Administration & Finance

A&F SERVICES

Campus Administrative Policies

CHAPTER 600 Student Affairs



660 University Housing

660.1 Purpose and Mission Statement

University Housing is responsible for the administration of the University’s academic year and summer quarter student housing program. The mission of the department is to provide a quality living and learning experience for a diverse population of residents. Regulations that govern use of the housing facilities have been established by the Board of Trustees of the California State University in Title V of the California Code of Regulations. The University Housing Department consists of six units that support the Department mission: Housing Administration, Facilities Operations, University Housing Depot, Residential Life and Education, Housing Technology, and Custodial Operations. At Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, there is a residency requirement. All admitted first-time freshmen are required to live on campus for their first year. At such time that University Housing has, as part of its housing portfolio, the number of bed spaces needed to accommodate freshman and sophomore students, admitted students who enter the university as freshmen will be required to live on campus for two years (six academic quarters). To learn more, see: http://www.housing.calpoly.edu/two-year-residential-program

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660.2 Housing Administration

The Housing Administration unit is responsible for budget planning and projections. Housing Administration prepares and administers the student housing application, licensing and assignment processes and maintains all resident occupancy records. The Student License Agreement, agreed upon by all residents in occupancy, is written in compliance with Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, the CSU Student Disciplinary Manual, and includes policies from Departmental Handbooks. Student housing records are considered confidential and FERPA guidelines are observed. Marketing strategies for all campus student housing facilities are planned and implemented through this unit in coordination with Student Affairs, Marketing & Communications and University Marketing.

660.2.1

Students licensed to live in the residence halls and freshmen living in on-campus apartments are required to purchase a Resident Dining Plan. A resident dining plan is optional for transfers and returning students living in on-campus apartments.

660.2.2

Housing Administration administers an off-campus housing rental listing service. The Department does not inspect, approve or disapprove of off-campus rental facilities. Educative resource information is provided to students, faculty, and staff utilizing standards adopted from the California Civil Code and the California Department of Consumer Affairs.

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660.3 Facilities Operations

660.3.1

Facilities Operations coordinates all maintenance and custodial support services for the University Housing complex (university-licensed residential living communities: residence halls, apartments, agricultural housing units, Cal Poly Lofts), office, conference space, and retail venues. This unit manages the work order center for maintenance response and repairs. The unit is responsible for capital project planning; facility assessment and protection; service contract negotiation and monitoring; furniture procurement; key access control; and building code compliance.

660.3.1.1

Facilities Operations ensures the housing license for students who live in nonconventional housing units (agricultural and Cal Poly Lofts housing units) is in accordance with Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations.

660.3.1.2

Facilities Operations directs the management of the facility as well as fiscal and service aspects of the non-conventional housing programs.

660.3.1.3

The Dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES) directs the assignment of student residents to the agricultural housing units and provides staff supervision of the living environment; residents are assigned work in CAFES as in-kind payment for the use of the housing facilities.

660.3.1.4

Within the Orfalea College of Business, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) participates with University Housing on the selection of students to reside in the Cal Poly Lofts, located in downtown San Luis Obispo, off-campus.

660.3.2

Facilities Operations administers risk management, emergency preparedness, and business continuity for the entire Department.

660.3.3

Facilities Operations leads the Department in environmental sustainability and climate action response.

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660.4 University Housing Depot

660.4.1

The University Housing Depot provides property inventory control, logistics, and vehicular services to the University Housing Department. The unit coordinates shipping and receiving, warehousing, appliance and equipment repairs, vehicular fleet management, pest control services, special event set-ups, and waste/recycling management.

