Policies, Procedures, and Forms

The university cannot store or safeguard personal belongings left behind when students leave the university. Two weeks after the official withdrawal, leave of absence, or graduation date, items left behind are considered abandoned and will be confiscated and disposed of properly. If items must be removed by Physical Plant staff, charges will apply.

Students and their guests are expected to comply with the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia regarding the possession and consumption of alcohol. Residence Halls that have only freshmen residents are considered dry halls where alcohol consumption is considered banned.

During specific academic breaks throughout the year (Fall Break, Thanksgiving break, Spring Break, and May Term – if registered), students are permitted to stay on campus. However, if students are choosing to stay, they must complete the appropriate form to apply to stay over that break. Deadlines will be listed on the application as to when they must be submitted.

Common areas such as lounges and kitchens within the residence halls may be reserved by approved campus group meetings or events. To make a reservation please contact the Office of Residence Life at x7329 or contact the Area Coordinator that oversees your specific residence hall.

In shared spaces, community living, and residence halls, fire safety is very important. 

Be aware of evacuation routes, and what to do in the case of a fire or fire alarm. Also keep in mind what you can do to protect yourself and your fellow students or colleagues from a potential fire. 

For questions or concerns about fire safety policies and planning, please contact Campus Safety at 540-887-7000. Find more information on fire safety here.

The process for housing selection begins for students with approved ADA accommodations and same-room sign up, then proceeds as follows: rising seniors, then rising juniors, and then rising sophomores. Each student will have an individual time slot, received via MBU email. 

The Office of Housing and Residence Life is committed to offering gender inclusive housing options to ensure inclusive communities.

Residence Life offers two options of housing preferences based on gender:

• Single-Gender Housing – having roommates/suitemates/apartment-mates who have the same sex listed in the MBU database
• Gender Inclusive Housing – having roommates/suitemates/apartment-mates of any gender or gender expression/identity

Important Things To Keep In Mind:

• Gender inclusive housing is about who you want to live with, not what building or room type you want to live in.
• Students selecting gender inclusive housing should plan to live with a roommate.
• Students should not assume that they will be able to select into a single by choosing gender inclusive housing.
• Students with medical needs related to gender identity, including for a single occupancy space, should submit their request and related documentation to the Academic Resource Center and Accessibility Services.
• Residence Life cannot guarantee that there will be enough options to grant all student gender inclusive housing preferences. In the event that Residence Life is unable to accommodate the request or the resident does not select a roommate, they will be assigned a roommate based off of the single-gender housing preference.
• Gender inclusive housing is completely optional and all students selecting the gender inclusive housing option must carefully read, accept, and understand the expectations listed.
• Gender inclusive housing is not intended for and is highly discouraged for romantic couples. However, students will not be asked for their reasoning for requesting gender inclusive housing.

Guests (non-Mary Baldwin students or Mary Baldwin commuter students) of the same or opposite gender must be registered and signed in using the Guest Pass Request form. Once processed, the Office of Residence Life & Housing (ORLH) will issue guest cards that guests are expected to carry with them at all times during their time of stay. Guest passes can be picked up at the ORLH Monday – Friday between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (closed weekends and most holidays). Residents can acquire guest passes after hours by contacting the RA on Duty. RA’s are on call Monday – Thursday 8 p.m. -8 a.m. and Friday 8 p.m. to Monday at 8 a.m. Guests cannot return any sooner than 24 hours from their time of departure. Additionally, students are responsible for the actions of their guests, including any behaviors that violate residence life or judicial policies. The university reserves the right to request the withdrawal of a guest from university property.

Verbal or written abuse such as intimidation, coercion, and/or harassment has no place in the residential environment and will not be tolerated. Additionally, students are prohibited from assaulting, striking, or in any other way threatening harm to another member of the Mary Baldwin community.

During each semester, an announced residence hall inspection will occur.

During these inspections, University Staff will look at each residence hall room to make sure the room occupants are in compliance with all health and safety regulations. Inspections will occur with or without the room occupant being present. If prohibited item(s) are found in your space during your inspection, the item(s) will be confiscated and stored in the Office of Residence Life & Housing. You will be given 72 hours to remedy other violations. Upon re-inspection, if the violation has not been remedied, the resident will be documented and go through the judicial process.

Students and their guests are expected to comply with the federal, state, and local laws which prohibit the following with regard to illicit drugs: use, possession, sharing, offering for sale, or manufacture. Additionally, possession of drug paraphernalia (bongs, clips, etc.) is prohibited at Mary Baldwin.

