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Housing Operations Policies & Processes

Effective as of Sep 26, 2023 | Last updated on Mar 12, 2024


Who This Policy Applies To

All students

Policy Statement

Administrative Room Reassignments

The College reserves the right to assign roommates, consolidate vacancies within the residence halls, and change student room assignments for reasons of health, safety, incompatibility, or as a result of a student conduct finding due to a violation of the Student Code of Conduct and/or housing policies. The college reserves the right to determine when and for what reason a student must move per the Housing License Agreement.

While the College staff or its designated Property Management staff will attempt to give advance notice, in the event of an urgent situation, it may not be possible to notify affected residents of an administrative room reassignment in advance.

Building Access & Keys

Living in community requires everyone to take responsibility for the safety and security of the Residence Halls. CCA encourages students to be aware of their surroundings when accessing their buildings and to prevent “tailgating” or allowing unknown people to follow them through the entry doors of the halls.

Due to the fact that lost keys pose a security risk and replacement requires administrative and maintenance effort. The cost for replacing keys and any resulting lock changes will be the responsibility of the student(s) who lost them.

If a lock must be changed, the responsible student(s) is held accountable for any additional costs. For everyone’s safety, giving keys to nonresidents, reproduction / copying or tampering with keys and locks is strictly prohibited.

Founders Hall residents’ CCA student ID cards are used to gain access to the entry doors of the building and to the main door of their room. Students housed in suites will have hard keys issued for their individual room.

Blattner Hall residence hall uses an electronic fob access system to gain access to entry doors of the building as well as their assigned living unit. Residents are also issued keys for their mailbox and room.

Bike Room Access

Residents may register for bike room access in both Founders and Blattner Hall.

Cancellation and Refunds

Please refer to your Housing License Agreement (HLA) for your cancelation and refund terms. You may access your HLA in your CCA Housing Account. Cancellations may be submitted here.

Conditions of Occupancy

  • Applicants are required to be an enrolled, half time student (6 or more units per semester for undergraduate students and 5 units or more for graduate students) in order to be eligible for and maintain a campus housing assignment during the Fall and Spring semesters. To live on campus for the Summer term, you are required to be enrolled in Summer term or the following Fall semester (Year Round applicants only)
  • A student’s account must be current before an assignment is made. After an assignment has been made, the student’s account must remain current.
  • Open room changes (room swap) are scheduled mid-semester fall and spring. Students will receive notification of room-change dates.
  • Exceptions for room swaps on dates outside of designated room swap periods can only be approved by property management staff.
  • Unauthorized room changes will result in disciplinary action and an improper room-change fine. Students must follow proper checkout procedures for room changes.
  • Unoccupied rooms are subject to reassignment.

College-Owned Furniture

  • All furniture assigned to a room or apartment must remain in the room or apartment. Likewise, common area furniture must not be removed from common areas.
  • Should furniture be found moved or missing, the resident(s) involved will be billed the cost for relocation or purchase.
  • Some wear and tear is expected on college-owned furniture, but any cases of significant damage will be billed to the resident(s) involved.
  • Residents are encouraged to cover college-owned mattresses with a mattress pad and sheets at all times during use. Mattresses should not be placed on the floor.
  • These mattresses cannot be cleaned, and as a result any damage to the mattress will result in the student being billed for the full replacement cost.

Common-Space Cleaning

  • The cleaning staff regularly cleans all common spaces in the residence halls. These services include sweeping, vacuuming, emptying trash and providing maintenance.
  • In halls with community kitchens or community bathrooms, or both, the cleaning staff will clean these areas also.
  • However they will not clean, move or otherwise touch residents’ personal belongings such as pots, dishes or bath towels. Residents are responsible for cleaning their own kitchen supplies and taking them back to their rooms.
  • When these areas are dirtied or damaged beyond normal wear and tear, the College staff will make attempts to ascertain the person(s) responsible.
  • If this is not possible, all residents will share the cost of cleaning or repair, or both.

