Residential Life : Policies and Regulations

Room Entry, Search and Seizure

Inspection The following inspection policies apply to College-owned or operated facilities:: The College has free access to the premises at all reasonable times for the purpose of examining the same in order to make any alterations or repairs to buildings that the College may deem necessary for its safety or preservation. Every effort will be made to respect the privacy of individuals living in College-owned or operated living units. However, College officials have the right to enter student rooms without prior notification to perform custodial, repair and maintenance services, or in the case of an emergency. Room inspections to check the conditions of college property will be announced in advance. In the event of demonstrated damages, a charge will be made, roughly proportionate to the cost of removal, repair, and/or refinishing required. Entry and Search College officials may enter and/or search a student's room, vehicle, or other area, including personal property, in either a residence hall or other College-owned location or operated facility under any one of the following conditions: a. If there is reason to believe that the room is being used for illegal purposes; b. If there is reason to believe that the room is being used for a purpose that violates College or residence hall policy; c. If there is reason to believe that the room is being used for a purpose that violates health or safety regulations; d. With consent of a resident of that room or multiple room unit, OR e. When specifically authorized by the Vice President for Student Development, or by his or her designee. Generally student staff members enter student rooms after receiving consent from a professional College official. Law enforcement officers possessing proper legal documents have the legal right to search rooms, and whenever possible, a representative of the College will accompany the law enforcement officer conducting the search. Search Procedures: a. The search shall be conducted by a Campus Security officer or the Director of Security, or another non-student College official designated by the official authorizing the search. Student staff members do not conduct room searches. An administrative staff member from the Office of Student Development will accompany the Security officer whenever possible. b. Authorization will specify the reasons for the search, and the residents of that room will be notified of the authorization at the time of the search, if they are present. c. A reasonable effort will be made to ensure that a resident of the room or multiple rooms is present during search. If a resident of the room or multiple room unit is not present or cannot be found within a reasonable time period, at least one other student should be present as a witness, preferably a student residence hall staff member. If a student has a concern about the way the policy is enacted they should contact an Associate Dean of Students immediately. All complaints will be investigated. If any evidence obtained during such a search is used in a Student Code of Conduct hearing, the manner in which the evidence was obtained will be taken into consideration. Seizure Any items violating College policies, or creating a health or safety risk may be confiscated anywhere on College premises.

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