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Policies and Procedures

Community Standards and College Policies

The Office of Residence Life and Housing at Otis College of Art and Design is committed to the personal and academic success of resident students and residence life staff. Our objective is to create an environment in which students can grow toward and develop in the respective stage in the human development cycle. To that end, we strive to cultivate and maintain the physical, intellectual, social, interpersonal, and academic environments in housing that support development and success. 

In order to achieve these objectives, residents agree to comply with all rules and policies of the College. These policies are contained in two important documents:

Policies may be revised or updated year to year based on the needs of the community.

Housing Procedures and Resources

You are responsible and accountable for your behavior and the choices you make as a member of the community.  You should not engage in behaviors that are illegal, against college policy, or could endanger yourself or others in the community, including self-harming behaviors. 

Residents who are present where a policy is being violated will be included on any written reports of the incident and may be held responsible for the policy violation. It is the responsibility of all residents to know these policies and to remove themselves from any situation in which a violation is taking place. If you are present where a policy violation is occurring, please contact the RA on Duty or Campus Safety and Security. 

The conduct program that is under the supervision of the Office of Student Affairs is committed to an educational and developmental process that balances the interests of individual students with the interests of the entire residential community. For more information regarding the full conduct process review The Hoot. 

Resident Assistants are trained on the policies and procedures of Residence Life and Housing. The Resident Assistant’s role in conduct is to observe, confront, and report alleged policy violations. Resident Assistants are not responsible for Conduct Hearings that are only completed by Housing’s Professional Staff. The student’s role is to cooperate with the Resident Assistant if approached. Students are required, upon the request of any Resident Assistant, housing staff, administrator, or security guard, to comply when asked to show their ID Card.

To report a violation of a Housing Policy:

  1. Contact your Resident Assistant via email or call the Duty Phone (Monday - Friday 5:00pm - 8:00am and weekends)
  2. Contact the Residence Life and Housing Office (Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm)

One of the goals of Residence Life and Housing is to assist students with the resolution of issues and concerns with their roommates/suitemates. Living with a new person for the first time is not always easy, and disagreements are bound to happen. Some conflicts can be resolved with a simple conversation, while others may need help from an RA. Resolving a roommate conflict is a process, and Residence Life is here to help and support you through it. To report roommate conflicts complete the Roommate Conflict Report.

Please see additional resources here:
  • Roommate Rights

    All students have the following rights as a residential student at Otis College: 

    1. The right to read, study, and be in the room free from undue interference.

    2. The right to sleep with undue disturbances. 

    3. The right to expect that the roommate and other residents will respect one’s personal belongings.

    4. The right to a clean environment to live.

    5. The right to free access to one’s room and facilities without pressure from the roommate or suitemates. 

    6. The right to privacy whenever possible.

    7. The right to host guests (with roommate’s permission) with the expectation that the guest will respect the rights of all roommate(s), suitemate(s) and other residents. 

    8. The right to be free from fear of intimidation and physical and emotional harm. 

    9. The right to voice concerns within their room. 

    10. The right to expect reasonable cooperation in the use of the “room-shared” items (counter top, miniature refrigerator, etc.)

    11. The right to assistance and support from Residence Life and Housing staff.

  • Roommate Agreements

    Otis College wants students to be happy with their room and roommates. To help ensure everyone’s happiness, students are required to meet with their assigned roommates to complete a roommate agreement. This agreement allows students to have conversations around guests, cleanliness, and more. We encourage you to be completely honest while completing this document. It is important to set the expectations of the room early on to help avoid any conflict in the future.  

    The RA will collect and keep the Roommate Agreement. This document can be changed, edited, or revisited throughout the student’s stay in the room. If a student wants to review this agreement at any time, please request a copy from your RA. Your RA can also be present if you would like to make any amendments with your roommates about the agreement.  If a new roommate is added to the room, the roommates will be expected to complete a new agreement.

    Tips for completing the Roommate Agreement:

    • Be honest - if there is something that you do not agree with, talk about it now. Do not wait until it becomes unbearable. 
    • Be open - this should be a document that you all agree on. Do not make it all about your thoughts for the room.
    • Update it - you may not realize you had a pet peeve until you live with someone new. If things come up, use this document as a way to reach new agreements. 
  • Roommate Conflict and Mediation

    To report roommate conflicts complete the Roommate Conflict Report.

    Communication is essential when it comes to living with other people. While it is our goal that you will be a perfect fit with your roommates, please know that conflict can occur. We understand that it may be your first time, or your roommate’s first time, living with other people. It can be hard to reach compromises or have tough conversations. If you are experiencing conflict, please follow these steps:

    1. Talk with your roommate/suitemate. If there is a problem, kindly let them know how you feel about what is occurring. This conversation works best when using “I” statements. They cannot fix the issues if they do not understand how/why it is affecting you. The sooner you talk, the easier it will be, so do not wait, communicate!
    2. Get your RA involved. If your talk did not go as planned, you don’t know how to start the conversation, or want advice as to how to bring up the problem, include your RA. They have gone through training to assist you with these situations. 
    3. Have a facilitated group conversation. If you are still having problems after working with your RA, we will ask that you have a facilitated group conversation with your RA and roommates. In this conversation, we will bring a copy of the Roommate Agreement to make amendments. We will check back in with you to see if the amendments have made a difference. 
    4. Residence Life and Housing staff will get involved. If you complete the first three steps, you will then meet with Residence Life and Housing staff to talk about other options. Space can be limited, which means we may be unable to accommodate room or roommate changes. Please come into this meeting with an open mind.