Residence Life Handbook

All About Roommates

Roommate Bill of Rights

• The right to read and study free from unreasonable noise and distractions.
• The right to sleep without disturbance from unreasonable noise, guest of roommate, etc.
• The right to expect roommate’s respect for personal belongings.
• The right to freely access the room without pressure from a roommate.
• The right to personal privacy, proportionate use of the shared living space, and freedom from unwanted guests in your room..
• The right to address grievances (staff members are available for assistance in resolving conflicts).
• The right to be free from fear of intimidations, physical and/or sexual harassment.
• The right to a clean environment.
• The right to reasonable quiet space in which to live, sleep, and study.

Room Consolidation

Room consolidation occurs when one student is left in a double-occupancy room by themselves. The college reserves the right to fill beds and to require students to consolidate for optimum space utilization, to resolve roommate conflicts or situations that are not suitable for the assigned roommates.

Room Entry and Room Search

College officials may enter a student's room when they have reason to believe the health or safety of a resident is in jeopardy, a College rule is being violated, and to inspect the property for damages. College officials may also enter your room if they have reason to believe violations of civil law are occurring. Local law enforcement officers may also enter your residence hall room in the performance of statutory duties and in accordance with legally defined procedures, search, and seizure. Mid-Plains Community College custodial or other authorized personnel may enter your room/apartment to perform custodial services, to make improvements and repairs, and provide routine maintenance services and insure that health, fire, and safety regulations are maintained. Permission of the resident to enter a room is preferred but is NOT required. After entry, no search of the room may be conducted except as outlined herein. The Assistant Director of Residence Life is primarily responsible for action in an emergency, such as a threat of physical damage to persons or property. All residence hall rooms will be entered and inspected by the Residence Hall staff (Assistant Director of Residence Life, Resident Life Assistant, RAs, and/or other college officials) for safety and security concerns the day/evening of hall closing breaks (i.e., Fall Break, Thanksgiving, Winter Break, and Spring Break). Health and Safety Checks of residence hall rooms will also be conducted monthly. This policy does not affect regular maintenance procedures.

Except under extreme conditions, premises occupied by students and the personal possessions of students will not be searched unless authorization has been obtained. However, given “reasonable cause” of a housing rule violation, cursory searches such as opening a refrigerator, opening a closet door, or looking under a bed are allowed. In these cases, when possible and reasonable, the resident will be asked to perform these tasks.

Procedures for an authorized room search are as follows:

1. A request will be made to the MPCC Dean or Associate Dean of Student Life, or their designee, who will decide if a search will be conducted and the proper procedures to be used.
2. Efforts should be made to have the resident(s) at the apartment at the time of the search. If the resident(s) are not present, they must be notified of the search when practical.
3. A total residence hall search will be made only under emergency conditions. If a total residence hall search is to be conducted, it will be approved and supervised by the MPCC Dean or Associate Dean of Student Life, or their designee. 

Personal Property

The College is not responsible for the loss of any personal property, whether the loss occurs by theft, fire, or otherwise.

Students are responsible for contacting local law enforcement if a crime has occurred, after contacting the Residence Life Professional Staff. Incidents may include:  Accident, hit and run, or theft.

Remember the following guidelines:

• Lock room door and/or suite door when leaving the room, even for a few minutes, and also at night while sleeping.
• Insure your personal belongings. Check with parents about insurance coverage.
• Do not bring valuables, such as expensive jewelry, clothes, electronics, etc. If such items are brought, MPCC will not be liable for them. Guests, including guests of roommates/suitemates, should not be privy to the location of expensive items.
• Do not store or leave large items (such as parts of vehicles, equipment, tools, etc.) in the college-provided parking areas or around the college housing units. Items left unattended will be subject to removal and may possibly be disposed of. If a large item must be left unattended outside, obtain permission from the Director/Assistant Director of Residence Life and/or the Director of Physical Resources prior to bringing it to campus.
• Protecting personal belongings is your responsibility. Residence Life staff at Mid-Plains Community College is prohibited from holding or storing personal property.
• Security camera footage is considered property Mid-Plains Community College and is not available for students to access or request to access.
• In the event that a crime has occurred, Mid-Plains Community College will work with local law enforcement and insurance companies. Please contact Residence Life staff if you have questions.

