Opening, Break & Closing Information

Returning and new-student athletes participating in a Fall sport should plan to check in on Wednesday, August 16, 2023. Please contact your coaches for more information regarding check-in times and practice schedules.

New International students should plan to move in Tuesday, August 15, 2023. Please contact Karen Sykes with any questions.

Students who are part of an official Goucher program that requires them to move onto campus before the College officially reopens, should check with their program leaders to confirm their approved date of arrival. 

All other new students, both first-years, and transfers should plan to arrive at the Dorsey Center Courtyard for check-in on Saturday, August 19, 2023. Move-in times will be scheduled based on students' room assignments. In order to expedite the move-in process, we ask that you ONLY arrive during your assigned time frame. Please be sure to reference your specific room number to find your time below. If you arrive before your scheduled time, you will be asked to wait. While we work hard to make the move-in process as efficient as possible, please be prepared to wait for your car to be unloaded. Move-in will begin at 9am and all new students will receive an email with their exact move-in time. 

If you plan to shop at nearby stores and will need to unload right outside your residence hall for a second time, please plan to arrive after 12:45 p.m. to avoid a wait and to allow those in the 11:00 a.m. time block to unload. If, after shopping off campus, you're able to carry your items from the Dorsey parking lot, you may return to campus at any time.

Fall Orientation for students will begin on Saturday, August 19, 2023 and will continue through Tuesday, August 22, 2023.  Orientation is mandatory for all new students. 

For more details about orientation, please contact the Office of Student Engagement at 410-337-6124 or email firstyear@goucher.edu.

All other students may return Tuesday, August 22.

The Office of Residential Life will have evening storage hours for the dates below. Students should come to the Office of Residential Life during the hours listed for storage access. Students who return to campus when the Office of Residential Life is closed may pick up their keys at the Office of Campus Safety. Students need to make sure they are returning to campus on their approved date, as only approved students will have their keys made available. Students who return to campus before the official move-in day without written approval from the Office of Residential Life will be subject to an early return fine of $50 per night.

Friday, August 11, 2023

• Storage: 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Saturday, August 12, 2023

• Storage: 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Sunday, August 13, 2023

• Storage: 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Monday, August 14, 2023 

• Storage: 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Tuesday, August 15, 2023 

• Storage: 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm 

Wednesday, August 16, 2023 

• Storage: 9:00 am - 12:30 pm & 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Thursday, August 17, 2023

• Storage: 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Friday, August 18, 2023

• Storage: 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Saturday, August 19, 2023

• Storage: 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Sunday, August 20,  2023

• Office hours: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
• Storage: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm & 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Monday, August 21, 2023 

• Office hours: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
• Storage: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm & 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Tuesday, August 22, 2023 (returning students move-in)

• Office hours: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
• Storage: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm & 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

• Office hours: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
• Storage: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm & 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm

All students with a Fall semester housing assignment can remain in their current room assignment during the break period.

For students who are not staying on campus during the break, we ask that you prepare your room by completing the following:

• Please remove food and all garbage from your room. This is very important because open food containers and garbage are a prime cause of facilities concerns.
• Close and lock all windows and reinsert screens that are not in place.
• Take home all pet fish and approved ESAs.
• Take home all valuables.
• Turn off and unplug all electrical appliances (computers, lights, fans, alarms, etc.). However, you do not need to defrost or unplug your refrigerator during Thanksgiving break.
• Clean up your room as best as possible. This includes removing any clothing and papers from the floor. In the event of a facilities emergency, a cluttered room impedes our ability to address the problem.
• Lock your door!!!

For more information about staying on campus during breaks, see the Break Housing page.

As the end of the semester approaches, please read the following important information to help you prepare for winter closing:

Quiet Hours
Quiet hours for the reading period will be in effect from Saturday, December 9, 2023 at 11:59 pm through the closing of the residence halls at 10:00 am on Saturday, December 16. During this time, 24-hour quiet hours are in effect. Any gatherings and behavior disruptive to other residents will not be tolerated, and multiple offenses will result in student fines.

