The Standard of Conduct of The University of Missouri System is implemented through Section 200.020 Rules of Procedures in Student or Student Organization Conduct Matters. The policies listed herein are supplemental to this Standard and have been established in order to protect residents of Oak Hall and ensure a clean, safe, and supportive living and learning environment for all residents and guests. Any student who allegedly violates any of these policies or The Standard of Conduct will be subject to disciplinary procedures as outlined in 200.020 Rules of Procedures in Student or Student Organization Conduct Matters.
Only those students of legal drinking age (21 years and older) may possess or consume alcohol in Oak Hall.
- Alcoholic beverages may only be consumed in individual rooms while the room door is closed.
- Alcohol may not be stored in shared spaces of a suite unless all suitemates are 21 or older.
- If there are other residents or guests in the individual room when alcohol is being consumed, all must be 21 or older.
- Social drinking or parties (of 4 or more people including the resident) is prohibited.
- Alcohol may not be consumed in hallways, stairways, elevators, lounges, outside on campus property, or any other public area of campus.
- Providing alcohol to a minor or assisting a minor in any way in obtaining alcohol is a violation of state law and is expressly prohibited.
- Students under the legal drinking age, whether personally consuming or not, who are present in where alcohol is present will be subject to disciplinary action.
- Possessing, furnishing, consuming or serving from a common source of alcohol (i.e., kegs, beer balls, punch bowls or other source of 12 or more servings), unless being served and monitored by a licensed vendor after properly registering an event for provision of alcohol at a College activity, is strictly prohibited.
- Drinking games, beer funnels, beer pong tables and other practices or materials that encourage unsafe or rapid consumption of alcohol are prohibited.
- Alcoholic containers for decorative purposes, i.e. flowerpots and storage, are not permitted within Oak Hall.
Pets, (with the exception of fish) are not allowed to visit or be kept in Oak Hall for any length of time. Fish tanks may not exceed five gallons in size. Students must maintain proper care and cleanliness of the fish and tank. Service animals and emotional support animals are allowed; please see page 15 for more information.
Personal appliances permitted in resident rooms and suites are limited to single-cup coffee makers, 3 quarts or smaller air fryers, and electric kettles with no exposed heating element. All other personal appliances shall be considered prohibited unless stated otherwise by the Director of Residential Life and Housing.
Bicycles shall be parked so as not to obstruct free passage of vehicles and pedestrians. For your protection, make sure that your bike is locked securely to the approved bike rack. Bicycles cannot be brought into the residence hall for any reason. No person may park or store their bicycle on sidewalks, driveways, to trees, or in motor vehicle parking spaces. Any motorized vehicle (including but not limited to, electric scooters and e-bikes, motorcycles, mopeds, hoverboards, self-balancing scooter boards, Segway's, drones, etc.) are prohibited in the residence halls (which includes for charging purposes). If you have questions about prohibited items or are considering bringing an item that might be considered a prohibited item, please contact University Housing prior to bringing it to the residence hall to determine whether it can be allowed. This is for the safety of all pedestrians who use the surrounding sidewalks.
The physical, verbal, or psychological harm, intimidation, or coercing of any student, whether in-person or virtually, is prohibited. This includes but is not limited to the bullying of another resident in an effort to convince them to request a room change.
Only one student is permitted in the C-Store at a time. Bags, backpacks, purses, or the like are not allowed to be brought into the C-Store for any reason. Students must pay for all selected items at the kiosk before leaving the Store.
Recording, attempting to record, sharing, publishing or distributing unauthorized video or photographic images of one or more persons taken in locations where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy is prohibited.
Unless noted otherwise, all community spaces in Oak Hall, including the kitchen(s), laundry room, game room, and hall lounges are open at all times for any resident and/or their guest(s) to use.
- Residents and/or guests shall not remove furniture, appliances, fixtures, games, the belongings of others, or the property of ResLife from these spaces. This includes but is not limited to the removal of clothes from washers/dryers and the moving of furniture to personal rooms.
- Residents shall immediately report to the Front Desk any items found believed to be the personal property of another.
- Residents who utilize these spaces in any capacity shall throw trash in the proper receptacles and return any used furniture, appliances, games, or other property to their original condition, including the cleaning of surfaces dirtied where appropriate.
- Students shall not store personal items in the community kitchen(s) unless labeled with their full name and room number, as well as an expiration date. Students assume all responsibility for use, loss, and/or theft of items kept in community spaces. Any personal food items left in these spaces will be disposed of without notice if not retrieved by the expiration date.
- Immediately after use, residents shall ensure the stove and/or oven is turned off and all cabinets and appliances closed.
- Students shall not begin utilizing a washer or dryer unless they will remove their belongings promptly at the end of the wash or dry cycle. Students assume all responsibility for items moved, loss, or stolen if left unattended.
- Neither residents nor guests shall use any community space for sleeping.
The consumption, manufacture, use, possession, sale or distribution of any controlled substance in or on the premises of any Residential Life-owned or - operated facility or dining location is prohibited without proper prescription, required license or as expressly permitted by law or university regulations. Any possession of drug paraphernalia is not permitted. As UMSL is also a smoke-free campus, the possession or use of cigarettes, vapes (or any ENDS), cigars, hookahs, bidis and pipes is prohibited.
All ResLife-provided furniture, appliances, and structures in a room must remain in the room at all times. Furniture may be rearranged provided it follows all other safety procedures and University policies. Small nails and painter’s tape are permitted for use for temporary décor or functional fixtures.
- Students must maintain a clear path in and out of their room at all times.
- No item may be placed on or hung from pipes or sprinklers.
- No item may be attached, secured, or permanently affixed to furniture, doors, ceilings, floors, or walls.
