Conditions for Room Occupancy

1. Shorter College (hereafter known as SC or the College) agrees to rent to the student named on this application and the student agrees to rent from the College, in campus accommodations a space for residential purposes only, in the residence halls located in North Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas for an academic year or the remainder thereof, beginning when residence halls open for student residents according to the calendar published by the College. This agreement ends 24 hours after the student’s last final examination or on the last day the residence halls are open, whichever comes first. The residence halls will be closed and may not be occupied during Thanksgiving and Christmas vacations. Upon checking out of the residence hall, the student agrees to follow the checkout procedures as directed by the Residence Director and as provided in The Residence Life Handbook.)
2. The student agrees to pay to the College the rates established for room and board by the Board of Trustees.
3. Key room assignments will be issued conditionally, based upon the ability of the student to complete registration prior to the final date. Persons who do not complete registration must move from campus housing within 24 hours of that date. A daily rate of $20 shall be billed for persons who do not complete registration.
4. Keys are issued to approved student residents as a part of their $50 deposit. The replacement fee for a lost or stolen key is $200 to cover the cost of the key itself and the fees for rekeying all assigned doors for residents affected.
5. The College reserves the right to make room assignments and re-assignment as considered necessary. The College may remove a student from the residence hall for a breach of this agreement or a violation of College policy. If for any reason, a student withdraws from the College or moves from the residence hall, the student is still responsible for the board (meal) charges for
   the entire semester. There will be no refund of board fees nor cancellation of board charges assessed.
6. The student shall permit any authorized official(s) of the College to enter the student’s room at all reasonable times for the purpose of inspecting the room or for the purpose of enforcing reasonable rules and regulations ensuring the safety, welfare, and comfort of all students and that of the entire College community.
7. The College reserves the right to conduct an unannounced room search at any time, with or without the student’s consent, if there is just cause for the search.
8. The student shall use reasonable diligence in the care of his or her room and common areas of the residence hall. The student may not make any alterations to College property without the written consent of the Residence Hall Director or his or her designee.
   The student agrees to pay for damages caused to College property as a result of negligence, carelessness, accident or abuse. Payment is due upon demand. In common areas, if the identity of the person responsible for damages to College property cannot be determined after diligent investigation, the appropriate Residence Hall Director may prorate the cost of repair or replacement among all or any portion of the residents of the hall as he or she may deem fair. A STUDENT WHO FAILS TO PAY FOR DAMAGE AS REQUIRED ABOVE WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO REGISTER, GRADUATE, OR BE ISSUED AN OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT UNTIL SUCH DAMAGE CHARGES ARE PAID.
9. The College shall not be liable for any damages or losses to person or property caused by other persons, theft, burglary, assault, vandalism or other crimes, fire, flood, water leaks, wind, rain, hail, ice, snow, smoke, explosions, interruptions of utilities, or other natural phenomena. The College strongly recommends that the student secure insurance to protect against loss from any of the above occurrences. The student agrees to hold blameless and indemnity the College for any claims of damages payable as a result of negligence on the part of the student.
10. The student agrees to participate in the Health, Safety and Community Standards meeting and residence hall fire and emergency evacuation drills.
11. Shorter College conducts criminal background checks on all housing residents prior to acceptance into campus housing and prior to each semester. A portion of the non-refundable application fee will pay for a criminal history check. Students who have any convictions or pending charges for a felony, Class A Misdemeanor, or Class B Misdemeanor will not be able to live on campus. The $50 application fee will not be refunded. Should, during the course of a semester, a resident student be charged with a criminal offense that would have precluded them from being eligible to move into housing, that student will not be eligible to remain in housing. The student may reapply for housing at a later date but will be subject to all housing requirements.
12. College housing reserves the right to assign applicants and students to available space and, in its sole discretion, change such assignment at any time. College housing also reserves the right to change an assignment or terminate the privilege of housing for anyone who:
    1. in the opinion of the Dean of Student Affairs or his or her designee, has demonstrated behavior that significantly disrupts or poses a danger to the residence hall environment, or
    2. has received such a sanction through the
       conduct process
13. Any and all property of the student which may be left on College property after the termination of this agreement may be handled, removed, or disposed of at the risk and expense of the student, and the College shall in no event be responsible for any such property. SC does not provide storage of students' personal belongings at any time. Students are strongly encouraged to store items at an off-campus, reputable storage company. Off-campus storage is at the students' risk.
14. The College may terminate this agreement if the student:
    1. fails to pay room and/or board or other charges when due;
    2. fails to be enrolled in the College, or
    3. fails to obey the terms of this agreement, including College policies.
15. These conditions for room occupancy constitute the entire agreement between the student and the College. No oral agreements have been made. No amendments to this agreement are valid unless in writing and signed by both the student and the College.