Conducting Solicitation and Reserving Space in the Residence Halls


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Residence halls serve a primary purpose of providing an atmosphere conducive to study and academic pursuit as well as a comfortable, supportive, and challenging living environment. Residence halls are restricted access facilities, and solicitation activities can take place only under specific conditions.

University Housing reserves the right to restrict activities permitted under these policies to the hours between 10 am and 8pm, Monday through Friday. University Housing reserves the right to bar activity in residence halls by groups that practice or promote harassment on the basis of race, sex, color, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, religion, age, marital status, gender identity, gender expression, disability or veteran status.

Policy

• The University prohibits the advertisement of alcoholic beverages/other drugs, or the distribution of any promotions displaying alcoholic/other drugs consumption in residence halls.
• The University prohibits the promotion or display of advertising that violates University policies on discrimination or on harassment on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status.
• All applications received will be approved on a first-come, first served basis.
• Food and beverage products from any vendor other than Residential Dining Services are not permitted in dining halls and retail locations operated by Residential Dining Services.
• All non-profit organizations, including student organizations, political groups, religious entities, or candidates for public or student office, must register with University Housing and receive authorization prior to entering any residence hall.
• The University reserves the right to limit the number of times per academic term and year for which an individual or organization may conduct an activity to ensure equality of access to residents for all such individuals and organizations.
• Companies, organizations, and individuals soliciting in University residence halls must agree to abide by all appropriate University regulations while in residence halls, including, among others, no smoking in public areas and lounges.
• No telephone solicitation is ever permitted within University Housing facilities.
• Elected officials, candidates for public or student office and non-partisan activities involving registering voters, are permitted to go door-to-door in residence halls with permission from the Housing Administration Office.
• At no time and under no circumstances will door-to-door commercial solicitation be permitted. All solicitation activities must be confined to the residence hall common areas as directed by University Housing personnel.
• Nonresidents are not permitted on residential corridors at any time unless escorted by a resident. Commercial representatives on residential corridors conducting business with contracted students may not at any time solicit from other residents, or place flyers or anything else under, on or at resident room doors.
• Residence hall rooms are to be used solely for residential purposes; residents are not permitted to operate businesses out of their rooms or to publicly list residence hall room or telephone numbers in advertisements or other business announcements.
• University Housing staff will not distribute any commercial products.
• The University expressly disclaims any responsibility or liability, direct or indirect, for any representation or other act of a commercial solicitation applicant or agent thereof. By submission of an application, the company/individual agree to release and hold harmless the University, its agents and employees from any claims arising from the solicitation activity of the applicant, his/her company, or any of the company's agents.
• Individual residents or groups of residents may invite a commercial vendor to their room for purposes of a commercial solicitation, product demonstration, or similar event. Any solicitation is subject to the Michigan Home Solicitation Sales Act, MCLA 445.111 et seq. With this type of solicitation, sales may not be consummated at the demonstration site or on the assigned date of the event; students interested in making purchases may make appointments with a registered sales representative to do so in their own rooms at a later date. Residents should exercise appropriate prudence in dealing with commercial vendors.
• Commercial solicitation on the exterior grounds of the University of Michigan campus outside of residence halls is expressly prohibited unless prior approval is received from the Associate Vice President for Business Operations or if the commercial solicitation falls within the boundaries of the permits sold by the City of Ann Arbor City Clerk's Office.
• If a resident has agreed to be on the contact list of a religious, political, or social group, such groups are not required to complete an application form for each contact.
• Members of the Association of Religious Counselors (ARC) can contact those residents who have granted them permission to do so. The ARC ID Card may be used as proof of legitimate access.
• No one is permitted to place materials on, at, or under resident room doors.
• Housing personnel will discard any materials that promote the use of alcohol or other drugs or that discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation*, disability, or Vietnam-era status. *gender identity and gender expression

  Housing personnel will discard any materials located in the following areas:

• On walls, windows, paneling, dividers, vending machines, stairwells, interior or exterior doors, or any non-bulletin boards surface, including immediately outside the building or on sidewalks
• In elevators or on elevator doors
• On bulletin boards designated for a specific use (e.g., House or Multi-cultural Council information)
• In residential corridors, hall lounges, or bathrooms

Violations
Any individual or organization found violating these guidelines or any other applicable University policy, including policies prohibiting solicitation in a residence hall without prior permission, may be removed from the applicable building by University security and/or public safety personnel. Student run organizations will have their SOAS account debited; the amount determined by Housing Administration. Such individual or organization may also receive a trespass citation and may be prohibited from further entrance into any University residence halls.

Fall Semester:

• Applications for fall semester may be submitted September 1 through December 1.
• Soliciting and use of lounge spaces will not be allowed prior to September 15 and after December 14.

Winter Semester:

• Applications for winter semester may be submitted January 1 through April 1.
• Soliciting and use of lounge spaces will not be allowed after April 14.

Organizations may receive only one approval per academic semester.