Washington College educates its students in the broadest sense. Living in a residence hall augments learning gained in the classroom. Living on campus also provides students with many opportunities to create rich and rewarding relationships with other students, especially those formed by involvement in social and educational activities outside the classroom. Students have a unique opportunity to shape their community while living and learning with peers.

All students have the right to expect that residence halls will be reasonably quiet and well maintained. The College recognizes that a student’s residence hall is his/her “home away from home” and should be treated as such. The College assumes the responsibility for maintaining the buildings, and students must assume responsibility for the reasonable use of these facilities and for establishing a positive atmosphere where all students may study, sleep and live. Students who violate the spirit of the residence hall system or violate the rights of other students are subject to disciplinary action.

All matriculating, full-time students are required to live on campus during their enrollment. Fourth-year students with senior credit standing, a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA, and good social and academic standing, both on and off campus, are eligible to apply for an exemption to this requirement.

Visit the Residence Life website

On-Campus Residential Life Policy

Residential Students need to refer to the Guide to Living on Campus for all policies relating to living in the residence halls.

Residential Life Staff

Residential Life is staffed with professional and paraprofessional student staff who provide supervision, guidance, and support to individual students, floor and hall communities.  

Director of Residential Life:  

Responsibilities include overseeing all day-to-day activities of the area to include room assignments, collaboration with other areas of the college to include Public Safety, Student Engagement, Building and Grounds and other areas that impact the student experience. The Director assists in student conduct, resolving lower- level policy violations. The Director of Residential Life supervises both professional and paraprofessional staff.  

Community Coordinator:  

Responsibilities include supervision of RAs, support of residents and helping to foster communities within the buildings, to include policy enforcement. This staff also support the office of residential life in assisting with administrative duties.  

Senior RAs are experienced, upper-class student leaders trained to provide additional support and supervision to RAs and supervision to a portion of the RA staff. They assist in major departmental programs and initiatives.  

Resident Assistants (RAs) and Community Assistants (CAs) are assigned to a floor or a residence hall. The RAs help build a community within the residence halls by getting to know residents, upholding policies, and planning floor and hall activities. RAs/CAs understand the College’s mission, procedures, policies, and the Honor Code and are instrumental in working with residents to shape community standards and respectful behavior. 

Off-Campus Living

Washington College students can contribute greatly to the Chestertown community when engaged in positive activities and respectful relationships with neighbors.  As noted previously in this Student Handbook, Washington College has a four-year residency requirement.   An exception to this is students who are commuting from their primary residence, which must be located within 30 miles of the campus.  Additionally, the college will review Special Exemptions based on unique circumstances to include financial, Age, health, mental health and marital status.   

As members of the Chestertown community, Washington College students are expected to comply with all local ordinances and town, state, and federal laws. Students are also expected to demonstrate responsible citizenship off campus and behave in a manner that is considerate of their neighbors. Neighbors have a right to the peaceful enjoyment of their property and to protect their property investment. Any student who engages in disruptive, disorderly, or destructive behavior off campus will be held accountable by Washington College. 

If a citation is issued or a nuisance call/complaint is made regarding an off-campus house owned, rented, or leased by Washington College students, the tenants of the residence will be held accountable by the Washington College Honor Code in addition to the civic authority. All tenants, whether present or not at the incident resulting in a neighbor complaint or a police or Public Safety response, are responsible for behavior that takes place at their dwelling. 

Individual Student Behavior 

Any off-campus student who violates community standards or is involved in a single serious incident may be required to move into on-campus housing with all associated costs being the student’s responsibility. Students who already reside on campus will be held accountable for behavior off campus. 

Chronic Nuisance Properties

Any off-campus student who is a tenant of a house deemed a chronic nuisance property by the town or College will be required to move into on-campus housing with all associated costs being the student’s responsibility.

In accordance with Chestertown Ordinance:

59-4 , Conditions Constituting a Nuisance

1. A disorderly house nuisance is a dwelling, as defined in this chapter, where any of the following has occurred within a 365-day period.
2. Two or more calls for police service that result in criminal arrests, criminal citations, criminal indictments, criminal warrants, criminal summonses, civil citations or civil summonses arising out of separate and distinct facts and disturbances (as defined by the statutes of the state and/or the ordinances of the town or of the county) which occur at a dwelling or on property in close proximity to a dwelling:
3. Two or more violations of Chapter 45 of the Town Code relating to alcoholic beverages arising of separate and distinct facts and circumstances;
4. Two or more violations of Chapter 68 or Chapter 117 of the Town Code relating to nuisances, arising out of separate and distinct facts and circumstances;
5. Two or more violations of Chapter 54, Chapter 135 or 159 of the Town Code relating to property maintenance, arising out of separate and distinct facts and circumstances;
6. Two or more violations of Chapter 170 of the Town Code relating to zoning, arising out of separate and distinct facts and circumstances; or
7. A combination of two incidents from any of the above categories, arising out of separate and distinct facts and circumstances.

