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Mailing Address:
Residence Life and Housing
Post Office Box 7749
Winston-Salem, NC 27109-7749
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Phone: |
336.758.5185 |
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336.758.7777 |
Fax: |
336.758.4686 |
E-Mail: |
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The Guide to Off Campus Living
Off-Campus Housing Policy
Residence life and housing is responsible for verifying compliance of this policy and administering the off-campus application and approval process. The policy was created to provide greater assurance that students comply with Rule 16 of the University’s social regulations and policies. This rule asserts that “Wake Forest [University] students are responsible for conducting themselves so as to not bring disrepute to the University. Conduct or activity by members of the student body living in, or hosting functions at, off-campus locations which has the effect of unreasonably interfering with the rights of neighbors is prohibited. This standard of conduct recognizes and affirms a responsibility to respect the rights of others appropriate to the setting in which one lives. It also recognizes the duty of Wake Forest students who are residents of off-campus rooms/apartments/houses to control the nature and size of activities carried out in or on their premises consistent with the standards of the University. The University has established policies and procedures regarding eligibility to live off campus. Non-compliance with University policies and procedures subjects a student to disciplinary proceedings, including suspension.”
Registration
Prior to registration (or confirmation of registration) each semester, students choosing to live off campus must register their residential address, thereby declaring their compliance with the university’s off-campus housing policy. Enrollment and registration for classes each semester are conditional upon verification of compliance by residence life and housing. All students living off campus, including those renting at apartment complexes, will be required to provide addresses. Residence life and housing will verify the local addresses for undergraduate students at Wake Forest. Therefore, any undergraduate, resident or non-resident student enrolled in a degree-seeking program desiring to reside off campus must apply to live off campus. Off campus housing applications are available at www.wfu.edu/housing.
Students currently residing, or desiring to move, off campus must apply to insure compliance with the policy and to ensure that individual records are updated. Though a student has registered to reside off campus, the application submitted is purely a request, and it should not be inferred that approval has been received. Students whose applications are approved will receive written notification of such action. Any students who have been approved to reside off campus may not change location of residency until written approval has been received from residence life and housing. In order to receive this approval, students must re-register with the office similar to their initial request to move off campus.
Once a student has been approved to reside off campus, the local address that is provided to residence life and housing is valid for one academic year only. Continuing enrolled students who do not re-register to reside off campus prior to the expiration of the original approved local address will have a hold placed on future class registration processes until approval is received (or may risk having their registration canceled). Students who previously lost, or lose during the current academic term, campus housing due to judicial sanctions still need to register to reside off campus. Other populations of students who need to also register upon acceptance to the University include transfer or any student classified with non-resident student status. Students who are discovered to have moved off campus without receiving prior permission will, minimally, have their class registration held (or possibly canceled); as well as, be required to submit an application for review. If the application were approved, the student would receive a warning similar to those students who have had a law enforcement officer visit their residence (see Ongoing Review and Sanctions). If the application is denied, options described in the Application and Review instructions apply.
Application and Review
All first- and second-year students are required to live in campus housing unless accepted through the admissions office as non-resident students. Only those first- and second-year resident students who petition to have their status changed to non-resident will be approved to reside off campus. With the understanding that city ordinances state that there shall be no more than four (4) individuals that are not related by blood, adoption, or marriage living together in a single family dwelling unit, residence life and housing will monitor the number of students that are granted permission to reside in residential areas zoned for these units. The office will, at no time, grant permission to any individual(s) to exceed this number nor is there an appeal process to do so.
Students who desire to live in a single-family dwelling also need to complete the landlord information (what the landlord also completes) on the Off-Campus Housing Application form. Again, it should be emphasized that these forms are only a request and do not provide authorization to live off campus. Students whose applications are approved will be sent an e-mail and their local address will be changed in the University Records System with an expiration at the end of the academic year. Those students who are denied will also receive an e-mail that may outline or provide rationale for the decision. Students who have been denied permission to reside off campus may choose to appeal the initial decision to the associate director of residence life.
Students whose applications are denied and who currently reside off campus are automatically added to the Non-Resident Student Wait List for campus housing.
Ongoing Review and Sanctioning
Throughout the semester, the Offices of the Dean of Student Services and Residence Life and Housing will review the application/approval process and behaviors of students residing off- campus. Police reports generated by the City of Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD) or Wake Forest University Police Department (WFPD) will be forwarded to the Dean of Student Services Office who will provide copies to the Office of Residence Life and Housing.
Depending upon the severity of the interaction with either police department, the first report of police action would more than likely result in a warning letter to be generated from the Office of Residence Life and Housing. This letter, copied to the Office of the Dean Student Services, would outline the behavioral issues at question and the consequences of further police action. This letter would be sent to all students who reside in the house in which action of the police were required (regardless of their presence).
