UWEC's Housing Contract
INTRODUCTION:
This document and those referred to within it constitute a HOUSING CONTRACT between the BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITIES OF WISCONSIN, doing business as the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Housing and Residence Life and the RESIDENT (the individual signing the contract). The services described in the contract are offered exclusively under the terms and conditions stated.
APPLICANTS UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT THIS AGREEMENT IS FOR A SPACE IN UNIVERSITY ON-CAMPUS OR UNIVERSITY SPONSORED HOUSING DETERMINED BY HOUSING AND RESIDENCE LIFE, NOT FOR A PARTICULAR ROOM OR RESIDENCE HALL. This contract does not guarantee a particular residence hall, room, or roommate and failure to honor an applicant’s assignment preferences will not void the contract or provide grounds for cancellation/release from contract. The space assigned to the Resident is to be used and occupied by the Resident for residential purposes only.
This document and those referred to within it constitute the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire housing contract for student housing. FAILURE TO READ THIS AGREEMENT AND THE INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THE UNIVERSITY HOUSING WEBSITES OR OTHER DISTRIBUTED MATERIALS DOES NOT EXCUSE A RESIDENT FROM COMPLYING WITH THE RULES, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES CONTAINED THEREIN. To indicate acceptance of the contract, please complete and submit the housing application (using the online instructions provided). A confirmation email will be sent upon successful completion of the application.
ELIGIBILITY:
The Resident must be an enrolled student at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire to remain eligible to hold this contract. The Housing and Residence Life Office reserves the right to cancel this contract if the Resident’s course enrollment drops below 12 undergraduate credits or 9 graduate credits at any time during a semester. IF THE RESIDENT’S ENROLLMENT STATUS CHANGES AND THEY ARE NO LONGER REGISTERED AS A STUDENT DURING THE TERM OF THIS CONTRACT, THEY MUST VACATE THEIR ROOM WITHIN 24 HOURS, AND THEY MUST OFFICIALLY CHECK OUT OF THE RESIDENCE HALLS. Exceptions to these eligibility requirements must be made by the Director of University Housing or their designee. Additional contract requirements may be added in this situation.
CONTRACT TERM:
This contract is for the entire academic year immediately after or during the date this agreement is signed, unless the Resident is starting school second semester, for all residence halls except Aspenson Mogensen Hall, which requires a 12-month contract.
If this contract is entered after the Fall Hall Opening Date, this contract applies only to the balance of the current Academic Year. If the dates of the academic year are revised by the University, the revised dates will apply and will not change the financial obligations of this contract. Housing and Residence Life further reserves the right to adjust opening dates each semester to adapt to the registration calendar of the University without any adjustments to rates.
UNIVERSITY OBLIGATIONS:
The Resident will have a limited license to occupy a room assigned by Housing and Residence Life facilities under the terms and conditions stated herein. The Resident’s room assignment is subject to change at any time for the convenience of Housing and Residence Life. Information on the web site http://uwec.ly/housing , including move-in and move-out schedules, is incorporated by reference and made a part of this contract. Housing and Residence Life and Resident agree that no lease or landlord-tenant relationship is created by this agreement.
Housing and Residence Life agrees to furnish room and on-campus meal plan* (see Section 23 for Chancellors/Priory Hall/Haymarket Landing/Aspenson Mogensen Hall assertations) to the Resident.
RESIDENT OBLIGATIONS:
The Resident agrees to make payment of all the fees established for the room and on-campus meal plan* (see Section 23 for Chancellors/Priory Hall/Haymarket Landing/Aspenson Mogensen Hall assertations) by the Regents of the Universities of Wisconsin or by its agent. The Housing and Residence Life Office reserves the right to make changes in room and on-campus meal plan rates if costs related to providing these services increase more than anticipated at the time the rates were established. The Resident is responsible for all housing charges incurred until they have officially moved out of the residence halls.
The Resident agrees to observe all policies and procedures of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Housing and Residence Life which are published in the Blugold Student Conduct Code, UWS Chapter 17, and the Policies on the Housing and Residence Life website, including the Residence Hall Judicial Code, and are incorporated by reference as a part of this contract. The Residence Hall Judicial Code provides for direct student participation in the establishment and enforcement of residence hall rules and standards and their adjudication. Infractions can result in educational sanctions by a student violating its provisions. A copy of the Judicial Code may be obtained from the University website. Further, you agree to honor all the terms and conditions stated in this agreement.
