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Residence Life

Housing requirements

Bluffton University seeks to create a residential community built on the four enduring values of discovery, community, respect and service. New or readmitted students enrolling in a traditional undergraduate academic program at Bluffton University must be at least 16 years of age and under the age of 25 at the time of initial enrollment to qualify to live in university undergraduate housing. Returning students who are already living in or approved to live in university undergraduate housing at the time of their 25th birthday qualify to remain in university undergraduate housing until they graduate from Bluffton University or separate from the university.

Students who are the custodial parent of a minor child are not eligible to live in residence halls. Students seeking a disability-related housing accommodation may contact the Accessibility Office; however, traditional residence halls cannot house non-student minors under any circumstances.

Bluffton University requires all traditional students enrolled full-time to live on-campus in one of our residence halls. The following exceptions exist:

  • A student commuting from the primary home of a parent (within 50 miles driving distance to Bluffton University.)
  • A part-time student, taking less than 12 hours during the current semester.
  • A student who is married.
  • A student who is 23 years of age or older prior to the start of the semester. 
  • A custodial parent.
  • A student commuting to their full-time off-campus internship or student teaching position (must be more than 50-mile driving distance to Bluffton University).
  • Fifth-year senior
  • A student who is transferring to Bluffton and who is at least 21 years of age by the first day of class and has an associate’s degree or more than 60 credit hours college level credit. 

Once granted, permission to live off-campus is only valid so long as the reason for the original approval exists. Any change of status, during the period of off-campus approval, may nullify the decision, thus requiring that students to be invoiced for room and board. Students supplying false information to obtain off-campus residency will be held accountable through the Bluffton University conduct process.

Living successfully in a residence hall environment requires a certain amount of understanding and responsibility on the part of each person. It is understood and expected that students are responsible for their own actions and the activities that occur in their rooms. The guidelines for living in the halls have been developed in order to foster a pattern of living on the part of all individuals within the residence halls that stresses respect and consideration for others.

Meal Plan Policy
 All students living in Bluffton residence halls are required to pay for meals served in Marbeck. No refunds will be made. Meal plan selections can be changed prior to the start of the fall or spring semester. Changing a meal plan mid-semester is not permitted.

Facilities

Basic facilities in the residence halls are as follows:

Laundry facilities are provided for each residence hall. Irons can only be used in designated areas in the halls.

Kitchenettes are provided in the residence halls for student use. Residents are responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of their kitchenette areas. All kitchenette spaces are subject to community billing if damages occur.

Storage facilities are available in the residence halls. Residents may store only their property in their storage room. All items must be in sealed containers labeled with the resident's name and address. Items such as couches, chairs, refrigerators, carpets, and lofts are not permitted in storage due to size. Bluffton University does not assume responsibility for stored items and reserves the right to deny access to the storage rooms at any time.

Vending machines are provided in some residence halls for use of residents. If a machine is out of order, it should be reported immediately to Buildings & Grounds. Students tampering with the vending machines is prohibited.

Bulletin boards are provided in the residence halls for posters and announcements from the Office of Student Life. Please look over the publicity policy information if you have questions.

Furnishings and care

Residents of the halls should be aware of the following:

  • Residents are permitted to have personal electronic devices in residence hall rooms, including televisions, gaming consoles, and audio devices (such as speakers, headphones, or streaming devices). Devices must be used at volumes that do not disturb other residents. Cable TV service is not provided in each hall; residents are responsible for providing their own equipment or subscriptions. Any issues with internet connection should be reported to helpdesk@bluffton.edu.
  • Bluffton University may prohibit appliances that pose fire, maintenance, or cleanliness risks. Prohibited items include electric irons, hot plates, toasters, indoor grills, waffle irons, space heaters, halogen lamps, and similar devices. Small appliances (e.g., coffee makers, kettles, curling irons, hair dryers) must have an auto shutoff feature. Excessive extension cord use and attaching items to sprinkler heads or piping are prohibited. Outdoor grilling is allowed only for hall programs or campus organization activities; storing charcoal or lighter fluid in student rooms is not permitted.
  • Window exhibits that display items relating to alcohol and other drugs are prohibited, as are displays in windows, on room doors, in hallways, etc., which are deemed offensive or in poor taste by Student Life personnel. Residents may not cover, obstruct, or hang items over windows. Windows must remain clear for safety and emergency purposes, and to comply with fire and building codes. Properly installed window coverings for floor unit air conditioning units are permitted and are not considered obstructions. Window screens may not be removed at any time.
  • Animals and pets are not allowed in the residence halls.
  • The student is responsible for any damage that occur in their room.
  • University-provided furniture must always remain in the assigned room. University-owned furniture may not be removed, detached from walls, reconfigured, or altered in any way. Lofting is permitted only in Neufeld Hall, where modular furniture is designed to safely accommodate lofting. Personal lofts are not allowed in any residence hall.

