In accordance with policy #18.5.1 it is the University of North Texas' policy for all new freshmen to live within UNT Housing while in their freshman year. (http://www.unt.edu/policy/UNT_Policy/volume3/18_5_1.html) The University agrees to provide housing accommodations for students subject to the following: A. Student agrees to comply with and abide by all terms and conditions which appear in this contract, the University Catalog, the printed ABC’s of Resident Hall Living, and all other University rules and regulations governing the conduct of students which are now in effect and any that may be adopted and published either on paper or on the web at a later date. B. Residing in University-owned Residence halls is considered a fundamental part of the student’s education. Therefore such residency is only a license to occupy and use the residence space assigned the student for limited purposes and is not a lease of University property. C. Consideration of Contract: This contract is made in consideration of the fact that the student will be accepted for admission to the University. If denied admission, this Housing Contract is nullified and unused monies will be refunded upon request with proof of denial. D. Period of Contract: This contract is for the academic year (approx. 9 months) or for students entering the University after the beginning of a semester, it will be for the remainder of the academic year or contracted summer session(s). E. Refund Provision: Adjustments in room charges will be made only for the late move-ins that occur two weeks after the halls have opened in both the fall and spring semesters. Room and board refunds will not be made for any reasons for the two weeks immediately preceding the end of a semester. Room charges do not cover the non-contract winter break period when the halls are closed. A student may stay during Thanksgiving and Spring breaks, but must register in advance at the residence hall front desk. A fee will be assessed to those students who return to their room prior to the end of the break who have not pre-registered with their hall. Staying in your exact room is not guaranteed as some halls may have to close for renovations. In such a case, we try to place you in another hall for the holiday. A student who is absent from the residence hall due to an illness may apply at the Dining Services office for a board refund for any period of absence in excess of ten days. A written statement from the attending physician certifying the student’s period of illness must accompany such application. Refunds are not made because of meals missed, special diets, religious activities, employment, class conflicts, mechanical, heating or air conditioning malfunctions, or any other reason. The payment plans provide for advance payment in compliance with State Law. Proper checkout procedure will expedite refunds. Such refunds will be mailed within 2 to 4 weeks upon request. Under no conditions can on-the-spot refunds be given. F. Late Payment Provision: A late payment fee of $15.00 will be assessed if a student has not made the room and board payment required on or before the 1st of September, October, November and December for the Fall semester, and the 15th of January, February, March and April for the Spring semester. If the account remains unpaid for five (5) additional working days, the past due balance will be transferred to Student Accounting for collection. The transferred balance will need to be paid before the student can register for classes, receive transcripts and /or grades. G. General Rules of Operation: 1. This contract is for a space in the University of North Texas residence hall system. While every effort will be made to comply with student preferences, full power is reserved by the University to make assignments of space including assignment to temporary space. 2. Changes in room assignment may be made only with the approval of the Hall Director. 3. Any student whose actions are found to be detrimental to the welfare of the student living group may be required to move into another space or withdraw from the residence hall and may also be subject to University action. 4. The student agrees not to sell, sub-lease or assign this contract to anyone. 5. If one or more vacancies occur in multiple-occupancy rooms, the remaining student(s) agree(s) to accept other roommates, as assigned, or move into another room or building if requested. 6. The University reserves the right to consolidate vacancies by closing complete residence halls or any part thereof. 7. The University may also transfer a student to another hall or space when it is deemed in the best interest of that student or the residential population. 