Residential Programs Policies and Procedures

The Living Factor is the ultimate guide to living on campus. This useful calendar will provide answers to all of your questions from services our department can provide and policies and procedures to information on emergency services and security. Every resident is responsible for becoming familiar with the information shared in the Living Factor.

The Living Agreement

Per the Office of Residential Programs Living Agreement, the housing agreement is a one year contractual agreement and failure to remain in housing for the full academic year without prior written approval for cancellation will result in a $750 cancellation fee and a forfeiture of the housing deposit. If you are checking out of a residence hall at a non-traditional time of year, please communicate with your Resident Director to ensure that you have completed all requirements and determine how your checkouts may impact your Residential Living Agreement. 

Missing Student Policy

It is the policy of the Office of Residential Programs at Hofstra University to investigate any report of a missing student living in one of the University's residence halls.  All students residing in a campus residence hall are requested to complete a Confidential Contact Information form, available upon check-in to their residence hall. The resident student is asked to identify the name and contact number of the individual(s) who is to be contacted in the event the student is determined to be missing, as set forth below.  This contact information will be registered confidentially and may not be disclosed, except to law enforcement personnel in furtherance of a missing person investigation and authorized Hofstra University officials, including Public Safety Officers.

Hofstra understands that students may make arrangements to stay outside of the residential halls, and as such, the location of students in the halls is not monitored by Residential Assistants or other University staff. If a student intends to leave his or her residence hall for an extended period of time, the student is strongly encouraged to advise the residence hall staff before leaving, to avoid the student being reported "missing." If, however, there is reason to believe a resident student is missing, all reasonable efforts will be made to locate the student to determine his or her state of health and well-being. These efforts, which are done in conjunction with the Department of Public Safety, include, but are not limited to, checking the student's room, speaking with friends and/or roommates, checking ID access, locating the resident student's vehicle and calling the student's cell phone number or other known contact information. 

Where a student has been missing for 24 hours, students, employees, or other individuals should make a report Residential Programs, the Dean of Students Office, or the Department of Public Safety.     All missing student reports will be referred immediately to the Department of Public Safety.  If upon investigation by the Department of Public Safety, the resident student is determined missing, staff from Public Safety and/or Student Affairs will contact the resident's designated "Confidential Contact" within 24 hours.  For any resident student under the age of 18, Hofstra will notify a custodial parent or guardian, in addition to any other individual designated on the Confidential Contact Information form, within 24 hours after the time the resident student is determined to be missing by the Office of Public Safety. Public Safety will continue to investigate, utilizing established investigative procedures in collaboration with staff from Residential Programs, other campus offices and local law enforcement agencies. Where a Confidential Contact cannot be located or has not been assigned, Public Safety will inform the appropriate law enforcement agency and/or make contact with the student's parents or legal guardian.   In all cases where the Department of Public Safety determines that a student is missing, Public Safety will notify the appropriate law enforcement agency within 24 hours of that determination.