Housing

• Academic Requirements for Residence Hall Students
• General Housing Guidelines & Regulations

The College maintains seven residence halls and thirty cottages on the Scooba Campus which house approximately 600 students. These residence halls are air conditioned and equipped with furniture and utilities essential for comfortable living. Students must provide their own linens, pillows, and toilet articles.

A person desiring residence hall accommodations must submit an online Application for Student Hous-ing along with the $100.00 housing application fee. After payment is received, the housing application fee will remain on file until the student discontinues participation in campus housing. If a student takes a break from housing, either voluntarily or due to a violation of college policy, the student must submit a new application and pay another housing application fee in order to reserve a room for housing. The housing application fee is non-refundable unless EMCC is unable to provide hous-ing due to a lack of availability, in which case, the fee will be refunded upon written request from the student.

To apply for student housing, a student must complete an online application at www.eastms.edu/housing and pay the $100 housing application fee. No student will be allowed to reside in College housing for more than six semesters without approval of the Residence Hall Appeals Committee.

In the event of limited residence hall space, Mississippi residents will be given first preference. A limited number of out-of-state residence hall spaces will be reserved to coincide with scholarship limits for non-residents as established by the MACJC.

Academic Requirements for Residence Hall Students

All students must be enrolled in and maintain a minimum of 12 semester hours of traditional face-to-face courses to live in the residence hall. Other combinations of traditional face-to-face and online loads equal to 12 hours or more will be considered as appropriate.

Students will be placed on Housing Probation when a regular semester GPA falls below the following
criteria:

Student will be placed on Housing Suspension when a regular semester GPA fails to meet the above criteria while on Housing Probation. A regular semester is defined as a fall or spring semester.

Students who are on a Housing Suspension status cannot reside in the residence halls for one semester following their suspension. Summer semesters can be counted for this purpose.

All resident hall students who are in non-compliance with these GPA standards at mid-term (9 weeks) will be sent a written warning of their residence hall status. Notification of non-compliance of these regulations will be made by the Director of Student Housing. Any student in non-compliance with the GPA requirements at mid-term will be required to attend counseling and study aid programs two nights a week under the direction of assigned staff. The study aid program schedule will be given to the students once they meet with the Dean of Student Affairs/Housing to discuss and sign the study hall agreement. Students attending the study aid programs will be allowed a maximum of two unexcused absences. Any student exceeding two unexcused absences will immediately lose housing privileges. The Dean of Student Services will determine if an absence is excused or unexcused. While attending the study aid programs, any student who is disruptive and/or presents a disciplinary problem will immediately lose housing privileges and may receive additional sanctions depending on the violation(s). Any person may appeal dismissal from campus housing by doing so in writing to the Director of Student Housing or the Dean of Student Services. Any appeal by a student not meeting these requirements will be directed to the Residence Hall Appeals Committee which will be designated by the President.

General Housing Guidelines & Regulations

In order to protect the rights of each individual and to ensure protection of College property, there must be certain guidelines for all to follow. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THESE GUIDELINES WILL RESULT IN DISCIPLINARY ACTION WHICH MAY INCLUDE: DISCIPLINARY PROBATION, MONETARY FINES, DISMISSAL FROM RESIDENCE HALL, AND EXPULSION.

