Resources

Each hall or area has a council that plans activities for and addresses issues within, the hall and/or area. Ask your Resident Assistant (RA) or Residence Life Coordinator how to get involved.

RHA is a student organization representing all on-campus residents. Weekly meetings include Senators or Hall Representative from each hall council, the leadership of RHA, and advisors. RHA provides and supports community events throughout on-campus housing, and assists residents with addressing concerns and issues. RHA is an excellent opportunity for you to get involved and gain leadership experience on campus.

National Residence Hall Honorary is an organization comprised of the top 1 percent of student leaders living in the residence halls and is geared toward providing recognition for those outstanding individuals who work to improve life within the residence halls. The National Residence Hall Honorary is responsible for awarding the “Of the Month” (OTM) awards. To recognize the contributions of others, all residential community members are encouraged to submit OTM nominations.

Along with your roommate, you are fully responsible for all activities that occur in your room. Even if you are not actively involved in a policy violation, you may still be held responsible if you are present during a violation, or if you give others access to your room.  It is your responsibility to put an end to any violation that occurs in your room and to call Housing staff and/or University Police if you need assistance.  

The possession and consumption of alcohol is a privilege provided to those of legal age living within the residence halls with certain restrictions. These restrictions are designed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students. Any behavior deemed disruptive that interferes with the rights of students living in housing due to alcohol consumption will lead to disciplinary action. 
Consumption of alcoholic beverages and/or possession of open alcoholic containers are strictly prohibited in public areas. Public areas include hallways, labs, lounges, office areas, stairwells, common areas, community kitchens, public bathrooms, any non-approved recreational areas, outside buildings and any other areas deemed public by Housing & Residential Education. 

Residents 21 and older: 

• May possess and consume alcohol only within the strict confines of their room or apartment.
• May possess and/or consume alcohol in the presence of their underage roommate. 
• May not drink and/or possess an open container when underage guests are present in the student room/apartment.
  
  

Residents under 21: 

• May not be in possession of or consume alcohol. 
• May not have any guests, even those of legal drinking age, consume alcohol in the room/apartment. 
• Residents may not possess excessive amounts of alcohol. The definition of “excessive” will be at the discretion of the Housing & Residential Education staff. 
• Kegs, party balls, trashcans, beer bongs, beer pong tables, or large vessels that contain alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited within residence halls and surrounding areas. The creation or playing of games that encourage the drinking of alcohol is prohibited. 

Fish in aquariums are the only pets allowed in on-campus housing. 

The Tampa campus permits aquariums up to 10 gallons.

All other pets are prohibited, even to visit for a short time.

 

Use of electrical appliances is permitted in rooms and apartments only under certain guidelines.  
Due to concern for fire and safety standards, only microwaves that use less than 1,000 watts, automatic coffee makers, and refrigerators which do not exceed 4.5 cubic feet may be used in student rooms and suites.  

The following appliances may only be stored unplugged in individual bedrooms or suites, but cooking is strictly prohibited anywhere except designated cooking areas in each building and within apartment kitchens. 

• Toasters
• George Foreman grills (or similar appliances)
• Hot plates
• Roasters
• Popcorn poppers
• Air fryers
• InstaPots (or similar electric pressure cookers)

Electrical appliances that can generate heat or malfunction should never be left unattended. They should be unplugged after use and not stored until they are cool enough to touch. 

• Make sure the oven and stove tops are turned off when you are not using them.
• Never leave cooking food on the stovetop unattended and keep a close eye on food cooking inside the oven.
• Turn pot handles inward so they cannot be bumped and knocked over.
• Clean up after yourself.
• Do not leave dirty dishes.
• Keep cooking areas clean and clear of combustibles (i.e. potholders, towels, rags, and food packaging).
• Label your food if you plan to leave it in the cabinets or refrigerators.
• Thaw raw meat in the fridge, NOT on the counter.
• Do not use anything that is not yours.
• Any food or supplies left in the community kitchen may be discarded. Please check posted signage about what can be stored in the kitchen and for how long. 

