Facility Use

Care of Units

Living in residence requires maintenance of a clean, safe, and sanitary living area (inside the housing unit, bathroom, and surrounding areas) with cooperation between the roommates assigned to that housing unit. Students are expected to leave their housing unit in a clean and orderly condition at checkout. Extra cleaning and additional check out fees may be assessed for failure to comply with proper procedures. The Residence Life and Facilities Management staffs have the right to enter any housing unit to ensure it is being maintained properly and no damages have occurred.

Liability for Personal Property

APU assumes no responsibility or liability for the personal property, including vehicles, of students or their guests while in a campus housing assignment, including all university vacation periods during the year. This includes damage or loss due to fire, theft, flooding, etc. The university recommends students not leave valuables in their rooms/units during vacation periods. Students are strongly encouraged to consider carrying some form of personal insurance while living on campus; check out this example. However, students should research what coverage and provider is best for them.

Utilities

The university provides basic utilities in all campus-housing assignments as part of the housing rate. This includes electricity, gas, water, trash, and internet service. While the university pays for this basic service, any excessive or abusive usage of utilities by students (as determined by the university) through actions, hobbies, or business ventures is strictly prohibited. Failure to comply with university directive in these circumstances may result in disciplinary action and charges for excessive costs incurred by the university.

The Residence Halls and Shire utilize APU Wi-Fi, and University Village offers internet service through Frontier Communications with the service paid for by APU. Students do not need to contact Frontier to set up or close service. Students can connect to the internet following the instructions on the router in the unit. Students who have missing equipment or have difficulties connecting should contact the support desk at (626) 815-5050 or support@apu.edu. Students should leave all of the equipment in the unit when they move out. Students who remove equipment will be charged for the replacement as part of the checkout process. Satellite dishes are not permitted in campus living areas.

Furniture

Typically, APU provides each student with a bed, dresser, desk, and chair. In some living areas the furniture is built in or is reduced due to space considerations. Furniture is to remain in the assigned housing unit for the full term of the campus housing assignment. University furniture may not be removed from the housing unit. This includes using it as outside patio or lawn furniture, storing it on a patio, deck or common area, exchanging it with another student, placing it in an off-campus storage area, etc. There will be a fine for removal even if the item is returned at a later date. In addition, students found with common area furnishings in their housing unit will be subject to a fine and possible disciplinary action. Students with damaged or missing furniture may submit a campus work order through home.apu.edu.

Students will be charged if they are responsible for any damaged or missing furniture. In all rooms/units designated for oversubscriptions, an extra set of furniture will be provided. The extra bed set will be lofted (raised like a bunk bed to leave the floor space under the bed open). This furniture will remain in place, even if the room's occupancy changes. In voluntary oversubscriptions, students may request to have the extra furniture removed by submitting a work order request. These requests will be approved based on workloads and availability of storage. Rooms that are designated as private bedrooms will not have excess furniture removed as private bedroom options/offerings fluctuate from year to year and semester to semester. Rooms/units with less than the standard capacity of students will not have furniture removed. Building bed lofts is not permitted. Only university-owned loft kits may be placed in rooms/units and must be installed by university personnel. Students wishing to have their beds bunked may submit a work order as described above.

Decoration/Alteration/Damage

Removable adhesive putty and other temporary mounting products can be used for decorating as long as no damage results from use. Nails and screws are not permitted. Any damage to walls, doors, ceilings, patios, and room surfaces will result in a charge and must be corrected by Facilities Management; students should not try to make repairs themselves. Students may not make any substantive changes to their housing unit or common areas, including, but not limited to, rewiring, installing ceiling fans, painting, mounting televisions, or installing antennas/dishes for television, etc. Students are liable and charges will be made for damage to buildings or furnishings, lost property, or unnecessary service costs caused by the actions, intentional or accidental, of students or their guests in housing units and common areas. After check-in, students have seven days to assess the condition of their housing unit for any pre-existing damage to the unit. Each student may submit their assessment online through home.apu.edu. When responsibility for damage cannot be attributed to an individual student, the charges will be distributed to all community members in the area of the damage (i.e. all members of a housing unit, wing, floor, or building) as determined by Residence Life. Although reporting damage does not clear the student of responsibility of damage in their unit, students are encouraged to submit work orders for damages in their unit by accessing the campus work order system through home.apu.edu.

Keys

Keys to living areas are issued to resident students by Residence Life. Residents are responsible for keys issued to them. Under no circumstances are keys to be duplicated or loaned to another individual. Students must lock and secure their unit when they leave and roommates are not home. Failure or refusal to pick up a key is a safety issue for students residing in campus housing as it hinders a resident’s ability to secure their unit. Failure to return keys at checkout will result in a charge for costs to change the locks and make new keys.

