Residence FAQs

Brenau University takes students’ safety and health seriously and has established guidelines and protocols for students living in campus residence halls and apartments. It is the responsibility of all community members to support these standards to maintain a healthy and safe living learning environment. Goals of health and safety inspections include:

• Encourage students to become engaged in maintaining the condition of their living environments
• Assist students in learning how to maintain a clean and safe environment in their residence
• Promote a better understanding of the expectations the university has for students living on campus
• Assist in the prevention of rodent and pest infestations, damage problems and other issues that impact health and safety
• Increase safety within our residential buildings by timely identification and removal of prohibited items

Residence Life performs health and safety inspections once per month over the academic year. During the inspections, the staff member will conduct a non-invasive inspection of the room/apartment/suite. They do not open drawers, refrigerators, or closets, but may move (or ask the resident to move) items blocking outlets. All inspections are advertised and announced in advance.

The inspections will include, but is not limited to, a visual examination of electrical cords, sprinkler heads, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and windows. In addition, each room will be examined for the presence of prohibited items (e.g., candles, non-surge protected extension cords, halogen lamps, cooking appliances in non-kitchen areas, etc.) 

Students should do the following on a regular basis to keep their residence clean:

• Remove all trash and properly dispose of it in the trash room.
• Vacuum or sweep and mop all floors in your room.
• Check electrical outlets, cords, and connections to make sure they are not overloaded and that cords are not run under carpets or around bedding.
• Check to ensure that beds, other furnishings, and other items are not blocking emergency exits and heating and ventilation units.
• Note any maintenance problems in your room and report them to your resident assistant.
• Do your laundry on a regular basis and properly store your clean clothes when finished.
• Clean up any spills and dispose of leftover food in proper trash receptacles.
• In the bathroom, clean the toilet, including in and around the bowl, clean the shower/tub, clean the floor, wipe down countertops and clean the sink, and put away and/or organize personal items.

Students are required to read and comply with our Residential Policies which include information on prohibited items.

We have security officers patrolling the campus 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Security officers are available to assist you with a wide range of needs. They will escort you from your car or classroom back to your residence hall or house, and make sure your safety needs are met.

All outside doors to our residence halls and sorority houses are locked 24 hours per day. You will be issued a front door key to your respective hall or house. If you find yourself locked out, you can call the RA on‐call to let you back into your room. For lock‐outs during business hours, please come to the Residence Life office in Owens for loaner keys.

A word about keys: Each resident is issued a front door key to the hall in which they live. It is very important that the key is well guarded and kept secure. If a resident finds that they have lost their key, it is in everyone’s best interest that the Office of Residence Life is notified immediately. Loaning keys to visitors or friends is strictly prohibited. If you need a replacement key, you may fill out an order form.

All Women’s College students are required to live on campus in approved residential housing with the following exceptions:

• Students who become 21 years of age by the drop/add date
• Students who have completed 90 academic credit hours or more and are in good academic standing for the semester may request to live off campus
• Students who live with their parents or legal guardian within commuting distance (50‐mile radius) from campus may request exemption that is accompanied by a written request from the parent or guardian.
• Students who are married and/or have dependents are not required to live on campus.

Students desiring to move off campus in accordance with first three exceptions must petition for permission at least one month before the beginning of the semester the student desires to change residential status. This request must be submitted by the student to the director of Residence Life. If an exception is granted, then the student must complete a “Change of Status” form.

Please review the overnight guest guidelines in the Brenau Student Handbook.

Orientation and move-in can feel like a whirlwind. Here are some tips to make move-in a little smoother:

• Arrive on time.
• Make sure you have completed all of your required forms (Housing Application, Housing Contract, Health Forms, etc). You will not be able to move in without these items completed.
• Wear comfortable clothes and drink plenty of water. Moving personal items around campus will be tiring, especially during August in Georgia.
• Bring a hand-truck or dolly. This will make bulky and/or heavy items easier to transport.
• Label all boxes as you pack them. When you are ready to unpack the contents, you’ll know what’s where. It is also helpful if you label each of your boxes with your name and room number. This will help direct available volunteers to the correct room to deliver your items.
• Break down all of your boxes and throw away your trash in one of the large dumpsters located on campus.  Do not leave your boxes and trash in the hallways, lounges, porches or lawns.

