General On Call
You can find the residential policies online here!
What is the Dean of Students Website or Lifebook?
This is the best time to complete an incident report.
What is immediately after the incident, and certainly before 9am?
The definition of defenestration.
What is throwing something out the window?
The type of residence where appliances for the preparation of food are allowed.
What are apartment style residences?
A resident who is 21+ is allowed to have this amount of alcohol in their personal residence assignment per the BU Lifebook.
What is 72oz (a six pack) of beer/cider/canned alcohol AND 1 liter of other liquor? (EX- a six pack of beer and a bottle of wine).
This type of documentation is still required even if the only concern in a situation is the presence of the odor of cannabis/marijuana.
What is an Advocate Incident Report?
On a typical Tuesday, the RA on-call shift begins at this time.
What is 5pm?
RAOCs should call SSOC anytime they are aware that someone from this group has entered a residence hall.
What is BUPD or emergency personnel (fire fighters, EMTs, etc)?
The time period of quiet hours on regular weekends and holidays throughout the semester.
What is 6:00pm-8:00am?
The following electrical items are allowed in these type of residences:
Electric blankets
Air conditioners
Sunlamps
Torchère-style halogen lamps
Any items/appliances which have a source of heat or flame
What is none!? (These items are not allowed in any on campus residence hall.)
An RAOC responds to an incident where a resident appears intoxicated and is in need of medical evaluation. This is the first phone call the RAOC should make.
What is calling BUPD?
This is the number of "independent noses" that are required to confirm the source/presence of the odor of cannabis.
What is two?
On a university observed holiday, the RA on-call shift begins at this time.
What is 9am?
The primary means of identifying students present during an incident.
What is a Terrier Card or BUID Card?
Time period of quiet hours during a reading period and final exam period.
What are 24 hour quiet hours?
The first step an RAOC should take in a situation where they find an unexpected animal in a student residence.
What is call Senior Staff On Call?
This BU Policy reads: “When a BU student seeks help for themselves or others who’ve used alcohol or drugs, neither student will receive a sanction for alcohol or drug use, as long as they complete an educational or counseling program on campus.”
What is the Good Samaritan Policy?
You observe the following items in a student residence: a baggie of loose marijuana, a box of cigarettes, a bic lighter, a Zyn nicotine pack, and vape pen. These items need to be impounded.
What is the marijuana and the vape pen?
(the lighter and tobacco products are prohibited. However, smoking is not allowed within 25 feet of the entrance to a Residence Hall).
This is how you appropriately answer the phone when on call.
What is: "BU Residence Life-(Hall Office) RA on Call, this is (insert name). How may I help you?"
Essential parts- Your hall office, "RA on-call", your name.
The three different ways an RAOC should announce themselves before keying into a resident room.
What is 1st time: “Residence Life- RA on call," 2nd time: "“Residence Life- RA on call--we are preparing to key into room [123],” and 3rd time: "“Residence Life- RA on call--we are now keying into room [123]"?
During a roommate conflict, this is a resource to ask residents to explore if they feel uncomfortable sleeping in their own room for an evening.
What is if they have a friend they can stay with for the night?
(*The answer is NOT telling them about a buffer space!)
These are two “movie-time” electrical food preparation devices that are allowed to be used in all styles of residence halls.
What are Hot air popcorn popper and Microwave that is part of a MicroFridge from Vending Services?
A resident is being transported to the hospital via ambulance. A friend wishes to accompany them. When calling the SSOC to request approval for taxi vouchers, tis is how many vouchers you will request and for what purpose.
What is:
1) One voucher issued to the transported resident to return from the hospital (they will be transported to the hospital via ambulance)
2) One voucher issued to a friend of the transported resident to accompany them to the hospital
3) One voucher issued to the same friend of the transported resident to return from the hospital?
When addressing an odor of marijuana incident, these are two possible things you might see in the room that could indicate someone had recently been smoking in the room.
What are two of these:
Fans pointed towards a window
Dryer sheet attached to a fan
Smoke detector covered up
Smoking paraphernalia that appears recently used
On September 15th, 2026, during an on-call shift, this is the time you should be present in the office.
On October 15th, it changes to this time.
What is 7pm-12am(midnight) during the first month of the academic semester and 7pm-10pm all other days.
When a resident is transported to the hospital, these two details are important to share with the senior staff on call because it can determine what type of follow up the SSOC is required to do in the moment of being informed about the incident.
What is whether or not the resident hit their head and the resident's state of consciousness (were they conscious/responsive or unconscious/unresponsive at the time of transport?)
The only acceptable time for residents to be on a roof or fire escape.
What is when escaping a fire or threat of fire?
(1) An RAOC suspects there are prohibited items in a resident's room. This what the RAOC should say to the resident upon entering the room to locate the items.
(2) This is how the RAOC might respond if the resident in uncooperative.
What is 1) ask the resident to open all drawers and closets and bring any prohibited items to the center of the room and 2) what is say that they will mention in their report that the resident was uncooperative and did not comply with instructions and professional staff may follow up?
The RAOC comes across a group of 21+ year olds sharing a bottle of wine in the community kitchen/study room/or common area/lounge. This is the BU policy they are in violation of that prompts you to impound the bottle and write an IR.
What is "Alcoholic beverages may not be consumed in any public areas of the University"?
This policy is located under the Boston University Alcohol Policy (DOS Website-Lifebook-Alcohol Policy. Note: NOT under the Residential Policy Lifebook page).
While no amount of marijuana is allowed in residence halls, this amount of marijuana present in a situation necessitates that you call BUPD.
What is marijuana equal to the size of a brick?