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660.5 Residential Life and Education

660.5.1

Residential Life and Education provides professional and student staff support services and programs to students who reside in campus housing and Cal Poly Lofts. Residential Life and Education develops programs and activities, which support new students’ transition to the Cal Poly environment, and assists returning students in meeting the next set of University challenges. Community and program data, relating to the student’s living environment, is collected and retained by this area. This unit administers the UH Resident Handbook and Community Standards guidelines (www.housing.calpoly.edu) that outline program components, policies, community standards and the judicial process for all residents to observe. This handbook also includes safety information, procedures, community resources and amenities. Students are also provided standards to follow from California State laws and regulations and University policy as outlined in the Student Housing Licenses. The coordinators of student development, professional housing staff members, are required to live in the residence halls/apartments as part of their position assignments.

660.5.1.1

Freshmen who live on campus have the opportunity to participate in intentional programmatic activities which provide a strong foundation that helps support student success and retention.

660.5.1.2

Sophomores who live on campus have access to programmatic resources and activities that assist students in their academic planning and academic achievement by responding to the specific developmental needs of second-year students, in support of timely graduation from Cal Poly.

660.5.1.3

Exemptions to the Residency Requirement Policy, are granted prior to the students’ signing of the Annual Housing License. Exemptions to this policy are as follows:

  1. Current active military or veteran’s status – Student must verify by submitting a copy of the DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.
  2. Married, domestically partnered, and/or having legally dependent children – Copies of the marriage certificate or registration of domestic partnership and/or child’s birth certificate are required.
  3. Independent student status – Student must have been declared an independent student for the past two calendar years and not claimed by their parent(s) during the same period. Verification is required.
  4. Medical and disability circumstances – Exemption requests for medical or disability reason will be forwarded to the University Health Center and the Disability Resource Center (DRC). Health Center and the DRC will review submitted documentation and, through an interactive process with the student, will forward a recommendation to University Housing.
  5. A student is age 21 or older, or who will turn 21 years old by December 31, of the current academic year.
  6. Student’s permanent address is within a 30-mile radius of the Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo campus and the student plans to live there.
  7. Other - special circumstances which, by having the student live on campus, would create an impact for the student or University that cannot be remedied by alternative means. Verification is required.
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660.6 Housing Technology

660.6.1

Housing Technology includes housing information systems, which oversees and maintains the computer network system of approximately 3,900 active ports for the Department. This includes oversight for major computer hardware and software purchases and for evaluation and implementation of new information system technologies.

660.6.2

The Residence Hall Computing Program (ResNet) is part of this unit. Students are expected to comply with the policies outlined in the “Information Technology Resources Responsible Use Policy” for computing (www.housing.calpoly.edu). Violations are addressed through the residence hall conduct process and are referred to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, Dean of Students Office and University Police as necessary.

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660.7 Custodial Operations

660.7.1

Includes infrastructure and staffing for the daily and long-term cleaning and maintenance of all University Housing facility assets. Unit is responsible for cleaning of apartments and residence halls during the academic year when students are in residence. In addition, the unit oversees comprehensive deep cleaning of all apartments and residence halls during summer.

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References for CAP 660

  1. Date approved by the President: December 21, 2017
  2. Effective Date: December 21, 2017
  3. Responsible Department/Office(s): University Housing
  4. Revision History: December 2003, March 1, 2004, June 9, 2004, February 12, 2008, February 25, 2008, December 21, 2017
  5. Related University Policies, Procedures, Manuals and/or Documents:
    1. Freshman Student Housing & Dining License Agreement
    2. Dining Plan Handbook
    3. Apartment Housing License Agreement
    4. University Housing Resident Handbook
    5. Agricultural Housing
    6. Information/Application for Minor Guests
    7. University Housing Computing & Room/Apartment Condition Inventory Agreement
    8. Student Event Authorization
    9. Student Driver Volunteer Appointment Form
    10. Services Agreement
    11. University Activity Release Agreement, (Form 65A)
    12. CAPs 900 and 940
  6. Laws, Regulations and/or Codes of practice referred to herein or related to this policy:
    1. Responsible Use Policy, Title 5, California Code of Regulations, Article 2, Sections 41301; Article 5, Section 42000
    2. Clery Act
    3. CSU Executive Order 970, Student Disciplinary Procedures
    4. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)