By Beka Warren

Features Editor

While administration officials have a clear policy for conduct in the student apartments, students do not always heed the rules and the warnings.

“Some things may go unreported because students don’t want to get their roommates in trouble,” said a third-year resident. “They still have to live with them and don’t want to be miserable for the rest of the year.”

Students in the dorms report parties involving alcohol, frequent visits my minors and public nudity, all violations of the university’s code of conduct. Another common offense includes smoking.

“If students are not irresponsible, they can sometimes get away with different things,” said junior Josh Mullanax, a dorm resident. “Other students may look the other way until something is reported because someone complains, which is normally a roommate or a neighbor.”

Mulanax said violations related to safety are usually dealt with by the university swiftly, but the problem is whether or not residential life officials have been informed of the violation.

Still, he notes that students who don’t report violations are typically punished for not informing authorities. A roommate not calling residential life when her roommates were having a party is one example of this, he said.

Kayla Short, residential life director, said there are issues that go unnoticed by the residential life office simply because the staff cannot be everywhere at once and must rely on students to be responsible.

This year, however, campus police said there have been fewer student conduct violations in the student apartments this year than in past years, pointing to clearer recent policies. There are usually a small number of evictions each year. As of March 25, there have been no evictions since September.

“Our goal is to make the campus a less dangerous place and to make people follow the rules so that it is safer for students,” said Vice President of Student Affairs Tobie Titsworth.

He added: “Sometimes we see kind of silly situations. We had a [dorm resident] riding a bicycle through the Centennial Center because he had nowhere to lock it up. We just had to explain that he wasn’t allowed to do that, and now there is a place for bicycles outside.”

For violations of conduct, such as alcohol parties, students are subject to a three-point system.

When students are caught with alcohol, which is expressly forbidden in the dorms regardless of age, they are given three chances to improve their behavior.

For any first time violation of conduct, students must pay a fine and receive one point against their record. The second offense, they receive two more points and must appear before a jury of fellow residents, who will assign some sort of punishment like community service or a written apology letter, copies of which are sent to every student apartment.

Also, if a student is under 21, their parents are notified.

An instrumental part of enforcing rules in student apartments is the point system by which students are disciplined. For every major violation, students receive points against their record and disciplinary action is taken, such as a verbal or written warning, a fine, or termination of the student’s contract.

The points and discipline increase if a student commits the same offense more than once. For several violations, the third offense will result in the termination of a student’s contract. However, for more serious offenses, such as theft, or drugs, the first offense will result in a termination of contract, according to the Residential Life Handbook.

“At the beginning of each year, we hold a mandatory meeting and go over the most common violations. Students are required to attend and have to meet with me if they miss that meeting,” said Short.

At this meeting, students are made aware of the rules and consequences of the major and most common violations within the student apartments.

The termination of a student’s contract may be accompanied by a notice to vacate, an order to leave the campus, which will go into effect immediately and last for six months. Short has the power to issue a notice to vacate when students or non-students break rules of the student apartments, but she would usually rather go through the RSU Police Department.

“This is especially true when there is a situation that I don’t feel comfortable in,” she said.

The notices to vacate are usually only issued when the safety of others on campus is threatened, which is not a frequent occurrence at RSU.

Students are given the opportunity to learn about the rules of the student apartments, either at the mandatory meeting or by reading the residential life handbook, which is strongly recommended by residential life.