Closing Process
The residence halls close for winter break on Saturday, December 16, 2023, at 10:00 am. Students with a Spring semester housing assignment are permitted to stay on campus during the Winter break and J-Term. Students without a Spring semester housing assignment must vacate their assigned residence hall room and return their issued room key no later than 10:00 am on December 16, 2023.

During the break, health and safety inspections occur in each student room. Any observed violations of the law or campus policy will be reported to the appropriate parties and could lead to student fines or judicial action. Any unauthorized items found in the room will be confiscated and students will be fined. Students must be sure to remove all trash and leave their room in a clean and orderly fashion upon their departure. Failure to do so will result in a room cleaning fee.

Before departure, residents must do the following:

• Remove all food from their assigned room and take all garbage to the residence hall's trash room. FMS will remove any improperly stored food, and charges the residents of the room.
• Turn off and unplug all electrical appliances.
• Take home all pet fish and approved ESAs.
• Take home all valuables. Residents should check to make sure they have left no personal belongings in the common or laundry rooms.
• For students with radiators in their rooms, turn the valve on. Keeping the heat on will help keep pipes from freezing.
• Move any furniture at least 3 inches away from the heating units to avoid any potential fire risks and for FMS to do maintenance work over the break.
• Ensure the window screens are in place, the windows are closed and locked, and the blinds are down.
• Upon departing, lock the doors to their assigned room.

For students not returning in the spring or switching rooms:

Students not returning next semester, for any reason, must return their room key to the Office of Residential Life no later than 10:00 am on Saturday, December 16, 2023.

Students switching rooms for the spring semester need to have all of their belongings out of their room and their key returned to the Office of Residential Life no later than 10:00 am Saturday, December 16, 2023. Students switching rooms may utilize storage through the Office of Residential Life to help accommodate the transition to their new room. Students moving into new rooms in the spring will be able to pick up their new keys when they return to campus in January.

Failure to return room keys to the Office of Residential Life will result in a $120 lock change fee.

Winter housing

For more information about staying on campus during Winter break, see the Break Housing page.

Storage
The Office of Residential Life offers on-campus storage to residential Goucher students on a space available basis. Students may store items for up to a full year. Payments can be made using Gopher Bucks. For more information on our storage policies, click here.

All students with a Spring semester housing assignment can remain in their current room assignment during the break period.

Before you depart, we ask that you prepare your room for checkout by completing the following:

1. Please remove food and all garbage from your room. This is very important because open food containers and garbage are a prime cause of facilities concerns.
2. Close and lock all windows and reinsert screens that are not in place.
3. Take home all pet fish and approved ESAs.
4. Take home all valuables.
5. Turn off and unplug all electrical appliances (computers, lights, fans, alarms, etc.). However, you do not need to defrost or unplug your refrigerator during spring break.
6. Clean up your room as best as possible. This includes removing any clothing and papers from the floor. In the event of a facilities emergency, a cluttered room impedes our ability to address the problem.
7. Lock your door!!!

For more information about staying on campus during breaks, see the Break Housing page.

The residence halls close for all non-graduating students on Saturday, May 18, 2024, at 10:00 am. At that time all students who are not approved for an extended stay (see below for more details) are expected to fully vacate their room for the summer.

Graduating students participating in Commencement are permitted to stay in their assigned residence hall room until Saturday, May 25, 2024, at 10:00 am.

Quiet Hours

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• Quiet hours will be in effect from Friday, May 10, 2024, at 11:00 p.m. through Saturday, May 18, 2024, at 10:00 a.m.
• During this period quiet must be maintained at all times in the residence halls. Any loud gatherings or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated.
• Any disruptions during quiet hours will result in sanctions through the student accountability process.
  
