As you think about your living experience in the apartments or townhouses, you should plan to provide items that would normally fill a new apartment. The College provides basic furniture (that is, loveseat, chairs, coffee and end tables, dining room furniture, bed, chest of drawers, night table, desk, chair, refrigerator, range, window blinds, screens, and cable ports in the living room and bedrooms). The items you will need to supply are listed below. You might also use this list to coordinate items with your housemates:
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Linen, bedding, pillows |
Clothes hangers |
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Optional items: |
Vacuum cleaner |
The apartments and townhouses are a housing option designed to allow students to gain greater independence and autonomy. With additional freedom comes additional responsibility. Your comfort and happiness will depend upon your ability to cooperate with others and complete tasks.
Operation manuals for all appliances (refrigerator, stove, oven, garbage disposal) should be in each apartment and townhouse and should remain in the unit at check-out. Please do not remove these manuals from the unit.
Bathrooms in each apartment and townhouse are equipped with an exhaust fan. In the Crescent
Townhouses, these fans feature an automatic timing mechanism that is preset. When the light switch is turned on, the exhaust fan will turn on. When the light switch is turned off, the fan will continue to run for the pre-set time (approximately 20 minutes) and will be turned off by the timing mechanism. Please do not re-adjust the timing mechanism. Do not “ride” the switch in a middle setting to turn off the fan with the light. This action shorts out the switch and is a potential fire hazard. When appropriate, residents will pay the replacement cost for a shorted-out switch (over $100). These fans and timing mechanisms were installed to prevent the mildew problem inherent in the older townhouses.
During the summer of 2004, the carpet on the first floor of all townhouse units was replaced with new VCT (vinyl) flooring. The decision to replace carpet with vinyl was based on concerns with maintaining sanitary conditions and ease of cleaning. The stairwell carpet was replaced with new carpet to aid in noise reduction.
The carpeting and tiling in the townhouse and apartment units should be vacuumed or swept regularly. Any spills should be wiped up immediately to prevent staining. To clean the VCT in the townhouses or in the Waring Commons apartments, periodically clean it with warm water and soap or with commercial no-wax cleaners. If staining occurs, please do not attempt to remove it with chlorine bleach. Take care of the carpet and try to avoid tracking in mud, etc. Steam-cleaning machines can be rented at local supermarkets. Please be sure to follow the directions listed on any cleaning product.
Red dyes from fruit punches and powder drink mixes will permanently stain carpeting. Residents may be billed for carpet cleaning or replacement necessitated by excessive dirt and stains.
It is recommended that students use a soap scum remover (Tylex Soap Scum Remover or similar product) and a deodorizing cleaner (Lysol or similar product) when cleaning the bathroom. A glass and surface cleaner (Windex or similar product) may be used on all the kitchen countertop surfaces, the refrigerator, and stovetop. A box of baking soda placed in the freezer and in the refrigerator will absorb unwanted odors. Clean your oven regularly to prevent a build-up of grease and dirt that could cause an oven fire. The drip pans on the stove should also be cleaned regularly.
Waring Commons residents should read the Self-Cleaning Radiant Ranges Owner’s Manual very carefully to ensure that proper cleaning is done on the stovetop. Please use the appropriate cleanser (Cerama Bryte), available for purchase at the Convenience Store, to prevent damage to the cooktop surface. The cooktop is very expensive to replace!
Cleaning these areas will ensure the health and safety of all housemates and protect College property. Unhealthy, dirty conditions will affect not only your apartment or townhouse but your neighbors’ apartments or townhouses as well. Because of the potential for bug infestation in the kitchen area, kitchens will be thoroughly inspected during all health and safety inspections.
Some of the Crescent Townhouse units have working fireplaces. All residents of these townhouses must attend a mandatory fireplace workshop (held in late October or early November) and sign an agreement before being given permission to use the fireplace. Detailed information will be provided at that time. Firewood will be provided by the College and will be available at the “Hammerhead Hearth Area” (near SC 12-13) and in a storage shed near the bleachers. Please take only the amount that you will use over a short period of time. Long-term storage of firewood either in your townhouse or outside on the patio is prohibited. The College will provide fireplace equipment when the outside temperature during evening hours is consistently below 60 degrees. Residents may not use the fireplaces without equipment provided by the College.
1. Operation of the fireplace:Note 1: Failure to open the damper before starting a fire may result in smoke or in a fire
spreading throughout the townhouse unit, resulting in serious damage. Should the
damper door fall shut during use, it can be pushed up again with a poker.
Note 2: You will find a fresh air vent on the floor of your fireplace. This vent should be clear of debris and ash at all times. Blockage will result in diminished air flow to the fire. This vent is not to be used as an ash dump. The vent decreases the “draft” you would otherwise feel through your townhouse when the damper is open.
2. Starting the fire
a. Push the damper to the “Open” position.
b. Place a small amount of paper in the bottom of the fireplace.
c. Place small wood pieces on the paper and light the paper.
d. After the fire is started, lay larger logs on the grate.
CAUTION: Under no circumstances should you attempt to start the fire with flammable
liquids! Once you start a fire, you must attend it until it is extinguished.