Action by either police department on a second occasion (depending upon the severity) would more than likely result in the revocation of off-campus housing privileges immediately for the student(s) under their current arrangements (i.e. single-family unit dwellings or a.k.a. house). Revocation of these privileges would cause the students of said house to break their lease with the Landlord, in accordance to the Landlord and Student's Agreement. Once this occurs, the student submits and either requests to live in a multi-family dwelling or return to campus housing (if space is available via the Non-Residential Student Wait List). If the students of the house were underclassmen, these students would lose the privilege of off-campus living in a single-family dwelling. If the students are seniors, the Dean of Student Services Office may take further judicial action.
If a visit by law enforcement officers uncovers serious violations or severe behavior issues, the sanction of suspension (or expulsion) could be levied to the students who have leased the off-campus residence. All students may be held responsible regardless of their presence during a visit from the law enforcement officers. The Office of the Dean of Student Services, or his/her designee, will handle situations in which this level of action may be sanctioned.
Any cases involving Rule 16 with the Student Handbook will be heard by the Associate Vice-President and Dean of Student Services, or his/her designee, and may be appealed to the Judicial Council within the student judicial system.
University Jurisdiction and Scope of Review
Residence off campus by students of Wake Forest University is a privilege which carries responsibilities. Wake Forest regulates student eligibility to reside off campus for purposes appropriate to its educational mission. Therefore, Wake Forest University requires that undergraduate students have continuing eligibility under University Housing regulations to live in an off campus location.
At the University’s discretion, all complaints of alleged student misconduct will be reviewed by the appropriate University authority. Cases deemed as potential violations will be processed within the guidelines set forth in the Student Code of Conduct. As such, final authority for case resolution rests with the University. As a member of the University Area Community Partnership, Wake Forest University will serve as a liaison between members of the local community and the City of Winston-Salem for issues relating to city ordinances or related matters.
Terms and Conditions of Off-Campus Housing
The following conditions of eligibility are required:
- The premises and the occupants must comply with all applicable laws, housing ordinances, zoning regulations, and University policies. The University maintains the right as final authority on issues regarding the violation of University rules and regulations.
- Activities on the premises must not violate local, state or federal laws.
- Students residing in the off campus property must register their residence with the Wake Forest University Office of Residence Life and Housing and must keep the registration current.
- Students residing in single family dwellings must attend a mandatory Off Campus Orientation Session held at the beginning of Fall semester each year.
- A community disturbance must not be created, and for this purpose, is defined as:
- Noise that is unduly loud, continual, or at late hours.
- Vehicular congestion that would impede emergency vehicles.
- Lewd or indecent behavior that can be deemed as inappropriate.
- Behavior that is disorderly in that it disrupts the regular or normal functions of the Wake Forest University community (on or off campus), including behavior which breeches the peace or violates the rights of others.
- Any violation of the Student Code of Conduct
A violation of Rule 16 of the Social Regulations and Policies of the Wake Forest Undergraduate Student Handbook may automatically make a student ineligible to live in single family housing.
Landlord and Student's Agreement
- A violation of Rule 16 of the Social Regulations and Policies of the Wake Forest Undergraduate Student Handbook may automatically make a student ineligible to live in single family housing. Rule 16 provides:
- Wake Forest [University] students are responsible for conducting themselves so as to not bring disrepute to the University. Conduct or activity by members of the student body living in, or hosting functions at, off-campus locations that have the effect of unreasonably interfering with the rights of neighbors is prohibited. This standard of conduct recognizes and affirms a responsibility to respect the rights of others appropriate to the setting in which on lives. It also recognizes the duty of Wake Forest students who are residents of off-campus rooms/apartments/ houses to control the nature and size of activities carried out in or on their premises consistent with the standards of the University. The University has established policies and procedures regarding eligibility to live off-campus. Noncompliance with University policies and procedures subjects a student to disciplinary proceedings, including suspension.
- The Office of Residence Life and Housing will maintain appropriate procedures for acting upon notice of any violation of these provisions and may result in the termination of the Student's eligibility to live in single family housing in Winston-Salem. Notice of termination will be given to the Student and to the Landlord in accordance with those procedures.
- Upon notice of termination of eligibility the lease will terminate as to the Student and the Landlord will have no further rights against the Student except the following:
- Rent due and owing, plus rent for one additional month, but not beyond the length of the term as to the Student.
- Actions for damages to the premises or other liability arising out of the Student's occupancy of the premises.
- Landlord waives any other rights and claims under the lease as to the Student.
- Landlord agrees to provide an appropriate parking area to accommodate all vehicles brought to the premises by residents of the dwelling. The parking area must be covered by a suitable material, such as asphalt, concrete or crushed stone. All parking and parking arrangements must be in compliance with applicable code and laws.
- Wake Forest University makes no representation, assumes no liability for, and has no responsibility to the Student, the Landlord, or any third person with regard to any lease to or occupancy of off campus housing to or by students of Wake Forest University. Students assume full responsibility for Student's selection, use, or occupancy of such premises.
