Rules & Regulations

The Undergraduate Halls (the “Halls”) form a living-learning community made up of individuals with both rights and responsibilities. Residents are expected to help to cultivate a stimulating, congenial and mutually supportive environment in the Halls and get involved actively in a wide variety of learning experiences along different themes of hall life. It is hoped that students will become well-rounded in their personal, intellectual, social and career development through the process.

1. Interpretation In these Terms and Conditions:

“Halls” means all on-campus residential accommodation for students under the management of the University.

“Hall Management” means any person authorized by the Director of Student Affairs, including but not limited to the Student Housing Manager, Resident Masters and Resident Community Officers, to perform functions and duties in relation to the management of the Halls.

“Resident” means a student of the University or any other person who is residing or who has accepted an offer of residence in a Hall.

2. Compliance with Terms and Conditions

i. Residents shall use the Hall premises for domestic purpose only. Commercial activities are not allowed in the premises without prior permission of the Hall Management. Subletting of Hall places is not allowed and may lead to expulsion from the University.

ii. Residents shall observe and comply with the terms and conditions herein, Residents’ Code and Hall Rules, any reasonable order of the Resident Master, and where appropriate, the Standards of Conduct and General Regulations of the University.

3. Hall Admission

i. Application for hall residence shall be made in the manner prescribed by the University. Provision of false information in the application may lead to disqualification of the application and/or disciplinary action as appropriate.

ii. The Hall Management shall, in accordance with regulations and procedures approved by the University, admit Residents for one Academic Year or for such period as may be prescribed as appropriate.

4. Payment of Hall Charges

Hall fee shall cover charges for accommodation in a standard bedroom to be shared with another Resident on a double/triple-occupancy basis within the specified time-period and shall exclude charges for air-conditioning, laundry and other facilities of which separate charges are applicable. Residents who occupy another bed in a room for storage or otherwise without proper authorisation will be required to pay a rent of HK$50 per day for that extra bed.

5. Privileges of Residents

Residents who have paid all appropriate hall charges or who have been permitted to make a deferred payment shall be entitled to reside in the Halls during the agreed period. Notwithstanding this, the Hall Management shall have the right in assigning residents to any beds based on operational reason.

6. Visitors

Subject to Residents’ Codes, Residents may invite visitors to the Halls. Residents shall accompany their visitors throughout their visits to the Halls and be responsible for the acts of their visitors.

7. Responsibilities for Injury and Damage

i. Residents shall make good or pay for any damage to furniture, fittings, fabric and property of the Halls for which they are responsible, normal wear and tear excepted.

ii. Residents shall take good care of anything they bring into the Halls. Personal belongings left unattended in public areas will be confiscated without prior notice. The confiscated items will be kept by the Hall Management for 7 calendar days, after which any unclaimed items will be disposed of. Residents who wish to retrieve the confiscated items will be charged an administrative fee in accordance with the List of Miscellaneous Fees and Charges. Residents who are reported leaving personal belongings in the common areas will be recorded demerit points according to the Demerit Point Scheme. Neither the University, the Halls nor the Hall Management shall be responsible for any loss of or damage to any property, goods, articles or things whatsoever brought into the halls by the residents.

8. Inspection of Rooms

The Hall Management reserves the right to authorise entry into any rooms in the Halls with or without prior notification to ensure proper care, maintenance and safety of the facilities; to carry out routine cleaning; to make necessary repairs; and to investigate violations of the terms and conditions herein, Residents' Code, Hall Rules or University Standards of Conduct. Advance notice for room entry will be made as far as practicable.

9. Relocation of Rooms

For the sake of efficient utilisation of resources and to facilitate timely repairs to the rooms, the Hall Management reserves the right to relocate residents to other rooms within the Halls by normally serving the latter at least five days' notice in advance.

10. Vacating Rooms and Removal of Property

Immediately after the termination of residence, Residents shall have their rooms vacated and all personal properties removed from the rooms. Residents who fail to remove all their belongings from their rooms and complete the check-out procedures upon expiry of residence will be required to pay a penalty of HK$600 per day, which will continue until the completion of check-out. They will also be recorded 16 demerit points and disqualified from future hall applications. All items left behind will be disposed of at the prevailing charge. The University shall not be liable for any loss of or damage to such property whatsoever.

11. Discipline

i. The Hall Management is authorised by the University to take disciplinary action against any Resident for violation of the terms and conditions herein, Residents' Code, Hall Rules or University Standards of Conduct.

ii. No refund of any hall fees will be made for early termination of residence by the Residents. *Partial refund of hall fees will be considered for suspension or termination imposed as a disciplinary sanction.

*Residents who have completed shorter than 50% of the paid residential period can be considered for a refund of no more than 50% of the residual hall fees from the actual check-out date.

