Mid-Semester Inspections
Residents of Polo Hall and Student Apartments
What Are Mid-Semester Inspections?
The safety and health conditions of any given unit have an important
effect not only on the current residents occupying it, but also
on their current neighbors and future residents of that residential
area. An inspection of each apartment during the semester, backed
by sanctions for failure, will provide a degree of surety that
these units are being kept in a manner consistent with University,
Facilities Management and Office of Residence Life and Housing
policies and procedures. The Mid-Semester Inspection Process will occur approximately halfway
through the Fall and Spring Semesters during each academic year.
What Will Be Inspected?
Area staff will enter your apartment and conduct an inspection of the common
areas of your unit. Staff will not enter any individual student rooms to
perform any portion of this inspection; but, will enter your room to perform
the Spring Closing Inspection as outlined in the Spring Break brochure.
Staff will look at following areas of your apartment:
| Kitchen |
- stove surfaces
- microwave
- sink/counters
- floor
|
- oven surfaces
- refrigerator
(interior/exterior surfaces)
- excess trash/garbage
|
| Living Room |
- floor/carpet
- smoke detector
|
|
| Hallway |
- floor/carpet
- smoke detector
|
|
| Bathroom |
- floor
- toilet
- excess trash
|
- sink/counter
- shower/tub
- walls and fixtures
|
Though this list is not exhaustive of all deficiencies
that may be found during an inspection, an inspector is required
to record any safety or health deficiency(-ies) that are discovered.
Furthermore, violations of University and/or Office of Residence
Life and Housing policy will be documented and reported.
What Do I Need To Do?
If you and the other residents of your unit have been cleaning your unit on a
regular basis since August, there is probably little preparation you need to
do. Just do your regular or touch-up cleaning prior to your inspection date
and you should do fine.
If you and your roommates haven’t touched any of the cleaning
supplies, you wear flip-flops in the shower because you are afraid
of catching something, or you are performing experiments on a shelf
in your refrigerator or within your microwave, you may need to do
a little more work. Basically, call your apartment-mates together,
assign areas to clean, put your plastic gloves on your hands and
get cleaning!
Residents should ensure that the areas noted above are
cleaned prior to inspection. The areas should resemble check-in condition.
If you need extra cleaning supplies, please visit the Polo Area
Desk during posted hours in which staff are scheduled or see your
Resident Adviser.
Do All the Residents of the Apartment Need To Be Present for the
Inspection?
Simply put, no! It is not a requirement for a resident to be present during
the inspection.
If no one is scheduled or approved to remain during the Spring
Break period, a pair of Polo Area Staff Members will still inspect
your apartment in the absence of residents.
How Does An Apartment Receive A Failing Score?
Units may fail a Mid-Semester Inspection simply by having one or
more
items noted on the previous page receive a failing grade. If an unit
fails an
inspection, the unit will need to be re-inspected.
Re-inspections will occur for any unit that fails an inspection.
Residents will
be informed of the scheduled re-inspection at least seventy-two hours
prior
to the follow-up inspection. The unit will continue to be inspected
until the unit
passes an inspection. The criteria for re-inspection are the same
as those for
the initial inspection.
What Happens If My Unit Fails An Inspection?
There is a tiered-system of sanctions should an apartment fail an
inspection
or several inspections.
Possible sanctions that could be levied on residents
whose apartment fails an
inspection are as follows: If the unit receives failing marks in
just one category, on the
first inspection,
the unit will only receive a re-inspection.
If the unit receives failing marks in two or more categories,
on the first
inspection, each resident of the unit will receive a $25.00 fine
and the
unit will need to be re-inspected.
If the unit fails a second inspection, the unit
will need to be re-inspected
and each resident of the unit will receive a $50.00 fine. Each
resident of the unit will also receive a written warning at a meeting
with the Polo Area Hall Director in which Residence Life and Housing
staff will emphasize that further unit failures may result in students
being reassigned to other campus housing units.
If the unit fails a third inspection, each resident
of the unit will receive
a $100.00 fine and will meet with the Quad/Polo Area Residence Life
Coordinator to discuss a room change to other campus housing.
Questions?
Contact your hall staff, x7656, or the Office of Residence Life
and Housing, x5185.
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