COMMUNITY LIVING

Established guidelines and the MPCC Code of Conduct must be followed to create and maintain a positive community. Guidelines identify acceptable behavior and hold community members accountable to each other. Responsibility for violations of Code of Conduct is divided equally between the resident(s) of a room unless evidence clearly identifies a specific individual(s) as responsible.

Quiet Hours

Quiet hours are every day from 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. and during finals week from 5:00 p.m. the Friday prior to the start of finals until the last final commences. Loud noises in residential living areas are prohibited.

Visitation Hours

Roommates must jointly agree upon hours visitors are allowed.

MONDAY – SUNDAY - 8:00 a.m.-1:00 a.m.

In order to promote and maintain a positive, supportive, living and learning environment, Student Residence Life staff will enforce visitation hours. Visitation is not allowed during Thanksgiving Break, final examinations, Winter Break, and Spring Break.

Overnight Visitation

Overnight visitation is not permitted without Residence Life staff approval (See Overnight Guests Policy). 

Unauthorized non-residents are prohibited. This includes individuals dismissed from the College and/or Student Housing.

Violation of visitation policies may invoke judiciary action and/or result in dismissal from Student Housing.

Overnight Guests

Overnight guests are permitted by special permission of Residence Life staff. Residents may host one (1) overnight guest at a time, a maximum of four (4) nights during a month. Guests in the building between 1:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. are considered overnight guests and must be registered as overnight guests even if they were checked in as non-overnight guests prior to 1:00 a.m.

The Overnight Guest Form must be attained from Residence Life Staff, completed, and returned 24 hours prior to the stay.

• All overnight guests must complete an Overnight Guest Form.
• Consent and written approval of all roommate(s) is necessary for all overnight guests.
• 24-hour notice must be provided to process the request.
• Residents must ensure that their guests observe college rules and regulations.
• Residents will be responsible for the conduct of their guest(s).

Guest Control Procedures

To ensure the safety and security of all residents and their guests, the following guidelines should be adhered to:

• Residents are limited to three (3) guests per visit.
• Guests should be escorted at all times by the host resident.
• Residents will be held fully responsible for the conduct of their guest(s).

Residents found in violation of any visitation guidelines may face judiciary actions which could include losing visitation privileges and/or dismissal from Student Housing.

Group Gatherings in Public Spaces

A social gathering or meeting of five (5) or more people in a residence hall room or apartment is subject to all municipal, state, and federal laws, as well as College policies. Fire code restrictions play an important role in maintaining safety and security of guests and residents. 

Each resident may have only a total of three (3) guests at a time. The maximum capacity of each room (as determined by fire code) is:

Single: Up to four (4) people             Double: Up to six (6) people              General Living Area: Up to twelve (12) people

Guest limits apply to the room capacity, not to individual residents. Staff have discretionary rights to decide at any time that there are too many people in a room and to require a number of guests to leave.

During a fire alarm or other emergencies, Residenc­­­­­­­e Life staff, the Police Department, and/or the Fire Department may restrict access of guests.

CUSTODIAL AND MAINTENANCE

Report all maintenance and custodial concerns to Residence Life staff as soon as possible.

All repairs to college housing will be made by MPCC Physical Resources. Requests for repairs may also be emailed to one of the following addresses:  https://sysaid.mpcc.edu

Disposal of Personal Trash

All residents are expected to take their personal trash to the outside dumpsters provided. Do not leave your trash in public areas.

Personal Vehicles

All resident vehicles must be registered upon check-in or as vehicle changes occur. Upon check-in, the vehicle must have current licensing and insurance. MPCC reserves the right to ask for documentation verifying this information. 

During extreme weather and cold winter months, extension cords cannot be run from an outlet (exterior or interior) across a sidewalk or driveway to a vehicle or charging destination. This presents a hazardous obstacle to employees, students, and/or guests of Mid-Plains Community College.

Bicycles and Motorcycles

Bicycles are to be parked in the outside racks, not inside apartments or rooms. Motorcycles are to be parked in designated parking areas only.

