Studying, Packing and Dealing with Damage Deposits

The end of the year is full of demands for students. First and foremost, students must focus on final exams but immediately afterward turn their attention to packing up and moving out of their residence halls or apartments.

Following is useful background for students and parents:

Departure Deadline

Students are required to move out of their residence either 24 hours after their last final exam or by noon Saturday, May 8, whichever is sooner. Residence halls officially close May 8.

While packing, it is common to encounter damages to the room. The Office of Residence Life needs assistance to determine the person or people responsible for the damage. As such, it’s important for roommates to discuss who is responsible for the damage and inform the Residence Life staff member in charge of checking their room.

Bills will be sent at the end of May to students responsible for any damage. If your student receives a damage bill it will specify details about the type of damage, outlined here:

Room/Apartment Damage
This relates to damage found during the final inspection of the room, which is done by the hall director and a Physical Plant staff member, then compared to the initial room inventory completed at check-in at the beginning of the semester. The inspections take place after all students have vacated the room. This allows furniture to be moved, which occasionally turns up damage that students may not have known about before leaving. A residence assistant completes a preliminary check of the room prior to students leaving. Though damage may not have been found during the preliminary check, students will be charged for damage found during the final check.

Wing Damage
If lounge furniture, carpeting, ceiling tiles, walls, doors, etc. from a wing or floor have been damaged and Residence Life is unable to determine the person or people responsible, the cost for repair will be divided among all members of the wing or floor.

Hall/Complex Damage
These damages are done to areas such as the laundry room, elevators, main lounges or recreation rooms, etc. The policy is the same as the policy for wing or floor damage, but the damage bill is divided between the entire building or apartment complex.

The prices for damages are set by the Physical Plant and are based on the cost of labor and materials to repair or replace an item.

Damage Deposit
Students returning to campus the following year must pay the damage amount to keep their $200 damage deposit at the minimum amount. Students moving off-campus do not have to pay, but the amount will be removed from their $200 deposit. The $200 deposit (or the remainder) will be automatically credited back to the students account the first week of June. If this creates a credit balance on the account, the Bursar's office will automatically issue a refund check by June 30, 2010.

Student Appeals
Students have the option to appeal any damages for which they have been charged. To do so, the student must submit a written appeal to the Office of Residence Life within 10 days of receiving the charge. Appeals can be submitted electronically to their hall director or assistant director for apartments, or by U.S. Postal Service mail. Though appeals rarely are granted, they have been approved in cases where the responsible party could not initially be determined but was discovered after the damages had been assigned to another party. In order for the appeal to be approved, the responsible party must contact the Office of Residence Life to take ownership for the damages.

Room Cost
Parents and students often ask why damages are not included in the standard cost of the room. We always hope students will take proper care of University facilities so we won’t have to charge for any damages. Though most students are not charged, when damages do occur, it is important for those responsible to be held accountable.

Students can take the following steps to reduce the chance of receiving a damage bill:
• Remove all personal belongings from the room. If a carpet or piece of furniture remains in the room, residents will be charged $25 per item for removal.
• All furnishings that were in the room when students moved in should be there when students move out. Students will be charged the cost of replacement for missing items.
• Rooms must be clean and free of trash. Sweep the floor, dust all surfaces and remove all trash. Charges would be determined based on the level of cleaning required to restore the room to its original condition.
• The student must personally check out of the room with a residence assistant prior to leaving. Failure to do so will result in $25 fine.
• If a student has keys for their room (versus All Card Access) they need to turn in the keys or they will be charged $50 for each key that needs to be replaced.
• Make sure the student has moved out by noon Saturday, May 8, or a late checkout fee could be charged. Students who need an extension for travel reasons should contact their hall director or the assistant director of Residence Life if they live in an apartment.

We in the Office of Residence Life appreciate the cooperation of students and parents. It’s important for students to check out in a timely manner and leave facilities in the same condition as they were found because Xavier’s buildings are used throughout the summer for other students, interns and conference attendees. All rooms will be cleaned by the custodial staff when students vacate, but it goes much more quickly when we have the nearly 2,000 students who live on campus assist us with this process.