VII: Points and Assignment of Rooms: Difference between revisions

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:5. For information regarding the accrual of points and unit/room assignment for live-in attendants, please see section VII.A.3 and VII.D, respectively.
:5. For information regarding the accrual of points and unit/room assignment for live-in attendants, please see section VII.A.3 and VII.D, respectively.


== F. BSC WHISTLEBLOWER POLICY ==


:1. The BSC’s adjudication procedures exist in order to fulfill its duties as a landlord in providing a safe living environment while , and adhering to all applicable laws, while being as fair and observant of member rights as possible.


:2.  It is important for the BSC to take all complaints seriously, to investigate to determine whether a policy violation may have occurred, and if so, determine an appropriate response and resolution.
[[Category: Policy|Points and Assignment of Rooms]] [[Category: Section II - Administrative Code]]
 
:3.  The BSC Whistleblower Policy prohibits members from engaging in retaliatory action against other stakeholders in the BSC community that express concern or bring formal complaints regarding a member’s conduct and/or potential policy violations. 
 
:4.  The purpose of the Whistleblower Policy is to:
::a. Ensure that all stakeholders feel comfortable in their home and/or working environment.
::b. Ensure that all stakeholders feel comfortable bringing forth complaints, as retaliation against a complainant can have a chilling effect on complaints and may undermine community members’ faith in BSC conduct procedures.
::c. Prevent unnecessary publicizing of information or the spreading of disinformation as doing so may cause additional conflicts and can interfere with a fair and efficient investigation process.
::d. To protect the BSC from legal liability, as any type of retaliation, whether intentional or unintentional, may expose the BSC to legal risk.
 
:5.  Retaliation is defined as any adverse action directed toward an alleged complainant, an alleged respondent, an alleged witness, staff member, or any member of an enforcement/appeals committee.  Such retaliation is unacceptable and will be viewed as a form of harassment. Such actions may take the form of punishment, defamation, intimidation, and create a hostile, threatening, or uncomfortable environment as a result of making a complaint or participating in the BSC conduct process.
 
:6.  Examples of retaliation include, but are not limited to:
- Publicizing information regarding a conduct case on any medium, including, but not limited to social media, email, text messages, signage/posters, etc.
- Approaching or directly contacting any individual involved in a conduct case regarding the investigation or complaint
- Discussing the conduct case in formal settings/meetings, e.g. dinner or council
- Discussing the conduct case in any common space or other public setting where other BSC community members might be present
 
:7.  However, the BSC wants to encourage survivors and those negatively impacted by conduct violations to seek appropriate support.  As such, examples of actions which would not be considered to be in violation of the Whistleblower Policy, include but are not limited to the following examples:
- Privately seeking support from close friends and/or support systems in private areas where other BSC community members are not present (e.g. private bedrooms)
- Seeking support from trained BSC Restorative Justice practitioners or other BSC-provided resources
- Seeking support from confidential support groups
 
:8.  We also want to encourage members to provide feedback or suggestions about how to improve the conduct process and/or support for members.  As such, members are encouraged to share feedback and/or suggestions with the Vice President of Experience & Training, BSC President, or Cooperative Experience Manager.
 
:9.  Engaging in retaliation as defined above will thus be viewed as an infraction of the Conduct Code, and is an offense that can warrant disciplinary action up to and including a conditional contract, membership termination, or any other remedy normally at the disposal of an enforcement committee hearing a conduct case.
 
 
[[Category: Policy Directory]] [[Category: Section II - Administrative Code]]

Latest revision as of 12:32, 3 December 2021

A. AWARDING OF POINTS

1. Points shall be awarded to the general membership in order to determine seniority when bidding on rooms within individual units and transferring from one unit to another.

2. Members with rental contracts shall receive points as follows:

a. In the Fall and Spring contract periods, one point shall be awarded to members who have resided in the BSC for at least 42 contiguous days during that contract period.
b. In the Summer contract period, three-fourths of a point shall be awarded to members who have resided in the BSC for at least 42 contiguous days during that contract period.

3. For members with a disability who require a live-in attendant, the application number for the live-in attendant space will accrue BSC seniority points according to standard BSC policy. Such seniority points are tied to the member’s live-in attendant space and not any individual(s) who may occupy it.

4. Members who do not meet these conditions for the awarding of points but can present exceptional and compelling circumstances may appeal their cases to the Administrative Committee.

B. ROOM BIDS – HOUSES

1. Points are considered “active” and “inactive” for the purpose of bidding on rooms within individual houses.

a. When a member first transfers to a new house, points are inactive. Points are activated four weeks after moving in. Points remain active for as long the member resides in the house. A member does not have to reside in the house during the summer session in order to retain active points.
b. The time period after which the points of a member who leaves the BSC become inactive is at the discretion of each house, providing the following minimal guidelines are followed: members who leave the BSC due to documented health issues or emergencies, education abroad, educational exchange, or military service and then return to their original house will still have active points providing that the members return within a year of the cessation of said event or occurrence. (See Section IV if a member has left and returned to a house without leaving the BSC.)
c. Members who are forced to transfer to a different unit due to temporary or permanent closure of their original unit shall have their points in the new unit activated immediately. The next semester’s room bids shall be made with the full participation of all members transferring from the inoperable unit.
d. It is at the discretion of individual units to determine a point activation policy in the case where a member has previously resided in that unit, chosen to relocate to a different unit for at least one fall or one spring semester, and then chosen to move back to the original unit. However, such practices should be documented in the unit's constitution. In the case where no policy in the unit constitution encases this scenario, then the following default rule will be used: A member's points shall be split into active and inactive portions, with the active portion equal to the points received while residing in the original unit.

