Housing

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The Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute is committed to student learning in and out of the classroom and thus supports the personal and leadership development of students through extracurricular activities. BAMSI’s housing philosophy is based on the belief that residence-hall living enhances education by contributing to an individual’s academic, social, and personal development. If residence halls are to provide an environment for personal growth, residents must accept responsibility for their own actions and demonstrate respect for the rights and concerns of others and for the property of the Institute.

General housing policies and regulations are established by the administrative team. Students are expected to familiarize themselves with the policies and rules concerning their conduct in the residence halls. Acceptance of space in BAMSI housing reflects a knowledge of and willingness to abide by housing policies. Living in BAMSI housing is a privilege and not a right. Students may not sub-let rooms. Students who permit unauthorized persons (including non-residential students) to occupy their rooms will be subject to disciplinary action. This may include revocation of residential privilege regardless of the program of study being pursued or whether academic performance has been satisfactory.

The Office may, at any time and at its own discretion, withdraw this privilege due to behavior which does not rise to the standards outlined below. Students who lose their housing privileges are not entitled to a refund of their room and board charges for the remaining weeks of the semester. BAMSI does not provide housing to any student over the age of 25 years.

Freshman Housing

Substance Free Zone

All BAMSI housing and grounds are Substance Free Zones. The following are prohibited in all common areas, private rooms, bathrooms, porches and housing grounds where BAMSI students are housed:

Use of cigarettes, cigars or burning tobacco in any form, inclusive of ‘beedi’ or any similar product.
Possession or use of alcohol in any form.
Provision of alcohol to any student under the age of 18 years.
Possession, use, sale, or provision of any controlled substance, illegal drugs, or related paraphernalia.

Transitional Housing

The following are prohibited at all BAMSI Transitional Housing:

Smoking in common areas, private rooms and bathrooms
All alcoholic beverages are prohibited
Provision of alcohol to anyone under 18 years of age
Possession, use, sale or provision of any controlled substance, illegal drugs, or related paraphernalia
Use or possession of marijuana or other drugs, which are prohibited by the laws of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas and/or BAMSI policy. This includes the abuse of prescription drugs.

Residents are responsible for the behavior of their guests, and will be held accountable for their actions. Guest who violate the college rules will be prohibited from returning to the property and you the student will be reprimanded accordingly.

Visiting Hours for all dormitory facilities is as follows: Monday through Friday 4pm to 8pm and Weekends and Holidays 11am to 9pm.

Calibri (Body) Cable and Internet: Cable access and Internet services are provided. Splicing into the line or installing a satellite dish is a violation of the Institute’s policy. Wireless network access is provided in all residence halls. The use of personal wireless access points is prohibited as they may interfere with the BAMSI-provided service.

Care of BAMSI Property: BAMSI-provided furniture in residence hall rooms may not be removed or dismantled. Public-area furnishings are intended for general use and are not to be taken into private rooms. Students who violate these rules will be fined and referred to the Office of Student Affairs. Students who do not comply with the directive to restore furniture and equipment to its rightful place will be assessed additional penalties for continued noncompliance. Serious or repeated violations could also subject the student to suspension of her/his right to reside in BAMSI residence halls.

Personal beds—including water beds and mattresses— may not be added to the room unless specific permission is obtained before the student’s arrival date. For safety reasons, construction of lofts or walls in rooms is not permitted. Rooms must be returned to their pre-occupancy condition upon move-out. Rooms will be examined subsequent to each student’s departure, and a fine will be levied in the event that special cleaning beyond common procedures is required, or for the removal of BAMSI property from the room. Fines are also levied if the staff must move furniture in or out of the room. Similar charges will accrue if students leave belongings in common spaces that must be removed by facilities management personnel. Typically, those charges begin at $100 per resident and increase when extra cleaning of room is necessary. Room walls, floors, doors, and furniture may not be painted

Conditions of Occupancy: Students living in BAMSI housing agree to abide by rules, regulations, and policies stated in the Student Handbook. Violations of residence hall rules and regulations are considered to be violations of Institute policy, and will be referred to the Student Affairs or another designated BAMSI Office. Residents must accept responsibility for their own behavior and act in a manner that demonstrates respect for the rights and concerns of others and for the property of the Institute.

