Residence Life

Office of Residence Life Mission

The mission of Residence Life is to work collaboratively with all departments within Student Affairs and supports of the mission of the University to provide a comfortable, safe, and enjoyable environment for all students within the residence halls. This environment is achieved through collaborative programming with Student Activities and community standards which are upheld.

The Office of Residence Life:

• Encourages growth; pursuing a culture of learning, education, and development balanced with excellent customer service.
• Builds relationships; providing opportunities to foster connections and engage in authentic dialogue.
• Encourages accountability; involving students in the development and maintenance of individual and community standards that reflect a duty to consider the impact of one’s actions, beliefs, and attitudes.
• Pursues justice; affording students just participation in a consistent process, resulting in outcomes unique to the individual’s needs.
• Inspires civic engagement; encouraging self-reflection on one’s identities, how they operate in and with the world, and how one can take an active role in transformation.

Policies and Procedures

On-Campus Living Options

Living on campus is convenient and enjoyable. In fact, over two-thirds of undergraduate students choose to do so! Chatham’s halls are really unique – three residence halls are converted turn-of-the-century mansions which boast such amenities as leaded glass windows, rich wood paneling, and comfortable traditional furniture. The architecture is graceful, the ambiance is warm, and the rooms are comfortable.

Application to the living learning communities (LLCs) is open to all students. Students interested in participating in a culturally and globally concerned community may choose to apply to live in Laughlin House, the Intercultural Residence Hall. Students interested in participating in an environmentally concerned community may choose to apply to live in Rea House, the Environmental Residence Hall. First-year students interested in the First-Year Experience Community in Woodland Hall can apply for this housing option.

Upperclass students who prefer a more independent lifestyle may opt for apartment-style living on the Fifth Avenue border of campus. Chatham Apartments offers residence life supported independent living.

Staff

All undergraduate housing options are supported by residence hall staff, including student Resident Assistants (RAs), Graduate Residence Directors (GRDs), and a full-time professional Area Coordinator, Assistant Director, and Director of Residence Life.

Two Year Residency Requirement

Chatham requires that all first-year, sophomore, and students with less than four complete terms live on campus. This two year residency requirement is vital in maintaining the vibrant residential community that defines the Chatham experience.

Commuting to Campus

Traditional undergraduate students may also choose to live with a parent or guardian in the Pittsburgh area (within 30 miles). Gateway students may choose to live on campus or in the surrounding area and commute. All students who would like to commute need to complete the Application for Commuter Student Status (my.chatham, documents and forms, Residence Life, Application for Commuter Students)

Housing Options

Chatham University maintains four residence halls for undergraduate students. Each residence hall offers secure, swipe access doors, laundry, and common study and social space. All charges for housing are applied directly to a student’s account.

Overview of Residence Life Policies

Below is an overview of Residence Life policies. Please visit www.chatham.edu/campuslife/resident/rooming/terms.cfm for a complete listing of policies.

Visitation Policy

All guests must be signed in and signed out of the residence halls, including Chatham University students not residing in the hall they are visiting. Guest must show picture ID when signing in and should be able to produce picture ID on request of a university staff member. The residence hall desks are staffed from 8:00pm-midnight Sunday-Thursday and 8:00pm-1:00am on Fridays and Saturdays. It is ALWAYS expected that all residents sign in and out their guests all times of the day and night even if the desk is not staffed.

A residence hall guest is considered to be any person who is not a resident of that residence hall. Chatham University students not residing in the residence hall in question are still considered guests of that residence hall.

Guests must be escorted at all times by their host. This includes Chatham students who do not reside in campus housing. No exceptions. Guests must abide by all residence hall regulations and community standards. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action against their hostess and also the guests(s). Residents are responsible for the action of their guest(s), including policy violations.

Fall-term first-year students are not permitted to have overnight guests until the evening of the traditional Chatham Eggnog (the first Friday of December). This includes family members. This policy is firm unless there are unusual circumstances, which are approved by the building’s AC or GRD. This includes Chatham students sleeping over in other students’ rooms and family members. Guests of fall term, first-year students must leave the residence hall by midnight on Sunday night through Thursday night and by 2:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Guests may not return to campus until at least 8:00 a.m. the following day.

