Expectations for Community Living

At Wagner, the Office of Residential Education is committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and inclusive community in the residence halls. In order to aid community members in contributing to this kind of environment, The Office of Residential Education would like to provide some tips and expectations for living among peers and friends. In addition to these resources, The Office of Residential Education also has a great team of student and professional staff that is able to support and challenge community members in these endeavors.

Community Standards are expectations for living, agreed upon by members of the residential community.  These expectations should outline how members of the community will relate and treat one another. It is important to remember our behavior impacts other people, and in the same way, the behavior of other people affects us. We hope community standards provide students with a framework for taking responsibility or authority for creating a community that meets everyone’s needs.

Policies are expectations set forth by Wagner College that help the community maintain basic health and safety and abide by city and state laws.  It is important to note that students are held accountable for policy violations through the Student Conduct Process. Community standards are best executed when the residents agree on a way to hold one another accountable. For example, if a student violates the fire safety policy by covering a smoke detector, a Student Conduct Administrator will follow up with that student. If a student violates the community standard of failure to remove their shower caddy from the bathroom when they exit the bathroom, a Student Conduct Administrator will not follow up. Rather, the community should have an agreement about how best to address this concern.

The Res Ed student staff members are excellent resources in guiding the community in the development of these standards. Each RA will work with their community to create realistic and specific standards. RAs are also trained to help students advocate for themselves and address conflicts within the community.

We want all students to understand their role and stake in the community that they live in. As a community member, you should feel safe, respected, and included in the residence halls. If something a community member or guest does is not in alignment with the Wagner College policy, we expect that this behavior can be addressed by a witness bringing the action to the attention of an administrator or RA.  If something a community member or guest does is not in alignment with that community’s standards, we hope this behavior can be addressed by students holding one another accountable.

It is the responsibility of all members of the Wagner community to respect and safeguard the property of others as well as the resources of the College itself (this includes grounds and residence halls). College resources are provided for the benefit of the community and must be maintained and preserved.

The common area damage policy is one that stresses student responsibility. The areas in the residence halls are part of our community, and we expect students to take responsibility for areas like hallways, lounges, and bathrooms. The residents of an area affected by vandalism or damage are charged restitution only when the responsible person can not be identified and billed for damages. This is done as a last resort because we expect individuals to accept responsibility for the damages they cause. We also expect persons living in an affected area to assist in identifying these people. In addition, our staff makes every effort to find the responsible person.

Wagner’s Office of Residential Education requires each residential student to make a $400 Housing Deposit. Community members will be notified of damage charges that will be applied to their account. At the end of each academic year, damages that have accumulated will be taken out of each resident’s housing deposit. Charges that accumulate to more than $400 will be owed to the College. When charges accumulate to less than $400, the difference will be refunded to the student.

 

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