Students who lose their key must inform Residence Life to initiate the changing of the locks and key replacements. A campus locksmith fee is charged to the student’s account for the lock-change process. Students who lock themselves out of their housing unit may contact the RA on call. If the RA on call is not available, they should contact Campus Safety (a fee may be charged for this service).

Students living in the residence halls use their APU identification (ID) card to gain access to the halls and wings. Students who lose their APU ID card should go to the One Card Office to obtain a replacement. The new card should be updated automatically with living area and resident information upon first use. Old cards, if found, should not be used again and cannot be retroactively coded after a new card has been issued. Students who have issues with their APU ID card not working on living area doors should come to the Residence Life office to report it.

Exterior Spaces, Common Areas, and Storage

Living area lounges, hallways, courtyards, and other public areas are spaces meant to be used by students within that living area with care, respect, and consideration for the well-being of others. Furniture in living area lounges or other common areas is not to be moved, altered, or misused for sleeping or public displays of affection by couples. Appropriate attire is required in these areas at all times; therefore, nudity and states of undress considered inappropriate are prohibited. Any disruptive behavior, disrespect for others, or circumstances deemed unsafe or a hindrance will not be permitted. Due to high risk of property damage and personal injury, sports, water fights, and other high-risk activities are not allowed in indoor residential areas. If the condition of any public area is altered or abused, the person(s) responsible will be subject to charges, fines, and/or disciplinary action.

Exterior entryways, decks, patios, and garages must be kept neat and clean; these areas cannot be used for storage and must be kept clear of indoor furniture (e.g., couches and university furniture), boxes, bins, and trash. The hanging of clotheslines, swimsuits, towels, rugs, plants, lights, signs, banners, flags, hammocks, etc., outside of rooms/apartments (e.g., front porches and balcony railings) is prohibited, with the exception of a modest display of holiday decorations (err on the side of less is more). Exterior holiday decorations must not be displayed earlier than two weeks from the holiday and must be removed within one week after the holiday, or immediately upon a return from break for Christmas decor. All decorations must be used in compliance with all Facility Use and Health and Safety policies.

Students in rooms/units without kitchens are not allowed to cook in their rooms/units, with the exception of the use of acceptable appliances listed elsewhere in these policies and approved by Residence Life. Common-area kitchen facilities are provided in living areas that have rooms/units without kitchens. Consideration must be shown to roommates and other residents by controlling food odors and promptly cleaning up. Students must never leave food cooking or baking unattended. It is the responsibility of the people using the common area kitchen to return it to proper order.

No storage is available through the Office of Residence Life. This includes storage in campus housing rooms/units prior to check-in, after checkout, or during the summer. People responsible for violating these expectations will be subject to disciplinary action.

Windows

Window coverings visible to the exterior must be of a single solid color. Sheets, newspapers, posters, aluminum foil, cardboard, etc., are not acceptable window coverings. Political campaign endorsement signs may not be placed in residential unit windows except within 30 days of the applicable election. Any such signs must be no larger than 18” x 24” and must be removed immediately after the election. Window screens must remain securely fastened at all times. A fine will be incurred for any screen that is removed, missing, and/or damaged regardless of whether or not the screen is later replaced. The use of windows as entrances or exits or as a means to pass objects is strictly prohibited except in emergency situations. Students who throw any objects out their windows will be referred to the disciplinary system.

Video Doorbells

Only campus apartments with exterior doors to the outside may utilize video doorbells. Residence Hall rooms are not eligible. Only wireless devices may be used. Installation of the doorbell is limited to the wood trim of the door frame on the handle side, between 3 and 5 feet from the ground only, and positioned to view only public spaces. No installation is permitted in other locations inside or outside of units.

Any damage that results from use or installation of a video doorbell would be the responsibility of the roommates assigned to the unit. Students must remove the device from the door at the end of their assignment term. All students who are living in the unit must agree to the use of the doorbell. This includes students who may be added to the room at any point in the academic year or term. Students would be required to remove the doorbell in the event that any roommate no longer agrees to the use of the doorbell. Students agree to provide or allow APU to view footage from the doorbell to the university upon a request from the Office of Campus Safety and a supporting determination of “reasonable cause” by the Associate General Counsel.

Video doorbells are permitted for safety and security reasons only, and any footage captured is not to be shared with unauthorized individuals or third parties. Visible signs indicating the use of video doorbells with the capacity for audio recordings will be displayed in the monitored area. Technological support for any installed video doorbell is the responsibility of the installer. APU does not provide technical support for these devices.

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