Communicable Diseases

Students diagnosed by their doctor with a communicable disease that proves a health threat to the college housing community must leave college housing until they no longer are contagious as determined by a written letter from a licensed medical doctor.

CCA does not currently require students to present proof of immunizations.

However, the college encourages students to consult with their medical professional about which vaccines are best for them.

More information »

Communication from Housing, Dining and Residential Education

The primary form of communication from college staff is email. Residents are responsible for checking their CCA.edu email account daily.

While some information may be communicated via other means, most changes in policy and procedures as well as most important announcements will be communicated via email.

Residents are responsible for any and all emails they send. Information may also be passed along to residents during floor/building meetings, posted notices and in mailboxes.

Damages, Cleaning and Improper Check out

  • Current damage charge rates
  • Residents have a right to appeal any charge placed on their account within ten days of receiving notice of the charges.
  • Per the housing license agreement, charges in regard to damages and excessive cleaning to a student room is at the sole discretion of the manager and college to determine.
  • The process to appeal charges will be included with a description of charges assessed upon move out of the assigned unit.

Disability & Access Requests

If you have an access or disability accommodation request please submit your request with the Access and Disability Services office as soon as possible. Starting the intake process early on will help college staff identify the best room type for you. They can be reached at access@cca.edu.

Fire Drills

Fire drills are held throughout the academic year. When a fire alarm sounds, all residents must vacate the building immediately, whether for the purpose of a drill or in the case of an actual fire.

Staff members who are present will direct students to appropriate evacuation sites. Staff may check rooms during fire alarms.

When leaving your room, please remember to lock your door and take your key and CCA ID.

Students who have registered a disability with Disability Support Services, or who have a disability that impairs their ability to leave the building under their own will, should notify their Residential Education Coordinator (REC) at move-in so that an exit plan may be identified.

Inhibiting a fire drill or failure to exit in a prompt and orderly fashion and evacuate to the designated area may result in disciplinary action.

Gender-Inclusive Housing

Students may choose to live in gender inclusive housing. Gender inclusive housing allows two or more students to choose to share a multiple-occupancy bedroom, suite, or apartment regardless of students’ legal sex or gender. Gender inclusive housing is not intended for romantic couples. Rather, it provides options for a variety of students: such as those who:

  • may feel uncomfortable rooming with members of the same legal sex
  • may be in the process of discovering their gender identity
  • may feel they would be more compatible with a roommate of a different legal sex or gender
  • do not want legal sex or gender to be a primary factor in choosing a roommate

Gender inclusive housing intends to help create a campus climate that is welcoming, inclusive, and supportive of all students.

For the purposes of our policies, college defines “gender inclusive” housing as that which allows for students to room together regardless of legal sex or gender identity.

Students who apply for housing without requesting a gender inclusive housing assignment will be placed in a space based on their legal sex. When determining what a person’s “legal sex” is, the Office of Housing, Dining & Residential Education will default to what has been officially reported in the college’s student records. Gender inclusive housing is available in all halls for all students through the housing application process.

The following conditions are applicable to students who elect to be assigned to a gender inclusive space.

These options are intended for students who wish to share a room, suite, or apartment with friends regardless of legal sex or gender identity.

