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Residents who are of legal drinking age (21) may possess and consume alcoholic beverages, but only as a private activity in their own private living areas (room and/or suite/apartment). Residents are legally responsible for their actions in all mental and physical conditions including those induced by alcoholic beverages. Residents who display intoxicated behaviors (examples may include glazed eyes, stumbling, and slurred speech) that make it reasonable to believe they consumed alcohol, or residents who require assistance due to consumption of alcohol, shall be subject to student conduct action. Also, refer to the Georgia Tech Alcohol and Drug Policy. Georgia Tech also prohibits the following:

1. The use/possession of alcohol by anyone under the legal drinking age of 21.
2. The transport, possession and/or consumption of alcohol in opened containers in any public area including any property that surrounds a residence hall.
3. The manufacture or sale of alcohol.
4. Failure to abide by the Institute’s policy on student organization use of alcohol.
5. Disorderly conduct associated with the use of alcoholic beverages.
6. Behavior, while under the influence of alcohol, that endangers any person.
7. Providing alcohol to anyone under the legal drinking age of 21.
8. Common containers (such as kegs, party balls, trash cans, etc.). Beverages must be used in individual containers. The possession or presence of empty alcohol containers in rooms where any resident is under the age of 21, even if the alcohol container is intended for decoration.
9. The policy prohibits residents and non-residents from consuming or possessing alcohol in the room or common areas where an underage (21) resident(s) or non-resident(s) is present. If an underage resident or guest is present, of age residents and/or non-residents may consume alcohol only in the private bedroom where the resident(s) and individuals of the bedroom are of legal drinking age. Students who are of legal drinking age (21), but live with underage students (under 21) in the same bedroom, must ensure that underage residents or guests do not gain access to alcohol the of age resident possesses or owns.

The Department of Housing and Residence Life expects all residents to take ownership for their living area by properly caring for, maintaining, and respecting Housing, Institute and state property. Residents will be charged with the cost of restoring to its proper condition any property, which through their negligence or misuse has been damaged or is missing. All such damages should be reported to a Housing and Residence Life staff member. When individual responsibility cannot be assigned, the members of the group to whom a space has been assigned or property supplied may be charged (as individuals) for the cost of repairs or replacement, and may be subject to disciplinary action. Also, refer to the Housing Contract for collective liability. The following are considered damage to property:

1. Destroying, removing and/or vandalizing individual or Institute property, equipment or furnishings including but not limited to plants, window screens, pictures, public space furniture, hallways, walls, elevators, fitness center equipment, and individual room furniture.
2. Tampering with television, Ethernet and/or telephone equipment in the residential areas.

The Department of Housing and Residence Life strives to facilitate the development of responsible communities in and around the residential facilities. To this end, the following are defined as disorderly conduct:

1. Disrupting any student’s attempt to study or sleep and/or disrupting residential activities. This includes the violation of noise policies.
2. Impeding vehicular traffic on or near the residential facilities.
3. Disrupting and/or obstructing administrative functions by blocking reasonable access to or exit from any residential facility or building on campus.
4. Behaving in a publicly lewd or indecent manner in any campus area.
5. Scaling building exteriors or accessing unauthorized areas including, but not limited to attics, roofs, utility rooms, ledges and windows.
6. Shouting out of the windows of our residential facilities.
7. Playing sports or using sport equipment in the hallways or common areas (examples include but are not limited to Frisbees, footballs, golf balls, basketball, baseball, and softball)
8. Engaging in activity of any nature that leads to the disruption to the community or a resident.

Georgia Tech and the Department of Housing and Residence Life prohibit:

1. Selling, possessing, furnishing, or using any substance currently classified as a dangerous drug by the Georgia Controlled Substance Act or classified as illegal by state or federal law.
2. Possession of paraphernalia used for drug use.

Violations include:

1. Placing another person in reasonable fear of their personal safety through words or actions directed at that person, or substantially interfering with the working, learning, or living environment of that person.
2. Unjustifiably pushing, striking, or otherwise intentionally causing reasonable apprehension of such harm to any person.
3. Behavior that endangers any person(s), including self.

Residents are responsible for the safety of their room keys and other access materials. Thus:

1. Residents may not loan, duplicate, misuse, or give their residence hall keys or access cards to anyone at any time.
2. Loaner Keys and staff response to lock outs are provided for safety and customer service. A student may not check out a loaner key or call for a staff response to a lock out more than three times per semester.