8. The staff reserves the right to contact the student's "emergency contact" when an emergency is perceived by the staff to exist concerning the student. H. Priority of Assignment: Typically, residence hall assignments are made by priority according to the date the housing application is received in the Housing Office online. I. Date of Occupancy: A room reservation will not be held beyond midnight of the first day of classes unless the student notifies the Director of Housing of the student's intention to occupy the space at a later date. No credit will be given for the period the space is held unoccupied. All residence halls except for those designated by the Housing Office are closed between semesters. There is an extra fee between semesters that must be paid prior to the start of such period. J. Conditions of Occupancy: Completion of any portion of the check-in procedures - acceptance of a room key or placement of personal belongings in the room - constitutes occupancy and obligates the student to the contract. K. Care of Room, Equipment, Inspection: Students shall be responsible for maintaining their room in a neat and orderly fashion at all times and for correcting any abuse called to their attention by University representatives. Authorized representatives of the University shall have the right to enter any space at any time for the purpose of maintenance, drug searches, close down, safety checks, perceived emergencies, or if a University policy is believed to be violated. Students shall be responsible for all damage to University property in a room during their term of occupancy. L. Loss of Property: Students shall be responsible for the security of their own property. The University shall not accept responsibility and is not liable for theft, damage, or other loss of money, valuables or personal effects of the student regardless of the causation of the loss. Student agrees that any personal effects, valuables or other property of the student left in the halls after expiration of the current semester rental period and not reclaimed within 30 days after the end of such semester, shall be abandoned property and may be retained by the University as its property or may be disposed through sales, donation, or in such other manners as the University in its sole discretion may determine. Student articles and belongings cannot be stored during the summer months of May, June, July and August. Students are urged to purchase their own insurance for valuable items or possessions. M. Use of facilities: Student rooms and the furnishings provided therein are to be used in the manner for which they are designated. No University property, including room and lounge area furnishings, may be moved within the building or taken from the Residence hall without the written authorization of the building staff. Vandalism and hall damages are billed to individuals who are found to be responsible. N. Triple rooms: In the event of increased demand for space, the University reserves the right to move or assign one additional student to rooms that were originally designed for three persons. These include all of West Hall and various rooms in Maple Hall, Clark Hall, Kerr Hall. All rooms that remain tripled after October 1 (in the Fall Semester) and February 10 (in the Spring semester) will have the room rate (not food) reduced by 10% for the days tripled. The resulting credit will be applied to the student's account at the end of each semester for the actual number of days the student was housed with two roommates. O. Vacating: Students must vacate their rooms by 5 p.m. and their halls by 7 p.m. on the last day of final exams. Extra time can be approved by the Hall Director. Residents withdrawing from the University prior to the end of the semester must vacate their rooms within 72 hours after such withdrawal. All rooms will be inspected as prescribed by checkout policy for damages and cleanliness. Failure to abide by proper checkout procedures will result in forfeiture of room deposit plus any additional charges. P. Cancellation Provisions: 1. This contract is binding and the Student and/or Guarantor shall be responsible for the full amount of charges for the contract period except as follows: A student may cancel this contract and recover the full amount of the previously paid deposit and prepayment if written notice of cancellation is received in the Housing and Residence Life office by the dates listed in Section Q. 2. Residents may break their contract with a 30-day notice to the Assignments & Collection office. This notice does not include the winter break holiday, which is not a part of the student's contract amount. They will incur a loss of their Room Assurance/Damage Deposit (Section Q); a $500 surcharge; any damage or late charges; and room and board charges through the date of checkout. Students with fewer than 30 hours (precluding AP hours) must also provide the necessary documentation that they will be commuting from home; otherwise they will not be allowed to break their contract. Students who have graduated from high school more recently than 2 long semesters prior to the date of withdrawal must also provide the necessary documentation that they will be commuting from home; otherwise, they will not be allowed to break their contract. 3. A student will be considered a "no show" if he/she does not claim the room by midnight of the first day of class. If the "no show" is an enrolled student at UNT for that semester, they will incur all room and board charges for the contract. If the "no show" is not an enrolled student at UNT, loss of deposit and prepayment will result. 4. This contract may be terminated without charge other than payment of room and board for the student's length of stay in the residence hall and any late or damage charges if the student graduates after the fall semester, marries at the end of the fall semester and resides with spouse, participates in University academic programs requiring residence outside the community or withdraws from the University. 5. Students who are expelled or suspended from the residence halls or university will incur full penalties. 