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Parent FAQs

Guide for Parents

Living in campus residence halls is an important part of student development for traditional-age students at Clarke University. This living situation provides potential for developing new friendships, ideas, and experiences.

In order to ensure a safe and enjoyable environment for students to live in, your son or daughter agrees to abide by certain expectations which are crucial to developing an atmosphere conducive to learning. Information on general and specific policies is listed in the Clarke University Student Handbook.

Your son or daughter also accepts a certain degree of responsibility for his or her resident community. Clarke encourages students to voice their opinions while working with staff and other residents to establish community standards for living together. We also ask that they assist the residence life staff in holding residents accountable to those norms and standards.

The residence halls are staffed with professional assistant directors and student resident assistants (RAs). RAs are student leaders with extensive knowledge of the resources available on campus. They have been trained to work with their peers in the residence halls and are responsible for facilitating a community atmosphere, ensuring that hall rules and regulations are upheld, and encouraging residents to take responsibility for their actions. RAs also act as a referral for students to other campus resources.

Questions Often Asked by Parents

How are the residence halls supervised?

Each residence hall is staffed with a professional assistant director and a staff of student resident assistants. The staff is responsible for upholding Clarke’s policies, as well as serving as points of contact for any maintenance concerns and student issues. There is always an RA and assistant director on call to handle any situations that may arise.

Why do students have roommates?

We encourage all incoming students to share a room in order to develop communication and negotiation skills. In the event of a roommate conflict, students should discuss the situation with their roommate and, if necessary, seek advice from their RA or assistant director. While many problems can be resolved through good communication, room changes are possible with approval from the building’s assistant director (depending on availability). If a student is approved for a double room as a single room, the student will be charged an additional room fee set by the university. If a student’s roommate moves out by choice, the student remaining in the room will have until the next semester to find a roommate without the additional charge.

How safe are the residence halls?

The doors of the residence halls remain locked at all times. Each residence hall is equipped with a chip access system, which allows students to enter the locked doors of their building with an electronic chip. If a chip is lost or stolen, the student should report it to security immediately. The chip is then de-programmed by the security office and can no longer be used. A new chip will be issued at a replacement cost of $10.

In addition to the residence life staff, Clarke has security officers on duty 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week. In case of an emergency, students can reach security by dialing 6393 from any campus phone.

What are the main residence hall policies?

There are four main policies students need to be aware of:

  • Alcohol – Alcohol is prohibited in Mary Josita Hall and Mary Benedict Hall. Students under 21 are not allowed to be in the presence of any alcohol, including empty alcohol containers, in any of the residence halls on campus. Students displaying public intoxication may also be subject to disciplinary action
  • Open Flame – Any devices or objects that emit an open flame such as lit cigarettes, candles, incense or hot plates are strictly prohibited in the residence halls. All Clarke buildings are smoke-free, with smoking allowed in designated outdoor areas on campus
  • Quiet Hours – Quiet hours are in effect from 10 p.m.- 8 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and from midnight-8 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Students may elect to live on designated quiet floors in Mary Benedict and Mary Josita, where additional quiet hours may be established. Clarke also enforces 24-hour “courtesy hours,” in which any student can ask another resident to cease their noise making at any time of the day.
  • Visitation – Members of the opposite sex are allowed to visit resident rooms until midnight from Sunday through Thursday and 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

How do you handle disciplinary problems?

The assistant director will meet with the students involved in a suspected policy violation or behavior problem. If the student is found in violation of a policy, the student will be given sanctions according to the violation. Sanctions are designed to be both educational and punitive. Repeated or serious violations will be handled in a conduct hearing with the director of residence life. Sanctions may include written warnings, campus service hours, monetary fines, and suspension from the university, depending on the situation.

What do students do about health problems that occur after hours?

In emergency situations, students should call 9-911 followed by a call to Clarke security at X6393. If it is a situation in which the student needs non-emergency medical attention, Clarke recommends Medical Associates Acute Care (which is open weekdays until 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) or Finley Hospital Convenient Care (which is open weekdays from 4 p.m.-11 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.-10 p.m.). The emergency rooms at The Finley Hospital and Mercy Hospital are available 24 hours-a-day. All students living in the residence halls must fill out a Student Emergency Report Form, which contains hospital preference, emergency contact information and insurance information. The forms are kept on file in the assistant director office and will be provided to medical staff in case of an emergency.

How do you handle vandalism?

Clarke University takes pride in its facilities, and we are fortunate to have very few vandalism problems on campus. If damage is caused, the residence life office seeks student assistance in determining who caused the damage. If the person causing the damage is determined, he/she will be held accountable for any monetary charges that may be assessed. If the person responsible is not discovered, it is Clarke’s policy to divide the charges for repairs between the residents of the building wing where the damage occurred.

Under what circumstances does Clarke contact parents?

In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Clarke is restricted in the amount of information it may release about a student. The residence life staff will contact parents at the student’s request or in an emergency situation.