Since our founding, Hampshire College has been envisioned as a residential learning community. This has meant that not only does Hampshire strive to provide safe, secure, and comfortable living areas for students, but we also strive to provide a dynamic, intellectual environment outside the classroom. The residence life system encourages students to assume community responsibility and to respect the diverse backgrounds and lifestyles of our community members by providing opportunities for residents to learn about differences and to intentionally create a community that embraces those differences.
For more information about the student and professional staff who work and live in the residence halls, visit the residence life website.
The following policies and associated subsections outline residence life and housing policies. If you have additional questions about these policies, please contact your residence life coordinator or another member of the residence life staff.
Residential License
Every student must complete a housing form which includes the College’s residential license.
Room Selection
Residence life staff will communicate each year’s continuing room selection process to eligible students. All mods must be filled at the time of selection. Any vacancies in mods (or residence hall double rooms, if applicable) must be filled by the assigned residents or residence life staff will administratively fill the vacancies.
Health & Safety
Residence life staff and/or health and safety staff may enter common spaces and rooms as needed, and at least once during each term, to conduct fire, health, and safety inspections. Residence life staff also enter each room, as part of the December shut-down process, to check the heat and make certain windows and doors are secure. Students are required to comply with the required corrective action of all fire, health and safety inspections carried out by college personnel.
All campus spaces must be used only for their intended purpose unless appropriate permissions are obtained. Any use of a space that creates a hazard for the user or other occupants of the building is prohibited. No resident is allowed on the roof of any building on campus, except in those instances when it is a secondary egress route in the event of a fire. Additionally, no resident is allowed to scale the exterior of any building on campus.
Liability
Hampshire College assumes no responsibility or liability, directly or indirectly, for damage, loss, or destruction of any personal property by fire, water, theft, etc. Students are strongly encouraged to carry personal insurance to cover their belongings (see student insurance). It is the responsibility of each student to safeguard their personal belongings and keep bedroom and apartment doors locked. Most property crimes on campus are crimes of opportunity. The simple step of keeping doors locked provides enormous protection. Campus safety and wellbeing has electric engravers available for loan. It is a good practice to engrave valuable items with some identifying marks. Marking of personal property will help in identifying the rightful owner of recovered property.
Room Changes
Although students are expected to live in the same room for an entire academic year, there are sometimes extenuating circumstances that may warrant a move. Students who experience difficulties in their residence should consult their resident assistant or residence life coordinator to discuss how they can improve and tolerate their current environment. Students who feel their current living situation is untenable can meet with their residence life coordinator to discuss these circumstances. All requests for room changes are reviewed, and ultimately approved or denied, by the residence life professional staff.
An administrative move may be determined as necessary by a member of the residence life staff or designated adminstrator. In such cases, these staff reserve the right to move students to any vacancy on campus.
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