- The use of wall or ceiling hooks, mirror tiles, plant hangers, paneling, belt and tie racks, wall coverings, screw-in hooks, carpet glue, black light paint, bolts, duct tape, stickers, glow in the dark stickers, glow in the dark crayons, paint, markers and staples are prohibited.
- Flags, nets, parachutes, sheets, tapestries or the like may not be hung from the ceiling or any fixture in the room, nor may any of these items be hung in such a manner that it obstructs the window or clear and easy access to and from the room. Additionally, no items may be hung or placed outside of the window.
- Drapes and/or curtains must be made of fire-resistant materials and must be hung utilizing tension or curtain rods.
- Vents shall not be covered and must be easily accessible
Each student, upon being admitted, is issued an UMSL e-mail account with an address in the umsl.edu domain. This is the account used for University business and official University communications to students via e-mail, including those concerning Residential Life and Housing. Students are expected to regularly check their UMSL account for University communications and are responsible for communications sent to this account. Communications sent to this account will be considered to have fulfilled any University obligation for notification.
Students who borrow or use available items from the Front Desk must return all items in their same condition within 24 hours. All cooking tools borrowed must be thoroughly washed, rinsed, and dried before return. Failure to return items within 24 hours or in their original condition may result in fines or other penalties.
No person shall leave, hang, or distribute any flyers, advertisements, marketing materials, publication, or copy on or in Oak Hall without prior approval from ResLife. Approval may be obtained by providing a digital copy of the material via email to umslreslife@umsl.edu and obtaining written consent of a professional staff member.
Gambling in any form is prohibited in and around Oak Hall or any Residential Life and Housing owned or operated facility.
All campus grilling must take place between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Portable and personal grills are prohibited. The individual reserving the space is responsible for safe behavior during the grilling event. The individual reserving the grill shall clean the grill and drip pan after use. Any damage to the grill and/or surrounding environment, or other policies violated in the course of grill use, will be referred to The Office of Student Conduct and may result in fines or other sanctions.
When being addressed by a University staff member, whether full-time professional or student employee, residents and their guest(s) must comply with all orders related to policy and procedure in a timely and respectable manner.
It is the responsibility of each resident to report maintenance concerns that exist in their room or suite or have been observed in a public area in or around Oak Hall. Residents who do not immediately report broken, damaged, inoperable, or malfunctioning equipment, devices, furniture, structures, or other property of Residential Life and Housing may be financially liable for additional damage caused by delayed reporting.
Residents of University Housing are not permitted to carry on any organized business from their room or within any on-campus residential area. No sign, advertisement, or announcement promoting such business may be displayed on the outside or inside of any University Housing building or premises.
The Oak Hall pool is free for any resident and their guest(s) to use. No lifeguard will be on duty at any time and residents and guests are responsible for their own safety. No person shall, while in or around the pool, behave in such a way that interferes with other’s ability to swim, lounge, or otherwise equally enjoy the premises. This includes but is not limited to maintaining reasonable noise levels and respecting personal space. No minor guest or inexperienced swimmer shall be in the pool without adult supervision.
The following items are not allowed in Oak Hall: dart boards, candles, incense, wax warmers, toaster ovens, pizza ovens, coffee pots, George Foreman grills, hot plates, popcorn poppers, hot pots, crock pots, rice steamers, blenders, toasters, space heaters, halogen or lava lamps, personal WIFI routers, boosters, or splitters, and 3D printers.
Items such as skateboards, roller skates, rollerblades, scooters, frisbees, foam-firing guns, and water guns or the like may be stored within a resident’s room but may not be used inside the residence hall.
Oak Hall Quiet Hours are as follows:
- Sunday to Thursday: 10:00 p.m. – 9:00 a.m.
- Friday to Saturday: 12:00 a.m. (Midnight) – 9:00 a.m.
- Finals Week (beginning 5:00 p.m. the Friday before): 24 hours
Any activity that produces noise that interferes with quiet hours is prohibited. Violations of quiet hours will be documented and may result in disciplinary action. Courtesy hours are in effect 24 hours/day and refers to the time outside of the listed quiet hours in which all residents are expected to be sensitive of the noise that they make, and how it could negatively contribute to the communal living environment.
Students who tamper with smoke detectors and/or fire prevention equipment are subject to a fine and/or disciplinary action, and/or criminal action, and/or a combination of the remedies listed. If a student is found responsible for tampering with fire safety equipment, their housing contract will be terminated immediately, and they will be held financially responsible for the remainder of their contract.
Under no circumstances may anyone store personal property in Oak Hall or any Residential Life and Housing owned or operated facility. Personal belongings may only be kept in a resident’s room for the dates of their active contract or dates provided by Residential Life and Housing professional staff.
Residents shall routinely remove personal trash from their room and/or suite to prevent unwanted odors and the attraction of pests. Residents shall not leave any trash anywhere but a trash receptacle. All trash shall be disposed of in size- appropriate and tied trash bags and discarded in the basement level garbage bins. Residents who leave trash in their room or suite at the time of checkout will be financially responsible for the cleanup and disposal of these items.
Vandalism, whether deliberate or reckless, is the destruction or damage to Oak Hall or private property and is expressly prohibited. This includes but is not limited to furniture, structures, decorations, or the belongings of others in the building. Non- student guests who are found to have vandalized property may be prohibited from entering Oak Hall in the future, and the student hosting this guest may be responsible for damage or destruction caused, dependent on student conduct investigation and findings.
The possession or use of firearms, explosives, other weapons, or hazardous chemicals that violates federal or state law or applicable foreign law or University rules is prohibited anywhere on campus, including Oak Hall.