  • We encourage students to maintain an open dialogue with their families. Students over 18 years old are legally able to make decisions about their housing preferences.
  • Students may choose to request a roommate of any legal sex or gender identity.
  • Students will not be assigned to gender inclusive housing unless they have elected to do so. We will do our best to accommodate all gender inclusive housing requests. In the event that we are not able to find a suitable match, the default designation for a room, apartment, or suite will be as a single sex space.
  • If a student is identifying a requested roommate(s), we will only honor those requests mutually agreed upon by all involved parties. Students must apply with their prospective roommate(s) following the same processes and deadlines of all students entering the housing application process.
  • Students will not be required to reveal their reasons for opting to live in gender inclusive housing.
  • The majority of college gender neutral room assignments are friends with similar living habits, regardless of legal sex or gender identity.
  • It is not recommended or encouraged that any couple, heterosexual or LGBTQA, rush into living together on or off campus -- nor is it the intention of this policy.
  • Any space on campus can be assigned as a gender inclusive accommodation. This avoids segregation and offers students gender inclusive housing options within all housing styles and at the various housing price points.
  • The default designation for a room, apartment, or suite will be single-sex based on legal sex unless the students selecting into the space opt to create a gender inclusive pair/group.
  • Once a room, apartment, suite is gender neutral, that space will continue to be as long as the residents can maintain the occupancy of the living space.
  • Once the academic year has begun, when there is vacancy in a gender inclusive space, the resident(s) may elect to pull in any roommate(s) during the room change period. All residents are asked to sign a roommate agreement upon move in.
  • All students in the space have to agree to the choice of a new resident(s) moving into the open space.
  • If the resident(s) cannot fill the vacancies, the Office of Housing, Dining and Residential Education will first attempt to place students who are interested in living in a gender inclusive space.
  • If the Office of Housing, Dining and Residential Education needs to maximize use of all available spaces on campus and the above is not possible, then the staff will work closely with the students to determine next steps.

Two options staff may try include;

  • Relocating the group to another location that accommodates the group’s new size.
  • Split the group in order to create two single-legal sex groups and fill vacancies with students of the same legal sex.

Health & Safety Checks

Residents are responsible for what occurs in their rooms and for keeping their living quarters free of safety and sanitary hazards for congenial group living. Reasonable sanitary conditions must be maintained.

CCA professional staff, or its designated property management staff, reserves the right to inspect, maintain, repair, and remodel all rooms and buildings at any time.

If an inspection reveals objects that constitute safety or sanitary hazards, the owner(s) will be required to remove them.

Residents will be assessed service charges or repair costs, or both, whenever their actions cause damage to walls and doors as well as other surfaces in student rooms and public areas.

In the event that room repairs (i.e., electrical, furniture, plumbing) are needed, students should submit a repair request via the proper maintenance ticket protocols for their respective building.

When making a maintenance request, students should be very specific as to the location and nature of the problem. The maintenance staff will exercise reasonable care while repairing rooms, but the college is not responsible for personal items that are lost, damaged, or stolen.

Laundry

Laundry rooms located on every floor. The washer and dryers are operated through a credit card system, and residents can download the WASH-Connect app from Google Play or App store. To report an out of order machine, residents should connect WASH through information on machines.

Lockouts & Lost Keys/Fobs

Building fobs and room keys (as applicable) are distributed to residents at check-in. Residents should be protective of their key(s). Residents may not loan, duplicate, or possess keys other than the one assigned to them at check-in.

Residents found in possession of keys not signed out to them will face disciplinary action in addition to fines.

Residents are strongly encouraged to keep their keys on a strong key ring. Residents are responsible for taking their CCA ID and applicable access key/fob whenever they leave their rooms and lock their private bedroom if applicable. All entrance doors to units lock automatically.

Three free lockouts are provided each term. Lockouts beyond three will result in a $15 charge per additional occurrence. An excessive accumulation of lockouts within any given semester will be reviewed and may result in disciplinary action.

Residents must present picture identification to be readmitted into their room.

  • For lockouts between 8 AM and 7 PM: Visit the front desk.
    • Residents will be issued a lock-out fob key that is to be returned to the front desk within 10 minutes. Lock-out fobs or keys not returned within 10 minutes will be subject to replacement fines.
    • If a lock-out fob key was recently issued, and not returned, and a staff member is not available, a resident may have to wait until the staff go on duty for the evening.
  • For lockouts between 7 PM and 8 AM: Call the RA Duty Phone for your building.

LOST IDs, KEYS, AND FOBS

Founders Hall

A lost or stolen CCA ID/OneCard should be reported immediately to public safety located at 184 Hooper Street. A replacement ID will be issued by Public Safety (fee may apply). Residents that lose a physical room key must report it immediately to the Founders Hall front desk. Students who have lost physical keys will be charged for keycore replacement (see charge list). The recore is necessary to ensure the safety of residents and their property.

