Noise and Quiet Hours

It is inappropriate for opposite gender guests and visitors to use the bathroom facilities designated for the residents of given residence hall or house.  Public bathrooms are available for visitors and guests of the opposite gender.

To prevent damage to finished surfaces,only bulletin boards may be used for posting signs and advertising upcoming events. Posted documents may be as large as 14" X 22", must include an expiration date, and must clearly identify the individual or organization responsible for the document.

In order to make the room a comfortable home, students are encouraged to personalize and decorate their rooms. Since the buildings are intended to last many years, permanent changes like painting the room, building in shelves, wiring in electrical items (i.e. ceiling fans) and fastening objects to walls or woodwork with nails or screws are not permitted.

Because residents are liable for any damage to paint or woodwork, objects should be hung from wall molding hooks. Adhesives like masking tape and double-sided tape will usually damage the surface when removed. White poster putty is a good alternative. Please check with your Assistant Director of Student Housing or House Manager if you have any questions.

In order to maintain the aesthetic beauty of the campus, residents are asked not to decorate their windows except during the winter holiday season. Please keep all holiday decorations tasteful and appropriate.

The electrical wiring of college residences is designed to allow for the safe use of "ordinary" electrical appliances (i.e. hair dryers, electric razors, stereos, etc.) in the student rooms. Overuse of any electrical system can create problems.

Allowed Items:

• Only UL approved appliances with a maximum draw of 15 amps (approximately 1700 watts) per appliance should be used.
• Only one small television, one small refrigerator, and one stereo should be used in each room. (Please work out details among roommates).
• Power strips - For power distribution in rooms, plug strips with built-in circuit breakers should be used. If using extension cords, they must be heavy-duty cords capable of carrying 15 amps because pulling large electrical loads through light-weight extension cords can cause heating of the wire to the point that the insulation will flame.  Please check appliances for frayed or damaged cords before bringing them to the College. Students will be asked to remove any unsafe appliances or cords, and failure to do so will result in the items being removed by College.

Prohibited Items:

• Electrical cooking appliances, space heaters, and other appliances with "open" heating elements are not permitted in student rooms.
• Air Conditioners - Due to the large current draw when air conditioners cycle on, air conditioners can not be used for any reason.

If you have an appliance you are unsure about, have it approved by the Director of Housing. 

For procedures in case of fire, click HERE.

Specific policies about fire safety are listed here. Violations of these policies are treated especially seriously because of the extreme threat to safety caused by a fire in a residence.

•Candles are a common ignition source in residential fires. Candles and incense are not permitted anywhere in residences, including student rooms, common areas, hallways, bathrooms, and porches.

•Smokers should smoke only outside as smoking is prohibited in all residential units (halls and houses).

• All seasonal decorations, particularly Christmas decorations, must be approved by the Assistant Director of Housing. Only artificial trees and greenery may be used in student rooms and decorative lighting must be kept away from drapery/combustible materials. Party and seasonal decorations are to be removed soon after the party and before any vacation.

•All occupants of a college residence must vacate the building when the fire alarm is sounded.

•Fire extinguishers and fire alarm boxes are to be used only for emergencies. False alarms are illegal and dangerous. In addition to the complacency created by false alarms, every time a building is evacuated, there is the possibility of injury.

All emergency exits and hallways must be kept free of clutter and obstructions such as shoes, books, ironing boards, extension cords, bicycles, popcorn poppers, clothes racks, and other furnishings. Housing staff may remove items if owners can not be easily located to remove them.

For security purposes, the doors of all living units are secured 24 hours per day. Each residential student is issued a key to the side and main doors of his/her residence. This key may not be duplicated.

A charge of $65.00 is assessed if a resident loses an exterior key or fails to return his/her key at check-out.

Room keys are issued to residents for their own safety and the security of their personal belongings. A charge of $25.00 is assessed if a resident loses an interior key or fails to return his/her key at check-out.

If there is a public kitchen in a given hall or house then the following policies apply to the use of that space.

• All garbage must be bagged up and thrown in the trash receptacle outside the building.
• Cooking appliances must be clean and turned off when cooking is completed.
• All dishes use in the preparation or consumption of the food must be cleaned immediately and stored in individual rooms.
• Any dishes (clean or dirty) left in public kitchen area will be removed.

