Appendix D: Housing and Residential Life

Approved Electrical Devices/Appliances

All electrical devices/appliances must be UL-approved.  Students may keep the following appliances in their rooms: microwave ovens of 900 watts or less; refrigerators not larger than 4.9 cubic feet in size; stereo equipment, computer equipment, coffee makers; curling irons; hair dryers; fans; surge protectors; and non-halogen lamps/lights.  Items that may create a fire or shock hazard are prohibited (including all lava lamps).  

Cooking/Community Cooking Facilities

In some residence halls, the College provides designated community cooking facilities for student use. Students are allowed to use microwave ovens  and coffee makers in their rooms, but all other cooking must be done in designated community cooking facilities. Appliances with open coils (including, but not limited to, hot plates, toasters and toaster ovens) are not permitted in College living units, except apartments, houses, and designated community kitchen spaces. Food and trash resulting from cooking must be immediately disposed of and/or properly stored and all dishes and surfaces must be cleaned.  Common area refrigerators will be cleaned out on a regular basis; assigned kitchen lockers will be cleaned out when residents vacate an assigned residential space. 

Lounges, Hallways, and Other Community Spaces

Lounges, hallways and other community spaces (i.e. multi-person restrooms, kitchens, etc.) in residential spaces are designated as common-use spaces.  As such, they are open to all students assigned to that residential space/area.  Any person or group wishing to hold a meeting or gathering in a reservable lounge or community space must submit a room reservation request through EMS.  Lounges and other community spaces are not to be used for sleepovers or other longer-term closed gatherings without the permission of the Office of Residential Life.   Any damages in a lounge, hallway, or other community space will result in charges allocated to the individual(s) responsible.  If the individual(s) responsible for the damage cannot be identified, charges will be divided amongst the entire room, group, or building of students responsible for that space.

Noise

Quiet hours for all residential spaces are: Sunday-Thursday, midnight-8 a.m. and Saturday-Sunday, 2-8 a.m. During final-exam periods, quiet hours are 24 hours a day. All other times are considered courtesy hours, when students are asked to cooperate with requests from other community members when noise is disruptive.

Pets

Pets are prohibited in all College residences, with the sole exception of fish in bowls or in tanks that do not exceed 10 gallons. Any student or living unit found with a pet will be charged a cleaning fee for all affected living spaces, as well as for any damage caused by the pet. See Kenyon’s Emotional Support Animal (ESA) Policy for additional information regarding emotional support animals.  Service animals and ESAs are not considered pets. 

Prohibited Items in College Residential Spaces and Outdoor Community Spaces

  • Flammable liquids (e.g. bottles of propane gas, gas for grills, lighter fluid, dangerous chemicals, etc.) are prohibited.

  • Propane grills are not permitted.

  • Candles, incense, scented wax burners, or any other open-flame/heating devices, regardless of wick or condition of wick and purpose, are prohibited. 

  • Draperies or tapestries are not allowed on ceilings, covering any lights, or on more than approximately 50 percent of walls in any room. 

  • Tents, tarps, and canopies are prohibited without prior approval.  

  • Hoverboards are prohibited. 

  • Cleaning game or fish is prohibited.

  • Unsanitary conditions and/or excessive garbage are prohibited.

  • Any items (e.g. shoes, sports equipment, skateboards, etc.) in hallways, or points of ingress or egress, are prohibited.

Residential Requirement

All students enrolled at Kenyon are required to live in College housing and enroll in the College dining plan.  Kenyon students are prohibited from utilizing non-Kenyon facilities or living spaces to supplement their College housing.  Students seeking an exception from the residential requirement must receive prior written permission from the Office of Residential Life.  Students found in violation of this requirement will be subject to disciplinary action.  

Room Entry, Search, and Seizure

Kenyon College believes that each student has the right to privacy within their room; however, if the need for access arises, College officials will provide adequate notice, and students are expected to be responsive to and cooperative with College officials. College officials will normally not enter a private space without prior notice, except in the following circumstances:

  • To address emergency situations when imminent danger to life, safety, health, or property is suspected.

  • There is reasonable suspicion that state, federal, or local laws are being violated.

  • There is reasonable suspicion that the Student Code of Conduct is being violated (hazing, etc.).

  • To eliminate disruptive noise (e.g. alarm clocks) if the resident(s) of a space are not addressing the issue. 

  • To assess, clean, and show spaces in partially filled residential spaces.

  • To complete break closings and monthly health and safety inspections, which are conducted by Residential Life staff members. 

  • To fulfill maintenance requests, to address maintenance concerns and/or provide room improvement. Staff members and maintenance contractors will not disturb the personal belongings of assigned residents without those residents’ consent, except to address maintenance or safety conditions that require immediate attention. 

Procedures for Authorized Room Entry

College officials should normally observe the following procedures whenever it is necessary to enter an assigned residential space without the permission of the resident. 

  1. Receive permission from the Vice President for Student Affairs or their designee.
  2. Two staff members will normally be present when entering assigned residential spaces.
  3. Searches will not be conducted in personal closed storage areas (e.g. desk or dresser drawers and room closets) without the prior permission of assigned residents or without the expressed written permission of the Vice President for Student Affairs or designee, whose documentation will indicate why a search is being conducted and what items are specifically being sought. Any items obtained under conditions that violate these procedures will be inadmissible in student conduct hearings. An exception can be made in the case of a violation of health and safety standards or extreme emergency situations.
  4. Items left out in plain view that appear to establish a criminal act and/or a violation of College policy will be confiscated and documented. A referral will be made to the appropriate College officials, or an appropriate law-enforcement agency.
  5. When staff members have removed items from an assigned residential space in the absence of its residents, they will document the items that were removed and will leave instructions for the residents to contact Campus Safety or another appropriate student affairs staff member(s) for additional information regarding these items upon their return.
  6. College staff members will not admit third parties, other than authorized contractors, into a student room without a resident’s permission.
  7. The College will cooperate with law-enforcement officials who, having obtained legally-issued warrants, seek entry to residents’ assigned residential spaces for the purpose of executing such warrants.

Room Capacity

Students must not exceed any room’s capacity.  The maximum number of people that can function safely and comfortably in a room is determined by dividing the square footage of the room by 20 (rounding down).