All Residents are expected to respect the rights of others by refraining from making loud noises or causing other disturbances that interfere with study or sleep. The right to have a quiet environment supersedes the right to make noise.

All residents are expected to respect 24-hour courtesy hours. If a student makes a reasonable request of another student to be less noisy, that student should comply. No disturbing or unreasonable noise should be heard outside of a student’s room/suite/apartment. Noise generated by activities in common areas is acceptable provided it is associated with the area’s intended purpose.
Campus-wide Quiet Hours are 10:00 p.m. until 10:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 12:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Changes to Quiet Hours can be voted on by Hall Council members, but changes can only increase the number of quiet hours, not decrease them. Until this occurs, Campus-wide Quiet hours will be in effect.
During exam periods, Quiet Hours are extended to 24 hours. This regulation also applies to areas outside the residence halls, residence hall lobbies and common spaces.
In the event that a person or a group makes a disturbance, staff will ask persons to disperse and may seek disciplinary action against violators. Examples of a disturbance include but are not limited to game playing, high volume on TV/stereo, yelling loudly, and/or the playing of musical instruments.

Residents are expected to comply with and respond appropriately to the reasonable and lawful requests of Institute officials in the performance of their duties. Violations include:

1. Failure to comply with official requests made by Residence Hall Staff, GT Police, and/or other emergency personnel.
2. Failure to provide proper identification when asked.
3. Giving false and/or inaccurate information.
4. Use or possession of fake identification.

Housing does not permit residents to have pets, other than harmless aquatic fish. The fish can reside in an aquarium no larger than 10 gallons in our residential facilities. This does not apply to emotional support and service animals that have been approved by the Office of Disability Services. Animals registered by the Georgia Tech Office of Disability Services, such as seeing-eye dogs, are the only exceptions.

Violations Include:

1. Lack of adherence to the Georgia Institute of Technology Service and Emotional Support Animal: Student’s Responsibility and Guidelines Agreement.

Georgia Tech is a tobacco-free campus in adoption of the Georgia Board of Regents’ tobacco and Smoke-Free Campus Policy. The goal of this policy is to protect and improve the health, comfort and environment of students, employees and any persons occupying University System of Georgia (USG) campuses. Georgia Tech supports healthy lifestyles but understands that using tobacco is a personal choice. The Tobacco-Free Campus Policy does not require residents to quit using tobacco; however, the policy does prohibit the use and possession of tobacco products. “Tobacco Products” is defined as cigarettes, cigars, pipes, all forms of smokeless tobacco, clove cigarettes, and any other smoking devices that use tobacco, such as hookahs, or simulate the use of tobacco, such as electronic cigarettes.

The Department of Housing and Residence Life prohibits any and all commercial solicitation in all residential facilities, unless explicitly authorized by the Department of Housing and Residence Life. This includes but is not limited to, the posting of unauthorized advertisements, door-to-door, and phone solicitation. Providing access to solicitors either physically and/or electronically is prohibited.

In order to promote the safety and security of building occupants, these behaviors are prohibited:

1. The misuse fire-safety equipment, including but not limited to fire extinguishers, hoses, horns, bells, conduit sections, alarm-pull trigger devices, pulling fire alarms, fire sprinklers, central-relay control bases, and glass covers for fire extinguishers.
2. The misuse of safety equipment, including but not limited to ground level security screens or roof access doors (except in cases of emergencies), removing insect screens or tampering with window or door hardware.
3. Entering or exiting an “emergency exit only” door during a non-emergency situation.
4. Damaging or removing window stops from any building.
5. Starting a fire.
6. Obstructing entryways, hallways, sidewalks, or stairwells that might impede the evacuation from a building during an emergency.
7. Securing bicycles to hand rails in stairwells or any other indoor or outdoor residential location that might impede the evacuation from a building during an emergency.
8. Possessing of chemicals or substances which are potentially dangerous or highly flammable, including but not limited to gasoline, propane, lighter fluid, and torches.
9. Throwing or projecting any object or liquid into or out of windows.
10. Leaving a cooking appliance on and unattended.
11. Failing to vacate the building when the fire alarm system is activated.
12. Propping exterior entrance doors.
13. Affixing, propping, or placing objects on the exterior of the building (but not limited to satellite dishes, plants, lights and/or holiday decorations). This includes hanging objects out of windows or other unauthorized displays on state property.
14. Storing property on exterior window ledge, or entering/exiting a building through an exterior window ledge except in case of an emergency.
15. Allowing non-residents access to the building (tailgating or piggy-backing).
16. Leaving, placing, or disposing of trash in the hallway or other common areas of a residential building.
17. Storing, leaving, possessing or placing motorcycles, mopeds, or other gasoline or battery operated (including, without limitation, dockless vehicle, hovercraft, moped, scooter, skateboard etc.) means of transportation in bike racks, bike rooms, bike storage, buildings, or rooms.

