Possessions and Conduct

Biola University has thoughtfully and prayerfully crafted Standards of Conduct for both Graduate and Undergraduate students. It is our expectation that residents of Graduate & Family Housing will be familiar with the standards and willingly be accountable to them. Violations of any standard of conduct may be cause for housing contract termination. Assessment of any given situation will be made by the Senior Director of Auxiliary Services, Associate Director of Residence Life, Chief of Campus Safety, and/or the Dean of the appropriate graduate school(s).

• We expect that our residents will exercise integrity, kindness, compassion, and tolerance in their interpersonal relationships. Conflicts between residents are expected to be resolved among the students themselves.
• Residents who require assistance with conflict resolution should contact the Graduate & Family Housing Office for impartial assistance and accountability.
• Students will typically not be released from their housing contracts due to interpersonal conflicts. At the recommendation of the Associate Director of Auxiliary Operations, Housing staff will work with individual residents to make changes of housing assignments if the process described above is not successful.

• You may not redecorate, paint, modify, or alter University-owned property, furniture, appliances, or fixtures without the prior written consent of the Graduate & Family Housing office.
• University furniture may be rearranged as long as the structure of the house or apartment and all permanent features remain unchanged.
• All furniture and appliances assigned to a room or house must remain in the room/house and may not be removed.
• Charges for replacing missing or damaged furnishings will be billed to the individual(s) to whom that equipment is assigned.
• Graduate Housing kitchens are not equipped with kitchen utensils or appliances, besides a refrigerator and stove/oven. Residents must provide their own cookware and utensils.
• Mattresses must remain on bed frames and may not be placed directly on the floor.
• Personal mattresses may only be used in Graduate Housing if required for medical reasons with doctor’s documentation and with approval from the Graduate & Family Housing Office. Prior to the mattress being brought into the hall/room/house, students must carefully inspect personal mattresses for bed bugs, and a release of liability form must be signed with the Graduate & Family Housing Office.
• Electrical outlets, switches, and lighting fixtures, including ceiling fans, may not be removed, altered, or added.
• In Graduate Housing, beds may be lofted or bunked only according to approved configurations, as defined by Residential Facilities. Personal lofts or platforms are prohibited. Lofted and bunk beds are installed with a safety side rail. Use of lofted or top bunks without a safety rail may increase the risk of injury of falling from the bed. If a student elects to remove the safety rail, he/she must sign a waiver of liability prior to removing the rail, agreeing to freely assume full responsibility for any risks of loss, property damage, or personal injury that may result from their decision to remove the safety rail. The maximum height of the upper level mattress support surface for lofted or bunked beds is 59 inches. Bunked beds may only have two sleeping surfaces.
• No paint, wallpaper, contact paper, tape, or other adhesive products may be used on walls or any University-owned furniture.
• No alternative flooring, such as tile, wood, or wall-to-wall carpet, may be installed in halls/rooms/houses/apartments. Only area rugs without adhesive backing may be utilized.
• Only small finishing nails may be used to mount items onto walls.
• Decorations on fire doors are prohibited.
• Decorations should be kept at least 12” from the ceiling.
• University-owned appliances may not be dismantled, deactivated, stored, or removed from Graduate Housing.
• In Sigma and Thompson Halls, the electrical capacity of personal appliances and devices are limited as follows per room:
  • Stereos to 200 watts or 1.7 amps Televisions to 150 watts or 1.25 amps
  • Refrigerators to 190 watts or 1.6 amps
  • Hair dryers to 1300 watts
• Window screens must be kept in place at all times. Students with missing screens or who remove or damage screens or enter the hall/room/house/apartment through a screen will be fined at least $50.
• See Prohibited & Illegal Items below.

Because of state and county fire codes, only Christmas trees which have been fireproofed are allowed in University housing. Christmas trees must be purchased from a vendor who can treat and tag the tree and issue a fireproof certificate.

Using a can of fire retardant spray will not meet the fire code. The vendor's tag must remain on the tree and the certificate must be presented to Facilities Management before the tree is taken into any building.

Artificial trees must also be made of fire resistant material.

Christmas light electrical cords may not extend through any doorway, ceiling panel or window, across any hallway or other traffic area, or be placed under any carpet or rug. Indoor lights may be used, but not with extension cords. Outdoor lights may not be used indoors. No lights may be hung near water sources.