6. The University reserves the right to cancel this contract at any time for any reason deemed in the best interest of the University. Q. Room Assurance/Damage Deposit: A Damage Deposit of $75.00 must accompany this contract. The $75.00 deposit is to guarantee occupancy and to cover the first $75 worth of charges for damage to the premises and other applicable charges at the end of the contract period. Charges above $75 will be added to the student's account for immediate payment. The deposit will be refunded within 2 to 4 weeks of departure, upon request, if there are no charges. R. Refund Provisions: This contract is binding and the Student and/or Guarantor shall be responsible for the full amount of the charges for the contract period if not cancelled according to the following schedule: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Fall 2008-Spring 2009 Refund Provisions With Written Cancellation Postmarked By| |-----------------|-------------------------------------------------------------| | July 1 | 100% Prepayment & Deposit ($400) | | July 15 | 100% Prepayment only ($325) | | August 1 | $200 | | August 11 | $100 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Spring 2009 Refund Provisions With Written Cancellation Postmarked By | |-----------------|-------------------------------------------------------------| | December 14 | 100% Prepayment & Deposit ($400) | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cancellations can also be emailed to housinginfo@unt.edu according to the above guidelines. Cancellations received or postmarked after August 11 and December 14 forfeit entire deposit and prepayment unless accompanied with copy of denial of admission to the University. S. Dining Service: 1. Students living in the Residence halls, except non-freshmen students at College Inn, Santa Fe Square, Mozart Square, Legends Hall, and Honors Hall are required to have a 5 or 7-day meal plan. Students missing more than 50% of their weekly meals due to a work and/or class conflict, or major medical reason may complete a "Request for Meal Plan Exemption Form." The forms are only available in the Dining Services Office. Any changes to a meal plan MUST be made with Dining Services in person. Students are financially responsible for all meal plan charges from the date the residence halls open each semester until the exemption request has been approved and the student signs the appropriate form in the Dining Services Office. 2. Failure to eat meals in the residence hall cafeterias will not result in any reduction in meal plan charges since the meals are prepared and costs are incurred. It is the student's responsibility to contact the Dining Services Office should their meal card not work properly. 3. The deadline for making meal plan changes occurs two weeks from the date that the residence halls open. All meal plan changes and cancellations must be made in the Dining Services Office, not in the Housing Department. There will be a $5.00 charge for all changes. 4. Students who consistently miss lunch or dinner due to class or work conflict may request a sack meal from the cafeteria manager. At least 24 hours advance notice is required for this special service. 5. Visit Dining Services online at http://dining.unt.edu/ CONTRACT INFORMATION Facilities for People with Disabilities: The residence hall system makes every reasonable effort to provide facilities that meet the needs of people with disabilities. There are a limited number of wheelchair accessible rooms and we are able to make other reasonable adaptations upon advance request. If you have a disability for which you will require such accommodations, please contact the Housing Office at least 60 days in advance. A private room is usually not possible because of our high occupancy. Nondiscrimination Policy: It is the policy of UNT not to discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, age, national origin, disability (where reasonable accommodations can be made) disabled veteran status or veteran of the Vietnam Era status in its educational programs, activities, admissions or employment policies. In addition to complying with federal and state equal opportunity laws and regulations, the university through its diversity policy declares harassment based on individual differences (including sexual orientation) inconsistent with its mission and educational goals. As a resident student we do consider gender, classification, smoking, and extreme age differences in making room assignments. Please do not ask for a room change based on other discriminatory considerations. EXPLANATION OF ASSIGNMENT CHOICES 1. Roommate Preference: If there is a specific person with whom you would like to live, the following will increase your probabilities of the assignment: A. Both students must request each other to be roommates. B. Both students must select the same residence hall. C. Contracts received prior to April 1 will have a better chance of preferred roommate selection. d. Students have the option to utilize the new roommate matching program, accessible through the ehousing website. 2. Hall Choice: A. When applying for Housing online, you will know immediately if your first choice is available. If not available, you will be able to continue to choose in order of preference. NOTE: Larger rooms in Maple, Clark and Kerr Halls are usually tripled. West Hall is a combination of double and triple rooms.