  

Room Cleaning and Trash

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Students should thoroughly clean their room before officially vacating the room. If students have a roommate(s) or suitemate(s), all the students should discuss cleaning and preparing the room for closing. Facilities Management and Residential Life staff will inspect rooms following the residence halls closing for necessary repairs and potential cleaning/damage fees. Common reasons that students receive additional cleaning/damage fees include:

• Excessive trash or additional cleaning required
• Damages to walls or furniture
• Missing college-provided furniture
• Residence hall lounge or common area furniture present in a room
• Did not return their issued residence hall key

Facilities Management will be providing large dumpsters at the following locations for students to dispose of room trash and other discarded items:

• First-Year Village Courtyard
• Outside Froelicher-Tuttle
• Outside Froelicher-Gallagher
• Between Mary Fisher Hall and Heubeck Hall
• Heubeck Hall loading dock behind Gamble House
• Between Sondheim House and Pagliaro Selz Hall
• Between Welsh Hall and Stimson Hall

Beginning the evening of Friday, May 10, 2024, Facilities Management will make all the residence hall trash rooms unavailable and all trash must be taken to one of the above dumpsters. Any accumulation of student trash in the hallways and common spaces in the residence halls may result in hallwide cleaning charges.

Questions about students' Housing Damage Deposit should be directed to billing@goucher.edu.

Checking Out and Returning Keys

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• Students should plan to depart campus no more than 24 hours after their last final examination.
• It is important to for all students to complete all of the steps in the check out process to avoid any additional damage, cleaning, and/or lock/key replacement fees:
  
  • Thoroughly clean the rooms and, if residing in a suite or apartment, the common rooms and bathroom.
  • Remove all personal belongings from the room before departure. Any items left in the room will be considered abandoned property and will be discarded.
  • All college furniture assigned to the room must be present in the room. Students will be charged if furniture is missing. 
  • Students should close and lock all windows and their doors before departing.
  • Visit the Office of Residential Life in Heubeck Hall and complete a Check Out Envelope. Envelopes will be kept at the front desk and by the front entrance when the office is closed. 
    • Once a resident is ready to depart, meaning their side of the room is clean and all belongings are vacated, residents will place their key in the Check Out Envelope and fill out the information.
    • The last step is placing the Check Out Envelope in the drop box at Residential Life and departing campus. This step should only be completed when the student is ready to depart campus.

• Regardless of the process, when students depart, their assigned rooms need to be in the condition that they were during move-in.
• Students must return their room key to the Office of Residential Life before departing campus for Summer break. Failure to return your key will result in a $120 charge to your student billing account. 
• Keys will only be accepted if they are placed in a Residential Life Check Out Envelope. Please make sure you include your name and room number on the envelope to avoid any unnecessary charges.
  • If the Office of Residential Life is open, it can be turned into the front desk staff. 
  • If the Office of Residential Life is closed, students can place their labeled envelope & key in the drop box to the right of the office’s front door.
    
    

Storage

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The Office of Residential Life offers limited storage on campus to returning residential students. Storage is on a space available basis. Items may be stored in our unit for up to a full year. Pricing, as well as other information, can be found on our website at this link.

Microfridge

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Microfridges must remain in each room or suite upon a students departure.

The DAY BEFORE before your departure:

• EMPTY all contents
• UNPLUG your fridge
• PROP OPEN both the fridge and freezer doors so it can properly defrost
• Place a TOWEL in the freezer, at the base of the fridge, and paper towels in drip tray behind fridge

The MORNING OF your departure. 

• DRY DRY DRY out rental completely including the drip tray in back, and remove towels
• CLEAN using sanitizing wipes if needed, but do NOT use any bleach
• KEEP OPEN both the fridge and freezer doors so it can continue to dry
• Leave rental INSIDE your room
  
  

Extended Stay

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Only students who meet one of the following criteria may request an Extended Stay to remain on campus after 10:00 am on Saturday, May 18, 2024:

• Students who graduating and participating in Commencement
• Students who are transitioning to Block 1 summer housing
• Students employed to support campus functions or operations. These requests must be submitted by the sponsoring office/department to residentiallife@goucher.edu, and must be approved by the Office of Residential Life.

Any approved Extended Stay students must vacate their residence hall no later than 10:00 am on Saturday, May 25, 2024, except for students transitioning to summer student housing.