Refrigerators & Microwaves

On-campus residents living on the Bluffton Campus are permitted to have small refrigerators (4.3 cubic feet maximum) and small microwaves ovens (under 700 watts).

Air conditioners

Air conditioning units are not permitted in Ramseyer Hall or Neufeld Hall as these residence halls have centralized air conditioning provided. In residence halls that do not have centralized air conditioning (Ropp, Hirschy, Hirschy-Annex and Bren-Dell), free-standing air conditioning units that do not require the removal of a university windowpane or window screen may be permitted. Window air conditioners are not permitted in the residence halls unless pre-approved by the student life office.

For the fall semester, windows must be closed, and free-standing air conditioning units must be completely removed by Oct. 1 to ensure the heating system can work properly. For spring semester, free-standing air conditioning units are permitted to be used beginning April 1. If necessary, any changes to these dates will be announced by the office of residence life.

Hallways
Hallways must remain clear at all times to ensure safety of students to have a clear route of egress in the event of an emergency. This also includes decorative items such as pumpkins, Christmas trees etc., as these add an extra level of concern for cleanliness and possible fire hazards. No sport activity of any kind is permitted in the hallway.

Personal belongings left behind
Residents must remove all personal belongings when their housing contract ends or when they withdraw or take leave from the university. Items left behind will be considered abandoned property. Residents unable to remove their belongings must arrange for a moving service before vacating their room. Bluffton University may dispose of abandoned property without further notice, and all disposal fees—and any additional related costs—will be charged to the student’s account. The University has no obligation to contact residents regarding abandoned items and assumes no responsibility for lost, stolen, or damaged personal property; residents waive any claims against Bluffton University and its employees for such losses.

Mattresses
For any damages found when assessing a resident’s mattress, the resident will be found responsible for those damages. Charges are assessed based on move-out inspections or upon discovery of damages at other times by the buildings and grounds staff. Costs for a replacement mattress will be added to the student’s bill after the assessment is complete.

Community billing

Part of the on-campus experience at Bluffton is living in a residence hall community. One aspect of community living involves damage that occurs within your residence hall.

Residence hall damage and/or vandalism can be an unfortunate reality in community living. At Bluffton, we choose to use community billing as each incident occurs. We believe this encourages a sense of ownership in residents, and accountability within the community and improves our ability to control costs. Whenever the responsible individual(s) can be identified, the financial charges are levied to them, and they can also be charged judicially.

Personal trash

Residents are responsible for bagging, tying and disposing of their own trash in the dumpsters located outside of the building. Personal trash is not to be disposed of in the trash receptacles within the building, nor is it to be left in the hallway or stairwells. Personal trash that is disposed of within the building or left in common areas will result in personal or community billing.

Safety policies

Policies for security in the residence halls are as follows:

Fire and tornado instructions and procedures are posted in the residence halls and on building bulletin boards. Residents are expected to review these instructions and comply with all emergency procedures. All residents must evacuate their rooms immediately when a fire alarm is activated. Residents should verify their personal possessions are covered under their parents’ or personal insurance policies, as Bluffton University is not responsible for items lost, stolen, or damaged due to fire, tornado, water, or other emergencies.

Theft 
Residents are responsible for the care and security of their personal possessions. Theft or loss must be reported to the hall director immediately. Residents are encouraged to keep their rooms always locked and to store valuables securely. Bluffton University is not responsible for stolen, lost, or damaged personal property. If you experience theft, please fill out an incident report on my.bluffton.edu.

