RESIDENTIAL POLICIES
Abandoned Property Policy—Personal property left on or around the campus in a room by a student departing from ORU permanently or for the summer and/or the following semester shall be given written notice that such property will be stored for thirty days and if not picked up by him or her authorized representative within such time, will be deemed abandoned and disposed of in a manner deemed reasonable by ORU. Found property left on and around campus will be stored for thirty days and, if not claimed, will be deemed abandoned and disposed of in a manner deemed reasonable by ORU.
Balconies—Students are not permitted to be on residence hall balconies at any time. This includes exterior fire escape stairways, except in the event of an emergency. Stairways are to be kept clean at all times. Personal items and trash are not to be placed in these areas. Use of such areas for unauthorized purposes may result in disciplinary action.
Co-Ed Residence Hall Visitation Policy- The safety and security of students is one of the University’s highest priorities. The Student Life Department periodically allows open residence halls to support community life and positive student interaction. ORU entrusts each resident to exercise this privilege with respect and maturity.
A schedule will be posted at the beginning of each semester in the residence halls. Co-ed visitation privileges are for specific and limited hours; they do not apply during the opening week of the semester, during final exam weeks, and during holiday periods.
An RA will be on duty in the residence hall on the first floor, as well as periodically conducting walk-throughs during all co-ed visitations. This privilege may be suspended on nights of University events. Notice of cancellation of co-ed visitation will be communicated in advance in the residence halls.
Co-Ed Guest Visitation Regulations:
1. A guest must be a minimum of 18 years of age unless he/she is a current full-time student at Oral Roberts University.
2. Guests enter the residence halls through the main lobby only.
3. Guests must leave their ORU student ID with the front desk personnel of the residence hall. Non-students must leave a driver’s license. Guests’ names are recorded on a visitation guest list. Hosts are required to sign in and present their ORU student ID before guests may visit.
4. Guests must be met at the front desk in the lobby area and be escorted through the halls by the residents they are visiting. Guests must always be accompanied by their host.
5. Guests must conduct themselves according to the rules and policies of ORU and the residence hall.
6. Rooms must be well-lit, and hosts are required to keep their doors open while guests are visiting.
7. Guests of the opposite gender may not use the bathrooms on the floors in the residence halls.
8. For rooms with individual bathrooms, residents may not shower while a guest of the opposite sex is in his/her room.
9. At the conclusion of the visit, guests immediately go to the appropriate city department (police, fire, etc.) and are escorted by their host back to the lobby of the residence hall lobby to reclaim their ID and sign out.
10. A roommate’s privacy, plans, and needs for rest and quiet must be considered anytime a resident makes plans to bring a guest to his/her room.
11. Co-ed visitation is permitted only during designated days and times determined by the University. Any host with a visitor(s) of the opposite sex in the residence hall floors or rooms during non-designated days and times will be subject to disciplinary sanctions.
Community Meeting—A weekly informational community meeting is conducted on each floor every Monday night at 10:00 p.m. Attendance is required for all students living in residence halls.
Curfew—The curfew hour for all freshman students is 1:00 a.m. Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors are not subject to a specific curfew time.
All students are required to attend a community meeting each Monday at 10:00 p.m. Students are required to comply with the sign out procedure if planning to stay off campus. If a student comes in after curfew, he or she must fill out a late-minute slip, which will be given to the Residence Hall Director. Excessive late minutes may result in the student being subject to curfew restrictions or further disciplinary action.
All curfews are enforced by the Residence Hall Director and the Dean of Student Development or Associate Dean of Student Development. Visitors are required to leave the residence hall ten minutes before the curfew. It is the student’s responsibility to see that guests leave promptly.
Curfew Modifications—Modifications are made to the curfew in the following situations:
• Campus/Probation—This disciplinary action consists of staying in one’s room in the residence hall for an assigned period of time in the evening. Other conditions may apply.
• Exceptions to Curfew—Those students needing exceptions to curfew because of jobs should refer to the section on passes (page 32).
• Holidays, Fall Break, Spring Break—Sign-in curfew.
• Special Curfew—A special curfew is granted, as announced, for special occasions. If a student plans to attend a university-approved function such as an opera, concert, ball game, lecture, or play rehearsal, arrangements must be made with the Residence Hall Director.
Elevators—Elevators are provided in each high-rise residence hall. An eight-person weight limit is posted in each elevator. Occasionally, an elevator will malfunction, causing it to stop between floors. Students experiencing this should not attempt to leave the elevator. Instead, they should ring the emergency call bell and wait for assistance and instructions. Occupants are in no danger as long as they remain in the elevator. Intentional tampering with elevators is forbidden. Violators are subject to disciplinary action and immediate suspension. As a courtesy, students who live on the second and third floors of residence halls should not use the elevators.