- Student and Landlord assume full responsibility for compliance with these provisions as a condition to the Student's initial and continuing eligibility to occupy the premises and the continuation of any lease or agreement for such occupancy. Wake Forest may communicate with Student, Landlord, or both of them with regard to the Student's eligibility to occupy the premises.
- Compliance with these provisions is a joint responsibility of all students residing at the premises. If a breach of these provisions occurs at the premises, the eligibility of all students residing there is subject to termination, whether or not any particular student was involved in the conduct or activity.
The completed Off-Campus Housing Application that is signed by the Student and Landlord is a separate agreement between the Student and the Landlord under which Wake Forest University is a beneficiary, and the undersigned Landlord and Student agree to its terms. It controls in the event it is inconsistent with any lease or other agreement with regard to Student's occupancy of premises of the Landlord, whether entered before or after this document is executed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I apply to live off-campus?
A: Quite simply, you begin by downloading the Off-Campus Housing Application from the Office of Residence Life and Housing website. Once downloaded, review policy information from the site, complete the form and, if not requesting to live in a house, may forward the form as an attachment to housing@wfu.edu or drop off at our office in Benson University Center 101.
Q: If I live off-campus now, and have been approved to do so, do I need to re-apply to continue living off-campus for the following academic year?
A: Yes. You have only been approved to live off-campus for the current academic year and if there is a desire to remain off-campus, a new application needs to be submitted.
Q: If I live on-campus during the fall semester, can I move off campus for the spring semester?
A: If you live on-campus during the fall semester, in order to live off-campus during the spring semester you must petition to be released from your Housing Agreement. Information on this process is delivered to all on-campus residents annually after November 1st and questions may be forwarded to the Assignments Coordinator at housing@wfu.edu or 336.758.5185. Do not sign any off-campus leases prior to being officially released from campus housing.
Q: Should I sign a lease or housing agreement to live off-campus prior to submitting my application to live off-campus?
A: No. We would caution you from signing any off-campus lease or housing agreement until you have received written approval from our Office granting you permission to live off-campus. If you do sign a lease and do not receive permission, you may be legally responsible for more than one lease.
Q: If I desire to live in a single-family residence (i.e. house), does my landlord need to sign my application to live off-campus?
A: No. Once you provide your landlord information to our Office, we will send your landlord an Information Form to complete. Your application will not be approved until we receive this form from your landlord.
Q: Are there any off-campus residences currently ineligible as student housing?
A: Due to the history of some residences, some single-family homes are no longer eligible for off-campus student housing. Please contact the Office of Residence Life and Housing, Benson University Center 101, 336.758.5185, for additional information.
Q: I am planning on moving off-campus into an apartment, I know the complex but not my exact apartment number - should I submit a form with just the apartment complex information?
A: No. Only submit an Off-Campus Housing Application once you know the exact address in which you plan to live. Most apartment complexes will provide this information to you by mid-July and once you obtain this information, submit the application via electronic mail (housing@wfu.edu) in order to make the deadline.
Q: What happens if I get approved to live off-campus at one location and then change my mind? What do I do?
A: You will need to submit new application materials to the Office of Residence Life and Housing.
Q: How can I get a complete copy of the Off-Campus Housing Policy?
A: A complete copy of the Off-Campus Housing Policy may be obtained by either visiting the Office of Residence Life and Housing in Benson University Center 101, calling our office at 336.758.5185 so one can be mailed to you, reviewing the Guide to Community Living, or by printing a copy from the department's website.
Q: I am a part-time, fifth-year, or Calloway School of Business and Accountancy student - do I participate in this process?
A: Yes.
Q: If I currently live on-campus and am unsure as to what my plans are for next year in terms of housing, what should I do to keep all of my options "open?"
A: When you receive your room selection materials in March, review all of the information in regards to on and off campus housing prior to making any decision.
Q: I currently live off-campus, or am a Non-Residential Student, and want to live on campus. What do I do?
A: Contact the Assignments Coordinator at 336.758.5185 and they will discuss the options that are available to you.
Q: Is it true that if I live in a single-family residence and we create a "community disturbance," we may be required to move out of this residence? Where can I get more information on the terms and conditions of off-campus housing and University sanctioning against off-campus students?
A: Students can visit the Office of Residence Life and Housing, review the Guide to Community Living, or examine our department's website to obtain a complete copy of the Off-Campus Housing Policy. Students may required to move out of their approved residence if found responsible for creating a "community disturbance."
Q: I am a graduating senior in May; do I need to do anything else with the Office of Residence Life and Housing?
You will have to do nothing related to off-campus housing with our Office. If, at one time, you lived on-campus and incurred a bill, which has not been settled, you must pay this balance before you are cleared to graduate.
Q: If I still have questions related to living off-campus, whom should I call?
A: Contact the Office of Residence Life and Housing at housing@wfu.edu or 336.758.5185. |