Official occupancy dates for the residence halls are listed in the academic calendar.
Residence halls remain open during fall break, and spring break. Residence halls are closed to students during winter break. Limited meals are served during fall and spring breaks.
When the residence halls are closed, no student may be in the building. Students found in residence halls when they are not authorized to be are subject to fines and are referred to the security, Student Affairs or a designated BAMSI office.

Guests: Primarily, residence hall rooms are designed for sleeping and studying on the part of the occupants. Guests of BAMSI students are welcome to visit campus. However they are not allowed to enter the dorm rooms. Guests are defined as traditional college-aged students, family, non-BAMSI friends, and prospective students. Individuals or groups contracted to perform specific functions at the Institute (e.g., performers, speakers, etc.) are not permitted to stay overnight in the residence halls. Student hosts are responsible for the conduct of their guests on campus and will be held accountable for any violation of the code of conduct or other rules of the Institute committed by a guest. The Office reserves the right to require a guest to immediately leave campus if their behavior begins to have an impact on the campus community or is otherwise disruptive.

Guest Sign In: Guests are required to provide and leave a valid photo ID with the desk attendant upon entering a residence hall; no exceptions will be made. All non-BAMSI guests must be accompanied by their host during sign in. Guests will retrieve their photo ID upon exiting the residence hall building.

Housing Eligibility: Eligibility for BAMSI housing is contingent upon full-time enrollment status, an up-to date Institute student account, and completion of the Room and Board application form. To reside in BAMSI housing, students must be in good financial and behavioral standing with the Institute, and must satisfy any outstanding fees owed to BAMSI prior to move-in day. Students with outstanding balances will not be able to move into their residence hall rooms or collect their keys until the matter is resolved. Students are eligible for four (4) semesters (Fall and Spring) of housing. Summer semester are not included as students return home to complete their internship. Students requesting room and board facilities during the summer session will have to apply at least a month in advance, provide evidence that they will be participating in a BAMSI course or program. Such request is subject to approval and limited availability. Eligible students will have to pay a separate summer room and board fee. Other conditions may also apply.

Student Pregnancy

BAMSI believes that becoming pregnant should not prevent students from completing their studies. Student options to complete studies depend on the degree programme. Students should seek guidance from their Advisors.

Housing is not available for pregnant students, however, we will work with expecting mothers to stay on track to complete their degree.

All pregnant students must comply with the following:

Provide BAMSI with a Medical Report to included expected due date.
Provide BAMSI with an updated contact list for both local and home of domicile.
Vacate the dorms.

Keys and Locks: The Institute takes precautions to protect the safety and well-being of students, and expects students’ full participation in this process. Rooms should be locked when unoccupied, even for a brief period of time, to avoid theft of personal property. Exterior entry doors should not be propped open. BAMSI officers and may have access to master keys for each residence hall. These keys may only be used in the course of fulfilling official job duties.

Room Keys Each student is issued a room key. Lost keys must be reported immediately. If a room key is lost, the lock will be changed at the cost of $100. Changing the lock is for the safety and security of the occupants of the room. The person who has lost his/her key will be responsible for the $100 cost. Lost keys should be reported immediately to the Student Affairs Office. Anyone who fails to return his/her room key upon leaving the College (during the semester or at the end of the year) will also be charged the $100 replacement cost. As a safety precaution, students are prohibited from loaning their room key to anyone. BAMSI keys are not to be duplicated by anyone other than the Institute.

Room Changes. If a student is changing rooms, they may only have one (1) key in her/his possession at a time. The student is not to trade key(s) with another student. When rooms are changed, BAMSI automatically reassigns new key and flags the other key(s) as due. If the key is not returned promptly, the student will be charged $10 a day, until the key is returned.

