Soliciting

Soliciting is restricted to printed materials which:

Door-to-door, telephone and other personal solicitations are prohibited by all persons, whether students or commercial salespeople. Problems should be reported to your Community Office or to (31) 45906.

Selling/Conducting a Business

Residence halls cannot be used for commercial activity, so residents may not conduct a business or other commercial activity using their room, room address, room phone or data jack without the prior written permission of the Department of Resident Life (31) 45906.

Residents may invite a commercial sales representative as a personal guest in their rooms, but these representatives cannot solicit others or use the residence hall facilities to advertise their presence or products. Problems should be reported to Resident Life at (31) 45906.

Parties and Group Events

Socializing with a group of friends is important, but you should know that:

• parties/events involving alcohol are not permitted
• floor lounges and other common areas need to be reserved in advance, either through the process discussed in your Unit Agreement or through a Space Reservation form (available in your Community Office).

Whether in rooms, suites, apartments or other gathering spots, parties/events must not:

• become too large for the host resident(s) to exercise responsible control over the behavior of residents and guests
• expand beyond the boundaries of the individual room, apartment or suite
• be open to all or advertised in any way.

You can expect Resident Life staff, and University Police if necessary, to intervene and instruct the host(s) to end the event when gatherings

• result in excessive noise, damage or destruction, fighting or other disruptive behavior,
• exceed the normal boundaries, with persons gathering in hallways, stairwells, lounges, entrances, and other common areas or
• have been advertised or promoted through flyers, posters or other means.

Where to Find Official University Policy Statements

One of your responsibilities as a student at Maryland is to know and abide by the University’s policies, rules and procedures.

The Schedule of Classes – printed in two editions before the start of every semester and available in the Mitchell Building and lots of places around campus – is where you can find official statements of these University policies and procedures:

• Academic Calendar and Deadlines
• Course Registration
• How to Use VENUS and TESTUDO
• Schedule Adjustment
• Billing Information and Deadlines
• Final Exam Schedules
• CORE (general education/liberal arts and sciences study program)
• Advising Policy
• Repeat Policy
• Attendance Policy
• Policy on Tests, Quizzes and Exams
• Academic Dishonesty

These policies and procedures, and all of those named below, also are published in the Undergraduate Catalog, which is available in libraries and the Mitchell Building or at http://www.umd.edu.

• Code of Academic Integrity
• Human Relations Code
• Policy on Sexual Harassment
• Code of Student Conduct
• Policy on Disclosure of Student Records
• Smoking Policy and Guidelines
• Undergraduate Student Grievance Procedure

“What if I feel I’ve been treated unfairly?”

You have a right in the University of Maryland community to be treated with dignity, respect and fairness by every person you encounter, whether roommate, floormates, other students, faculty, Resident Life staff or other University employees.

If you feel you’ve been treated wrongly or unfairly by another student, you should report the incident to your Resident Director or to staff in your Community Office. Staff will advise you on informal means, often with their help, of resolving the matter. Staff also can advise you on ways to make formal complaints through the University’s judicial process, Police or housing administrative action process.

Satisfaction with Your RA

Your Resident Assistant serves in several important roles which are meant to assist you in your educational and social pursuits; these are:

Emergencies:
RAs are trained in emergency procedures for situations involving serious physical illness and injury, psychological crisis, and threats to physical safety such as fires, major power failures and dangerous weather.

Peer Advising and Counseling:
RAs assist students with questions, and personal and academic problems, and can provide referrals to resources on campus for more in-depth assistance.

Behavior Management:
RAs ensure that students receive the Residence Hall Rules, and they assist students in deciding upon mutual expectations by creating Unit Agreements. RAs also confront students when rules are broken and assist fellow students in learning how to confront and enforce expectations with peers.

Administrative Tasks:
RAs work with students on some basic administrative tasks that concern assignments and physical facilities.

Planning Activities:
RAs work with students, faculty members and others to plan social, recreational and educational activities for Unit residents.

These are the most important roles in which RAs serve on your behalf. You will have an opportunity to evaluate your RA's performance through the use of a written evaluation during the year.

In the course of their work, RAs, like all students, are expected to conform to the policies described in this handbook. Should you ever have questions about your RA's performance or his/her behavior toward you, or if you feel that your RA's actions have been unfair or inappropriate, several options are always available to you for consideration and resolution of your concerns:

1. Contact the Resident Director (RD) for your hall or the Community Director (CD) for your residence Community. Both of these staff members can be reached at your Community Office (phone numbers are listed in the last two pages of this handbook).
2. Contact the Associate Director of Resident Life for your side of campus. The North Campus Associate Director’s Office is in Room 0128 LaPlata Hall and can be reached at (31) 47399. The South Campus Associate Director’s Office is in 0200 Calvert Hall and can be reached at (31) 47484.
3. Contact the Associate Director of Resident Life for Student and Staff Development whose office is located in Room 2101 Annapolis Hall and can be reached at (31) 47608.