Snow Removal

In the event of snow, students living in housing are required to move their vehicles to designated parking areas before leaving for class or as soon as possible. General parking areas will be cleaned prior to 8:00 a.m. Housing parking lots will be cleaned thereafter.

Due to liability issues, MPCC is not responsible for removing snow in between vehicles.

Removal of Furnishings

Furnishings are not to be removed or exchanged without permission from the Assistant Director of Residence Life. Community furniture, such as student lounge area furnishings, are not to be moved from their location.

Windows

Window screens must not be removed. Using windows as entrances and exits is strictly prohibited. Report any window or screen damage.

Room Decorations

No physical alterations are to be made to the housing units. Students are permitted to hang pictures and posters on the walls only. Residents will be fined for damages to walls, ceilings, and wood surfaces if care is not exercised in decorating.  Contact Residence Life staff for approved methods for hanging room decorations.

Displays visible to the outside of the room must be approved by Residence Life staff.

Mail

Incoming mail will be placed in the residence hall mailboxes. Students should pick up their own mail. A notice of packages too large to fit in the mailboxes will be placed in your personal mailbox. The packages can then be picked up from Residence Life during the posted pick-up times.

• In the event that a package is not labeled appropriately with identifiable information, it will be returned to sender.
• Please note that delivery times vary with mail and packaging carriers. When packages are ready for pick up, you will receive an email from Residence Life staff with details on when and where to pick it up.

Correspondents should be notified that mail should be addressed as follows:

McCook Community College

Resident’s Name Mailbox #
1205 East 3rd Street McCook, NE 69001

North Platte Community College-North

Resident’s Name Mailbox #
1101 Halligan Drive North Platte, NE 69101

North Platte Community College- South

Resident’s Name Mailbox #
601 West State Farm Road North Platte, NE 69101

Housekeeping

Residents are expected to keep their rooms and apartments neat and clean. Student housing will be inspected regularly for cleanliness and maintenance/repairs. Residents are responsible for the disposal of trash and waste. Containers for waste disposal are available outside each building location. Vacuum cleaners are available through the Residence Life staff.

When moving out, the room must be left in approximately the same condition as it was at check-in. If the room is found to need cleaning or maintenance, charges will be assessed.

Heating and Cooling

Each apartment consists of its own heating and air conditioning unit. It is the resident’s responsibility to set the thermostat between 68-72 degrees.

Housing Furnishings

Your housing unit comes furnished. You'll need to bring your own bedding as well as personal items like wastebaskets and kitchen utensils, if applicable. For your convenience, you are allowed to use items such as hair dryers, razors, televisions, mini-fridges that are 2.5 cubic feet or smaller, and small aquariums of 5 gallons or less. However, for safety reasons, certain appliances are not permitted. These include air fryers, hot plates, coffee makers, candle warmers, large refrigerators over 2.5 cubic feet, and microwaves (please check with a Residence Life staff member for location-specific rules). Additionally, any high-power appliances that could potentially overload circuits are prohibited. Please note that appliance restrictions vary by building to ensure everyone's safety and prevent electrical issues.

Housing Damages

Report all damages to Residence Life staff. Residents are responsible for damages. All residents will be held jointly responsible for any damage or loss occurring during occupancy, unless the individual(s) responsible for the damage or loss admits responsibility. Items found damaged will be repaired/replaced, and residents will be billed accordingly. Damages assessed must be paid within ten (10) calendar days from the billing date.

The following guidelines have been established:

• Residence Life staff inspect each room, detailing the condition prior to occupancy and noting the overall condition of the room on the inventory form.
• Upon check-in, students review the inventory form for accuracy and signs and indicate if they agree with the condition of the room as listed on the room inventory form.
• As students check out, they review their room inventory form with Residence Life staff. If any damages (beyond normal wear and tear) have occurred or if any furniture is missing, the resident will be charged for any repairs or for the replacement of missing furniture. If roommates fail to agree who is responsible for the damage, the repairs will be split among the roommates.
• Inspections will be conducted with Physical Resources team after student departure.  Further damages charges may be assessed.
• Students may appeal any damage charge to the Assistant Director of Residence Life.
• Official transcripts will be delayed until settlement is made.