2. Room bids shall adhere to the policies below.

a. When bidding on an available room (a “desired room”), the individual or group of individuals who wish to occupy a desired room shall be called a “bidding unit.” The bidding unit with the greatest aggregate active points shall receive the desired room. Ties shall be broken first by including any inactive points in each bidding unit's aggregate points. Units may decide how to break further ties after using active points and inactive points, provided that such practices are documented in the unit's constitution. If a unit's constitution does not specify how to resolve a tie after inclusion of inactive points, and if such a tie occurs, the bidding unit with the lowest average application number wins the bid.
b. It is the responsibility of individual units to establish room-bid procedures that adhere to these guidelines.

3. Room Bids at Apartment Units: See the Rochdale, Fenwick, and Northside Constitutions.

4. Squatter’s Rights: A “squatter” is someone who has bid into a room and has a right to remain in that room during future semesters even if another member who has more points also desires the room. A member may squat in a room from Fall to Spring, and from Spring to Fall. However, members beginning in the Summer do not have squatter’s rights and must bid on a room in the Fall.

a. Only members in need of wheelchair accessible accommodations shall have squatter’s rights in a wheelchair accessible apartment or bedroom.
b. If no member with disabilities needs a bedroom/studio reserved for members with disabilities at a unit, then any member may bid on the room but they shall not be granted squatter’s rights for any future semester.

C. ROOMMATE COMPATIBILITY:

1. Members are guaranteed roommates of their own gender if they wish. The BSC will not release a member from their contract/lease obligations due to their roommate’s age, physical disability, ethnic background, marital status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, or sexual preference.

2. Members shall be released from their contract/lease for roommate incompatibility only if they demonstrate to the satisfaction of AdCom that the incompatibility significantly interferes in their life and that possible alternatives, such as room switches in units and switches between units, have been considered.

D. ACCOMMODATIONS FOR MEMBERS WITH DISABILITIES: ASSIGNMENT

1. A student who has a verified disability and needs an accommodation of a single room must provide verification of their disability and their need for a single room to the Housing Supervisor who will determine what reasonable accommodations can be offered and notify the House Manager of the member’s need for a single room. For specific details on requesting and receiving housing accommodations please see section IV.__ Guidelines for Receiving an Accommodation.

2. The BSC will reserve at least one single room in each room and board house and one studio at Rochdale for members needing the accommodation of a single room. The number of reserved single rooms will vary by house, depending on the overall number of single rooms available at the house. Houses with a greater number of single rooms will proportionally have a greater number of single rooms reserved for members needing the accommodation of a single room. Houses that are all single rooms by design shall have no set number. The number of single rooms reserved at each house shall be:


House Number of Reserved Singles House Number of Reserved Singles
Afro 1 Kingman 2
Castro 2 Lothlorien 2
Casa Zimbabwe 4 Oscar Wilde 1
Cloyne 4 Ridge 2
Davis 1 Sherman 1
Euclid 2 Stebbins 2
Hoyt 4 Wolf 1
Kidd 1


Houses with a wheelchair accessible room(s) must still reserve a disability single in addition to the wheelchair accessible room(s). Individual houses can decide to reserve a specific room or leave the last single open as the guaranteed single for members with disabilities. The room must be held open until room bids at the beginning of each semester. If a house has two rounds of room bids, then they must reserve a single room for a student with a disability until the second round of room bids. If no member with disabilities needs the room, then any house member may bid on the room but they shall not be granted squatter’s rights for any future semester. The Rochdale studio will be held until special bids at the beginning of each semester, then released to the general membership if it is not required. The member who gets the room or the studio at bids shall not be granted squatter’s rights for any future semester.

3. Members with a verified disability are also allowed to participate in room bids using their points, if they so desire, and are allowed to bid for a different single than the one they were guaranteed. The member does not have to live in the reserved single if they choose to attain a different single through room bids. If a member is able to bid into a room through points, then that room shall no longer be considered a reserved disability single, and a separate single shall be reserved for a member with disabilities so that they may receive a single room accommodation regardless of seniority points priority.

4. If, during room bids, the member chooses a room different than the one provided to them by the BSC per their accommodation request, they forfeit their accommodation and must request it again should they decide they need it for future semesters. By forfeiting the offered accommodation, the member is indicating that they do not need the offered accommodation for the current term and they will not be guaranteed an offer for a difference space.


E. LIVE-IN ATTENDANTS FOR MEMBERS WITH DISABILITIES

1. The BSC contracts for live-in attendant spaces with the BSC member who requires a live-in attendant as a housing accommodation, not with any individual(s) providing live-in attendant services. As such, the BSC has no direct relationship with the live-in attendant.
2. The member requiring live-in attendant services may hire, terminate, and/or supervise their attendant at their discretion.
3. The BSC assumes no responsibility for the working conditions or any agreements between the member and attendant.
4. Live-in attendants must follow all unit-level and BSC policies. The member employing the live-in attendant is responsible for ensuring they do so and/or taking appropriate remedial action.
5. For information regarding the accrual of points and unit/room assignment for live-in attendants, please see section VII.A.3 and VII.D, respectively.