The university is not responsible for the loss of or damage to personal property of students. As the university does not provide coverage for personal property, students are strongly encouraged to add coverage of personal property to a family member’s homeowner’s insurance policy.

Each student is issued a room key and a key to the exterior door of their residence hall. For safety reasons, these keys should not be labeled and should never be loaned to another person. A student who is locked out of their room or residence hall should contact the Office of Security at x7000. All lost or stolen keys should be reported immediately to the Office of Security. The cost to replace a room key is $30 and the cost to replace an outside door key is $55.

The Office of Residence Life and Housing seeks to provide special housing accommodations for students with medical needs where possible. In order to request consideration for an exception, you must submit the Off Campus Housing Request and Medical Exception Form along with a valid note by a healthcare provider. Requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and evaluated in conjunction with the MBU Health Center and Counseling and Psychological Services professionals.

• Students must resubmit a Medical Exception Form and documentation from a healthcare provider every year. Documentation submitted in previous years cannot be used.
• Students approved for special accommodations will be assigned prior to the Housing Selection Process by the Office of Residence Life and Housing.
• Room assignment is made based on meeting medical concerns first and foremost and supersedes any preferences for building or roommate. Room assignments are made on a first come first serve basis.
• Students requesting accommodations can request a roommate of their choice provided that the roommate meets eligibility requirements to live in a particular building.

PROFESSIONAL STAFF: Professional staff members are responsible for on-call coverage 24 hours a day seven days a week during which time they are accessible via cell phone (one professional staff per week). During evening and weekend hours the Resident Advisor (RA) On-Call is the first line of contact but professional staff are also on-call and able to respond to

AREA COORDINATORS/RESIDENCE HALL DIRECTOR: ACs/RD are responsible for on-call coverage 24 hours a day seven days a week during which they are accessible via cell phone (one AC/RD per week). They are responsible for making sure Resident Advisor check-in for duty every night and to respond to emergency situations.

RESIDENT ADVISORS: RAs serve an important role in assisting with the safety and security of students by being on-call. Duty is scheduled on a rotating basis for the semester. RAs must stay in their Area during their entire shift. RA Duty hours are as follows:

• Sunday thru Thursday: 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. the next day
• Friday: 8 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Saturday (24 hours)
• Saturday: 8 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Sunday (24 hours)

Pets are not allowed in the residence halls with the exception of fish in a small aquarium (10-gallon tank or smaller) or university-approved Emotional Support Animals (ESAs).

To provide an atmosphere conducive to study and sleep, quiet hours are observed in all residential communities. Quiet Hours are Sunday – Thursday 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. the following day and Friday and Saturday 12 a.m. to 12 p.m. the following day. Courtesy Hours are observed 24/7.

Mary Baldwin University believes that living on campus provides students with a unique opportunity for community and support.

As a residential campus, Mary Baldwin has a residency requirement that all undergraduate students live on campus for the duration of their tenure at the university.

This policy applies to residential students, transfer students, and students not living at the primary residence of their parents or legal guardians within a 45-mile radius of the university. This simply means that unless a student commutes from parents’ or guardians’ home, they have to live on campus.

Exceptions to this residency expectation are entertained for compelling and extenuating circumstances. Those circumstances are outlined below:

• Students who wish to live with their parents and/or extended family within a 45-mile radius of campus. Any student choosing to commute from the home of a parent or legal guardian must submit an Off Campus Housing Request form.
• Students who experience a change in life status – getting married, single parents etc.
• Students who present a medical need (for example, mobility issues, etc.) that cannot be accommodated through on-campus housing. (Documentation from a physician or healthcare provider is required.)
• Additionally, a student must be in “good standing” academically as outlined in the MBU Academic Catalog in order to be approved to move off campus.

Requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and evaluated based on the criteria outlined above.

To ensure processing of accommodation requests prior to room selection, students should submit a request for accommodation and associated documentation as soon as possible. 

Mary Baldwin University believes that living on campus provides students with a unique opportunity for community and support. Based on decades of research nationally, we know that living on campus supports academic success, meaningful connections, and on-time graduation.

As a residential campus, Mary Baldwin’s residency requirement states that all residential undergraduate students (including transfers) live on campus for the duration of their tenure at the university. 

Because we recognize that the needs of each Mary Baldwin student are different, we have developed an in-depth exemption selection form process. Every request will be reviewed individually. 

