Housing and Board Policy

Kalamazoo College affirms the educational benefits inherent in the residential undergraduate experience. Residential living is supportive of one’s academic preparation and plays an integral role in one’s experiential education, providing rich opportunities for involvement and development. Therefore, Kalamazoo College requires all students to reside within the College’s residential system and board at the College’s dining center through their sophomore year.

To be eligible for campus housing, students must be enrolled full-time (at least two units) for the term of residence, and be at least 16 years of age at the time campus residency begins. Students under the age of 16 are not eligible to live in on-campus housing.

Kalamazoo College’s Section 504 Coordinator and the Office of Disability Services will work with students who have special needs when making housing assignments. The College will provide accessible housing to students with disabilities. You may contact the College’s Section 504 Coordinator or the Office of Disability Services at (269) 337-7209.

Policy Interpretation

First-years: All first-years and visiting international students must live in the College’s residential system and board at the College’s dining center. Exceptions are made for those who:

• are married
• have children
• are 23 years of age or older
• are under the age of 16

Sophomores: All sophomores must live in the College’s residential system and board at the College’s dining center. Exceptions are made for those who:

• are married
• have children
• are 23 years of age or older
• are under the age of 16
• commute from a local primary residence of a parent or guardian (within 30 minutes or 30 miles of the College)
• are released by the College’s Petition Committee 

Exceptions specific to the board plan only are made for:

• residents of Living Learning Housing Units, all of which provide a full kitchen
• those released by the College’s Petition Committee 

Transfers: Transfers are treated per their student classification. However, those who submit a housing application for Fall after the deadline are not guaranteed housing. Mid-year transfers will be housed on a space-available basis.

Juniors and Seniors:

Juniors and seniors are not required to live on campus and will be housed on a space-available basis only. The amount of available space for juniors and seniors will depend on the College’s enrollment goals and the remaining number of beds after all those falling under the housing requirement have been accounted for. All students living on campus must carry a board plan unless they live in a Living Learning Housing Unit.

Students with Disabilities

In compliance with section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as Amended, and with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), Kalamazoo College recognizes that qualified students who have a diagnosed or identified learning, physical, and emotional disabilities are entitled to the same benefits from the educational programs of the College. Kalamazoo College is committed to making every effort to providing reasonable accommodations unless it imposes an undue hardship or burden on the College. The Senior Associate Dean of Students and the student will work together to negotiate and ensure appropriate accommodations that will work for the student. The cost associated with a diagnosis, evaluation, and testing is the responsibility of the student, except in cases of severe financial need demonstrated to, and upon the recommendation of, the Senior Associate Dean of Students.

The office also makes assistance available to students experiencing short-term illness or physical injury

Kalamazoo College has the right to: Deny a request for accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids and services if the documentation demonstrates that the request is not warranted or if the individual fails to provide appropriate documentation.

Please direct questions to the Senior Associate Dean of Students Office.

Procedure

1. Upon enrollment or upon receiving an assessment that verifies a disability, a student must complete the Disability Services Request for Accommodations and attach all medical documentation.
2. The student must provide a copy of the medical documentation and any recommendations about necessary accommodations that are included. If the assessment does not provide the necessary information with which to determine accommodations or if the assessment is more than three years old, the Senior Associate Dean of Students may ask for additional assessment.
3. The Senior Associate Dean of Students/Disability Services Coordinator will review the assessment. The student and Senior Associate Dean of Students will then reach out to the student to discuss the request and determine appropriate accommodations. One should not assume that specific accommodations offered in high school would necessarily be offered by the College.
4. The Senior Associate Dean of Students/Disability Services Coordinator will communicate in writing to the student the approved accommodations.
5. Each quarter, the Senior Associate Dean of Students/Disability Services Coordinator will send a letter requesting specific accommodations to the faculty of courses in which the student is registered unless the student requests that this step not be taken.
6. If the accommodations do not seem to be working, the student shall contact the Senior Associate Dean of Students/Disability Services Coordinator, and they will work together to discover why the accommodations are not working and to develop additional or different accommodations if that becomes necessary.
7. More specific information about Disability Services and resources are available in the Disability Services website.

Student Responsibilities:

Be sure to read and understand your responsibilities in the partnership to provide you full access to Kalamazoo College’s educational opportunities. You may also benefit from general suggestions for being a successful student.

Student Registration:

For registration assistance, please read registration information for students with disabilities.

Will Graduation Requirements Change Because of Disabilities? No.
We believe that teaching within a course can be modified to address particular disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations. Students, regardless of their disability, in most cases can successfully master the material of courses and meet graduation requirements. Should a student have questions about the process of seeking accommodations, please contact the Senior Associate Dean of Students at (269) 337-7209. Kalamazoo College uses several assistive technologies to assist students with disabilities access resources in classrooms and in the library.

Resources Available

Library

• There is barrier-free access.
• All floors are accessible by elevator. Visually impaired students would need staff assistance.
• Staff assistance may be required for retrieving materials from upper shelves.
• Several internet workstations are available for seated users.

