Closing The Halls - Fall 2012

 HALLS CLOSE – 3pm Thursday, December 20

The residence halls will close at 3pm on Thursday, December 20, the day after the last final exam.  Please be ready to leave the halls at that time. 

The halls will reopen on Sunday, January 20, 2013 at 9am. Food service begins with brunch on the 20.   On Monday, January 21, the College is closed in observance of MLK, Jr. Day and classes begin on Tuesday, January 22.  You may NOT arrive prior to January 20 without express, advance permission of Campus Living staff.  There is a fee for early arrival.

Food service concludes for Fall semester with dinner on Wednesday, December 19.  If you are leaving the residence halls at the end of Fall for a semester abroad, leave of absence or graduation all remaining flex points will expire as of 7pm on Wednesday, December 19. 

SHUTTLE TO THE AIRPORT
Free transportation to and from the airport will be provided on Wednesday, December 19, and Thursday, December 20.  For a complete schedule, please go to http://www.lclark.edu/offices/transportation_and_parking/shuttle/ and click on the “Airport Shuttle Schedule”.   Shuttles fill up quickly and traffic to the airport may be heavy at certain times of the day so you should allow for plenty of travel time. If the shuttle times don’t get you to the airport with the recommended pre-flight arrival, you might want to consider using alternate transportation listed on the web at: http://www.lclark.edu/offices/transportation_and_parking/transportation_options/airport/.

SHUTTLE SERVICE
The Pioneer Express will be in full operation on its regular route through Friday, December 21.  There will be no shuttle service on Saturday, December 22.  Shuttle service will resume on January 14, 2013.

APPROVED TO STAY OVER BREAK?
If you believe you have been approved to remain on campus over the winter break or return early for intercollegiate athletics or Wilderness First Responder and have not received an email from Campus Living specifically about your Winter Break accommodation, please contact Sandi Bottemiller (sjb@lclark.edu) before end of day Friday, December 14.

If you have a late flight, please be in contact with your AD immediately to make those arrangements.  If you need accommodation for more than 24 hours after closing; a fee will be assessed.  If you do not make arrangements by December 14, a fee will be imposed regardless of your circumstances.

Approved residents for Winter break may prepare meals in the residence hall or buy their meals in the Trail Room or Maggie’s, which will be open on the following schedule:
TRAIL ROOM:
    9am – 2pm on Thursday, December 20 and Friday, December 21
    CLOSED Monday, December 24 – Tuesday, January 1
    9am – 2pm Wednesday, January 2 – Friday, January 18 (No weekend service)
MAGGIE’S:
    CLOSES 4pm on Wednesday, December 19
    Reopens at 4pm on Sunday, January 20
DOVECOTE:
    CLOSES 3:30pm on Wednesday, December 19
    Reopens at 7:30am on Tuesday, January 22

RETURNING TO YOUR CURRENT ROOM IN THE SPRING?
BEFORE LEAVING FOR BREAK you must complete the following:
•    Clean your room and the common areas of your community.  Your RA will have a list of duties.  Each resident is required to sign up for at least one hall chore.
•    Unplug electrical appliances in your room to reduce fire risk and save electricity. 
•    Turn off alarm clock buzzers/music before you leave.  If you subscribe to a newspaper, please cancel your subscription for the break period.
•    Close and lock windows; leave blinds up.   If you live in a ground floor room close your blinds and place sticks in window tracks for added security. (See RA if you need a stick.)  
•    Remove perishables from your room and kitchen; empty and defrost refrigerators.
•    Remove personal items from the restroom on your floor and the basement laundry room. (Items left behind in either of these areas may be thrown away.)
•    Remove valuables from plain view (better yet, take them home with you).  Plants and fish may die over the break, so please take appropriate precautions.
•    Check smoke detector battery where appropriate (a fine will be assessed if it is not in working condition; contact your RA for replacement battery).
•    Empty trash, sort and remove recycling and trash to appropriate outside receptacles.
•    Turn heat down to 60 degrees where possible.

