As the academic year comes to an end, closing a college residence hall requires careful planning and coordination. This process ensures a smooth transition for students, staff, and facilities teams. This is a detailed guide to assist in the structure of this process. While your ResLife department may have a process to follow, this guide has some helpful tools you can implement to make this a much easier process.
Spring Closing Procedures (PDF)
Communication is a key part of the closing process and it is critical that staff members are all on the same page in terms of what to expect. To assist that all of our staff were on the same page, I had staff follow a three step process to ensure that we were consistently following an identical procedure:
- Step 1: Residents pick up their checkout envelope. This would be used to note when the resident was checking out and the resident would insert their key to finalize the process.
- Step 2: Staff (Resident Assistants or Desk Assistants) would accept the envelope from the student and complete the steps in “Hall Closing Spreadsheet” below. From there they would check out the students in StarRez, our occupancy management software. They would also place the physical key back in the key box.
- Step 3: RAs would check the room for any damages and would document potential charges with pictures. They would complete the Room Check Report, submitting pictures and other notes. RAs would also bag and tag any abandoned property from the space.
Room Check Report (PDF)
RAs would complete this Google Form for every room check to ensure that we had thorough documentation for all spaces within the community. For all entries, RAs were instructed to leave questions blank if there were no damages. This made it easier to see on the back end about where noteworthy items were to pay attention to so that residents could be charged appropriately. There are three main categories:
- Walls, Ceiling, Floor, & Fixtures:This included any paint chipping, drywall damage, issues with the light fixture, windows without screens, and so on. Realistically, if there was anything wrong with the physical elements of the room, this was where staff would document it.
- Furniture: This included the mattress and its cover, the desk and chair, trash and recycling bins, and the cleanliness of those items. There were many trash bins left in an excessively filthy state because residents chose not to use liners, so that was something they were charged for.
- Abandoned Items: RAs would place all items within a garbage bag and label it with a tag number. These were stored in an empty office next to our front desk for easier accessibility when residents returned to retrieve their items. RAs would also give each bag a tag number and, on a spreadsheet, would write the contents of the bag with the corresponding number.
Room Check Test (PDF)
It’s very likely that RAs have done room checks throughout the year but it’s a good idea to give everyone a refresher. Especially with the process, running through a test scenario is great at helping them actually live the process rather than just talking about it. I would meet with RAs at the front desk and roleplay as the DA, giving them a key and following them to the room. I used an empty room that had been vacant that semester and placed sticky notes all around the room for different things the RA had to note in the practice Room Check Report submission.
The link is a spreadsheet that I used to note which RAs found different issues. It was helpful for two reasons. The first was so that I actually knew what the RA found and what to call out when they had given up. I would often note how many items they had left after the five minute mark, trying to ensure that it was a timely process. The second reason this was helpful was to see if there were any consistent issues that a majority of staff were missing. If a majority of RAs were failing to flip the mattress to see the sticky note that read “ripped mattress” it was going to lead to an issue that could be a significant expense to the hall and department.
Some RAs felt like this was a test. I always tried to assure them that it wasn’t too serious and that it was just to see what gaps in training there were. In my opinion, it’s okay for them to be a little nervous: this is worth the short-term stress if it means they are going to be more thorough when it comes time for actual room checks.
Closing Floor Meeting Agenda (PDF)
Communicating the closing plan to hall staff is one thing but it’s entirely different for residents. You can send emails, you can create “mandatory” meetings, you can meet with residents 1:1 but very few of them will follow every step as you describe it no matter how effectively you communicate. And, to some extent, that needs to be okay. They have a lot on their mind: it’s the end of the semester and, between exams and getting ready to temporarily depart from their friends, they have bigger things on their minds. The best thing you can do is communicate expectations as clearly and as often as you can to ensure that everyone is on the same page as possible.
This was the outline for closing floor meetings, ensuring that residents were aware of hall closing procedures, what to expect with checkouts and room cleanliness, the process for billing from damages, and the importance of quiet hours during finals week. I often included this information on emails to make sure everyone was aware. Rather than have RAs hold floor meetings, I had RAs pair up and host meetings in the community’s rec room two weeks before finals week. They would do this on varied dates and times to ensure that many options were available to residents. Residents would check in using a QR code, which I marked on a master roster. From there, RAs would follow-up individually with residents. I also hosted a Zoom session and recorded it in case anyone wanted to go back to watch the meeting again.
Hall Closing Spreadsheet (PDF)
This spreadsheet was a life-saver when it came to seeing which residents were still in the building and what the cleaning process for rooms looked like. In my hall, we had a quick transition to summer operations (we closed on a Sunday and opened for summer operations the following Thursday).
- White – Resident in Room. The resident had taken no action to move out. This is how all residents start out on the spreadsheet and their color changes as they complete the following steps.
- Purple – Late Stay Approved: Regardless of the type of community you oversee, I think late stays are an inevitability. Have residents follow your department’s process for this. In my experience, the central office often sent a list of residents who would stay on campus for the summer, so they would automatically be approved. If you have any international students, intentionally follow up with them on what their plans are. Historically, many in my halls have stayed late for flights after finals.
- Yellow – Ready for RA/HD: Essentially this meant that the room was ready to be checked by a staff member. Often this would be a responsibility designated to the RAs. However, when I had some time during finals week, I would often try to take care of a few for each RA to help balance the load. If there was something found that was especially concerning, RAs would often let me know directly so I could check it out prior to the room being cleaned.
- Green – Ready to Be Cleaned: Each day of finals week the hall secretary would reach out to the custodians with a list of rooms that needed to be cleaned. It would often start lighter in the week and crescendo closer to Thursday and Friday. This helped the custodians tackle rooms as they were available as opposed to waiting until the room was completely vacant.
- Blue – Ready for New Occupants: When the custodians had completed room cleaning, they would communicate with the hall secretary. From there, the secretary would mark the row blue, noting that the room had been reset and was ready for new occupants.
It’s not a perfect system but it was an effective way to ensure the community was on the right track in getting rooms reset for summer. Feel free to take this process and implement it in the way that is most effective for your hall. If you find an amazing way to improve this, let me know! I’d love to have a conversation about it!
RA Closing Checklist (PDF)
Since RAs are also going to be busy with their final exams and closing out the semester, I provided them with a closing checklist the week before the end of the semester. This allowed them to see what their expectations were and gave them an idea in how they could work ahead. Some of these items are time sensitive: I didn’t want the RAs taking down all of their bulletin boards two weeks before closing. But they at least had an idea of what to expect during those final days in the hall.
Closing a residence hall for the academic year is a detailed process requiring coordination between students, residence life staff, and facilities management. With effective communication, thorough inspections, and proper security measures, schools can ensure a smooth transition while maintaining the integrity of the residence halls for future use. And, while this article covers the structure behind the process, don’t forget to provide closure for the staff too! Check out Finding Closure: Helping Your ResLife Team End the Year on a High Note for tips on how to help your team come to terms with the end of your time together. Best of luck with closing!