It is the responsibility of the occupant(s) to pay for the replacement or repair of damaged property within a resident’s room or in areas adjacent to it (i.e., windows, doors, and suite study areas). Charges may also be incurred for not cleaning the room properly, failure to return the room to its original condition at checkout or not returning one’s keys to the area desk at check-out. 

Residents may be responsible for damages that may occur in common areas. Common areas may include but are not limited to suites, lounges, kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, stairwells, mailrooms, and elevators. Residents may be billed for damage, vandalism, stolen furniture, or housekeeping charges in a common area. 

Exterior doors are never to be propped or disabled for any reason. Disabling or propping open building exterior doors carries the same consequences as tampering with other fire and life safety equipment and may result in immediate disciplinary action. 

End door alarms (installed in some communities) will be armed nightly from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. and are not to be used during these times. End doors should only be used in the event of an emergency or as directed by a staff member. Tampering with end doors, including door propping and alarm disabling or destruction is prohibited. 

In order to keep elevators in safe working conditions, the following are prohibited and may result in disciplinary action: Intentional damage/and or vandalism, misuse, or tampering with elevators; smoking/vaping in elevators; overloading; use of emergency alarms and emergency stops in non-emergency situations. 

For all emergency situations (bomb threats, hurricanes, tornadoes, emergency evacuations, etc.), all residents should refer to AlertUSF, the Housing & Residential Education staff and USF Homepage for up-to-date information.  
 
Residents can contact University Police at  813-974-2628.

You may register for AlertUSF. AlertUSF text messages are part of the USF Emergency Notification System that allows you to receive emergency updates. All official USF emergency notifications will be sent out through AlertUSF. Faculty, staff, and students are urged to register to receive these text messages. 
Please review information on the Emergency Management page including the Hurricane Guide.   

All residents are required to follow these fire and safety regulations. Our Fire and Safety regulations follow mandates set by the USF Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Fire drills are required at the beginning of each semester to ensure that residents know what to do in the event of a fire and how to properly evacuate the building. Any time the fire alarm goes off, you need to leave the building immediately.  
 
Please review Fire and Safety information on the Office of Environmental Health and Safety website. 

 

You are responsible for the conduct of your guests, regardless of who they are, when they are present in on-campus housing. If you intend to have visitors or guests in the hall, be aware that you may be subject to disciplinary action because of their behavior. Additionally, residence hall staff members reserve the right to ask any non-resident to leave the residence halls.  
 
Hosting visitors is considered a privilege. You are responsible for the conduct of your guests, regardless of who they are, when they are present in on-campus housing. Guests must be escorted by a resident at all times. If you intend to have visitors or guests in the hall, be aware that you may be subject to disciplinary action because of their behavior. Additionally, residence hall staff members reserve the right to ask any non-resident to leave the residence halls. 
 
Visitation is defined as periodic visits of guests and does not encompass cohabitation in a living space, as each space in university housing may be occupied only by the student to whom it is contracted. A resident’s right to comfortably study, sleep, and have privacy in their room or apartment at any time takes priority over any resident’s ability to host a guest. A resident’s request for any guest to leave at any time must be honored.  
 
Guests are permitted to spend the night with explicit consent of the roommate beforehand. However, even with consent, no guest may stay more than 3 nights in a 30-day period. 
 
All residents are required to determine the guest visitation policy for their living space with their roommates within their Roommate Agreement. 

Housing & Residential Education staff members, who in the course of their duties are confronted with violations of university policy, are obligated to report them. Housing & Residential Education staff members including professional staff, student staff, facilities staff, and housekeeping staff. The harassment of any Housing & Residential Education staff members may result in disciplinary action.

