furniture is found outside the room (e.g., hallways, basements, lounges, storage areas, etc.), it will be removed and the resident(s) of the room missing that piece will be charged for its full replacement cost.
Students are prohibited from bringing their own mattress into the residential learning community unless it is approved by the Student Accessibility Resource Center.
The College employs a maintenance and custodial staff to keep the residential communities in good physical condition. Requests for maintenance should be directed to Facilities at 860-297-2444.
Upon vacating their assignment, students are expected to take all personal belongings, remove all trash, and do a quick sweeping. Please be advised that rooms that require excessive cleaning or furniture/rug removal will be assessed a cleaning fee.
Nails, screws, double-stick tape, or duct tape on the walls, furniture, or fixtures are prohibited due to the physical damage that often occurs from using these materials. Repainting/repairs resulting from the use of such adhesives are the financial responsibility of the resident(s) of the room.
In all cases, if a responsible party is not identified in advance, the assigned financial cost for damages, missing items, furniture removal, and/or cleaning fees within a room will be distributed equally among the roommates of that space.
Public displays: Pictures and other materials that may be considered objectionable are subject to removal in areas that may be visible outside a room/suite/apartment in a residential learning community (e.g., directly in windows, exteriors of doors, etc.).

Residence/Room Entry

The College will make every attempt to respect the student’s desire for privacy within the community. This policy is designed to ensure reasonable and appropriate entry into a student’s room by only authorized staff members and to define the conditions under which authorized personnel may enter a student’s residence/room.
Authorized staff members who may enter a student’s room include Facilities maintenance and custodial personnel, Campus Safety personnel, Bantam Network Residential Learning Community administrative staff members, deans, administrators on call, and resident advisers.
Rooms may be entered under the following conditions:

o To provide room maintenance inspections or repair services

o To conduct health and safety inspections

o When there is reasonable cause to believe the College community standards are being violated

o When there is reasonable cause to believe an emergency situation that requires the room be entered has arisen

o When a student vacates a room for a break period

o When the occupancy period of the room has ended

o When sanctioned for room checks after adjudication of a fire-safety violation

Illegal materials/prohibited items in plain view may be confiscated and disposed of if they are noticed by authorized personnel or in response to a violation of College or residential policy.
When a member of the police or a government agency seeks permission of the College to search a student’s room, such permission will not be granted without a warrant. Undergraduates (including roommates) have no authority to grant permission to such agencies to conduct searches of property of individuals in absentia. The director of Campus Safety, the dean of student and community life, and/or the administrator on call must be notified immediately of such agencies’ presence and intent.

Locking System

The College has an electronic control system of networked card readers working to protect students in the residential learning communities. This system is administered by Information Technology Services (Help Desk on Level A of the Raether Library and Information Technology Center).
Electronic card readers are used on exterior and interior doors within all residential learning communities. All residential learning communities are ID access only. IDs are not to be shared under any circumstance. If an ID is compromised, it may result in the residential student conduct process. IDs will open a student’s assigned room, bathroom, and entrances of their residential learning community.
At the entrances to all residential learning communities, the College also has networked card readers that recognize student ID cards. Students are expected to carry their IDs with them at all times. The exterior doors also are equipped with horns and strobe lights that will alert residents and Campus Safety when a breach has occurred. Please note that each resident has several seconds to enter the door and have it close behind them.
Under normal circumstances, all lock-repair issues or card-reader failures should be directed to 860-297-2007. If an emergency exists, please contact Campus Safety immediately at 860-297-2222. Students who require a replacement ID card should go to the library (860-297-2007) during normal business hours (note: a replacement fee will be assessed). Call Campus Safety (860-297-2222) during evening hours or on weekends.
Tampering with any locking system, adding locking devices, propping open any exterior residential building doors or bathroom doors, and holding the door open for nonresidents are very serious violations that will result in the residential student conduct process.

Personal Property Liability/Insurance Coverage

Neither the College nor the Bantam Network Residential Learning Community can be held directly or indirectly financially liable for any damage or loss of property due to the actions of students, undetermined vandalism, fire, facility failure, theft, severe weather, or other acts of nature. Students therefore are encouraged to review their family’s personal property insurance for coverage or to carry their own homeowner’s/renter’s insurance to ensure that property and belongings are covered for theft and loss while at school. The Bantam Network Residential Learning Community has student insurance information on the College’s website.

Section V. The Bantam Network Residential Learning Community Policies and Guidelines

Communal Principles of our Residential Learning Community

Community Standards within the Residential Learning Communities

Fire Safety in the Residential Communities