Furnishings and Equipment—ORU prohibits students from constructing homemade structures or modifying current structures for placement in residential halls. The use of furniture other than that provided by ORU is not permitted. Furnishings may not be moved from one room to another without administrative approval. Beds are not to be taken apart. The stacking of beds other than bunk beds provided by the University is not permissible. Doors are not to be removed from cabinets. Ceiling areas may not be used for storage. Decorations in the hallway considered to be a fire hazard are not permissible. The use of crock pots, electric grills, air fryers, and other electrical appliances, other than air popcorn poppers and hot pots without exposed heating coils, is not permitted. All rooms are equipped with an energy-efficient MicroFridge®. The following items are not to be used by students for decorating rooms in any way: paint, contact paper, tape of any kind, wallpaper, additional paneling, or halogen lamps.
Guests—Guest sign-in: All guests in residence halls must sign in and out at the main desk of each hall when they come and when they leave. As the first point of entry into the residence halls, the Desk Receptionist is responsible for screening and documenting all visitors. This includes all non-student visitors. (i.e., family members, friends, etc.), and student visitors of the opposite sex (i.e., males visiting in a female hall or females visiting in a male hall). Guests must be met at the front entrance by the students they are visiting. Guests of the opposite sex may only go to the TV area and are not allowed in the residential hall areas of the dorm. Freshmen students are subject to curfew at 1:00 am.
Children 12 years old and younger are not allowed in residence rooms, except during days of Move-In/out, and must be accompanied by an adult.
Inventory Checklist and Check-Out—The Resident Advisor of each floor and wing is responsible for completing an online check-in/check-out form before the resident moves in. Inventory will indicate the condition of the facilities and the University furniture/equipment therein. Any damage not shown on this form will be charged to the room occupants during room change or move-out. A charge is assessed for checking out late or improperly. It is the responsibility of the resident to be informed of and adhere to proper check-out procedures.
Keys—Residential students are issued a room key for their assigned room. Keys will only be issued to the assigned residents of a given room and not to parents, friends, etc. Any student having an unauthorized University key is subject to disciplinary action. Lost keys should be reported immediately to the Concierge office. Lost or missing keys will result in a lock change and a charge of $75 being assessed to the responsible student’s ORU account. Rooms are to be kept locked at all times. ORU is not responsible for items damaged, borrowed, or stolen. Room keys should be returned to the Concierge office upon checking out due to a room change or departure from university housing. The
Concierge office hours are from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Residents who check out of their rooms after hours must return their keys to the Towers front desk with the on-duty desk receptionist. Failure to return keys will incur a lock charge at the student’s expense.
Kitchens—Kitchens are provided in most residence halls to prepare snacks. No baking is allowed after curfew. Residents using the kitchen facilities must leave the area and all appliances clean afterward. Food left in refrigerators must be labeled and dated. Students should never leave the kitchen when cooking. Please limit the use of the kitchens for cooking and cleaning to a maximum of two hours.
Lobbies—Residential students should be appropriately attired before entering the lobbies, vending, changing machines, or study areas. All residence halls are card access only, 24/7.
Men Working in Residence Halls—Workmen may come into the residence halls to fill vending machines or make repairs Monday through Friday during regular office hours, evenings, and weekends for emergencies. Women should be appropriately attired before permitting workers to enter. Women are not to be in hallways unless completely clothed or robed.
MicroFridge®—Each residence hall room has one combination microwave and refrigerator unit to be shared among roommates. Units should be kept clean at all times. Both routine and periodic inspections of the units will take place. Improper care of the unit will result in fines.
Overnight Sign-Out Procedure—All students (male or female) who plan on taking a trip or spending a night off campus must officially sign out through the official University online sign-out system.
• Students may sign out online via the ORU app on the Student Development tile using the overnight sign-out form. Emergency sign-outs will be handled on an individual basis via the Residence Hall Director on duty.
• Students are eligible to sign out for no more than three nights a week. Signing out for an extended period of time requires approval from the Residence Hall Director during specified office hours. Dual residency is not permitted.
• Students are expected to sign out properly and truthfully; falsifying a sign-out can result in disciplinary action.
• Parents of dependent students will be called for approval of sign-outs to hotels or a residence belonging to someone of the opposite gender.