CHANGING HALLS, MOVING TO A DIFFERENT ROOM OR LEAVING THE RESIDENCE HALL SYSTEM AT THE END OF FALL?
In addition to the items above, you must complete the following:
•    Read specific procedures for moving between halls or changing rooms are on the web at: http://college.lclark.edu/live/news/3304-changing-rooms-at-semester
•    Replace original complement of furniture; return beds to standard low position (rail 18” off the floor) even if the person moving into your room wants the bed the way you have it now.
•    Remove all personal belongings from walls/door.  Leave the space clean and ready for the new occupant.
•    Box all belongings and move them to a locked storage area in your new hall or ship them home. You may not leave your belongings in your current room. 
•    If you are leaving the residence halls to move off campus, or are taking a leave of absence, you may NOT store your belongings (including bicycles) in any residence hall storage area. 
•    Turn heat down to 60 degrees where possible.
•    Schedule an appointment with your RA who will check the condition of your room using the Room Condition Report you completed when you arrived in August.  As an alternative, you may opt to complete the Express Check-Out which includes completion of the Express Check-Out list and submitting it and your room key in the Express Envelope. Submit the Express Envelope at the RA office in your complex.  This process must be completed prior to 3pm on Thursday, December 15.

ROOM CONDITION
After the residence halls have closed, the AD and RA will go through each room to make sure all electrical outlets are clear and no other fire hazards exist.  Rooms where a change in the occupants has occurred will be checked for compliance with the standards for checkout.  If you are assessed a charge you will be notified in writing.  All common areas will also be checked and if left in disarray, each member of the floor will be charged for cleaning.  A schedule of charges is listed in the “Settling In” booklet you received at the beginning of the year.  All community damages which occurred during the semester will also be assessed at that time.  If you complete the Express Check-Out, you will have no opportunity to appeal your end of semester fines.

STORAGE/ACCESS
We encourage you to take your valuables home with you.  However, if you choose to store things in designated storage rooms, you do so at your own risk.  Storage is limited to three standard size boxes per student (no furniture or bikes) in marked trunk rooms for the belongings of participants of LC sponsored overseas programs who have submitted the required Contract or Lease and deposit for the semester immediately following their program.  Box and label your things with a Trunk Room Label available from your AD, RA Office or the Office of Campus Living.  Hours for trunk room access will be posted on the trunk room door. Bicycles must be placed in bike racks or in your private room over the break. (If you are leaving the residence hall system, you may NOT store any personal belongings in residence halls storage areas.) Because of limited storage space, items left past your expected return date to LC will be removed from storage and disposed.  For alternative storage option, contact “Smart Box”, 877-627-8269 for reasonably priced off campus storage. When making these arrangements, you must also contact Transportation and Parking (x7857) to coordinate the drop off of the container.

THE COLLEGE ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR PERSONAL PROPERTY.
Should you require access to a locked storage area or room during the break, you must contact the Office of Campus Safety.  You will be assessed a $20 fee for each entry request.  Do not enter any residence hall without the presence of security personnel or an appointed Campus Living staff representative.  Your ID card will be inactive during the break unless you have approval from the Office of Campus Living to remain on campus. 

As an additional safety measure, you should remove your vehicle from campus grounds over vacation.  If that is impossible, you may leave your vehicle in the Griswold lot as close to the Campus Safety building and a light post as possible.  If you leave your vehicle on campus, please register your name, license plate and a telephone number where you can be reached over the break with the Campus Safety dispatcher at safety@lclark.edu.  Please remember that you leave your car at your own risk.  The College does not guarantee the safety of your vehicle.

IMPORTANT DATES
Spring Break: March 23-31 - Halls remain open but NO meal service provided.
Housing Lottery:  April 11 - You’ll need to have a $100 housing deposit (or $200 if you plan to apply for the apartments – March 15 deadline) to submit your housing contract for the 2013-2014 academic year.  You must have completed the residency requirement at the end of Spring semester to be eligible for the apartments.
Halls Close: Friday, May 11 - Halls close at 3pm for non-graduating students.      Sunday, May 19 - Halls close at 3pm for graduating seniors.

If you have any questions about this information, please contact your AD or the Office of Campus Living (x7183).  Good luck on your finals!  We hope that you have a pleasant break and look forward to welcoming you back to the residence halls on January 20.  If you must arrive before January 20 because of an international flight be sure to request pre-approval (before January 7) from your AD to do so.  There is a $50/night fee for early access even for baggage drop off.  No one may arrive on campus before January 19.  If you do not have permission to arrive early, you will not be allowed to move back into your room until Sunday, January 20.  Have a wonderful break!