Fire safety
  • No partitions of any kind may be established in residence hall rooms. This includes walls, dividers, screens, curtains, or any structure that separates or sections off part of a room. This policy ensures that rooms remain safe, accessible, and compliant with fire and emergency regulations, and prevents damage to university property. Sheets or fabrics may not be hung from the ceilings or walls in student rooms.
  • The burning of incense is not permitted in residence halls.
  • The burning of any object with an open flame (e.g., candles and lanterns) is not permitted in residence halls. Burnt candles are also not permitted. Candles must have a new wick or no wick at all.
  • Live Christmas trees are not permitted in any building on campus.
  • Halogen lamps are not permitted in the residence halls.
  • It is a violation of state law to tamper with smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and fire alarm systems. Any students involved in this type of activity will be subject to suspension from the university.
  • Flammable materials—such as gasoline, kerosene, lighter fluid, propane, pressurized tanks, matches, electric lighters, fireworks, and charcoal, etc. are not permitted anywhere on university-owned property.

Smoke detectors have been installed in each room for the safety of the residents. It is not permitted that smoke detectors are tampered with.

Hours and guests policies

Main Building Doors

All residence halls must always remain closed to ensure the safety and security of residents. Propping or otherwise bypassing locked doors is strictly prohibited.

Lobby hours
Main lobbies are open 24 hours. Overnight sleeping in lobbies is prohibited.

Open hours
Open house hours have been established on a regular basis. Open house hours are as follows:

Sun.-Thurs.: 10 a.m. - midnight
 Fri. and Sat.: 10 a.m.-1 a.m.

Men are not permitted in the women's living areas and vice-versa at times other than those designated as open house, except by permission of the hall director.

Courtesy and Quiet hours

There are 24-hour courtesy hours in effect where the volume of your room should not disturb your floor mates. The following quiet hours are established to encourage an environment conducive to studying:

Sunday-Thursday: Midnight – 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday: 1 a.m. – 10 a.m.

These hours are to be respected throughout the halls in lobbies, hallways, rooms, etc.

There are 24-hour quiet hours during finals week starting the Friday before finals at 8 p.m. until Thursday of Finals week at 6 p.m. This is to create an environment conducive to sleeping and studying for finals week.

Guests
A guest is defined as anyone who is not an assigned roommate of the resident. Guest visitation hours are limited to the same times established for Open House hours. Residents are permitted to host guests provided that: 

  • The safety of residents takes priority over the presence of guests.
  • If they are staying overnight, then the guest is at least 18 years of age and a;ways carries a government-issued identification document at all times.
  • Consent is obtained from the roommate(s).
  • The guest is not of the opposite sex or in a consensual relationship with the resident.
  • If they are staying overnight, then the guest is not of the opposite sex or in a consensual relationship with the resident.
  • If they are staying overnight, then the guest is registered through the office of residence life.
  • All guest requests must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance to ensure the university is informed of the guest's presence.
  • A resident may have no more than one overnight guest at any given time.
  • Residents are responsible for ensuring that their guest(s) comply with all university policies and procedures. The resident hosting is to be held accountable for any policy violations, damage, etc., attributed to a guest that a resident may be hosting.
  • Failure to register an overnight guest is a violation of the guest policy and can be held accountable through the campus conduct system.
  • Guests must be escorted at all times while in residential buildings by the resident
  • Guests are not permitted to sleep in lobbies or hallways.
  • Overnight Guests are permitted to stay on campus for no more than a total of 3 nights for no more than 3 nonconsecutive periods during a semester.
  • Bluffton University reserves the right to restrict or deny access to university facilities to guests at its discretion.
Fifth-year graduate student housing

Bluffton University seeks to continue the residential community built on the four enduring values of discovery, community, respect, and service. In accordance with the university housing policy, fifth-year students continuing in graduate programs may request to remain in university housing but are not required to do so. There is no married student housing option available. Housing placements will be made as space is available.

The following criteria needs to be met to be eligible to remain in the residence hall for the next academic year.

  • You need to have been a residential student.
  • You need to be enrolled as a degree-seeking student.
  • You will need to have been a good citizen on campus regarding campus conduct.
  • You will need to have demonstrated that you were engaged in campus activities (i.e. student organizations, department activities, performance groups, etc.)
  • You must purchase the Basic 10 Plus meal plan each semester you are on campus.
Room Draw Policy

Room Draw is a process that is designed to provide an organized method for students to preference their housing assignment for the upcoming academic year.

To participate in Room Draw, students must:

  • Be enrolled (or planning to be enrolled) as a full-time student for the upcoming term
  • Complete the housing application by the posted deadline
  • Be in good financial standing with the University
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