No, the university does not provide renter’s insurance.  Brenau is not responsible for any damage to your personal property or that which may be caused to the premises by you or a guest. If you are not already covered under a parent’s homeowner’s policy, you are strongly encouraged to obtain renter’s insurance to protect your personal property and, if necessary, provide emergency accommodations. Renter’s insurance is inexpensive and great protection to have!

The information you provided on your Housing Application form will be used to pair you with an appropriate roommate. We try hard to make positive matches, but there is no fail‐proof way to match roommates. Some of you will be fast friends, others will just be good roommates. You may not develop a life-long relationship with your roommate. The important thing is that you learn how to live with someone. You will gain skills in communication, cooperation, respect, flexibility, tolerance, and diversity to name a few.

Anticipation of your new roommate can be one of the most unnerving times as you start college. In order to develop a healthy roommate relationship, it is vital that you begin communication right away. We recommend that you begin the process before you get to campus. Some good initial questions to ask each other are:

Where are you from? What was it like growing up there?

Do you know what your major will be? What do you hope to do with that?

What are some of your hobbies, interests and talents? 　

What are you looking forward to at Brenau? Is there anything you are nervous about?

What types of things are you hoping to get involved in on campus?

Have you ever lived with someone before? What was it like?

What do you think are the most important things for us to work on as roommates?

Room changes may be made in extreme circumstances.

All Brenau facilities are smoke‐free. Smoking is not allowed anywhere in our residential facilities or outside the entrances and exits of the buildings. Please respect your roommate and your community. The university does provide smoking areas outside of the halls with appropriate receptacles. Signs with designated smoking areas will be posted within the residence halls as well as listed in your Student Handbook. There is no smoking on any front porch of any building.

We want you to make your room your home away from home. Curtains, bedspreads, area rugs, lamps, plants and pictures are some of the items you may use to individualize your room. Room walls are painted on a rotating basis and may not be painted by the residents. Nails, putty or foam tape are not permitted on the room walls. Whatever you decide to bring with you to decorate, remember that your roommate will be bringing things as well. There can be nothing mounted to the walls.

Not if you are a freshman. Living with another individual is a wonderful opportunity for you to grow and learn about who you are and how you interact with others. Brenau feels it is essential to your development that you have this opportunity. You will learn to communicate, interact, share and compromise with your roommate. All of these are important skills that enable you to develop personally and professionally, wherever your career path leads.

Once you are an upperclassman, you may have the opportunity to select a single room. If space is available, you may even choose to live in a double occupancy room and have it as a single. Both of these cost an additional fee per semester and are dependent on available space.

Quiet hours are from 10p.m. until 10a.m., including entrances and front porches. During quiet hours all talking and stereo/TV volumes must be kept at a low level. Individual floors/houses may extend quiet hours if they desire. Quiet hours are 24 hours per day during the week of finals. Noise determined to be excessive and disturbing to the university housing environment will not be tolerated.

Courtesy hours are in effect 24 hours per day, and residents are expected to be aware that their actions and behavior do affect other community residents. Musical instruments may not be played in rooms unless headphones are used.

New Students: You must complete all admissions requirements and follow the instructions listed in Freshman Admissions page.

Returning Students: You must be registered for classes for the Fall Semester, pay your Advance Room Payment, complete your housing contract, and attend housing sign-ups to reserve a space on campus.

Housing assignments for new students are emailed out mid-June, mid-July, and throughout August for Fall Semester.  Assignments for new Spring Semester students are emailed in December.  Along with the housing assignment email, you will receive roommate information, what to bring/what not to bring information, and move-in day/times.

Returning students must attend Housing Sign-ups in April to secure a room on campus.