Locks. Only BAMSI locks may be used on doors; personal locks will be removed, and the owner will be charged for damages and labor.

Returning Keys. At the end of the year, students should return their keys to the Office before departing campus. There is a minimum fine of $100.

Should the student elect to take a leave of absence, cancel their housing contract, or depart from the BAMSI earlier than originally scheduled, all Institute keys immediately become due and must be surrendered before leaving campus.

Laundry: Laundry facilities are available on campus as well as throughout the community via coin operated machines.

Lost and Found: Found items should be surrendered to the Campus Security Office. All lost items should be reported to the Campus Security Office. Found items will be maintained for 30 days. After 30 days, unclaimed items become the property of the college, and may be auctioned, donated or otherwise disposed. Residence Life staff urges students to double-check their rooms prior to check out to make sure they are not leaving items behind. Items for disposal must be placed in the appropriate dumpster or recycling location as appropriate.

Off-Campus Housing: Students are welcomed to use alternative living facilities. All we ask is that you provide a local address and cellular telephone number for our files. Off-campus students may subscribe to the full meal plan or select a partial meal plan.

Prohibited Items: Weapons, including firearms and ammunitions; water beds and inflatables are strictly not allowed. Fire regulations prohibit: personal cooking appliances (hot plates, toaster ovens, or other items with open-heat elements); space heaters; candles, incense, and other open-flame items; and halogen lamps. Any student with an open flame (e.g., candle, incense, etc.) will be subject to a hefty fine and referred to the Office of Student Affairs. The cooking facilities in residence halls are designed only for occasional snack use and not for regular meal preparation. Students are encouraged to use the cafeteria services for such meals. Students are not permitted to cook in dormitory rooms or bring microwaves. Students may bring small refrigerators for their dorm rooms, but they must meet all Institute specifications (Energy Star rated and no larger than 24” x 18” x 18”). Extreme care must be taken with irons, clothes steamers, curling irons, and other personal-care devices. Electrical items using excessive wattage (e.g., air conditioning units) are prohibited. Extension cords must be Underwriter’s Lab approved; outlet strips must have a built-in circuit breaker. No gas-powered vehicles are permitted in the buildings.

Pets and Animals: Pets of any kind are NOT allowed in residence halls. Fines will be levied against anyone found with a pet/animal in the residence hall, and the pet(s) will be removed from BAMSI premises. Evidence of pet care such as pet food, terrariums, etc. is also prohibited. A repeat offense will cause the student to forfeit her/his right to reside within BAMSI housing.

Quiet Hours: Quiet hours are established by hall residents at the beginning of each semester. Should there be a conflict between roommates about sleeping, socializing, and studying schedules; the students’ sleeping schedules will generally take precedence over other room uses. It is understood that an occasional late-night study session may need to take place in a residence hall room. If a regular pattern of late-night studying develops and the roommate needs to get a regular amount of sleep, the studier will be asked to relocate to a more appropriate location (library, classroom, or residence hall lounge).

BAMSI students have the right to study and sleep in their housing assignment. Quiet hours are in effect for all campus housing from 10:00 p.m. until 8:00 a.m. Quiet hours will be in effect 24 hours a day during final exams beginning on the last day of classes for the semester.

During quiet hours the following guidelines will be in effect:

The noise level resulting from stereos, radios, television, etc., in any area should not be heard one door away from where it is originating. Also, no stereo should be able to be heard outside any residence hall. Use of headphones is encouraged.
Lounges/lobbies are to be used for quiet activities (cards, TV, games, programs, etc.), plus any program approved by Residence Life Staff.
Conversation in the hallway must be held in a lowered voice.
The primary responsibility for enforcement of quiet hours shall rest with individuals who are bothered by the noise.
Residence Life Staff will intervene to support quiet hours in those situations when they personally know of noise or when a resident has been unable to accomplish a successful intervention. Such intervention may lead to disciplinary action.
This also applies to outside areas contiguous to residence halls.