Passes—From time to time, students may require a special pass to allow them exceptions to curfew policies. These passes are available through the Residence Hall Director, Dean of Student Development, or Associate Dean of Student Development and will extend the curfew by one hour. Temporary Work Passes are given for a one-time job and may be obtained from the Residence Hall Director during posted office hours, the Student Development between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Permanent Work Passes are issued to a student working a set schedule. The employment schedule must be verified by the employer in writing (on company letterhead). Passes are obtained from the Residence Hall Director during posted office hours or from the Student Development department from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Quiet Hours—Reasonable quiet is to be observed in the residence halls 24 hours a day. A study environment is to be maintained on the wing. Students who violate quiet hours will be disciplined accordingly.
Recreation After Hours—The Aerobics Center and the lighted tennis courts are open until midnight for recreation and exercise. Students are not permitted to engage in other recreational activities near residence halls or other campus buildings after hours.
Residence Hall Wings and Wing Names—All residence hall wings and wing names are subject to administrative approval. Wing names are not to be used until proper administrative approval has been granted.
Room Inspection and Housekeeping—Residents take personal responsibility for room tidiness and cooperate in keeping common areas clean. The residence hall staff reserves the right to inspect rooms. Rooms are inspected biweekly to ensure basic health and wellness standards are being met, and spot checks may be made at any time. Pets are not permitted on campus or in university housing. Permission for service or emotional support animals must be obtained from the Office of Student Support Services. Nothing is to be stored in the space above the drop ceiling. Cooking is not allowed in residence hall rooms. At the end of the school year, rooms will be inspected thoroughly. Residents will be charged accordingly for any damage to items not considered to be “normal wear and tear.”
Room Possessions—All room possessions are subject to administrative staff approval. Examples of inappropriate items include alcohol/drug paraphernalia or lewd posters and pictures. When possible, any inspection of a student’s room will be done in the student’s presence.
Sprinkler System Policy—Fire suppression systems have been installed in all residence halls. There are sprinkler heads throughout the building, in student rooms, closets, corridors, and public areas. This system will greatly enhance residents’ safety. The success of this system in protecting students depends partly on the students’ commitment to respect the system and the safety rules of the residence halls. Each sprinkler head has a glass tube, which can be broken by a blow or intense heat. To protect the heads from such damage, each one is covered by a metal cage. The following guidelines will help to keep the sprinkler heads and other parts of the system intact:
• Do not remove or tamper with the cage protecting a sprinkler head or any part of the system.
• Do not hang anything from a sprinkler head or the cage around it or from any other part of the fire suppression equipment, including the pipes.
• Keep a clearance of 18” around the sprinkler head, including in closets.
• Keep sources of heat away from the sprinkler heads.
• Avoid hitting the sprinkler heads when moving items into, out of, or around a room.
• Do not engage in sports or horseplay that could result in anything striking a sprinkler
head
anywhere in the residence hall.
• Report immediately any damaged or missing sprinkler heads to the Department of Public Safety and Security at 918.495.7750.
Any student involved in vandalism, including intentional activation—of any fire and life safety equipment will be referred to the Office of Student Development for violation of the written safety policy found in the Student Handbook and may be subject to legal proceedings as well. Consequences to students found responsible for such vandalism will be serious: they will be assessed financial restitution to ORU and other students; face potential fines or other legal actions from the City of Tulsa Fire Marshal and/or potential fines from the Campus Fire Marshal; and they may be suspended from the University.
What you should know about sprinklers:
• Only sprinkler heads directly activated by heat, fire, or damage will dispense water. That is, the activation of one head near a fire will not cause other heads to dispense water unless they are also in the area of a fire.
• When a sprinkler head is activated, large amounts of water will pour out. The water cannot be stopped until the system is shut off (after DPSS determines that it is safe to do so).
• The amount of water dispensed by an activated sprinkler head is significant. Flooding will extend to nearby rooms on the same floor, as well as to rooms on lower levels. We strongly recommend that you insure your personal property for the time you are living in the residence halls. Your parents’ or guardians’ homeowner’s insurance policy may or may not already provide such coverage. If not, you may arrange to add a provision or consider a renter’s insurance policy.
Summer Storage—Items stored in unapproved locations will be confiscated and given to charity.
Trash—Trash chutes may be used between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. when they are unlocked. Large boxes (including pizza boxes) or bulky items are not to be discarded in trash chutes; these are to be taken to basement areas. Items should not be stacked outside the trash chutes, in common areas or outside the room in the hallways. This is a violation of city fire codes and University policy.
Telephones—There are phones located in each lobby residence hall for emergency use only.