Blattner Hall

A lost or stolen access fob, or physical room key should report it immediately to the front desk. A replacement fob and key will be issued by building management during business hours (lost key and recoring fees will apply). Keycore replacements are necessary to ensure the safety of residents and their property.

$150 Lockout Tag Replacement charge will be assessed for any unreturned lockout tags.

Mail and Packages

Mail is accepted and processed for students who are active, current residents of the halls. Due to liability and lack of storage space, mail and packages will not be accepted in advance of a student’s arrival or after their departure and will be returned to the sender or refused for delivery.Students should arrange to have any packages and or mail arrive after they check in their residence hall.

Mail and packages are placed in the Luxor One parcel service lockers located on the ground floor in each building. Students are required to sign-up for this service upon move in. Students will be able to pick up their packages after being notified through email. There is a fee for this service and a credit card is required. If students want to avoid this fee, they should have their packages held on site at an off campus delivery service location.

Mailing address for Blattner Hall Residences:

Student’s first and last name

75 Arkansas St [room number]

San Francisco, CA 94107

Mailing address for Founders Hall Residences:

Student’s first and last name

188 Hooper Street [room number]

San Francisco, CA 94107

Mail Forwarding

The United States Postal Service (USPS) prohibits CCA Residential students from completing traditional mail-forwarding paperwork.Residents who are moving out should contact the individuals and businesses they have received mail from and change their address with them directly. Any mail or packages received for students not currently or no longer residing in the residence halls will be marked “Return To Sender” or refused at the time of delivery.

Maintenance / Repair Requests (Non-technology Related)

Residents are responsible for notifying building management about any non-technology related issues. To report an out of order laundry machine, residents should connect WASH through information on machines. To report maintenance, facilities issues please visit Portal for the link to your specific location: Submit a service request. If you are experiencing any issues with your resident portal, please contact housingdining@cca.edu and it will be routed to the appropriate staff member to assist you.

Please complete the online request form for your specific residence hall for all routine facility requests. Be sure to select the appropriate form for your hall since each residence hall has slightly different procedures.

The sections below identify two types of requests and how the CCA community members should manage their requests for service, maintenance, or repair for all campus facilities.

Use the work-order request forms for routine requests, including but not limited to the following:

  • plumbing (leaks, faulty toilets, clogged drains, broken fixtures)
  • electrical (lighting, outlets, switches)
  • cooling and heating (e.g., unusually hot or cold conditions)
  • structural (broken doors or windows, floor, ceiling, or wall issues)
  • painting and wall surface repair
  • janitorial (supplies, spills, excessive garbage, general cleanup)
  • landscaping (plant debris, fallen trees, broken sprinklers)
  • trash room service orders

To report technology-related issue in the Residence Halls, please contact Educational Technology Services Help Desk at helpdesk@cca.edu.

Medical Amnesty Policy

Our residents’ health and safety is a primary concern. When you or a friend requires medical assistance, first call 9-1-1 and then notify CCA Public Safety.

Be sure to also seek help from a Residential Education staff member.

Residents occasionally avoid seeking necessary help because they are concerned about the possibility of disciplinary action for behavior that may have violated campus or housing policies.

For this reason, CCA has adopted the following Medical Amnesty Policy to alleviate this concern. We hope doing so will create an environment wherein students are more likely to seek necessary help and medical assistance:

If an individual seeks medical attention or staff assistance due to that individual’s level of intoxication, the Residential Education office will not pursue student conduct actions against the student for violations of the Alcohol and/or Drug Policy.

Additionally, those students who assist in obtaining medical attention for someone in danger due to substance use will not receive student conduct sanctions for violations of the Alcohol and/or Drug Policy.

In lieu of student conduct sanctions, the intoxicated student (and possibly the referring student) will be required to meet with a professional staff member who may issue educational assignments such as alcohol education or a mental health or substance abuse assessment.

Serious or repeated incidents will prompt a higher degree of concern and official response.

Failure to complete educational assignments or treatment recommendations issued under this policy may result in disciplinary action.

The Medical Amnesty Policy does not preclude student conduct sanctions due to any other violations of the Code of Conduct unrelated to substance use.