Courtesy Hours will be in effect during all times not covered by quiet hours. This is a period during which residents and guests act with consideration toward others relative to noise, but students will not be permitted to disrupt the environment by creating excessive noise with their stereos, etc. Irresponsible behavior relative to noise will not be tolerated during either quiet or courtesy hours.

Students may bring stereo, computer, television and video game equipment into their rooms; however, noise from such equipment should not disturb other residents. Students are encouraged to purchase/use headphones. Any student owning/ operating noise producing equipment is required to agree to reduce the volume if it is disturbing others. If a student does not voluntarily reduce the volume when requested, disciplinary action may be taken. In all cases of conduct action concerning the misuse of sound producing equipment, the non-complying resident may be required by the Student Affairs Office to remove the equipment from his/her room.

Visiting Hours:

Monday to Friday	4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Weekends & Holidays	11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Visitors may only access common areas

Room Access: Any member of the administration-student affairs, facilities management, security, etc., accompanied by any other person or entity the Office believes appropriate may enter and inspect a residence hall room without the resident’s consent. Surprise room inspections are frequently performed. Any member of the Office, Security or other BAMSI personnel may also enter a room in order to check the health or welfare of a student, or if there is any reason to believe that any Institute regulation or Bahamian law is being or has been violated.

BAMSI respects the privacy of members of the BOAR community. However, the Institute reserves the right to enter rooms for the purpose of conducting official college business. Representatives of the college may enter a room for:

Routine maintenance/pest control
Health/safety inspection
Health and safety emergencies (fire alarms, a sick student, etc.)
Closing procedures at break periods
The retrieval of contraband
Cause to believe that an activity is taking place in a room that is detrimental to the health, safety or welfare of residents or the overall campus community, or substances or articles are contained in the room which would constitute a violation of the Student Code of Conduct
Cause to believe that violations of civil and/or criminal law are taking place Any illegal items visible in the room will be confiscated. The confiscation of items will result in referral to the conduct process. BAMSI will use multiple attempts and methods to contact the students involved; however in extenuating circumstances, the search may be conducted without the presence of the student(s). If permission by the resident(s) is granted, the search may begin. If permission is not granted, the Resident Director will contact the Director of Student Affairs for approval of the search. Determination of what constitutes a reasonable cause to search will be made by the Director. When a search is conducted, two college officials will be present. The search may include, but not be limited to, opening drawers and refrigerators, examining furnishings and personal effects, and search of persons. The search may also include automobiles and other areas used by students such as gym lockers. Any violations noted, no matter the initial reason for the search, will be referred to the conduct process. Evidence properly obtained by the above procedure may be used in civil, criminal or administrative proceedings and may be turned over to local law enforcement. Law enforcement officers, when carrying a valid search warrant (containing a proper description of persons or contraband to be seized, location, etc.), may enter a residence hall room and seize appropriate persons, property, or materials for use in prosecution in subsequent civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings. College officials will attempt to be present, however a valid search warrant may be executed without the presence of college officials. A law enforcement officer may also search a student’s room with consent of the resident(s) and the execution of a BAMSI College Consent to Search form

Room Assignments: New students are required to live in the residence halls during their first two semesters. After their first year at the Institute, students are permitted to live in non-Institute housing. All new students are assigned roommates and residence hall room by the Student Affairs Office. The Institute guarantees housing for all students who participate in the housing selection process in a timely manner. Students generally live in doubles, triple, or quad-style rooms. The Institute cannot guarantee that a single room will be available for any student. If there are single rooms available and also any room with a private bath will be at a higher rate.

Room Cancellations: If a student reserves a room through the completion of the room and board application form and cancels their housing contract without adequate notice, a fine may be assessed to the student’s account. For students applying for the Fall semester, the deadline for confirmation and payment of BAMSI room and board is the last week in May. No room refund will be given when notice is given after start of classes.