ASSIGNMENT POLICY:
Housing and Residence Life will not discriminate against any student on account of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, disability, national origin, or ancestry.
Housing and Residence Life reserves the right to change room or hall assignments, to assign roommates, or to consolidate vacancies by requiring the Resident to move from single occupancy of a double room to double occupancy of a double room in the same hall. If the Resident is assigned to a space designated as temporary housing or expanded occupancy, they will be given a permanent assignment as soon as space permits. The move to a permanent assignment may require them to move to a different residence hall. Room rates are not adjusted for temporary housing. Housing and Residence Life reserves the right to temporarily assign additional residents above the design capacity of designated rooms until permanent space becomes available.
If any student fails to self-select a room when/if they are eligible, the housing contract remains in effect and Housing and Residence Life will assign the student to a space on campus. Although Housing and Residence Life will do its best to honor student preferences for an assignment, there is no guarantee of an assignment to a particular residence hall, learning community, or room type. Failure to honor assignment preferences will not void the contract.
ROOMMATES:
The Resident is welcome to request a specific roommate. If the Resident requests a specific roommate, this indicates to the Housing and Residence Life Office that a roommate pairing is their priority over building preferences, room type preferences, Living Learning Community preferences, and any other preferences indicated within the housing application. The Resident’s preferences must be electronically submitted via the housing application in My Housing Portal on or before May 1st of the year preceding this contract. Assignment preference options, if available, may be limited after this point. All roommate requests must be mutual and there is no guarantee of an assignment with a specific individual.
Assignment changes or contract decisions, including disability-related accommodation decisions, are made on an individual basis and are not influenced by actual or preferred roommate pairings. Decisions, including disability-related accommodation decisions, made regarding a student’s contract or assignment do not alter the status of the roommate’s contract or assignment. Failure to honor the Resident’s roommate’s preferences will not void this contract.
The Housing and Residence Life Office reserves the right to share the Resident’s name, postal and email addresses, and telephone number, which are all considered directory information, with any assigned roommate(s) unless a FERPA restriction is placed on this data. If the Resident wishes to restrict some or all the directory information, they can do so in CampS.
Behaviors with the purpose of intimidating, harassing, and/or physically harming a potential roommate either in-person, verbally, or through electronic medium (including but not limited to social media websites, texts, emails, and/or instant messaging) may result in assignment to a different room and/or residence hall and/or cancellation of the housing contract. Cancellation of the Resident’s contract by the Housing and Residence Life Office does not relieve the Resident of any fees and/or charges owed under this contract.
ROOM CHANGES:
The Resident may change rooms only with prior written authorization from the Housing and Residence Life Office. Unauthorized room changes or failure to move out of a room at a designated time may result in being required to move back to their authorized assignment and/or disciplinary action.
If granted a room change, the Resident is expected to follow the room change procedures provided to them prior to their move. Failure to return their room key, if applicable, will result in a charge to their housing account to change the lock on their room door. Should extra cleaning by Housing and Residence Life and/or University Facilities personnel be required because of poor housekeeping by the Resident and/or property they abandon require storage until disposal, a service charge will be made to the Resident’s housing account. A room inspection by Housing and Residence Life personnel will serve as the basis for any room change charges.
CONTRACT ASSIGNMENT:
This contract cannot be reassigned to another resident. You may not sublet any part of the premises.
RATES:
The University will publish room and board rates for the academic terms of this contract once they are approved by the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents. The University reserves the right to adjust contract rates during the period of the contract. Adjustments in rates, other than taxes, will be assessed only upon Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents action. Rates can be located at Housing and Residence Life website.
DEPOSIT:
New students at the University do not pay a separate housing deposit. Residents who are returning must pay a $75.00 deposit in addition to submitting the housing contract to be eligible for university housing. For returning Residents, the $75 housing deposit is in addition to the room fees and is intended to serve as a reservation deposit for the housing contract. The money is held in escrow, and it is applied to second semester fees unless the Resident does not continue as an enrolled student for the spring semester, in which the deposit will be forfeited. Deposits will be refunded only if the Resident cancels their housing contract prior to May 1st of the preceding year.
CANCELLATION/TERMINATION/RELEASE OF CONTRACT:
Cancellation requests are permitted for the academic year and 12-month contracts prior to May 1 of the year preceding this contract. Cancellation requests are permitted for Spring semester only contracts prior to December 15 of the year preceding this contract. There are no cancellations permitted after the May 1/December 15 deadline, except for those no longer attending the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
A partial release from the contract may be granted for university-sanctioned activities limited to study abroad, student teaching, or academic credit-bearing internships in which the activity is more than 40 miles from the Eau Claire campus. The release would only be granted for the semester in which the activity occurs.
