General Catalog 2007-2009
Student Life programs and services are driven by the York College Mission, and the Student Affairs Division has as its primary goal a commitment to providing a campus environment that is developmental to student learning and student growth. The focus is on generating educational opportunities and wellness both in and outside the classroom and through all aspects of student campus life. These programs and services are directed and coordinated by the Student Affairs Division through Student Activities and Orientation, Athletics and Recreation, Residence Life, Career Services, Counseling Services, Health Services, Food Services, Multicultural Affairs, Religious Activities, Student Organizations, Judicial Affairs, and Volunteer Services. For more information about student life, please refer to the student handbook or visit Student Affairs on the YCP homepage.
The student at York College is a member of the academic community as well as the civil community. All students have the rights, duties and obligations associated with being a citizen in such communities. As legal adults, students are expected to obey civil law and accept personal responsibility for their behavior.
Residence Life and College Housing
Residence Life at York College is an integral part of
the college learning experience. The Residence Life program seeks to
provide a comfortable, safe living environment that is conducive to
supporting academic success, individual growth, and group interaction and
development. Residence Life fosters this environment through
initiatives and activities that promote the ideals of respect,
understanding and community. It is the belief of this office that diverse
students can learn to appreciate and respect one another, as well as
themselves, through residence hall living. Living on the York College
campus is a privilege and, in and of itself, a learning experience.
Residence Life Staff
Residence Life program is coordinated by the Dean of Student Affairs with the Director of Residence Life. Each residence hall complex is staffed with an Area Coordinator or Resident Director and one Resident Assistant for each area.
Area Coordinator/Resident Director
The Area Coordinator/Resident Director (AC/RD) is the “live-in” staff member who coordinates and supervises the overall operation of his or her residential area and is immediately responsible to the Assistant Director of Residence Life for On-Campus Housing. General functions of the Area Coordinator/Resident Director include ensuring the security of the hall, its residents, and guests, as well as the maintenance and cleanliness of the facility. Duties also include the execution of complete and efficient office and desk services, representing student needs in policy making and evaluation of the Residence Life program, and developing and coordinating social and educational experiences with students to supplement their academic work.
Resident Assistant
Each residence has a carefully selected staff of Resident Assistants (RAs) who work with their Area Coordinator/Resident Director in a team effort for total management of their facility.
The primary role of an RA is to assist in creating a living-learning experience for all residents. The atmosphere in each residence should enrich student growth and development, and should play a positive role in the student’s total educational experience. RAs help promote acceptable standards of living, community responsibility, and group interaction within the residence hall.
An RA performs numerous functions related to the management of the residence, but is also there to provide personal counsel for the students who need information, advice, or just a friend who will listen and care. RAs serve as a liaison between students and the College administration and share directly in the responsibility of upholding College policies and regulations. RAs serve a part of an on-call rotation, wherein each area of campus has at least two RAs on-duty every night of the week. While the RA enforces policy in the halls, students are expected to be considerate of one another, respect public and private property, and practice self-discipline. College policies are in place for the growth, development and protection of all students.
Community Assistant
Each area also has a Community Assistant, who will assist the Area Coordinator/Resident Director with overall operations of the residence area including assisting in the supervision of the front desk. In addition, they will assume the same responsibilities as an RA. These individuals have been on the Residence Life staff for at least one year.
Housing and Dining
The facilities listed below accommodate York College’s resident students. Many options are offered, both on main and the west campus, to meet the needs and interests of students in each class. The College’s residential facilities are designed to permit progressively greater independence for students as they progress through their years on campus.
A student who wishes to reside on campus or in College-owned or operated houses/apartments must submit a Housing Application/Contract Card and a $200 deposit ($100 tuition/$100 housing) to the Business Office. Space is assigned and housing is guaranteed for traditional age students according to a “first-come, first served” procedure based on the date your deposit is received. An early response may, therefore, assure the student of College housing.
Traditional Residence Hall Living
Living in a traditional residence hall means living in a community with approximately 120-180 other students, many of whom the student will initially not know. Additionally, the student will have a roommate with whom they would share their room. Living in a residence hall does not mean just living in a room on a floor where other people live in their own room. It means sharing the positive and challenging aspects of living together. The ideal residence hall environment is one in which all community members feel safe and respected, and conflict is handled through open communication and compromise.
Students have the choice to become as involved in their community as they wish. However involved the student chooses to become in their residence hall or floor community, they are always a member of that community and have a responsibility to live in a way that is respectful and considerate of those around them. It is important to remember that living in a traditional residence hall means living in community with a diverse group of other students.
Suite Living
Suites are occupied by predominantly freshman and transfer students. These five buildings feature suites of double- and triple-occupancy bedrooms (9-16 residents per floor) arranged around a common living area. Suite common areas are ideal for socializing with suitemates and studying, yet having a separate bedroom allows residents to still close their doors when they desire privacy to study privately or sleep. It is important to remember that the student and their roommate will likely have one set of expectations for one another, and it is likely that the student and their suitemates will have a slightly different set of expectations of each other as well. It is recommended to have a suite meeting at the beginning of the semester in order to agree upon these expectations. It is important to be clear about what the student expects from their fellow residents and to be willing to be flexible and respectful of others’ needs. This will be initiated by a member of the Residence Life Staff.
Apartment Living
Living in a College-owned apartment is completely different from living in a residence hall. The student will share the space with significantly fewer people, but it is important to remember that the student is still sharing your space. Some apartment-mates find that they quickly grow to feel like family. Others, do not have such a positive experience. Somewhere, there is a happy medium, and it is achievable through communication and clear boundary setting.