1. Residents of the College residence halls must be enrolled in at least 12 hours of traditional face-to-face courses to live in the residence hall. Other combinations of traditional face-to-face and online loads equal to 12 hours or more will be considered as appropriate. All resident students of the college must maintain at least 12 semester hours throughout the entire semester.
2. Each resident is responsible for the College property assigned to them. Neither furniture nor equipment should be removed from your room without first securing permission from the Director of Student Housing. Each room occupant will be held accountable for all room furniture and fixtures and all suite occupants will be held accountable for all common areas.
3. All residents must attend any residence hall meetings and will be held responsible for all information set forth.
4. Costs of repairing damage or replacing losses to a residence hall room will be charged to each room occupant unless the party directly responsible is known. Costs of repairing damage to bath and restroom areas will be charged to each suite occupant sharing the restroom area unless the party directly responsible is known. Costs of repairing lounge areas, hallways, and/or the residence hall itself will be charged to all residence hall occupants unless the party directly responsible is known. DAMAGE TO ANY COLLEGE PROPERTY IS CONSIDERED A SERIOUS OFFENSE.
5. The College reserves the right to inspect any living quarters at any time the administration deems it necessary.
6. Possession or use of intoxicating beverages and dangerous drugs is prohibited. Any student who is under the influence of an alcoholic beverage, or has alcoholic beverage in his/her possession, or who has alcoholic beverage containers in his/her room or trash can will receive disciplinary action, possibly be disallowed housing privileges, or may receive the maximum penalty of dismissal from the College.
7. Smoking is not allowed in any residence hall at any time.
8. The College is not responsible for loss or damage of valuables, money, or other personal property. If loss or damage does occur, the residence hall supervisor, Director of Student Housing, security, or the Vice President of Student Services should be notified immediately. Students are strongly encouraged to have their parents check with their home owners insurance regarding renter insurance.
9. Residents are expected to abide by all Federal, State, and Local Laws.
10. Students are responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of their room, restroom, and bath areas. There will be a systematic room inspection each week and/or as needed of all residence halls at which time rooms must be clean, neat and attractive. Failure to maintain rooms, restrooms, and bath areas in a clean and orderly condition may result disciplinary actions.
11. Aluminum foil is not allowed in the residence hall windows. Students must use appropriate curtains or blinds.
12. Permanent fasteners or connectors on the walls, doors, or fixtures are prohibited without the permission of the Residence Hall Supervisor or the Director of Student Housing.
13. Offensive, inappropriate, or obscene materials to include alcohol and drug related material may not be visible anywhere in the residence hall.
14. DECALS are not permitted on any room walls or furniture.
15. Pets are not allowed in the residence halls.
16. Fire alarms, fire extinguishers & other protective equipment are in place for the safety of all students. Any attempt to tamper or abuse such devices is strictly prohibited and will result in disciplinary action.
17. No person should sit on guard rails, in open windows, or hazardous areas of any kind.
18.  Students should not carry on conversations with other students through the residence hall windows. Visitation is limited to rooms, the lobby or outside the residence hall.
19. UNAUTHORIZED VISITATION OF MALES IN THE FEMALE RESIDENCE HALL OR FEMALES IN THE MALE RESIDENCE HALLS IS PROHIBITED AND WILL RESULT IN DISCIPLINARY ACTION.
20. Male students are allowed to enter the lounge area in Gilbert-Anderson Hall only under those guidelines specified. Females are not allowed to enter any male residence halls due to the absence of proper supervision.
21. Visiting hours are Sunday-Saturday at 8:00 a.m. till 11:00 p.m. you are responsible for your guest & will be held liable for the actions of your guest. All guests must sign-in with the security guard located in the lobby area of the residence halls. There will be NO visitors under the age of 16 allowed past the front lobby unless accompanied by a parent.
22. Loitering in & around the residence halls is prohibited.
23. Overnight visitors in the residence halls must be of the same sex as the room occupant and must be approved 24 hours in advance by the Residence Hall Supervisor or the Director of Student Housing. Overnight guest must be at least 18 years old and are only allowed on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. All visitors are expected to conduct themselves appropriately & comply with the rules of the institution.
24. Only residents will be permitted to enter the residence halls during school hours unless the residence hall supervisor grants permission. Any visitors should be accompanied by a building resident & have the supervisor’s approval.
25. CLOSED CAMPUS HOURS will be observed beginning at 11:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. for the entire campus, unless noted otherwise (example - “dead week”). With exception of participation in school sponsored functions, all students on campus should be in their assigned residence hall by 11:00 p.m. All visitors will be required to leave the campus at this time. Students arriving after 11:00 p.m. should go directly to their assigned residence hall. After this hour, all loud noise should be eliminated.
    NOTE: The doors to Gilbert-Anderson Hall & Women’s Honors Residence Hall will be locked at 11:00 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday for security purposes. Security personnel will be stationed at the main entrance of Gilbert-Anderson Hall to allow residents to enter & exit the residence hall. On Fridays & Saturdays there will be limited access to enter & exit the residence hall. The weekend time schedule will be posted by the Residence Hall Supervisor.
26. Housing Withdrawal Procedure: Students must visit the housing department, fill out a Housing Withdrawal Form and then turn in their key to housing personnel. A student should turn in the student I.D. card to the Business Office. DO NOT MOVE OUT OF THE RESIDENCE HALL WITHOUT FIRST OFFICIALLY WITHDRAWING. Charges for your room & meals will continue until the withdrawal process has been completed. Keys not turned in will result in a $100 charge to the student’s account. No refunds will be granted until a student has officially completed the withdrawal process.
27. Lost Key - Any time a key is lost, a $45.00 charge will be levied. The lock will be changed to protect the property of all occupants of that room.
28. Grilling/barbecuing is not allowed on campus except for EMCC designated events & faculty/staff supervised functions.