12. Termination of Residence

i. Residents who are absent from the Halls for more than 20 consecutive nights* within any period of 30 calendar days may be terminated of residence.
* Except for absences during the period between the first date of examination in the First Semester and the commencement date of the Second Semester.

ii. Student residents shall no longer have the right to reside in the Halls if they, for whatever reasons, cease to be students of the University. In such case, they shall vacate the room and remove all personal properties in the room immediately after the termination of residence.

13. Review of Residents' Code and Hall Rules

Residents’ Code and Hall Rules may be reviewed and amended by the Student Affairs Committee from time to time as it deems appropriate.

Note: As students of the University, residents shall also observe University Standards of Conduct at all times.

Preamble
For educational purposes and well-being of the resident community, disciplinary action against violation of Hall Rules, Terms and Conditions of Hall Residence and Residents' Code is necessary. Currently, the established disciplinary procedures are fair but quite tedious, even if the violation is minor and common. In order to shorten the disciplinary procedures for common and relatively minor violations without compromising fairness or sacrificing rigours, a demerit point scheme is introduced.

It should be noted that the demerit point scheme is NOT a replacement of Hall Disciplinary Actions, and is implemented in parallel with the established disciplinary procedures as deemed necessary by the Resident Masters.

Demerit Points
Please note that all demerit points recorded after 1 Jan 2009 under the Demerit Points Scheme will be accumulated and taken into consideration when a student applies for hall residence again during his/her study in the University. It will result in the deduction of the overall hall admission marks by the following percentages:

The Demerit Points for common violations are listed in the following table. For each violation or offence, the maximum demerit point is given. The actual number of points to be recorded will be decided based on the circumstances of each case.

Implementation Procedures

1. The Resident Community Officers, in consultation with the respective Resident Master, will decide on the points to be recorded and be responsible for keeping records.
2. The resident shall be notified of the points recorded and reminded not to commit the offence again.
3. Depending on the nature of the offence, additional penalty may be imposed on top of the points recorded.
4. The list of demerit points is not exhaustive. A Resident Master or the Hall Disciplinary Panel may hand down additional demerit points or penalties.
5. When sixteen (16) or more demerit points are incurred by a resident within a period of 12 months, a Hall Disciplinary Panel will be set up to review and confirm if the resident should be suspended from hall residence, and if so, the length of suspension.

Appeal
Residents may lodge an appeal to the Resident Master against the demerit points recorded. The Resident Master may convene a Hall Disciplinary Panel to hear the case.

Residence Life is an integral part of Whole Person Education.  Through the daily interaction with people from different backgrounds, residents can develop different kinds of life skills, including the skills to understand, respect and resolve differences.  To maintain the living environment for the comfort of all residents, residents should observe the guidelines on sound generation on domestic floors:

• Residents may meet with one another anytime in the lounges or common rooms of the Halls. However, to show respect for other residents' right to rest, residents shall not stay inside other residents' bedroom between 1 a.m. to 7 a.m., unless consent has been obtained from the residents of the visiting room. Both the host residents and the visiting residents shall be held responsible for any violation to this rule. (Residents’ Code clause 11)
• The period between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. is regarded as Quiet Hours of the Halls. (Residents’ Code clause 12.1)
•  At all times, residents shall keep their noise level at a reasonable level so as not to cause nuisance to their neighbours. (Residents’ Code clause 12.2)
• During study and examination periods, Quiet Hours may be extended to 24 hours a day. Notice of such study and examination periods will be posted on the bulletin boards. (Residents’ Code clause 12.)
   

  Guidelines on Resident Grievance related to Sound Level
  The Undergraduate Halls encourages frank and constructive dialogue between parties of different views to resolve conflicts and disputes.  On cases related to grievances on sound level at the Undergraduate Halls, students should first try to resolve their grievances through discussion with the person who is most closely concerned with the subject matter.  Apologies and possible redress could help settle the grievances.
  
  However, in the event that a preferred mode of informal resolution fails, residents may make his/ her grievances heard by approaching the Hall Tutor.  Or when necessary, residents may approach their respective Resident Community Officer for guidance. As for grievances related to noise or excessive nuisance in the Undergraduate Halls which could not be resolved with the help of the Hall Tutor, residents may submit their grievances through an online form HERE.
  
  Resident Community Officer would follow up on the complaints received, and would call for a disciplinary panel when deemed necessary. Shall the accused resident be found guilty of the charge, the panel shall issue disciplinary warning, impose demerit point(s) or other additional penalties as determine appropriate by the panel.

The University is committed to the active pursuit of equal opportunity in all areas of its operation. Discrimination and harassment on the grounds of sex, pregnancy, marital status, disability, family circumstances and race are unlawful and will not be tolerated. For details, please refer to the website of Campus Life & Support Section. You may also refer to this leaflet on the prevention of sexual harassment.