Due to risk of injury and College insurance limitations, sleeping lofts are not permitted in Hanover College residence halls or Greek chapter houses owned by the College. Because of the problems of filling, emptying and leaking, residents may not have waterbeds.

All residents share responsibility in keeping lounges in good condition and free from clutter. Furniture may not be moved from lounges to private rooms.

Noise and Quiet Hours

Although specific Quiet Hours (10PM - 9 AM Sunday - Friday and Midnight - Noon Saturday and Sunday) are established for all living units.  Courtesy Hours are in effect at all times. 

Behavior, Electronic equipment, vehicles, musical equipment which violated either Quiet or Courtesy Hours is prohibited.

For hygienic reasons, pets (except fish in appropriate containers) are not permitted in student residences. Student rooms are poor environments for pets and the Board of Health has determined that pets in residences are a health risk. A charge of $100.00 per day will be assessed to a student if he or she is found owning a pet. If a pet is found in a Greek chapter house an additional charge of $100.00 per day will be charged to that house.

See the sections HERE on Campus Security's web-site for discussions about how to protect oneself from being a victim of serious crimes such as physical assault, sexual assault and theft.

Any person committing such serious crimes may be prosecuted by off-campus law enforcement as well as brought into the Hanover College judicial process.

Residents are responsible for checking the security of the door upon entering or leaving the residence and after admitting a guest. Practices such as propping doors open or admitting strangers are potentially dangerous.  All guests should enter or leave the living unit through the main door.

A breach of security (for example, propping the door of the living unit) may result in the limitation of side door accessibility to all residents of the unit.  The locks on the side doors will be changed (emergency staff could access, but students would have to use the front door), limiting their use for a duration of up to four weeks at a time.

Officials of Hanover College understand that students' rooms are places where they can expect to find privacy. As a private institution, Hanover College has the legal right to search all rooms and the property contained therein; however, under normal circumstances, College officials will enter a room only under the following circumstances:

1. Reasonable suspicion that the safety of an individual is in jeopardy (e.g. sound of fighting or smell of fire).
2. Reasonable suspicion that a college policy is being violated. The College official will knock and request entry.
   1. If the resident does not comply with the college official's request for entry, the room may be entered with fair warning.
   2. In the event that a resident is not in his/her room, a reasonable effort will be made to find the individual before room entry occurs.
   3. The scope of the resulting search will be limited to areas of the room or possessions that might confirm of disconfirm the original suspicion, unless evidence of a violation of college policy presents itself in plain sight.
3. Room safety checks. If the resident is not present during the safety check, a room-entry notice will be left.
4. Maintenance activities. If a room has been entered for maintenance when a resident is absent, a notice of entry will be left.

Some residence hall rooms have individual window screens. To avoid tearing or bending window screens, they should not be removed from the windows.

Hanover College students, under certain circumstances, are permitted to entertain guests in their own residence hall or Greek chapter house.  Members of each single sex living unit will vote to determine what the visitation hours will be for the academic year. (This does not pertain to the second and third floors of Blythe Hall have preset visitation hours.)  Members of the College community are expected to act with consideration and respect for the rights of others. 

The following expectations are to be following when hosting guests:

• No visitation privilege overrides another resident's right to sleep, study, or use the facilities of his/her room or building, or unduly infringe on the right to privacy.
• Hanover students are responsible for their own behavior and the behavior of their guests.
• Any guest of the opposite sex entering any living unit must be escorted by a resident of that building at all times.
• Guests may announce their arrival by using a lobby phone to call the resident who is being visited.

This policy is in effect only when school is in session; students and guests may not be in residential living units at any other time without expressed permission of the College.

Overnight Guests - Overnight guests are discouraged during the academic week in any living unit. It is the obligation of the resident student to have overnight guests registered with the appropriate living unit director. All guests are expected to conform to the rules of the living unit. A guest may remain in a student residence a maximum of three days at one time, unless approved by the Assistant Director of Student Housing or the House Director. Hanover students are responsible for seeing that their guests are aware of all College policies, and will be held responsible for the actions of their guests.