The primary purpose of this network is to support students’ educational goals. In support of these goals, the following activities are prohibited:

• Setting up a router and building a private subnet.
• Setting up ANY type of information server such as a web, gopher, email, game, etc.
• Propagating e-mail chain letters; forging mail; allowing unauthorized persons access to the Network.
• The use of the Network for personal financial gain.
• Copying University-owned or licensed information to another computer without prior written approval.
• Modifying or attempting to modify University-owned or licensed information including software and data.
• Attempting to damage or disrupt networking services.
• The use of the Network, the University’s campus-wide network, or related resources in the commission of crime.
• The use of traffic-intensive applications that may cause problems within the network or dilute the level of service to other users.
• No print servers, mail servers, FTP servers, etc. are allowed. The network sharing of any computer-related device or materials that may cause excessive network traffic is forbidden.
• For policies, procedures and protocol relating to the USF Information Technology (IT), please refer to the USF IT website.

 

In the interest of safety and security, residents are prohibited from giving their room key and/or access card(s) to anyone else to use. Keys are not to be duplicated under any circumstances. It is the responsibility of residents to report and pay for the replacement of any lost or stolen keys immediately. 

 

All residents are required to complete an agreement at the beginning of the assignment into their room. Residential Education staff will use the agreement to open a discussion with each resident and address any existing and/or potential conflicts in the community. Once agreed upon and signed by all roommates and a Residential Education staff member, is considered a binding agreement. If conflicts continue, all involved residents are encouraged to attend a mediation with a Residential Education staff member.

USF Housing & Residential Education and Village Facilities Maintenance staff strives to provide the best living environment for all residents. The Maintenance and Housekeeping staff and residents share responsibility to maintain all rooms and buildings. Your responsibilities include:

• Maintaining the condition of your room and its contents
• Timely reporting of damages and concerns via the Maintenance Request system
• Arrangement of furniture and belongings to facilitate easy access by maintenance staff (bathroom cleanings, AC filter changes, etc.)
• Restitution for damages to the physical area of your room (including the window and the exterior door).

Please contact the RA On Duty for your community for emergency maintenance requests after hours.

Motorcycles, mopeds, scooters, golf carts, other motorized vehicles or parts to a motorized vehicle may not be operated, stored, or charged in the buildings at any time, including the period between semesters. These vehicles may not be plugged in to the exterior of the residence halls. These vehicles must be properly parked in a designated parking spot on campus, following parking rules and regulations.  Medically required scooters can request an exemption in the Housing Portal. 

Any materials posted in common areas including outside of room /apartment doors, windows, hallways, lounges, kitchens, common areas, bulletin boards, etc. are subject to approval by Housing & Residential Education staff. Materials posted inside rooms such as posters, pictures, etc. must be agreed upon by all roommate(s).
 
Fliers posted in common areas of the residence halls must receive approval before posting. For the Tampa campus, submit the Residence Hall Flier Approval form.

Quiet hours are:

• Sunday - Thursday from 10 p.m. until 10 a.m.
• Friday - Saturday from midnight (12 a.m.) until noon (12 p.m.)

During these hours, residents are expected to refrain from excessive noise and other disruptive activities. Non-designated quiet times are “courtesy hours.” Courtesy hours are in effect 24 hours a day. During these times, residents are expected to maintain reasonable volume levels including conversations in stairwells, slamming doors, and music volume. Students are expected to comply when a request is made by fellow residents or staff members regarding noise. During Test Free Week and Finals Week, 24-hour quiet hours are in effect until the completion of the final exams period.

USF is a tobacco-free, smoke-free, and vapor-free campus. USF is committed to providing a safe, healthy, and enjoyable learning, living and working environment. Smoking and use of tobacco products are not allowed in any indoor or outdoor areas, including residence halls, parking garages, grounds, sidewalks, or recreational areas. This policy also includes the use of e-cigarettes.
 
By becoming a tobacco-free, smoke-free, and vapor-free campus, USF hopes to promote overall health and wellness for the university community and create a more attractive and enjoyable campus experience by completely eliminating smoking and tobacco product use. Learn more
 
Residents must be of the required minimum legal age of 21 to be in possession of tobacco products or nicotine dispensing products. 