Residents are encouraged to personalize their rooms and make them feel as comfortable as possible. However, to ensure the safety and security of all residents, occupants are expected to comply with the Department of Housing and Residence Life’s Fire Safety regulations that are outlined above.

Also, the following behaviors are strictly prohibited:

1. Using items that are potentially dangerous and/or flammable, including but not limited to: halogen-torchiere lamps, improper wiring, fireworks, the use of open flames (including candles, incense) and open element appliances, toaster ovens, toasters, air-fryers and deep fryers, instant pots/pressure cookers. Electrical items other than clocks, radios, stereo equipment, televisions, computers, or other low-wattage appliances. Microwave ovens must use less than 10 amps of power. Mini refrigerators must be 4.5 cubic feet or smaller.
2. Creating or allowing excessive trash in a room or personal trash in common areas in or out of the building which could be considered hazardous to health and well-being of all residents. All trash should be disposed of in a designated dumpster, trash room (in North Avenue) or recycling bin.
3. Possessing or using of a waterbed within any apartment, traditional, or suite-style building.
4. Removing furniture in a room, bedroom, or living room. If a student wishes to supplement GT furnishings, they may do so only if the original furniture stays in the room.
5. Constructing lofts or platforms in any residence hall space.

Georgia Tech Housing regulations prohibit:

1. Using of any weapon or object as a weapon that can cause bodily harm either to the bearer or another individual. The context in which a particular object was used will determine whether it is a weapon.
2. Possession in the residential areas (this includes the residence halls and surrounding areas such as sidewalks, and parking garages) of any object designed to inflict injury. *Included in this category (but not limited to) are firearms, explosives, fireworks, incendiary devices, bows and cross bows, arrows, and bolts, pellet guns, B.B. guns, blow guns, stun guns, swords or other sharp blades, nun chucks, throwing stars, spear guns, tear gas, explosive chemicals, switch blades, paint ball guns, air soft guns, and ammunition associated with weapons. This list is not meant to be exclusive. The Department of Housing and Residence Life reserves the right to determine if an object is a weapon. Electroshock weapons (Tasers), meeting state Board of Regent specifications, are exempt from this policy.

Violations include:

1. Stealing from another person, group of people, the Department of Housing and Residence Life or Institute any property or services.
2. Embezzling, defrauding or procuring any money, goods, or services under false pretense.
3. Purchasing or receiving property, money or services knowing them to have been stolen or embezzled.
4. Issuing a check knowing that it will not be honored when presented for payment.
5. Unauthorized entry into a building, resident room/suite/apartment, office or other facility.
6. Entering another student’s assigned residential space without them present, whether through access or through knowledge of ability to access.
7. Conveying false information for the purpose of cheating or defrauding any person or obtaining money, property or information to which the individual is not privileged or entitled.
8. Theft or unauthorized possession of personal or institute property is prohibited.
9. Unauthorized use of information technology, per Georgia Tech’s Office of Information Technology policies.
10. Failing to abide by the Housing Space Reservation policy.

Residents may allow guests to visit their assigned residential space with agreement from the other residents in their room/suite/apartment. Roommates, suitemates, and apartment mates have the veto power over any guests. Residents are expected to accompany their guests at all times and accept responsibility for their behavior. Hosts should meet their guests at the building entrance and escort their guests at all times while in the building. At no time should any resident provide entrance to the building to someone who is not his or her guest. Visitation privileges may be revoked for individuals or groups who violate the visitation policies. Hall councils and roommates may develop rules that are supplementary to, but not in conflict, with the established guidelines. In order to facilitate safety and privacy, the following behaviors are prohibited:

Use of community bathrooms by members of the opposite sex.
Guest(s) (including other GT residents) staying in a resident’s room more than three consecutive nights in a seven-day period, or more than 10 nights per semester. Residents must always have their roommate(s)’s permission for overnight guests.
Proceeding or allowing guests to proceed through any residential facility in which they are not assigned or are unauthorized to access.
Hosting a guest who violates Housing or Institute policy.

Violation of any policy and/or provision within the Housing Contract that is not explicitly stated in the Guide to Community Living