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University Policies FAQ

(unofficial -- the university has a formal list of all these rules; these are just some we think you may find especially important to you.)

What do I do if my roomamte wants to smoke in the apartment?
Can I have a pet?
Is there really a ban on halogen lamps?

What if my roommate smokes and wants to do it in the apartment?

Well . . . Stanford has a no smoking policy . . . and that means no smoking in the apartments, anywhere the smoke will drift into people's apartments, on the landings, on the stairs, under the balconies . . . ummm, basically, you can't smoke anywhere in or near the buildings. You also can't smoke at Rains events, whether they are inside or outside. If you're a habitual offender, you could lose your University Housing Privileges, and if you smoke in your apartment, even if your roommate doesn't mind, be prepared to get a big bill for the cost of removing the smell of tobacco smoke from carpeting, draperies, paint, and furnishings in your apartment.

I have a pet tarantula at home and I really want to bring her. Can I have a pet?

Sorry, the Residence Agreement you signed prohibits furry, fishy, feathery or scaly housemates; the little brown ants who will invade your apartment periodically do not count. If Facilities, Maintenance, or a nosy neighbor discovers your pet and reports it to the Rains Office, you will get the Nasty Pet Letter, which will tell you that you have to find it another home by a certain date or face a very high fine for every day it stays with you past the deadline. We hate doing this, so please don't make us.

I can't see a thing in my apartment because it's dark. Are halogen lamps really banned???

Afraid so. Halogen lamps have been implicated in a couple of campus fires in Undergrad Land, so they have been banned campus-wide in a compassionate effort to keep grad students safe, though in the dark.