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Policies and Procedures Regarding Health, Safety and Security

The University is committed to maintaining a healthy and safe environment in our residential communities, while respecting and preserving individual rights to privacy. In order to manage this delicate balance, the University has developed policies and procedures with which all residents should be familiar.

What follows are expectations regarding the use of personal and University facilities, as they relate to health and safety issues. The University recognizes that these policies may cause individual inconvenience. The policies are intended to protect the health and welfare of the larger community.

Approved Items

Approved electrical appliances include: personal computers and accessories, clocks, typewriters, calculators, small refrigerators (4.2 cubic feet per room), small microwaves (up to 750 watts), desk and window fans, floor lamps (halogen lamps are prohibited), answering machines, enclosed coil hot pots, portable hair dryers/curlers, radios, compact disk players, tape recorders, stereos, TVs and VCRs.

NOTE: appliances with exposed elements (toasters, toaster ovens, etc.) pose a safety hazard and are not permitted.

Confiscation

University staff reserves the right to confiscate property/equipment that potentially constitutes a threat to health and safety, and/or has contributed unnecessarily to an environmental disturbance. Examples include, but are not limited to: candles, incense, paraphernalia, pets, weapons/ammunition, stereos, sports equipment, etc. If it is necessary for property to be confiscated, it may or may not be returned at the time a student is able to take it home.

Extension Cords/Surge Protectors

Residence hall electrical outlets are not designed for multiple plugs or extension cords. Therefore, multiple plug bar outlets with a circuit breaker, or "surge protector" power strips are recommended for computers and other sensitive electronic equipment. The University is not responsible for electrical surges, interruptions or damage that occurs as a result. To help protect equipment and prevent electrical fires, keep all electrical cords visible and out of walkways, do not hide electrical cords under rugs, and do not hang wires from the ceiling.

Fire

When fire alarms are activated, all occupants must evacuate the building. When evacuating, occupants should take the following action:
  • Turn lights on.
  • Close windows and doors.
  • Open curtains.
  • Wear shoes, a long coat and carry a large towel.
  • Lock the room door.
  • Walk quickly out of the building.
  • Remain more than 100 feet from the building.
  • Residents must wait outside the building until a member of the hall staff indicates they may return. Failure to evacuate during a fire alarm is a serious violation of University policy.

Halogen Lamps

Halogen lamps are not permitted due to fire risk.

Keys

Students are fully responsible for their room and mail keys. There is a charge to replace a lost key. Students may possess only one room key at a time, and may not duplicate that key. Students should carry their keys at all times. Hall staff are not required to key students into their rooms. Students may not loan or give their key to another person for any reason.

Lofts

Ferris State University provides furniture in residence hall rooms. To enhance living conditions, some students build lofts. The University has established specific rules regarding loft construction.

Medical Waste

This policy applies to residence hall students who self-administer medication including, but not limited to, insulin shots for clotting factors, etc. Students are required to dispose of all needles and syringes in a medical waste container, provided at no charge by the Birkam Health Center. Containers are also available in the residence halls on a limited basis. The medical waste container must be returned to the Health Center by the student when it becomes full, and/or at the end of each term (whichever come first). Students needing assistance obtaining or returning containers are encouraged to contact their Hall Director.

Other Prohibited Items

Fire Hazards (FH):
  • Posters or wall hangings that cover 2/3 or more wall space.
  • Objects on ceiling, pipes, or light fixtures.
  • Decorated room doors (inside or out).

Health Hazards (HH):

  • Piled, soiled clothing (also a fire hazard).
  • Open food containers, any food item exposed to the air.
  • Unkempt bathroom facilities (dirt, mold, pools of algae water).

Propping Doors

Residents may not prop any residence hall door intended to remain closed and/or locked for safety and security reasons. Propped doors compromise the safety and security measures they are designed to meet, including fire safety.

Refrigerators

The University restricts the size to a maximum of 4.2 cubic feet per residence hall room.

Requesting Room Repairs

Please report needed repairs promptly to the hall front desk or the apartments office. Repairs are usually performed by the FSU Physical Plant personnel, and are completed as soon as possible. Heating and Plumbing repairs are taken care of quickly. Carpentry repairs may take more time, except when the repair is a matter of security.

Room Damage and Repair

Residents will be provided with a Room/Apartment Inventory Sheet upon initial move in. This inventory sheet will include information about the apartment or room/rooms furnishings and their condition prior to arrival. It is important that residents review this sheet in detail and report any discrepancies and unlisted damages to the staff. Otherwise, at the time of checkout, the resident will be held responsible for something that may not necessarily be their fault. Any questions should be directed to Housing Staff.

When the residents check out of the apartment or room, this Inventory Sheet will be reviewed again and residents will be held responsible for any damages found. Normal wear and tear, as determined by hall staff, will not be charged.

Occupancy Standards

Two (2) students are generally assigned to each residence hall room, with the exception of Cramer Hall. Students may not put three or four beds in one room in order to use the other room in the suite as a "living room." This is a violation of health and safety standards. Cramer Hall is the only hall designed to accommodate this living arrangement.

Severe Weather

It is important to understand the terminology used in cases of inclement weather. Please take note of the procedures used for safety. Tornado Watch:
  • Used to alert the public to the possibility that a tornado may develop. The size of a watch area is approximately 100 miles wide and 300 miles long, over a certain area.

Tornado Warning:

  • A tornado has been sighted in the area or its presence has been detected by radar.

Tornado Siren:

  • The alarm for a tornado warning is a siren, which sounds intermittently for three minutes. When the all clear is announced, the same siren will be given continuously for three minutes.

Tornado Safety Tips:

  • If you are in a residence hall, classroom or office building, move to an interior hallway on the lowest floor. In the residence halls, Hall Staff will keep you apprised of developments as they occur.
  • Seek inside shelter, preferably in a tornado cellar, underground excavation, or a steel framed or reinforced concrete building of substantial construction.
  • Stay away from windows.
  • If a building is not of reinforced construction, go quickly to a nearby-reinforced building or to a ravine or open ditch and lay flat.
  • Avoid auditoriums and gymnasiums or other structures with wide, free-span roofs.
  • If you are in open country, move away from the tornado's path at a right angle, and lie flat in the nearest depression, such as a ditch or ravine.
  • It is important that you keep listening. Your radio and television stations will broadcast the latest tornado advisory information.

Smoke Detectors

  • To enhance the safety and well being of all students, the University has installed smoke detectors in each room and apartment. It is the resident's responsibility to test battery-operated smoke detectors at least once a week by pressing the test button until the detector signals. Hard-wired smoke alarm systems are operational if a red light on the unit blinks periodically (approximately every 5 seconds). If, at anytime, the smoke detector does not work, you must do the following:
  • Obtain a new battery from the front desk or apartment manager if battery operated.
  • If a new battery does not activate the detector, make certain that you fill out a request that a new detector be installed.
  • Ask the front desk for a "Room Repair Request Slip" and ask them to make sure it is reported immediately. Apartment residents report broken equipment to the apartment office.
  • RA's test smoke detectors at the beginning of fall semester. It is a violation of University policy to remove the battery or otherwise disable a smoke detector.