Students will continue to be billed for their room for the entire year unless they have been officially released by the Housing and Residence Life Office. The student must request this release prior to May 1 of the preceding year for academic and 12-month contracts, and December 15 for spring semester only contracts.
The University reserves the right to deny or cancel a university residence hall contract for university-provided housing for an individual whose conduct and/or proven criminal record indicates a potential threat or danger to the University community, including students, faculty and staff.
VACATING:
The Resident must vacate the premises within 24 hours of receiving notice of termination of this contract, discontinuance as a student, or their last instructional period/exam of the semester, whichever occurs earliest. If the Resident is graduating from the University, they may remain in their room until Commencement Day. Under no circumstances may they remain in their room later than the building closing time on the last day of the contract term, unless approved in advance by the Housing and Residence Life Office. The Resident agrees to vacate the premises at the end of the contract period and to follow checkout procedures established by the Housing and Residence Life Office.
LIABILITY:
Board of Regents of the Universities of Wisconsin, its officers, employees and agents have no legal obligation, nor any ability to provide reimbursement for the Resident’s personal property resulting from loss, theft, water damage, vandalism, or any other perils.
Accordingly, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Resident agrees to hold harmless and indemnify the Board of Regents of the Universities of Wisconsin, University Housing and Residence Life and its officers, employees and agents, for damages sustained by them or others, as a result of their acts or omissions, relating to any changes or modifications made by them to their room or furnishings, such as the configuration of loft beds, bunk beds, bookshelves, partitions, or other structures. This means that the Resident is financially responsible for injury to another party, or damage to their property, because of any equipment or items the Resident has constructed, created, purchased or used improperly, and that they will pay any resulting claims on behalf of the University.
ABANDONED/PERSONAL PROPERTY:
Residents are responsible for removing all personal property from the University Residence Halls when they move out. Housing and Residence Life has the right, without assuming any liability, to dispose of all personal property left or abandoned on the premises 30 days after the expiration or termination of the current contract. During such a 30-day period, the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents, Housing and Residence Life, and its officers, employees, and agents will not be responsible for loss, damage, or theft of the property.
DAMAGES AND COSTS:
The Resident cannot make any physical changes to the premises (including adding paneling, partitions, or removing furniture) without prior written consent of the Housing and Residence Life Office. This includes the posting/taping/adhering/hanging of any items on the exterior of room/unit doors or the windows. If the Resident chooses to hang curtains, they must have a solid and neutral-colored backing.
The Resident agrees to pay Housing and Residence Life for any property damages, lost property, or unnecessary service costs caused by the Resident because of their negligence or intentional damage. The Resident will be billed for damage to the building and for damaged or missing furniture or equipment. Where two or more students occupy the same room, responsibility for damage or loss will be assessed equally between the residents of the room unless specifically identified differently by the residents. If individuals responsible for “common area” damage or theft cannot be identified, a determined number or all residents of the building where the damage or theft occurred may be held partially financially responsible. An appropriate Housing and Residence Life staff member will determine which residents may be charged.
VACATION PERIODS:
All University housing facilities will remain open for international students, students involved with university programs, or who are working during Fall, Winter, and Spring breaks. If the Resident wishes to remain on campus for some or all of these academic breaks, the Resident must sign up for Break Housing.
ROOM CARE:
The Resident is responsible for cleaning their room, for removing waste materials regularly, and for maintaining sanitation and safety conditions acceptable to Housing and Residence Life. Furniture must be left in the rooms and common areas to which it has been allocated unless the removal is carried out by the Housing and Residence Life Office.
CHECK-IN AND CHECK-OUT:
Upon moving into a residence hall, the Resident will have the opportunity to review, acknowledge and turn in a room condition report (RCR) which will be an accurate and complete inventory of the assigned room and condition of its contents. This inventory will serve as the basis for determining damage to the room or contents when vacating the premises, to include removing waste and debris and leaving the room in an acceptable, clean condition. Failure to check out with residence hall staff may result in a $100.00 improper check out fee being assessed to the Resident’s student account.
SAFETY AND SECURITY:
For the safety and security of all students, the Resident is required to comply with the safety procedures in University Residence Halls and may not prop doors, tamper with locked doors, or admit unauthorized people into buildings. Persons placing false fire alarms, interfering with firefighters, or tampering with or removing firefighting equipment are subject to removal from residence halls and prosecution under Wisconsin Statutes.