Courtesy and Quiet Hours

Minimum Quiet Hours in all residences are: Sunday-Thursday, 11:00 p.m.-8:00 a.m. & Friday-Saturday, 1:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Residents are permitted to agree to longer quiet hours through their community agreements, but may not agree to shorter quiet hours. There will be 24-hour quiet hours during exam periods beginning at the end of the last class through the end of the last final exam.

At all times, students are expected to be courteous and to conduct themselves in a way that does not intrude on the rights and privileges of others. Respectful interactions are expected within the residence hall communities regarding Quiet Hours and Courtesy Hours. Any student who is not respectful to fellow residents and/or residence life staff will need to have a disciplinary meeting regarding the confrontation.

Alcohol Policy

Chatham University adheres to the Pennsylvania State laws regarding the purchase, possession, consumption, or transportation of alcoholic beverages by minors. Resident students 21 years or older are permitted to transport, possess and consume alcoholic beverages in their private rooms in the residence hall. Resident students, 21 years or older, are not permitted to serve alcohol in their rooms to residents under the legal age.

Alcohol is prohibited in public areas including bathrooms, hallways, student lounges, TV rooms, kitchens, public University grounds, etc. Kegs, party balls, and any other similar sources of large quantities of alcohol are prohibited in all residence areas, including private rooms.

Residents are responsible for the behavior of their guests. Guests must adhere to all residence hall policies that pertain to their host. For example, if the Resident student is not 21 years of age, their guest (regardless of age) may not consume alcohol in Chatham Residence communities, all other policies apply. Also, if a guest of a Chatham student violates the campus alcohol policy or other policies while intoxicated, their Chatham student host will also be charged with the policy violation.

Prohibited Items

Possession of halogen lamps, hot plates, toasters, toaster ovens, large refrigerators (larger than hip-height), and other prohibited electrical appliances are not permitted in residence hall rooms. Coffee makers without a hot plate (1 cup drip type) are permitted. Additionally, possession and/or use of candles (decorative or otherwise), incense, potpourri burners, space heaters (unless provided by the University), or anything with an open flame is not permitted in the residence halls.

Air Conditioners

No residence halls at Chatham are air conditioned. All students should bring a fan for their rooms. Students with medical conditions can complete a medical accommodation request through the Office of Residence Life and provide medical documentation for an air conditioner.

Medical Accommodations

Chatham University students are encouraged to take full advantage of the residential experience by sharing rooms with other Chatham women and first-year students living on campus are required to live with a roommate. However, Chatham does recognize that rare occasions do exist in which students may be faced with extreme conditions in which accommodations are required. In these cases, students can request to be assigned or moved to a medical single, a single room reserved on campus for students with unique needs, or for other accommodations (i.e. lower floor room, building with an elevator, or exemption from the residency requirement.)

Because cases which warrant medical singles are rare and extreme, students will need to follow specific procedures to request a medical single and will need to plan well ahead of their arrival to Chatham University.

The following procedure is in place for students who face life-threatening conditions that require their assignment to a medical single, an exception to the residency requirement, or a release from their year long housing contract (Terms and Conditions of Residency) during their study at Chatham University:

1. The student needs to provide a written request for a medical single, addressed to the director of residence life. This request must come directly from, and be signed by, the student.
2. The students must make an appointment with health or counseling staff at Chatham University to review her request.

Medical conditions: In addition to submitting the necessary paperwork, students must make an appointment with a physician on staff at Chatham University for an evaluation. It is the students' responsibility to make this appointment early and to arrange for transportation to campus for their medical evaluation. Summer appointments may not be possible.

Psychiatric conditions: In addition to submitting the necessary paperwork, students must give consent to the director of counseling services to consult with the students' treatment team(s) (psychiatrist, psychologist, therapist or counselor). The director of Counseling Services will then assess the students' need for a medical single. The student needs to provide written documentation to health or counseling staff from the student's treatment team that details the condition. Documentation must include a consent form signed by the student that would allow health and counseling staff at Chatham University to consult with the student's treatment team. Upon complete review, the director of health services or the director of counseling services in conjunction with the director of residence life and the vice president for student affairs will decide if a student's condition warrants need for a medical accommodation. Questions regarding Chatham's Medical Accommodation Policy can be addressed to the director of residence life at 412-365-1518. Students who are living on campus with other or additional accommodation needs should communicate those needs to the director of residence life through the PACE center.