Important Policy Information

To apply for off-campus permission, students must be 21 years of age unless they:

• Are living at home with their parents, guardians, or an extended family member
• Are married, have dependent children, are serving in the military, or other changes in life status
• Have medical needs that the university cannot accommodate

All residential students must complete a Housing Selection Form in MyMBU by the specified deadline dates. The university does not automatically grant off-campus permission due to the absence of a Housing Selection Form. Students who do not complete the Housing Selection Form will automatically be billed for housing on their student account.

Students are advised not to sign a lease until they obtain written authorization from the university that they are approved to live off-campus. Students who choose to live off-campus without receiving approval will still be billed for a room on campus.

All students granted permission to live off campus must reapply annually. Those with off-campus approval due to medical accommodations must also reapply annually and renew their medical documentation.

Exceptions to the residency requirement are entertained for compelling and extenuating circumstances; please see below for more information, and contact the Office of Resident Life and Housing with questions. 

The Office of Residence Life & Housing (ORLH) recognizes the need for students to change room assignments for a variety of reasons. The goal of Residence Life at MBU is to provide a safe, comfortable living environment, which offers opportunities for intellectual, personal, and social growth. The staff understands the impact of residence hall living on all aspects of student life and strives to accommodate students’ needs in a fair and efficient manner. In order to request a change in a residence hall room assignment, students should follow the following guidelines and procedures.

Room change requests will be considered beginning in the third week of each academic semester.* Room changes will not be permitted prior to that time. Any exceptions to this policy will be at the discretion of the Office of Residence Life & Housing (ORLH). In order to promote fairness and equity, many room change requests will be considered by the ORLH Evaluation Team, a committee of staff members in the ORLH.  Decisions regarding room change requests will be communicated to students via email through the ORLH email.

Duration of housing freeze is subject to change at the discretion of the Office of Residence Life & Housing.
Please allow at least 3-5 full business days for a response to your submission

• Students are required to work with the Office of Residence Life & Housing (ORLH) to find a new living space on campus. Students are responsible for contacting potential roommates and making decisions regarding where to move.
• Not all requests are approved. Appeals are made directly to the ORLH Evaluation Team through the Office of Residence Life. The Director or Assistant Director of Residence Life & Housing will contact the student(s) regarding decisions about appeals.
• Requests may receive conditional approval. In some circumstances, students may be referred to specific services on campus before consideration or approval will be granted. These services include but are not limited to:
  • Roommate Mediation
  • Health Center
  • Counseling & Psychological Services, Business Office/other administrative offices, etc.
• Specific instructions for making the room change will accompany all approved requests. The student is responsible for the condition of their room at the time they vacate it. In addition, they are responsible for making the move to their new room.
• MBU reserves the right to utilize all designated spaces that are available in campus residence halls and houses. This may require consolidation of students and/or the assigning of incoming students when necessary. When a vacancy occurs, the college may assign a new occupant. Compliance with this policy on the part of the student falls under the campus Housing Policy Guide.
• Unauthorized room changes will result in a $100 fine and the student may be asked to relocate. Unauthorized changes include all of those that are not made in accordance with the Room Change Policy.
• Fees will also be assessed for failure to return keys as identified in the specific instructions accompanying the approval.

In general, student rooms are considered private; however, the university reserves the right to enter rooms when deemed necessary. When authorized personnel have reason to suspect that a violation of a university regulation, local ordinance, state or federal statute is in progress, and/or for other emergency purposes, they may enter without notice. Additionally, university maintenance personnel have the right to enter rooms to perform maintenance duties and to perform scheduled room inspections.

The university reserves the right to use all room spaces. Rooms cannot be “held” for students who are studying abroad or who have taken a leave of absence. When a vacancy occurs, a new student may be assigned without consultation with the remaining occupant.

All residence halls, apartments, and houses are locked 24 hours a day. For the safety of all in the community, please do not prop open exterior doors or allow unauthorized persons to enter the halls. All guests in the building are to be escorted at all times during their visit (see guest policy agreement).

Smoking is prohibited in all residential common areas including elevators, stairwells, lounges, and kitchens.

The residence halls are closed during Thanksgiving, Winter, Spring, and Summer breaks. All buildings will be locked and secured. However, in certain circumstances, students are permitted to remain. Requests to stay require approval.

Students will be held responsible for intentional damage to property belonging to the school, another member of the campus community, or a campus visitor.

Weapons of any kind, including ornamental guns, swords, and knives are strictly prohibited in the residence hall environment.