General Information

Office of Residence Life Mission Statement
Residence Life Goals
Residence Life Staff
Community Living
Maintenance Concerns
Health Forms
House Keeping
IDs
Personal Safety
Community Standards
Compliance
Community Living Standards

---

Office of Residence Life Mission Statement

St. Augustine believed you learn the most while living in community with others. Living in college owned property on or off campus provides students with opportunities to learn about themselves, learn from others, and develop lifelong friendships. Resident students who call Merrimack their home away from home live in a variety of settings, ranging from traditional double/triple floors, to suites, townhouses, and apartments. Each environment provides residents with the opportunity to grow personally and as a community. Members of the Residence Life Staff are present to help students navigate through this experience, and to see that it is as fulfilling as possible. Leadership development activities are provided through the Resident Advisor program and Hall Council. Social, educational, and spiritual programs are designed to connect students to each other and provide a venue for learning outside of the classroom. The department also oversee student room selection and placement, and works with residents to address conflict with each other should it arise. The Residence Life staff works closely with other offices and departments on campus and are able to serve as a resource to all students.

Residence Life Goals

The residential experience compliments the academic mission of Merrimack College.
Residents should live in a community where respect and civility are preserved.
Residents should expect to be active participants in maintaining standards of respect in their living area and should confront problems within the community.
Educational programs and intellectual engagement, social activities, leadership and service opportunities provided in the residential living areas can greatly impact a student’s whole self.
Students are responsible for their actions and being aware of policies and student conduct system procedures should help to educate students about responsibility to community.
Learning to be a member of a respectful residential community while at Merrimack will help students become engaged citizens.
Individual difference and diversity make our living communities richer and an understanding of those differences should be encouraged and celebrated. Collaborating with students is vital to the decision making process. To insure that student input is valued, students have a voice in their residential community through Hall Councils and the Student Government Association.

Residence Life Staff

The Resident Advisor staff is a group of students who have been carefully selected and trained to assist their peers and support each residence area. These individuals also coordinate activities (social and educational) for the community throughout the year. The professional staff within the Residence Life Office directly supervises the student Residence Life staff. The following are descriptions of the various Residence Life staff positions to help acquaint you with the work of the staff members who will be an important part of your college experience.

Resident Advisors (RAs)
RAs are students who have a strong interest in helping other students and would like to assist you in having a successful year at Merrimack. These upper-class students will make every effort to work with you and your community to establish guidelines and living agreements that are comfortable for everyone. Through residential programming, the Resident Advisors work as educators to enhance your college experience. Another role of the RA is to assist communities in maintaining community standards and upholding college policy. They serve a vital role in helping to insure that students can sleep, study, and live in a respectful environment.

Central Office Staff
The Residence Life Office, located on the 3rd floor of the Sakowich Campus Center, is staffed by the Director of Residence Life, two Assistant Directors, two Area Coordinators, two Resident Directors and an office manager.

Front Desk Attendants
The front desk attendants are responsible for welcoming students, visitors and families to the residence halls, signing out game equipment, checking IDs, guest registration and serving as a resource to students living in the halls. Halls are staffed from 3 pm to 3 am.

Community Living

Merrimack houses students on and off campus in a variety of community living arrangements. Learning to live with others in a diverse residential community is one of the best educational opportunities offered by our housing system. We are a small community and each person’s attitude, actions, and words have a profound impact on our lives and sense of well being and belonging. In all aspects of life at Merrimack, students are in contact with people who are both different from and like them. Each person brings something valuable to our community, and we believe that each individual has the right to be unique, to be heard, to be understood, to be accepted and respected. This may take patience and time. It may take rethinking some old thoughts and ideas. It will certainly require an open and active mind, and it will take sensitivity to other’s needs and comforts. A place exists for everyone in our community. We hope that students will find satisfaction in helping others around them to become themselves.

Living with Others

Have you ever lived with someone other than your family? Learning to live with and get along with a person you do not know very well can be one of the greatest challenges you may face at Merrimack.

Your relationship with your roommate(s) is determined by the expectations you establish at the beginning of the year. If you do not compromise or if you begin by bending too much, you may encounter difficulties later on in the year. Communication is the key to initiating and maintaining a good relationship and living situation with your roommate(s). This section is designed to help you and your roommates learn to live together and to stop little problems from escalating into large feuds.

Starting Out
You and your roommate(s) may end up being best friends or you and your roommate(s) may choose not to do much together. However it works out, you will learn valuable life lessons. You will learn to respect someone else’s space and to be able to articulate your wants and needs. Best friends often have the toughest time rooming together simply because they forget to sit down and set out some ground rules for the year. Each person is different. What seems normal to you may not be to your roommate(s).

The largest cause of roommate conflict comes from little things that are not addressed until they seem huge. The clothes strewn around the room, the number of guests that your roommate has, or the lights left on may upset you. Explain that to your roommate. Learn to talk to each other.

Here is a list of questions to ask your roommate(s); Talk to your roommate(s) about these questions when you arrive and then again halfway through the year.