Policy and Expectations

1. General care and upkeep of the residence
   Care and maintenance of a rental property is expected to be consistent with and blend in with owner-occupied homes in the neighborhood. Since many student-rented houses are in the historic district, this is particularly important.
2. Behaviors that may be illegal, disruptive, and/or disrespectful.
   Students should be particularly aware of the following behaviors.
   1. Use and misuse of alcohol
      1. Use or possession of alcohol by underage students
      2. Providing or distributing alcohol to underage students and non-students
      3. Carrying open containers of alcohol on sidewalks and streets
      4. Possession or use of fake IDs
      5. Excessive noise associated with the service of alcohol to large groups
   2. Noise and/or disruption while traveling in and through a neighborhood
      Chestertown is a pedestrian-friendly town, and the proximity of the college to the center of town and other amenities encourages walking. As students travel through the various neighborhoods in town, they should conduct themselves in a manner that does not disrupt the area. Noise, littering, public intoxication and urination, etc. disturb and create an unsafe environment for residents.
      
      The following behaviors may be disruptive and/or illegal:
      1. When people travel in large groups, they typically become louder. Excessive noise associated with travel in large groups ads to the nuisance level. Conversing with raised voices, yelling, and screaming at any time of day or night are disruptive.
      2. Public urination
      3. Littering
   3. Parties at student-owned or rented houses
      Students hosting parties at off-campus houses are responsible for the size of the party, the activities occurring at and associated with the location, and the impact on the neighborhood, particularly in regard to noise, trash, and vandalism.
      
      Parties at student houses can generate disturbances in the neighborhood and surrounding areas. In particular, excessive noise is often generated by people on the porch and/or an outside area of the house, and by large groups traveling to and leaving from the party.
      
      “Progressive” or “around-the-world”-type parties involving alcohol can, by their nature, be especially disruptive to neighborhoods. Any housing location participating as a host “stop” can be held accountable for planned excessive disruption to the neighborhood and the surrounding area.
   4. Noise
      Students who reside off campus, as well those who reside off campus but are traveling through a neighborhood, must abide by all Chestertown ordinances regarding noise. Specifically:
      
      117-5: Noise generated from sources used for entertainment purposes or group noise purposes.
      1. Prohibited noise:
         The noise created by groups or individuals in a building or other structure or outside a building or other structure on public or private property and the sound can be heard more than 50 feet away from the building or structure beyond the boundaries of the property surrounding such building or structure, whichever is greater or measuring above 65 decibels in the daytime or 55 decibels at night. Noise generated by altercations, parties, social events, rallies, meetings or other celebrations are included in this section to the disturbance of the citizens residing in the area.
      2. Presumptions:
         Where the source of the prohibited noise, as set forth in division (4-A) of this section, is located in a building or other structure, the owner, occupant, resident, manager or other person in possession of the premises shall, if present, be presumed to have permitted the noise in violation of this section in the absence of evidence to the contrary.
   5. Trash/Litter
      Students, either living off campus or passing through residential neighborhoods, are expected to follow town ordinances regarding garbage and litter. For off-campus student rental or student-owned properties, it is expected that residents will collect and dispose of garbage as required by the town and maintain a property free of loose garbage, recyclables, or litter. This includes storage of items on porches, yards or driveways.
      
      Ordinance 85-1, Trash: Waste material or objects, including bulk trash and garbage, that has been discarded or apparently discarded by its owner and its existence on public and private property is subject to penalties prescribed in this and other town ordinances.
      1. Cans, bottles, cups, food containers and food should be disposed of in trashcans or recycled as appropriate. Improper disposal of food waste, including pizza, wings and their containers, invites pest animals to infest that home, yard and surrounding areas.
      2. Residents should not store trash on porches, including household trash and indoor furniture such as couches and recliners.
   6. Other
      1. Vandalism to public and private property: Students who engage in vandalism of public or private property off campus will be held accountable.
      2. Vehicles: Students living in or visiting need to follow all parking restrictions. Students should be aware that parking in some neighborhood streets is for residents only. Even on streets without such restrictions, students should be aware that the vehicles of their guests regularly parked on the street may be problematic for their neighbors. Also, at no time can one or multiple vehicles impede traffic or be parked in such a manner as to block the passage of another vehicle, including emergency vehicles.
         
         Ordinance 160-5, (A) All vehicles within the town shall be driven and parked on the right-hand side of the street, unless a street or avenue is designated by a sign to be for one-way traffic. At any time that it shall become necessary, the Mayor and Council may mark and designate areas which may become congested for parking restrictions, banning parking altogether if necessary. No automobile or other vehicle shall stop in any street, avenue, or highway in a manner so as to hinder or delay traffic or passage, and the Police Department is empowered to enforce this provision by impounding the vehicle.