Network/Wifi

By using the provided network, the resident agrees to follow the terms and conditions of CCA’s Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). Failure to comply can result in the loss of network access.

Residents have internet access through Wi-Fi connection in their assigned unit and throughout shared common areas. Network passwords will be provided upon check-in.

Residents waive all claims against and liability of National Campus Community Development (NCCD), Capstone Management Partners (CMP) and California College of the Arts, a California non-profit corporation for the content or quality of internet service and any damage to residents’ systems or data resulting from the use of the service.

Network Troubleshooting

To report an issue with technology-related concerns residents please call or email the Technology Services Help Desk at 510.594.5010 or helpdesk@cca.edu (M-F, 9:00am-5:00pm), or submit a ticket using this form. When contacting the help desk, please provide specific details about your issue and include your IP address, and your building and room number.

Parking & Transportation

Residents of Founders Hall are not permitted to possess vehicles.

The college officially discourages students from bringing cars to campus due to the lack of parking in the areas surrounding campus and the ease of use of Public Transportation. A car in these urban dense environments is often cost prohibitive and stressful given the lack of parking, and the frequency of SFMTA patrol and ticketing. Please be aware parking in the area surrounding campus is quite limited, mostly metered, and not secure. We encourage residents who possess a vehicle to contact Public Safety for an escort to and from campus to their vehicle when possible.

Note: CCA is not responsible for any damage or theft done to the vehicle while parked in or around any hall or any other campus-owned facility.

CCA transportation resources can be found on Portal. Parking is extremely limited and expensive. Public Transit and bike share stations are located directly adjacent to both campuses.

Renters Insurance

CCA recognizes the importance of ensuring the safety of personal property. While CCA does not cover students' lost, stolen, or damaged property, we strongly urge all families to contact their insurance agents, check their homeowner's policies, and/or to consider purchasing renter's insurance.

CCA does not recommend or endorse any individual insurance company. However, please note that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. provides information regarding personal property coverage. For details, please visit: https://www.collegestudentinsurance.com.

Room Consolidation

Room consolidation refers to the process that occurs when there is a partially vacated room. This is sometimes necessary when fewer residents than the listed occupancy of the room exists.

Room consolidations occur to rectify the unfair condition that exist when residents end up living alone in rooms traditionally designated for multiple occupants and to maximize efficiency of facility operations.

If a room drops below capacity, at any point, the student(s) remaining in the room must do one of the following:

  • Move to another under-capacity room
  • Suggest a roommate arrangement

Students who do not suggest a roommate or a new space to move to will be have one of the following happen:

  • Reassigned a different room.
  • Be assigned a new roommate

Students who fail to cooperate with the room-consolidation procedure may receive judicial documentation or additional housing charges.

Housing retains the right to move students or terminate contracts of students who violate the terms of their contract agreement.

We will attempt to mitigate all student moves by whenever possible, giving students at least a full week notice in advance of a move due to room consolidation. We will also not consolidate vacancies in the last three weeks of class due to finals week unless a pressing issue of student safety becomes apparent. We will give extra time after the close of the residence halls for students to move if a consolidation need arises at the end of the fall semester.

CCA is not able to provide any transportation help in the event of an administrative move.

Room-Change Request Procedures

Residents are able to request a room change to any space that they are qualified to occupy during designated room change periods. Please note that room swap forms represent a request, and are not guaranteed to be approved. Residents will be provided with instructions on how to request a room change when the room change period opens each term. Once a change is approved, residents will have 72 hours to complete their moves.

Because of variable rates, the cost of a new assignment may be different than that of the resident’s previous assignment. All residents who complete a room change are responsible for payment of the higher rate for the new accommodation where applicable.

If a resident swaps to a less expensive assignment, a credit will be added to the student’s account.

Meal plans already loaded to resident’s OneCard will not be pro-rated due to a room change, unless the room assignment is downgraded to a unit type without a kitchenette where a higher level meal plan is necessary.

Roommate mediation is required if the request is made outside of the room change period.