Any prohibited or illegal item, as described below, found in University-owned housing will be permanently confiscated and disposed of or provided to federal, state, or local authorities.

Possession or use of any prohibited or illegal item, as described below, by a student or their guest may be cause for termination of a student’s housing contract, removal from housing, disciplinary action, and/or referral to local authorities for legal action.

In accordance with the Biola Student Handbook, residents and their guests, regardless of their age, may not promote, possess, distribute, store, sell, or use the following on or in any University-owned or –managed property:

• Alcohol
• Tobacco products
• Drug-related items:
  • Illegal drugs
  • Drug-related paraphernalia (including, but not limited to, pipes, hookahs, bongs, water pipes, herb grinders, rolling papers, blunt splitters, and lighters)
  • Marijuana (including medical marijuana)
  • Unauthorized prescription medications
  • Any other substance used for becoming impaired or intoxicated.
  • Non-alcoholic beer, wine, or champagne.
• Empty packages or containers of the above items may not be stored on any University property.
• Any toxic or potentially harmful chemicals or substances
• Weapons:
  • Firearms
  • Ammunition
  • Explosives
  • Air, BB, or pellet guns
  • Paintball guns
  • Blowguns
  • Bows of any kind
  • TASERS or stun guns
  • Batons or clubs
  • Swords
  • Martial arts weapons
  • Knives longer than 2.5” (knives used in kitchen preparation exempted),
  • Any other weapon
• Fire risks:
  • Fireworks or firecrackers
  • Candles and incense burners
  • Halogen lamps
  • Hoverboards and similar devices
  • Oil, gasoline, fuel, or any other flammable substance
• Water beds or water-filled furniture
• Hammocks and personal loft or platform equipment for beds
• Electric space heaters at 14509 Rosecrans Avenue (due to limitations of the electrical systems)
• Air conditioning units that sit in a window frame
• Personal appliances that connect to existing plumbing or gas lines, including but not limited to:
  • Washing machines
  • Dryers
  • Water filtration systems
  • Possession of firearms on University property is a felony under 626.9 CPC.
  • Students whose electrical devices exceed the load limitations of their room/house/apartment may be required to remove those devices from housing.
• In Sigma and Thompson Halls, the following items are prohibited:
  • Extension cords due to risk of fire. Instead, use surge protectors.
  • All personal heating or cooking devices are prohibited, including but not limited to: hot plates, burners, microwave ovens, toaster ovens, electric skillets, rice cookers, toasters, blenders, crockpots, popcorn poppers, sandwich makers, or grills. These items may only be used in the hall kitchen.
  • Air conditioners
  • Space heaters
  • Clothes irons. May only be used in the laundry room
  • Wireless (wifi) routers

Biola University supports and enforces federal and California state laws which prohibits hazing. For additional details and information, see the Student Handbook.

Mutual respect and regard for others are to govern acceptable levels of noise at all times. In the interest of maintaining an environment appropriate to study, residents responsible for excessive noise and/or disruptive behavior may be removed from University housing. In the case of multiple or continued complaints, residents may be asked to remove stereos, instruments, or other noise sources from the room, house or apartment.

Noise is an issue for the community surrounding the Biola campus as well. La Mirada has a city ordinance requiring quiet after the hour of 10:00 p.m. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will issue citations to offenders of this ordinance. All residents must support this ordinance by keeping quiet after 10:00 p.m.

Students may not play physical sports inside University Housing, due to risk of damage or injury.

In certain circumstances, when a student’s presence or conduct may cause a disruption of the educational process or be considered a threat to individuals, to the community, or to University property, the University reserves the right to remove a student from University housing temporarily or permanently, and to restrict a student’s access to campus.

Students have a right to ask questions, seek information and assistance, or to express dissent, but this right must be exercised in a manner consistent with the Standards of Conduct. It must not be practiced in a way that violates the rights of others and the educational mission of the University.

• No pets of any kind are allowed in Graduate & Family Housing.
• Emotional Support Animals or Service Animals with doctor’s documentation must be approved in writing in advance by Biola’s Office of Student Accessibility and must be house-broken. Student is responsible for behavior of and any damage caused by the approved Service or Emotional Support Animal, including but not limited to urination or defecation. Contact Office of Student Accessibility for information on requirements and the application process.