Solicitation by organizations or individuals, for commercial or personal gain, is not permitted. If a person is found to be soliciting in the residence halls, please report the person’s name and company to University Police immediately.

In the interest of personal safety and out of respect for the hall environment, sports of any nature are not permitted in the hallways, bathrooms, lobbies, elevators, or other common areas of the building. This includes throwing any objects from or at a residence hall building. Examples of prohibited sports inside the building include but are not limited to: using footballs, frisbees, squirt guns and water pistols, Nerf guns, and sling-shots. Riding skateboards, including longboards are prohibited inside buildings.

A room may be occupied only by the student to whom it is assigned. The residence hall space may not be sublet to another person (Reference: Student Housing Agreement).

It is not acceptable to deface, damage, or destroy property, including but not limited to: personal property, bulletin boards, lounge areas, bathroom facilities, and other common areas.

No weapons of any kind are permitted in any residential facility. Residents who bring anything deemed to be a weapon into the residence halls are subject to disciplinary action, including suspension of their student housing agreement.

Posting, hanging or otherwise displaying materials in or around the residence hall windows or on university window coverings is not permitted. This includes, but is not limited to, signage, posters, flags, banners, signs, paint, lights, personal messages, post-its or anything attached to these windows.
 
In buildings where windows can be opened by residents, residents should keep personal security in mind. For your safety and security, the opening of windows is strongly discouraged in the residential community. Open windows have a detrimental effect on the air conditioning for the building. Each window has been sealed to prevent water intrusion. Windows may only be used as a means to enter and exit a building in an emergency. Window screens are never to be removed from the window.

Belongings left in one’s room, suite, apartment, or within common areas of the residence halls, after the contract period ends or the contract is canceled are classified as abandoned property. Residents have 30 days to claim their property. After 30 days, the University reserves the right to dispose of all abandoned property. Fees may apply for removal and disposal of abandoned property.
 
Abandoned property in community areas such as laundry rooms, lounges, community kitchens: 

• Items left in community areas with no identifiable owner that are left in damaged or poor condition or have no apparent value may be thrown away at any time at the discretion of the staff.  
• Other Items abandoned in common areas of the residence halls will be held for 30 days and then disposed.
• Items such as wallets, key rings, cell phones, laptops, and credit cards that are found in the residence halls will be taken to the University Police department.

Please refer to the Terms and Conditions of your housing agreement for information regarding cancellation eligibility. Requests to cancel the Student Housing Agreement are only accepted through the Housing Portal.

Residents will be provided with specific checkout information from their RA before each closing period.   Students should refer to information provided by their campus HRE office for more specific details regarding their responsibilities.
 
When you are checking out because you will no longer be living in the room (end of year, room change or contract cancellation) you must vacate your room and follow campus HRE processes by the posted timeline on your effective date of cancellation. Failure to do so will result in a charge for improper check out.

 

You are responsible for checking your resident mailbox and your USF e-mail account frequently. These are the methods by which the University and Housing & Residential Education will contact you for official business. Failure to check these university-issued communication sites does not exempt you from any information delivered. 

Floor and Hall meetings are held at the beginning of each semester and periodically during the semester. Floor and Hall meetings are for your benefit, and as a member of the community. You are responsible for any and all information discussed at these meetings. If you are unable to attend a meeting, you should contact your RA for a summary of anything that you missed.

All furniture assigned to student rooms, apartments, floor lounges, and other public areas must remain in their appropriate locations. The removal of university furniture from student rooms and/or public areas is prohibited. Residents are responsible for the proper care of university furniture and will be charged for any damages, repair, and replacement costs at checkout. All furniture belonging to residents must be removed from campus prior to checkout time. Any furniture left will be subject to removal at the resident’s expense.