Media Center

• Audiotapes, tape recorders, and an audio lab are available to visually impaired students.
• A text and image enlarger is available to visually impaired students.
• The video collection includes some tapes with subtitles.
• Sound amplification equipment is available.
• A transmitter and six assistive listening devices to help overcome background noise can be used in Dalton, Stetson, and the Recital Hall.
• The Media Center is accessible by elevator.

Computer Center/Computer Labs

• Computer labs in Dewing, Olds/Upton, Hicks Center and Dow are accessible by elevator.
• Tables in the computer labs will accommodate wheelchairs.
• Specialized equipment is not available in the computer labs.
• Media Center staff can help determine appropriate equipment for the College to purchase.

Social Policies and Regulations

When a student accepts admission to Kalamazoo College, the student agrees to live by a set of mutually held principles defined as the Honor System. The faculty and staff of the College, in return, agree to treat the students by the same principles. Policies and regulations, including the Student Code of Conduct, interpret the broad principles of the Honor System. Students are expected to acquaint themselves with these regulations and to abide by them both in spirit and in practice, whether enrolled in on-campus or off-campus programs. Failure to live within the College’s policies and regulations, thus within the spirit of the Honor System, will result in administrative action or action through the Student Conduct Process.

Enforcement Authority and Responsibility

The Board of Trustees gives authority for administering the College to the President. The President delegates to the Provost and the faculty the authority to determine the curriculum of the College and the academic processes, policies, and regulations that define the academic structure. The President delegates administrative responsibility for particular programs, activities, and processes to the administrative officers of those programs.

• Social policies and regulations and the Student Conduct Process are under the jurisdiction of the Vice President of Student Development and Dean of Students. Violations of social policies and regulations are addressed by the VP/Dean of Students, deans or directors of programs, or through the Student Conduct Process.
• Academic policies and regulations are under the jurisdiction of the Provost and the faculty. Violations are addressed by individual faculty, by committees of the faculty, by directors of programs, by the Registrar, by the Provost or his/her representatives, or through the Student Conduct Process.
• Administrative procedures, policies, and regulations are under the jurisdiction of specific program directors and administrative officers. Those directors and administrative officers address violations.

Students will be treated with procedural fairness within each of these respective systems in accordance with procedures communicated through the Student Code of Conduct, College policies and regulations, the Academic Catalog, or specific documents from the offices or programs.

Relationship to Governmental Law Enforcement Units

The College reserves the right to determine whether violations of municipal, state, or federal laws are also actionable under the College’s Honor Statement, Student Code of Conduct, standards, policies, or regulations. Therefore, students who are cited or arrested and/or charged by law enforcement authorities may be notified that College action is also pending. College policies and regulations are not designed to replicate state or federal laws, but rather to address student conduct under the Honor System, the Student Code of Conduct, and the College’s policies and regulations, and to ensure an appropriate educational environment for all community members. Thus, College proceedings need not await the outcome of civil or criminal proceedings. Since the Fourteenth Amendment does not refer to or place restrictions upon private action, private institutions of higher education like Kalamazoo College are not bound by the prohibitions in the Fourteenth Amendment. Such private institutions are not in a constitutional relationship with their students unless they are in some way acting on behalf of the state.

In cases where students have allegedly violated both campus regulations and statutory laws, the College may be faced with a situation where it must take action on its Student Code of Conduct prior to action by the courts. This does not constitute double jeopardy for the student, since the campus and the community are two separate jurisdictions and the College is not making either legal or criminal determinations, but determinations about the appropriateness of student conduct within its community. Therefore, the proceedings are independent of one another and one need not await the outcome of the other. The College is maintaining its integrity by lawfully determining whether sanctions may be appropriate and/or whether the student is fit to continue in the academic community. Kalamazoo College reserves the right to take such action in cases where the College determines that the student’s presence on campus may endanger or disrupt others or the College community.

Jurisdiction

In the course of their education, students are members of multiple communities and hold multiple citizenships, including on study abroad, at internships, student teaching, on SIPs, etc. The College reserves the right to determine whether violations of municipal, state, or federal laws, or violations of the standards or policies of universities or countries abroad also constitute a violation of College standards and regulations. Therefore, students who are cited or arrested and charged by law enforcement authorities or are charged or disciplined by institutions, municipalities, or countries abroad may be notified that College disciplinary action is also pending. Further, the College reserves the right to take action on behavior off campus that violates College standards and regulations, adversely affects the lawful educational mission of the institution, or has endangered or disrupted others.

Consequences of Violations

Administrative or faculty action, or action through the Student Conduct Process will result from violations of the Honor System, the Student Code of Conduct, or the policies and regulations of the College. Responsive action can include suspension or expulsion from the College; limitation of access to programs, activities, or housing; restriction of privileges; imposition of new requirements; required community service; or community restitution hours, to name a few. Actions are designed to educate a student about the responsibilities of membership within an educational community. However, when those efforts fail, the recourse is to rescind the privilege to attend this College.

Acting under the authority of the Board of Trustees, the President of Kalamazoo College (or designate) may, on an interim basis, suspend or expel any student whose conduct is detrimental to the well-being of the College or members of the College community. In such circumstances, the procedures employed in responding to violations of College policy may be suspended in the event of a crisis or a threat to the safety, health, or well-being of members of the College community.