Policies & Procedures: General Information
Helpful Hints
Air Conditioners
Only those students who have a documented medical need and permission from the Office of Residential Life may have an air conditioner. A current (new each year) letter from your physician, specifically stating the medical need for air conditioning, must be received by the Office of Residential Life before any air conditioner will be installed by HC staff. This letter can be sent by mail or by FAX (610.896.4960). Students given permission to use an air conditioner must provide their own unit.
View Air Conditioners: Policies & Fees 
Appliances & Other Items
Satellite dishes, candles, use of halogen lamps and large electrical appliances are prohibited in College housing. Students may use small to medium-sized refrigerators in the residence halls. Students are responsible for the routine maintenance & defrosting of their refrigerators, for any damages caused by the use of a refrigerator (i.e. carpet damage from leaking water, etc.), and for defrosting and then unplugging their refrigerators before they leave on Winter Break. Refrigerators are not permitted in public areas, with the sole exception of in suite common rooms. Other low-wattage appliances such as electric blankets and coffee makers are also allowed.
Furnishings
The College provides each student with the standard bedroom furnishings - bed, dresser, desk, desk chair, desk lamp and small bookshelf. All windows have window shades. Each student is expected to supply their own wastebasket, pillow, towels, and bed linens (mattresses are extra-long 36" x 80" x 6"). A flashlight is recommended in the rare case of a power outage.
For students living in HCA, the College provides, in addition to the above, the following: in the living room - seating for three or four, a coffee table and a lamp; in the kitchen: a full-sized refrigerator with a freezer section, a stove, a sink with a garbage disposal, and storage cabinets. As in all residence halls, toilet paper is provided. Vacuum cleaners are available for use through the HCA office (x1779, building 15 basement, entrance in rear of building). Students are expected to supply their own dishes, utensils, pots and pans, etc.
Residence Hall Linens Program
Mattresses in our residence halls are extra-long (36"x80"), and XL twin sheets are recommended. While these sheets can be found at many retailers, Haverford's Students' Council has partnered with Residence Hall Linens to provide our students with a convenient, affordable way to purchase extra-long sheets and bedding items, as well as other campus-living necessities. Proceeds from this program go to Haverford's Students' Council. Don’t forget - ordering from Residence Hall Linens ensures you have XL twin sheets that are guaranteed to fit our extra long beds and guaranteed until graduation. Please visit the RHL website or call (800) 957-4338 for more information or to order.
Mailing & Shipping
Each student has a campus mailbox. You will receive information on your box number in the Non-Academic Registration email sent to you in late July. You may ship trunks and packages to yourself, but they should arrive no earlier than August 19. Please note that the College assumes no responsibility for damage to or loss of any personal property.
The mail room is located in the Whitehead Campus Center. The mailing address for your campus mailbox is:
(YOUR NAME)
Haverford College
370 Lancaster Avenue
Haverford, PA 19041-1392
Please note: your campus mailbox number is not part of your campus address.
Meal Plan & The Coop
The meal plan, for both HC and BMC, begins with the dinner meal on Sunday, August 28th. The meal exchange will go into effect with dinner on that day as well. Because the food service will already be in operation accommodating both the athletic and customs programs, you may purchase your meals at the occasional meal rate through brunch on Sunday.
Residents of HCA, 710 College Avenue and Ira de A. Reid House are permitted either to be off the meal plan or to take the partial meal plan. If you are living in one of these dorms and want one of these two options, you should immediately notify Barbara Wilson, Student Accounts Coordinator in the Business Office, at 610-896-1251 or at bwilson@haverford.edu. If you do not contact Barbara Wilson, you will be on the full meal plan and your student account will be charged accordingly.
If you are living off campus and want to be on either the full or partial meal plan, you should also notify Barbara Wilson.
The COOP is a a grill/café located in the Campus Center. For information and the form to open an account with the COOP, please view the Coop Accounts PDF.
OneCard (aka Havercard)
Haverford's OneCard is your student ID, your dorm building "key", your library card, your meal ticket. In addition, the campus laundry machines are now fully operational for use with the OneCard. First year students, please get your applications in, as soon as possible!
Download Application | Visit the OneCard website.
Pets
Students should not bring any animals to the College. Fur-bearing animals, such as cats, dogs, gerbils, hamsters, mice and rabbits are not permitted in our housing at any time. Any student who is found keeping a fur-bearing animal in a Haverford residence hall or apartment may lose the right to live in College housing and have to move out within two days. The pet must be removed from the dorm the day the animal is discovered or the owner will be fined $100.00.
Room Decorations
Room/suite decorations are encouraged as a way of personalizing a living space. Students should attach memo boards, posters, and similar items to walls/doors using poster putty. Students may not write, paint or otherwise mark on any surface in any residence hall. Thumbtacks, nails and tape are not permitted as they damage walls.
Smoking Policy
The College has adopted a smoking policy to protect individuals who do not wish to be exposed to smoke of any kind. All non-residential buildings have been designated "smoke-free areas". No one may smoke inside any such building, and smokers should take care not to cause others discomfort when smoking too close to an entrance of such a building.
Students' Council has determined that smoking should be permitted in student housing so long as no other resident(s) object. Smoking in College housing is a privilege, not a right. Please read the full Smoking Policy & Smoke-Free Housing policy for further information.
Storage
There are a number of storage areas on campus. Please thoroughly read the Students' Guide 2008-09 (pp. 59-61) "Storage on Campus" and On Campus Storage for detailed policy and procedure information.
Reminder: Storage or moving companies that drop off & pick up PODS, and the like, are prohibited on campus. All belongings stored in campus storage areas must be labeled and stored neatly in approved storage areas, only. No belongings may be left in dorm rooms, outside of the approved storage areas or in any other area not approved for storage. Personal belongings stored illegally will be removed and discarded when the dorms are cleaned right after Commencement. Students going on international study abroad, domestic study away & exchange programs and approved early arrival students may ONLY store belongings in their respective special storage areas.
Telephone
Haverford College's local and long-distance telephone program is managed by STC Services®. Students are responsible for providing their own telephone. Corded or cordless phones may be used. Caller-ID is available but if you choose to use that service you must provide your own caller-ID device. You will receive your phone number and PIN when you arrive on campus. Please set up your account and voicemail box as soon as possible and let your parent(s) or guardian(s) know your telephone number.
Returning students use the PIN assigned to them last year and must reactivate their voice mailbox. Returning students who do not have a PIN or who do not remember their PIN should contact either STC or Telephone Services (Nancy Sunderland @ x1246). The College does not support the use of answering machines. If you want to use one rather than Voice Mail, you will need one that answers on two rings as the College Voice Mail system responds on 3 ½ rings.
Visit the Telephone Services website.
Theft/Fire & Accident Insurance
Please note: Haverford College does not reimburse students for any loss of or damage to personal property. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you carry some form of property insurance, particularly if you are bringing expensive equipment, such as computers or stereos, to campus. All arrangements must be made between you and N.S.S.I. The College does not endorse this company, nor does it benefit from the sale of the company's policies.
Information on a theft, fire & accident insurance program, National Student Services, Inc.'s student Personal Property Plan, can be found online at www.nssinc.com or by calling 1-800-256-6774. This information is provided as a courtesy and Haverford College does not endorse this program.
Vehicles & Bicycles
First-year students are not permitted to have automobiles, motorcycles or motorbikes unless they have been given permission by their dean to commute from home. Students may bring bicycles and are responsible for providing their own bike lock. There are a number of bicycle sheds and "ribbon" bike racks located throughout the campus. All students bringing bicycles to school are required to register them, free of charge, with Safety & Security.