Firearms (whether carried concealed or openly) and other devices designed as weapons and capable of producing death or great bodily harm are prohibited in the residence halls. All firearms, ammunition and bows and arrows must be registered and stored by the University’s Police Office.
ROOM ENTRY:
The Resident is responsible for always carrying their room key/ID card or other room access device. Should the Resident fail to carry their access device and lock themselves out of their room, a convenience fee will be charged for each lock-out performed by building staff based upon the published damage/service fee schedule for that year.
In the interest of health, safety, security, and building maintenance, the University and Housing and Residence Life reserves the right to enter the space assigned to the Resident. Authorized personnel may enter the space to perform requested, preventive, prescheduled, or emergency maintenance, to assess for any damages after the Resident has vacated, or, in the absence of occupants of the room, to silence a disruptive noise. When possible, advance notice of room entry will be given. Housing and Residence Life employees are required to report any violations of university regulations and/or the terms of this contract they may observe when in the Resident’s assigned space.
Property can be seized and removed from the room when it constitutes an imminent danger, when it is University-owned property, or when staff has evidence that an unauthorized pet is in the room.
CONTRACT VIOLATIONS:
Violations of any terms of this contract by either the University or the Resident may constitute a breach of the contract. In the event of a breach by the University, the Resident may seek such remedies available under Wisconsin Statutes. In the event of a break by the Resident, the University may take disciplinary action including, but not limited to, action by the Residence Hall Co-Educational Judicial Council, apart from and in addition to those remedies, which are available to the University under Wisconsin Statutes.
CHANCELLORS/PRIORY HALL/HAYMARKET LANDING/ASPENSON MOGENSEN HALL:
Residents who are assigned to Chancellors Hall, Priory Hall, Haymarket Landing, and Aspenson Mogensen Hall may opt out of a university meal plan.
GENDER INCLUSIVE LIVING:
Residents choosing to live in the Suites, Chancellors, Haymarket, and Aspenson Mogensen Gender Inclusive community or Rainbow Floor, commit to actively support the Gender Inclusive community or Rainbow Floor environment which has been designed to provide a welcoming and inclusive space for residential students of all gender expressions and their guests. They agree that to live in a gender inclusive space, they must adhere to the following community living standards:
- The Resident will respect all members of the community and their guests. They will strive to understand inclusion, diversity, and difference, including different forms of sexual and romantic orientations and gender identities. In addition, the Resident will hold their guests to the same standard of respect and inclusion.
- The Resident will be aware of, and responsible for, their own language. They will strive to use inclusive language and be open to embracing new terms.
- The Resident will learn about others’ experiences and preferences regarding their level of disclosure of personal information, and the Resident will respect their need for privacy.
- Should a vacancy occur in the Resident’s gender inclusive unit in the Suites, Chancellors Hall, Haymarket Landing, or Aspenson Mogensen, the Resident(s) are responsible for finding a replacement to maintain their unit as a gender inclusive unit. If the Resident(s) cannot find a replacement with 3 weeks of notice from the departing student, the Housing and Residence Life Office may fill the space with another student wishing to live in the community. Additionally, the Housing and Residence Life Office may re-designate the space as single gender and relocate a member(s) of the unit to increase the likelihood that the remaining space can be filled.
- If the Resident elects to be a resident within the Rainbow Floor communities, they understand that room selection and assignments are done without regard for assigned sex, gender identity or expression, or sexuality.
The Resident understands that this space is designed to be a safe and inclusive living environment. As a result, if they are unable to adhere to the spirit of this community, they understand that they can be administratively reassigned to another residence hall space outside of the gender inclusive area. The housing contract will remain binding in cases where students are removed from the gender inclusive area.
ASPENSON MOGENSEN HALL:
This is a housing contract addendum for Aspenson Mogensen Apartments.
- The contract term at Aspenson Mogensen is a 12-month term contract.
- Fees will be assessed to the Resident’s account for fall and spring terms for the 12-month contracts.
- The summer room charge on a 12-month contract is divided equally and added into the assessed fall and spring semester fees.
- If a student who holds a 12-month contract is granted release from this contract prior to the end date, the student is liable for the pro-rated summer charges based on check out date. Thus, students may see an additional summer fee added to the student account to cover the summer portion of the contract.
- This contract is governed by the UW System Board of Regent policies.
- No subleasing is allowed in University Sponsored Housing.
- The Resident may not move back to central campus (9-month contract option) University housing without authorization from the Director of Housing.