All due respect is given to the privacy that residents enjoy in their rooms. Occasionally, circumstances present themselves which necessitate authorized University personnel to enter student rooms for the purpose of repair and maintenance, assessment of damages, inventory of university property, determination of compliance with university policies, and emergencies where imminent danger to life, safety, health is reasonably suspected. When possible, advance notice will be given to residents. Submitting a work request authorizes maintenance personnel to enter your room.

Housing & Residential Education assigns rooms and roommates for those who do not choose a space during room selection or for those who become eligible to receive a room assignment outside of a room selection period. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to give everyone their first choice. The staff reserves the right to make assignments and changes as necessary.

• No roommate changes will be made during the first two weeks of each semester.
• Room changes will begin during the third week of the semester but will be dependent on availability. Updates regarding room change availability will be posted on the home page.
• Students are encouraged to first talk with their RA before asking for a room change.
• In cases where no such resolution seems possible, the students should consult with their RA for assistance.
• The RA or other Residential Education staff will mediate and attempt to resolve the situation.
• If the situation cannot be resolved at this level, the Residence Life Coordinator or Assistant Residence Life Coordinator will notify the Assignments Office to conduct a room change.
• Room change requests will be facilitated via the Room Change or Room Swap request forms located in the Housing Portal.
• Residents will be provided with a timeline that indicates the dates they are allowed to move.
• Once approved, all room changes will result in a change of address. Moving residents are responsible for knowing and checking their new mailbox upon completion of their move.

Before residents arrive, their room/suite/apartment is inspected by the Housing & Residential Education staff. All residents are emailed and provided the opportunity to submit additional work orders to resolve any unseen needs. Residents are expected to provide high-quality care for their assigned space. At the conclusion of the agreement term, Residential Education staff will conduct an inspection of the room and issue appropriate charges to the student’s Student Self-Service account for damages. 

We encourage you to use your creativity and ingenuity to make your room as comfortable as possible. Below are guidelines for room personalization to keep maintenance problems to a minimum and avoid unnecessary charges resulting from damages to the room.

• No physical alterations are to be made to any part of the building. Residents may not remove or relocate the fixtures, switches, outlets, closet or cabinet doors, fixed dressers, beds, desks, or any other fixed items in the room, suite or building.
• Nails may not be driven into the walls. Contact paper is not to be used. Remember, assessments will be made for the full amount to replace any furniture or room accessories that are damaged or missing at time of check-out.
• Room Painting: If you believe that your room needs to be painted, you should submit a work request. Facilities staff will evaluate each request and paint where necessary.
• Hanging Lights: Residents are prohibited from hanging lights (holiday lights, LED light strips, etc.) from their walls and ceilings.
• Waterbeds: Due to the chance of water damage and because of their excess weight, waterbeds are not permitted.
• Bed height adjustments are possible in the following residence halls by submitting a maintenance request:
  • Tampa campus: “Medium Loft” type beds found in Juniper, Poplar and the Village residence halls may have the height adjusted.

Please visit the Student Conduct and Ethical Development website for information regarding student conduct policies. All students are responsible for knowing the information, policies, and procedures outlined in the USF Student Code of Conduct and are expected to adhere to the standards of behavior included in the Code.

General information about air conditioning in Florida:

• Maintaining a clean dust-free room promotes a cleaner and healthier living space.
• Reduce the entrance of humidity into the room by keeping windows closed. This will minimize the likelihood that condensation will develop in the space.
• Avoid setting air conditioning thermostats below 70 degrees as doing so may cause condensation to increase and “wetness” to develop which could lead to mildew growth.
• Keep air vents clear. Blocking return vents starves the air conditioner system, making it run harder and less efficiently. 

To avoid electrical hazards and to maintain a clear path for the grounds maintenance crew, bicycles should never be locked to light or electrical posts or stairway railings.

Bicycle racks are provided in each housing complex for bicycle security. Please see that your bike is securely fastened to the rack to avoid theft. Bikes may not be stored inside of the residence halls, hallways, common areas, or rooms. 