Apartment living can be filled with fun, and it is a great learning experience. Living in a smaller environment takes both awareness and balance. It is easy to feel isolated at times, so the students need to make sure that they are communicating with friends outside of their apartment. Also make certain that the apartment-mates do not fall into the all-too-simple trap of merely living together but not really talking. Discuss early on who is going to be responsible for what household chores or set up a rotation schedule. Housemates need to know things that drive one another crazy (like eating each others food or dishes in the sink), and it is important to be flexible about how to run the apartment. It is a good practice for future everyday living and we anticipate that this experience will help the student prepare for life after college.
Dining Services
Each year the College makes adjustment to its dining services in order to meet the needs of the current students. Students living in traditional and suite style residence halls are required to participate in a College meal plan. Please see the Residence Life webpage for updated meal plan requirements and options.
Facilities and Campus Accessibility
For information on York College’s facilities that address campus accessibility, individuals should contact the Dean of Campus Operations, Rm. 119 in the Miller Administration Building (Ext. 1548).
York College of Pennsylvania Housing and Residence Policy
1. First year through third year full-time students (less then 90 credits) of traditional college age including transfers and readmits (who have graduated from high school within four years) are required to live in YCP residence facilities or to commute from the home of a parent/guardian/relative until they have attained senior status, which is equivalent to 90 credits. Contracts are for the full academic year, including those that become part-time in the spring semester.
2. Students with 100 or more credits may apply to live on-campus. Housing is not guaranteed, and applications will be reviewed based on space. Priority will be given to students that will be living in College housing for the full academic year.
3. Eligible full-time students (90+ credits) may live off-campus, with the authorization of the Residence Life Office, in a dwelling unit which is not the domicile of a parent/guardian/relative if they:
a. Fill out and complete an off-campus application
b. are in good academic and discipline standing
c. the dwelling unit they plan to live in is licensed by the City of York or relevant municipality.
d. attend a mandatory meeting regarding off-campus housing policies and expectations.
e. confirm in writing their understanding that York College of Pennsylvania does not warrant the suitability or safety of the off-campus dwelling unit they plan to occupy and that the student is responsible to ascertain that the unit is suitable, safe, and in compliance with applicable law
4. Students with less then 90 credits may apply to live off-campus through the off-campus application process, which is based on credits. In addition, they must meet all of the criteria mentioned in bullet number three. Not all students that apply will receive permission to live off-campus. We discourage students from signing leases until they have been granted permission to reside off-campus. Please see off-campus application process section in the student handbook for full procedures.
5. On-campus students wishing to commute from the domicile of a parent/guardian/relative must request in writing to the Director of Residence life no later then February 15th of the current academic year. They must also live within 25 miles of York College of Pennsylvania. If a request after the 15th is made, you may be denied.
6. Violations of the Housing Policy (on and off campus) shall be adjudicated through College disciplinary channels. Residence Life encourages all students to be aware of their rights and responsibilities regarding occupancy and safety. These ordinances vary according to the municipality in which the home/apartment is located. Check with the local borough or township office for ordinances that apply to that locality.
Throughout the academic year the resident student (full or part-time status) is bound by his/her housing contract unless he/she is released by the Director of Residence Life.
Off-Campus Housing
Students that are eligible to live off-campus, as outlined through the housing policy, may live off-campus with the authorization from the Director of Residence Life or their designee. All students with less then 90 credits must apply to live off-campus through the off-campus application process. This process begins in December of the academic year and applications are typically made available the second week in December.
Students wishing to live off-campus will need to complete the following in order for their application to be considered complete: 1) Fill out the application completely 2) Select a licensed property within the area they are choosing to live, which will be verified 3) Attend one of the three mandatory meetings that are typically scheduled for late January and February. 4) Pay your housing deposit and submit housing card for the next academic year 5) Hand in the completed application.
Students are reminded that completely filling out and submitting an application does not guarantee them permission to live off-campus and Residence Life discourages students from signing leases until they have been granted permission to reside off-campus.
Applications are reviewed based on credit groupings similar to those when registering for classes. Within these groups, applications are in order of when they were received. The process is in place to allow students that have achieved academic seniority to have first priority when receiving permission to reside off-campus. The process is not based on the number of semesters that you have been attending York College. Each application is reviewed individually within each credit grouping, which means students within the same credit group stand a better chance of receiving permission at the same time. All applications must be received before the current year’s deadline to be fully considered for release. Notification will typically be made by York College email on or before April 15th of the current academic year.
Off-Campus Statement
The Residence Life Office does not publish a listing of off-campus housing. Publishing a listing would imply that Residence Life sanctions or approves off-campus facilities. A summary of the York City Housing Regulations is as follows:
The College has been advised officially by City authorities that City regulations prohibit more than two unrelated persons to inhabit a dwelling unit in the City’s residential neighborhoods. The point of this advisory is to provide advance notice that City zoning officers will be citing violating landlords and tenants on a regular basis and seeking to impose fines on such violators.
Students should take care to avoid residing in an off-campus “dwelling unit” with more than one other unrelated person, given the provisions of prevailing regulations and the chance that enforcement of such regulations could displace a person at a point in the academic year that would interfere with his/her studies.
Information regarding available off-campus accommodations can be located through the following sources:
- York Dispatch (Evening Paper)
- The York Daily Record (Morning Paper)
- The Community Courier
- Local real estate agencies - Rental Dept.
- Bulletin Board - various locations on campus
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