Two request options exist: “Direct Room Change” and “Open Room Change.”

Direct room change

A direct room change occurs when two students “swap” room assignments with each other.

If a resident finds a fellow resident who would like to swap rooms with them and one or both of them have roommates; those roommates must also agree to the swap.

With the agreement of all the residents involved, they must all complete a Room Change Request Form.

Open room change request

An open-room change occurs when a resident would like to move into a confirmed vacant space.

For residents wanting to move to a multiple-occupancy space, all potential roommates must be in agreement. All residents involved must complete the open room change request form in order for the request to be approved.

We also encourage residents to communicate openly with their current roommate about their intent to move out, if applicable.

This can also occur when a resident wants to move out of the current assignment, but has not identified a preferred alternative assignment.

In these cases, Housing will reassign the resident based on their building and room type preferences. Approval is dependent on available space.

We also encourage residents to communicate openly with their current roommate about their intent to move out, if applicable.

Residents will only be considered for an open room change into a room and building they are qualified to occupy. By completing the Room Change Form, the resident is requesting to move out of their current assignment.

All room change forms represent a request; they are not guaranteed to be approved.

Disciplinary action and a $150 improper move charge will be assessed for any unauthorized (illegal) room changes.

Room Freeze Periods

For the first and last three weeks of the fall and spring semesters, a room freeze period is in place. No room-change requests will accepted during the room-freeze periods.

After the room freeze period is over, room-change requests will be processed between the 4th and 12th weeks of the fall and spring semesters.

For summer semesters, the room freeze remains in effect for the whole period of occupancy; no room-change request forms will be accepted.

Students will receive email notification of room-change dates and procedures upon approval of a room-change request.

Disciplinary action and a $150 improper move charge will be assessed for any unauthorized (illegal) room changes.

Students must follow the proper checkout procedures for room changes.

See also Checking Out (Moving Out).

Room Entry

CCA considers all student-occupied rooms private space. However, college personnel may enter a student’s room without prior authorization for any of the following reasons:

Health-and-safety concern

In order to maintain a safe environment, Residential Education staff members conduct random health-and-safety checks to inspect for any items that violate CCA policies and conduct. These checks occur each term and during winter break.

Safety and Security Concern

A college official has reason to believe that the safety and security of an individual or property is threatened, staff may enter a student residence. This safety and security issue will be defined by the department and includes but is not limited to violations of any campus policy, concerns that a student is a threat to themselves or others or concerns about the health and safety of a student. Please note, that staff may enter a student room if the Staff member believes that a student is in the room but is unable to respond. In rare cases, rooms may be searched. All efforts are made to contact the room’s residents in a reasonable amount of time prior to entry.

Students involved are informed of the purpose of the search and told whether any material discovered violates college regulations or federal, state, or local laws.

Professional staff members may authorize all such entries and searches.

Maintenance & Repairs

Maintenance and necessary repairs (to fix or prevent damage) outside a student’s request.

Noise

If excessive noise has been reported, and no response to knocking occurs.

Room Inventory

Prior to opening day, all rooms and apartments will have been checked to ensure they are clean and in good move-in condition.

The conditions of each student’s space have been documented by Building Management. If a student would like to report anything that requires fixing upon moving in, it should be reported within 48 hours of check-in. On Fall move-in day, students are provided with a repair submission form to report immediate needs while their resident portal account is still being set-up.

Upon checkout at the end of the year, all rooms will be inspected prior to each resident’s departure.

The cost of missing items and excessive cleaning or damages in a student’s room that are beyond normal wear and tear will be applied to their student account within thirty days of move out.

Winter & Spring Breaks

Residents are permitted to remain in their rooms over the winter and spring breaks at no additional cost. Dining services will be limited during this time, so students will need to make arrangements to eat outside of their residence hall if they do not have a kitchen in their unit.

Should a resident of these communities decide to depart for the winter break, it is recommended the resident take items of high value as well as plants, and anything that is perishable. Residents with approved ESAs and Service Animals must take their animals home when away from the hall for Winter Break or Spring Break.

Contacts

Auxiliary Services