Room Changes: Requests for room changes can be made by contacting the Office of Student Affairs. Making a room change request does not ensure that a room change will be made. Students are expected to work through roommate and other housing conflicts with the involved parties, with the help of resident assistants (RAs) and Institute personnel and/or through mediation, if appropriate. All students are expected to occupy the rooms to which they are assigned. Students who switch rooms without the consent of the student affairs or the resident assistant will be penalized $100 and will not be permitted to participate in BAMSI room and board for the next semester.

Room Decorations: While every person likes to personalize his/her space in order to feel “at home," the residence halls are governed by certain local fire safety ordinances, as well as BAMSI policies. It is necessary for residents to be aware of the following guidelines:

Students are not permitted to paint, renovate, or modify their rooms in any way.
Furniture must not obstruct smoke detectors or sprinklers or impair a quick exit from the room.
Students are permitted to hang decorations (pictures, posters, etc.) in their room, however, any damage that necessitates painting and/or repairs will be at the resident’s expense.
Decorations must not be hung from or cover smoke detectors or sprinklers.
Candles, incense, and halogen lamps are not permitted.
Students may hang minimal decorations on their room door. If door hangings are determined to be a fire hazard, students will be required to remove such decorations. The Office reserves the right to deny any decorations that are deemed inappropriate or offensive.
Alcohol bottles, binge drinking paraphernalia (i.e., beer pong tables, beer funnels, etc.), and drug paraphernalia are not considered decorative items. Students possessing these items may be charged with a violation of the Institute’s alcohol or drug policy.

Room Occupancy: For noise, fire, and safety reasons, residents are not permitted to host large gatherings in the dorm. Normally, room occupancy is restricted to the number of residents, doubled, plus one; for example, for a triple room, its 3 + 3+ 1 = 7.

Room Inspections Residence Life staff conducts monthly health and safety inspections of student rooms. These inspections are often conducted without prior notification and may be conducted without the resident(s) present. Violations will be reported to the student conduct system.

Storage: The Institute has very limited storage. Storage is usually only available for during the end of the Fall semester. Students store their belongings at their own risk. Students are not allowed to store any furniture or large items in these locations. Furniture (rugs, chairs, sofas, tables, etc.), food items, and other large items may not be stored on BAMSI property. Limited storage space and fire regulations prohibit storage of such items. Violation of storage policies will result in removal of prohibited items and an accompanying charge. Musical instruments and refrigerators are not allowed in secured storage.

Periodically, all storage rooms will be cleaned and inappropriate items removed. Graduating students may not leave items in storage after Commencement. Any items found in storage rooms that are out-of-date or labeled inappropriately will be considered “abandoned” and disposed of accordingly. The Institute reserves the right to dispose of any items in storage locations, without notice, if the storage rooms become a health or safety concern.

Storms: When severe weather threatens, visit The Institute’s Web site and Facebook for current information on the impending storm, storm preparations and Institute closures. Students in the Institute’s dorms will also receive information pertaining to storm preparations from the Office of Student Affairs, Residence Life Associate, and/or Security who will advise of any evacuation plans. Please see section on Hurricane/Storm Guide for further details.

Vacancies In all non-single rooms, if one or more assigned residents cancel their housing contract, the Office has the right to fill the empty space or to move the remaining roommate(s) to another comparable space.

Water and Electricity Conservation: In an effort toward sustainability, the Institute strongly encourages all in the BAMSI community to CONSERVE water by turning off the water when brushing your teeth or when not in use; to conserve electricity by turning off the lights when no one is in the room, turn off the Air condition (AC) or fans when no one is in the room and take shorter showers. Note that only compact fluorescent bulbs are permitted. Remember that the cost of these will eventually be transferred to you! SO Please let us all do our best to conserve and preserve the limited resources we have.

Fines

Room Changes	$100.00 (1^st Offense Warning Letter & 2^nd Offense results in a Fine)
Smoking of any substance on any BAMSI property	$100.00
Alcohol Use on property or Dormitory	$100.00
Prohibited Visitation to Dormitory	$100.00 minimum based on seriousness
Improper Use of Videotaping	$50.00 and possible suspension
Tampering with Fire Alarms	$100.00 minimum