Your RA will keep you informed by posting information on hall bulletin boards. Centrally located boards are also kept up to date. To place information on a bulletin board, you must obtain permission from your Residence Life Coordinator.

For all emergency situations (bomb threats, hurricanes, tornadoes, emergency evacuations, etc.), all residents should refer to AlertUSF, the Housing & Residential Education staff and USF Homepage for up-to-date information. 
 
Residents can contact University Police at 813-974-2628.

You may register for AlertUSF. AlertUSF text messages are part of the USF Emergency Notification System that allows you to receive emergency updates. All official USF emergency notifications will be sent out through AlertUSF. Faculty, staff, and students are urged to register to receive these text messages.
Please review information on the Emergency Management page including the Hurricane Guide. 

A Housekeeper or Maintenance Technician will respond to repair and address problems in your room, suite, or apartment only upon written request or for preventative maintenance. Report any necessary repairs by submitting a Maintenance Request. Please contact the RA On-Call for your community for emergency maintenance requests after hours.

The exterior doors of each building are secured 24 hours a day. Card access is applied to each resident’s student ID at check-in so they may access their hall.  Residents are expected to utilize their cards to access their residence hall and not allow others into the halls who are not their escorted guest.  It is the responsible use of access cards that makes any security system effective.

Each community has centrally located laundry facilities. Washers cost $1.50 per load, and dryers cost $1.50 for 45 minutes of drying time. Laundry is expected to be removed from washers or dryers upon the completion of a cycle. All laundry not removed after 48 hours will be bagged, tagged, and subject to abandoned property fees. Report any problems via the phone number provided in the laundry room or by using the Speed Queen Mobile app. 

In the interest of your personal safety, it is the policy of Housing & Residential Education to re-core student rooms and/or apartments/suites at the student’s expense if the key is determined lost. If you lose your key, report it to your area's service desk immediately (Holly M, Juniper-Poplar, or The Hub). A temporary key will be issued, and students are given until 9 a.m. the following business day to return the temporary key before a charge and re-coring is initiated. Re-coring and key replacement charges are not due upfront; they will be posted to your Student Self-Service account.

These policies also apply to temporary access cards that are issued for the outside doors. If you are issued a temporary access card, it must be returned to your area's service desk within 72 hours.

If you believe your keys have been stolen, contact the University Police Department at 813-974–2628 to submit a police report. You are responsible for the cost of re-coring your room and/or apartment/suite unit even if your keys have been stolen.

Each student is provided with a mailing address. Mail is delivered to the Housing Department via the USF Post Office Monday-Friday. The location of mail pick-up will vary by community. Packages are delivered by the appropriate service provider Monday-Saturday to the Holly H and Juniper-Poplar mail centers. Students are notified via text and/or email that their package is available for pick-up if they have opted in via the Housing Portal.
 
Mailing addresses can be found in the Housing Portal and are associated with each room. If a student changes their room assignment, their mailing address changes and they will need to change their address/re-direct incoming mail. Students living in Juniper, Poplar and Magnolia will retrieve their mail from assigned mailboxes in the Juniper-Poplar lobby. All other residents will retrieve mail from the Holly H Mail Center and will be notified via a text and/or email when mail is available for pick-up if they have opted in via the Housing Portal. For more information, visit the Mail Service page.

The housing areas have a centrally located pool, picnic area, and sand volleyball court for the enjoyment of residents and guests. Basketball courts can be found south of Beta Hall and volley ball courts are located south of Beta, north of Pinnacle, in the Magnolia apartment complex and Greek Village. Courts and outside picnic areas must be reserved for exclusive programs through the appropriate Residence Life Coordinator.

The Academic Success Center is open to all undergraduate students. Services include: Tutoring with STEM Mart, Math Center, Chemistry Center; Writing Center; Study Skills; and workshops. The Center is located in the Learning Commons of the Library and they can be reached at 813-974-9281.