• I prefer to go to bed at … and wake up at …
• In my free time, I like to …
• I like to study alone/with others … in quiet/with music … in room/in library.
• My favorite music is …
• How neat do you like our room to be?
• How will we divide the cleaning responsibilities?
• What temperature are you comfortable with? Do you prefer fans/open windows/heat?
• Do you feel comfortable sharing clothes, food, appliances, music, personal hygiene items, electronic equipment, computers, books, etc.?
• What items are/are not appropriate to share or borrow?
• Would you prefer if I asked to borrow an item before I use it?
• Should we buy/rent any items together? How should we split the cost? Who should keep it at the end of the year?
• Do you mind anyone sitting on your bed?
• Are there times when you would prefer guests NOT be in the room?
• Do you prefer advanced notice when I plan to have guests?
• What hours are acceptable to watch television/listen to the music? At what volume?
• Where should messages for you be left?
• How do you feel about alcohol and other drugs?
• How do you handle stress?
• How should we communicate when there is a problem?
• My pet peeves are …

Maintenance Concerns

The Physical Plant Department is responsible for power or plumbing failures, as well as any general repairs. Any damage or malfunction in a student room or common area should be reported immediately to Physical Plant by calling the 5-FIX line (978-837-5349). For emergency maintenance during the weekends or evenings, please contact Police Services. Any cable issues call 1-888-737-8361. Laundry room issues can be fixed by going on-line, http://www.macgray.com/laundrylinx/ using the password “mcwarriors”.

Health Forms

All residents are required by law to file an up to date physical examination and medical history form with Hamel Health Center. See Counseling and Health Services for more information.

Housekeeping

The cleaning of the interiors (bedroom, bathroom, and other common spaces) in suites, townhouses, and apartments, as well as the interiors of apartment towers is the responsibility of each resident. All common areas within traditional residence halls are cleaned on a regular basis by the custodial staff. Lounges, hallways, kitchenettes, and bathrooms should be kept as clean as possible by residents as well.

During Winter Break, all bathrooms in suites, apartments, and townhouses will be cleaned by the housekeeping staff, unless otherwise communicated by the residents. Please remove all personal belongings from the bathroom to allow the housekeeping staff to thoroughly clean the bathroom.

IDs

Students may not lend or duplicate Merrimack College identification cards. Students should carry their IDs with them at all times. Any violations are subject to disciplinary sanctions. Students may replace a lost card at the Mack Card office located on the second floor of the Campus Center

Personal Safety

While Merrimack College has been relatively free from incidents of violent crime, it is always advisable to employ safety precautions. Avoid walking alone. BE SURE TO LOCK THE DOOR TO YOUR ROOM AT ALL TIMES. Report any suspicious persons on campus immediately to Police Services. Emergency phones are located strategically around campus; picking up the receiver of one of these phones will connect you directly with the Police Services dispatcher. In the event you lose your room key or College ID, please report the loss immediately.

Community Standards

Alcohol and Substance Use
In a community, people must be aware that some lifestyle choices can have a negative impact upon the health and well-being of others. Merrimack College’s alcohol policy is designed to address two issues: (1) Necessity of compliance with the civil and criminal law of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Members of the community need to understand that being at Merrimack College confers no immunity from federal, state, and local laws; and (2) Application of our educational mission to the use of alcohol by members of the community. The College seeks to educate students about the importance of healthy and responsible choices, as well dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. Repeated involvement with, or excessive use of alcohol and/or other drugs will be viewed as a health concern and a disciplinary matter.

This policy has been designed to promote an understanding throughout the community that an individual who chooses to use alcohol or other drugs is fully and individually responsible for his or her own actions. This includes the personal and legal consequences associated with illegal use, possession, or distribution of these substances.

The Residence Life and Police Service staffs are on the campus primarily to assist students and to promote the well being of the community. Programs held within the residential communities provide opportunities for students to educate themselves about the impact of alcohol and other drug consumption on individuals and the community.

For the complete policy on Alcohol and Other Drugs, see the “Policies” section of the Merrimack College Student Handbook. Merrimack College expects that all residents and guests will abide by Massachusetts State law and these regulations. Violators of these policies who come to the attention of the Residence Life staff or other members of the residential community will be confronted. Residence Life staff members are instructed to report any violations to the appropriate administrative official for further action. Refer to the “Student Conduct System” section of this Handbook for more information about Merrimack’s disciplinary processes.

Compliance

Students are expected to comply with requests made by Residence Life staff as they respond to alleged policy or behavioral violations. Students’ failure to comply with such requests will lead the staff member to seek assistance from Police Services and/or the professional staff member on duty when a violation of federal, state or local laws or College policy is suspected. Members of the Residence Life staff are considered to be College officials. As such, failure to comply with their directives will be just cause for disciplinary measures to be taken.

Community Living Standards

There are a number of indicators the Office of Residence Life observes to identify when a particular residence area is beginning to differentiate itself from other residence areas in a way contrary to the College’s Community Standards. These indicators will include vandalism to the floor and/or common area, cleanliness issues, or large numbers of violations of the College’s student conduct policies.

Early assessment and intervention may take place in a specific community if and when any of the following occur: a bathroom, hallway or common area is vandalized and items are damaged (i.e., exit signs, windows, etc.). Any such events may result in intervention.

If these events take place within a residence community on campus, the Area Coordinator (AC) will notify in writing to all residents in the community informing them that their current environment does not reflect the behavioral standards expected for the College’s residence areas. The AC, in conjunction with the Resident Advisor (RA), will hold a meeting with the residents to facilitate discussion. The student(s) responsible for the vandalism in the community will have time to come forward and accept responsibility for the damage. Students from the community who did not participate in the vandalism but have knowledge as to who caused it will also be encouraged to provide information about who is responsible.

If the behavior within the community is not changed and there is continued vandalism, cleanliness issues, or other repeated student conduct related issues, the AC may select a group of students believed to be most negatively affecting the community. As room assignments are an administrative function of the Office of Residence Life, these individuals may be relocated to other residence areas on campus, at the discretion of the Dean of Campus Life/Director of Residence Life or their designee. The selected residents will be notified in writing and the remaining floor members will be given a second notification in writing informing them that additional relocations or removals will take place - as necessary - until the floor environment meets standards for an acceptable residential environment. Whenever possible, students actually responsible for any of these types of violations will be identified and the matter pursued through the College’s Student Conduct System.