For the safety of Townhouse residents, the outdoor light fixtures provided at the front entrance of the units are controlled by an electric eye and cannot be turned on or off by the residents. Light bulbs are not to be removed. Charges for missing bulbs will be assessed to the residents of the unit. The light over the exterior of the rear patio door is controlled by the switch inside the townhouse, near the door.
The older Townhouses (Townhouse Green) have flat surfaces, porticos, above the front door. For safety reasons, Townhouse residents are not to sit, stand, lie upon, or place items on the porticos. Stay off the porticos!
Detailed directions for the operation of the thermostat controlling the heating and air conditioning systems will be posted on the inside door of the mechanical closet in the Crescent Townhouses only.
Staff are located in the following units:
Boone (TB 6)
Morsell (TE 6)
Southern Crescent (TG 10)
Northern Crescent (TH 1 - Townhouse Coordinator)
Northern Crescent (TH 8)
Northern Crescent (TH 16)
WC #6 (apartment)
WC #13 (apartment)
WC #21 (apartment)
WC #27 (suite)
WC #35 (suite)
WC #46 (suite)
WC #54 (suite)
WC #62 (suite)
WC #64 (RHC apartment)
Residents in the Townhouses and Waring Commons are responsible for trash disposal. Students may keep a trashcan and their recycling unit on their back patio (Townhouses) provided it is emptied on a regular basis. Waring Commons residents should not leave trash or personal items in the stairwell at any time due to fire codes. The Maintenance Department will remove (at $40 per incident) any trash left in front of townhouses, disposed of improperly, or attractive to animals. Five dumpsters are located in the townhouse area, each surrounded by a wooden fence. Trash and recycling bins are centrally located for the residents of Waring Commons (between units 25 – 26). Students are to put their trash into one of the dumpsters. Remember, it is your community. PLEASE KEEP IT CLEAN!
Trash must not be kept in the HVAC mechanical closet or the hot water heater closet. In the Townhouses, the air intake for the heat and air conditioning is located in this closet, and, therefore, odors will be drawn throughout the entire unit.
Containers for recycling aluminum cans and glass are available at designated dumpster sites. Please recycle!
The residents assume the cost of utilities in the townhouses (not in Waring Commons). Utilities include electricity and heat. Every townhouse is equipped with an electric meter that is read every other month (November 1, January 1, March 1, and at the end of the school year) by a member of the Maintenance staff. The total electric bill is divided among the residents of the townhouse. Technology Services generates a bill for each resident at the end of the month. Your bill will be posted to your SMARTNet account. The bills should be paid in the Business Office within two weeks.
During vacation periods, residents are still responsible for their electric bill. This helps students to learn about conserving energy and face one of the realities of transitioning into life away from college. Once again, the total electric bill is divided among the residents of the townhouse.
Students are strongly encouraged to conserve energy at all times. Some measures that can lower your electric bill include lowering thermostats in cold months (wear a sweater or sweatshirt); raising them in warm months; turning off room lights, stereos and other equipment when not in use; refraining from taking long showers; and not storing anything in the HVAC closet. (Items stored in the closet can interfere with the airflow and normal operation of the equipment maintained in the closet.) During all College breaks when the townhouse is unoccupied, students are advised to keep their thermostats set at 55°F to prevent the pipes from freezing and bursting.
Residents who are given permission to remain in a townhouse during a break period will have to work out with their housemates how to divide the electric bill. If the residents permit someone from a residence hall to stay in the townhouse during break (and if permission is granted by the Office of Residence Life), the residents will need to work out arrangements for paying the electric bills. Students employed by various departments on campus, engaged in academic endeavors, or participating in winter athletic teams will also be responsible for paying their electric bills if living in a townhouse over a break. Residents are encouraged to consolidate in townhouses during vacation periods. Regardless of who lives in a townhouse during a vacation period, the total electric bill is divided among the assigned residents of that townhouse.
Problems with HVAC and electrical systems should be reported immediately to a Residence Life staff member. When reported in a timely manner, persistent problems will be noted so that they do not adversely affect the billing cycle.
Electric Bill Credit for Technology Services Equipment Townhouses
Units TA 1, TB 1, TC 2, TD 2, TE 2, TF 1, TG 2, TH 18
Residents of these units will not be penalized (with higher electric bills) for being assigned to the eight units that house the Technology Services equipment (switches for the Townhouse Complex). They had no choice about being assigned into these units, nor can they control the consumption of electricity by this equipment. The course of action noted below is designed to equalize the electric bills for the residents in these specific units.
The residents in these eight units will receive a credit on their electric bills. The credit will be determined at the beginning of each academic year based on the average electrical consumption of the switches multiplied by the electric rate (as determined by Maintenance and communicated to Residence Life and the Business Office). The credit will remain consistent for the academic year and will change if and when the electric rate changes or a student vacates the residence.
The Office of Residence Life will provide a list of the residents (and changes) in these eight units to the Business Office. The Business Office will credit the appropriate amount to each student’s account prior to rolling over the electric bills to the students’ accounts.
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18952 E. Fisher Rd
St. Mary's City, MD 20686-3001
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