The Alcohol & Drugs
You walk into a room where one roommate is 21 and the other is 20. You see a 6-pack of beer on the floor. The 21-year-old is casually drinking a beer while they are both watching TV. The 21-year-old says the 6-pack is his and that his 20-year-old roommate doesn't drink alcohol. Is this okay?
NO!
All roommates must be 21 in order for alcohol to be present in the room.
You walk into a resident's room and see that they have a fish tank full of fish in the room. What do you do?
Nothing- fish are allowed in the residence halls as pets, but they are the only pets allowed (aside from emotional support animals).
As an RA, are you required to direct everyone out of the building before leaving yourself in the case of a fire?
Absolutely not.
You are never expected to put yourself in harm's way in the case of an emergency.
It is January, residents just came back from break/ A resident has a humidifier in their hall, citing dry skin issues and that a doctor suggested they bring one into the hall, but no note was provided. Can they have it?
NO!!!! If it not approved by the university, then it is not allowed in the hall. Tell them to bring a doctor’s note and talk to the health center to get proper approval in order to have one in their room.
A guest who is found consuming alcohol in the residence halls while underage cannot reap consequences because they do not go to Drake. True or False?
FAKE NEWS. Someone (not you) may pass the information along to the school they go to if they choose to. That is why it's important to always get as much info on guests in incidents as possible.
If you smell marijuana in the hallway outside a specific room, do you knock on the door to ensure it's marijuana you are smelling?
NO!
Always call public safety the instant you suspect (smell/see) marijuana.
You walk into a room and see a mini-fridge that is 4.0 cubic feet. Does that meet the requirements for a mini-fridge?
Yes- as long as it is the only fridge in the room.
What do you do if there is a tornado warning?
Set a good example by going to the basement, bring the DUDIL and post a sign at the front desk.
A resident has a candle without a wick. They use a hot plate melt the wax in the candle. Because it has no fire on it, is this hot plate allowed?
NO!!! While the candle has issues of its own, a hot plate is not allowed due to it being an open heating source.
During an incident, someone says they do not have their student ID. What do you do?
-Ask for an actual ID
-Ask for their name and ID number
-Verify them on the roster
-Proceed with the rest of the incident
List 3 potential consequences of alcohol and illegal substance violations.
-Fines
-Parental/legal guardian notified
-Formal reprimand, warning/probation
-Removal from residence halls, suspension, expulsion
-Additional sanctions imposed by Dean of Students or Associate Director/Director of Residence Life
During move in day, you see someone about to drop one of the 5 boxes they are carrying. What do you do?
Nothing- you're not allowed to touch residents' belongings or help them move in for liability reasons.
You're handling an incident and notice a candle in the room. What are three things you should do?
Take the candle, remind them of the fire hazard, place in designated confiscated item location for your hall and write a incident report
You are walking outside your hall when you peak up and see banned string lights hanging on the wall. When you talk to the resident, they ask you if they can just remove the string lights and pack them away. What do you tell them?
Tell them that you must confiscate them, but they can get them back before they leave for the next break. Talk to your hall coordinator about where you can put the item. Then write an incident report.
A bunch of rowdy boys are goofing around in the lobby and one accidentally falls onto a table and breaks it. When you ask for his student ID, he says he is a guest. Who is responsible for the broken table?
The rowdy boy who signed in the guest!
You are on duty and come across someone vomiting in the toilet in the restroom. You smell alcohol as you approach them. What do you do?
1. Check to ensure they are okay.
2. Call DPS & facilities.
3. Write down as a work order on the duty log.
4. Close the restroom door & put an "Out of Order" sign on the door. Put a yellow pad over the vomit if facilities will not be there right away.
A resident comes to you saying their neighbors are blasting their music super loud during the day. Are you able to do anything since it isn't quiet hours?
Yes- courtesy hours still apply.
A concerned parent calls the front desk while you are working. They are worried that their son's blood sugars being too low and might be hypoglycemic. What should you do?
1. Tell the parent that you cannot confirm or deny that the person of concern lives on campus
2. Refer them to public safety
3. Call public safety yourself and write a care referral
A resident brings a dog into their single room. What are the proper steps to handle this?
1. Ask them is it is an approved emotional support animal.
2. If they say yes, then check with your Hall coordinator and verify it is a university approved emotional support animal. If they say no, contact your hall coordinator as to the proper steps to remove the animal should be
3. If it is university approved, they may keep the animal in their room as long as they
You are on duty and get called because a resident is locked out of their room. They say their roommate locked them out of the room on accident when they left. What do you do?
-Verify they live in that room
-Fill out the lock out form for them (have them sign for a $5 lock out fee)
-Let them into their room
Is it okay if residents have alcohol paraphernalia or empty alcohol bottles displayed in their room?
If everyone who lives in the room is 21, yes.
If not everyone living in the room is 21, anything that a person must be 21-years-old to purchase (i.e. alcohol bottles/caps) may not be in their room.
Your floor wants to have a floor movie night in your room for your floor program. One of your residents has a movie they want to bring. Is this okay?
NO- you cannot play a movie as part of a program unless you purchase legal rights to it (so basically you can't)
You can watch movies with friends in your room if your door is closed.
If a resident approaches you concerned for their roommate's safety, what do you do?
Depends on the situation. Could be any of the following:
-Call DPS and/or pro-staff
-Knock on their door (do not key in yourself unless told to by pro-staff)
-Reach out to the resident (grab dinner, chat, etc...)
A resident has duct tape and wants to use it to hang posters on the wall. Can they do this?
Yes!!! Although it is strongly discouraged, a resident may have duct tape and use it as they wish within their room, so long as they accept the liability of any damage to the room as a result of their use of the tape.
You're working the front desk, and someone rings the doorbell. They say they live in the hall but don't have their student ID. What do you do?
-Verify they live in the hall (through the intercom) by asking for their name, student ID number, and birth date
-Have them sign the Student without ID log