Exemptions & Accommodations
While the classroom is at the heart of the educational mission of Albion College, as a residential college, Albion College also strongly believes in the personal growth and learning that students gain when sharing a living space with roommates on campus. Students seeking accommodations to housing policies, such as our four-year residential requirement or a single room, must provide adequate supporting documentation for review by Community Living staff and the Housing Petitions Committee. For some circumstances, students may be advised to discuss their situation with other campus partners, such as Accessibility Services or Dining. For more information on these policies, please review the Student Handbook.
Each of the following exemptions or accommodation petitions should be re-submitted annually during the Room Selection Process. Emotional Support Animal documentation should be up to date at all times (e.g. proof of up-to-date vaccinations and flea-prevention treatments).
Residency Exemption Request Process
Albion College affirms the educational benefits inherent in the residential aspect of the undergraduate experience, and as such requires all students to reside and board within the College residential system unless the student qualifies for a residency exemption. The College is committed to a safe and healthy in-person, face-to-face classroom teaching and learning environment and participation in on-campus activities. Students are expected to live on campus and engage in their classes in person.
The Student Handbook explicitly describes our four-year residential and board requirements on pages 94-95.
Students can request exemption from the four-year residential requirement by submitting the residency exemption petition form during Room Selection Process (RSP) each Spring for the following year.
Petitions should include documentation confirming their status as defined by one or more of the qualifying circumstances listed below:
- Commuters, defined as students who reside with their parents or legal guardians not more than 25 miles from the Albion College campus. The residence must be with parents or guardians, not other relatives. The application must be accompanied by evidence that the address given is the bona fide principal residence* of the parents or guardians and has been for at least five years. That should include, at a minimum, a copy of an assessment notice showing that the property is assessed as the principal residence of the owner, and evidence of ownership for the required time. If parents or guardians have changed their principal residence within the five-year period, there must also be evidence of sale of the previous residence. If the parents or guardians rent, and do not own, their residence, copies of leases reflecting the necessary continuous period of occupancy must be provided. Further corroborating information may be required at the discretion of the Community Living staff.
- Married students.
- Students with legal dependents.
- Students age 23 or older at the beginning of the Fall semester.
- United States military veterans.
If preferred, College-owned housing can be provided to any student who also qualifies for exemption by one or more of the above exceptions. There will be no refund of the room fee once the semester begins, including the room fee charged to students who are granted an exception to the residence policy. Additional information about the housing requirement is defined in the Student Handbook, including for students on internships or student teaching.
All students living in non-College housing will be charged the non-college housing fee by Student Accounting. This fee is $810.00 per semester.
Students who do not have qualifying circumstances for an exemption as listed above may submit a Housing Accommodation Petition (details below) and request an exemption based on needs related to a documented disability or health concern.
Automatic exemptions to the meal plan requirement are granted to students who fall under one of the following categories:
- Apartment residents
- Fraternity members (Some fraternity members participate in a dining plan contracted by their chapter leadership, but may also add a College meal plan if desired. Members of fraternities that have not contracted with a vendor as a chapter are not exempt from the meal plan requirement.)
- Students not residing in College-owned housing with an approved and documented exemption
Housing Accommodations Request Process
If you are a currently enrolled student and wish to request or renew a disability-related housing accommodation , you should submit a Housing Accommodation Petition to the Office of Community Living. Ideally, petitions are submitted during Room Selection Process each Spring semester and reviewed for assignment or other housing accommodation needs for the upcoming year. Students submitting Accommodation Petitions after Room Selection Process may have a longer review process and should submit a housing application based on other residence preferences during Room Selection Process as well.
You must renew your request for residential accommodations each year you attend Albion College. You may be asked to provide updated documentation and meet with the Director of Accessibility Services as part of the renewal process.
Please begin your inquiry about residential accommodations or adjustments with your Area Coordinator (AC) or the Office of Accessibility Services.
Students requesting an accommodation to the four-year residential requirement or for a modification to campus housing such as a single-occupancy room assignment, distinct floor placement, or other needs based on documented disability should connect with Accessibility Services (located in Cutler Center) prior to completing the petition form below. Please note, registering a disability with Accessibility Services does not guarantee your petition for housing accommodations will be approved.
Students who do not qualify for an automatic meal plan exemption as described above may also petition for an accommodation based on extreme or unusual circumstances. Meal plan exemption requests are reviewed for medical reasons only.
Complete petitions are reviewed and approved by the Community Living Petitions Review Committee, which is composed of representatives from Community Living, Accessibility Services, Student Development, Office of Integrated Wellness, and Dining Services.
Petitions should be submitted using the Housing Accommodations Petition Form and should include:
- Written personal statement uploaded by student in the Housing Accommodations Petition Form
- Appropriate documentation of need, submitted by Healthcare Provider
- Please share this document (Medical Professional Supporting Section – Housing Accommodations Form) with your provider to complete and return.
- Your healthcare provider must include signature and medical license number, returned to the address below. Note: he/she may also email/scan ([email protected]) or fax (517-629-0197) the form and any additional information, or scan and email it to our office.
- Registration with Accessibility Services
There are limited single-occupancy rooms available on campus, and students petitioning for a single room assignment based on documented disability will be assigned first. If disability related requests exceed the number of available single-occupancy rooms, students will added to a wait-listed based on priority of need determined by accommodations considerations. There may be an additional cost per semester for a single room accommodation. Because of the limited number of single-occupancy rooms, students are required to find a roommate(s) and participate in other Room Selection Process applications while waiting to learn if they are eligible for a single-room accommodation. Applicants will be notified of decisions by email.
There will be no refund of the room or meal fees once the semester begins, including the room fee charged to students who are granted an exception to the residential exemption policy.
Window Air Conditioning Units
Due to safety restrictions and electrical load limitations, use of window air-conditioners and hosed A/C units are permitted on a limited basis and must be approved by the Housing Petitions Committee prior to installation under all three of the following conditions:
- Student has a severe chronic medical condition (e.g. asthma, allergy) that necessitates use of air- conditioning.
- Student submits the Housing Accommodations Request form described above.
- Student’s healthcare provider completes and returns the Healthcare Professional Section.
- The Housing Petitions Committee confirms the medical necessity of air-conditioning and sends an approval/instructions email.
Please note – once approved, students must provide the window air-conditioning unit (5000 BTU limit) and will receive a surcharge of $50/semester administrative fee to help cover the additional electricity usage and $25/semester for an installation/uninstallation fee to cover the additional work for Facilities Operations Staff. Students are not permitted to install air-conditioning units of any style or set-up. These charges will be placed on students’ accounts.
Due to liability reasons, all units must be installed and uninstalled by the Facilities Operations Staff. Staff will uninstall all window air-conditioning units during colder months – approximately November – March. Students may need to consider the use of an air purifier during colder months to support their medical needs.
Not all rooms at Albion College can support the addition of a personal window A/C unit and the operation of a personal window A/C unit could limit the number of other electrical items a student will be able to have in their room.
Requesting an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) or Service Animal
To request an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) for an upcoming semester, please schedule a meeting with your Area Coordinator to discuss the petition process and your plan for care of the animal. There are many pieces of documentation needed for this process, and all students must discuss ESA guidelines and expectations for animal care and behavior with Community Living staff before submitting their ESA petition.
Once you have met with one of our staff, please complete the Emotional Support Animal (ESA) Request Form in eRezLife. The form includes a variety of expectations for animal care, animal behavior, and where you will upload documentation of animal health and personal need.
Students with documented disabilities and a designated Service Animal should register with Accessibility Services before contacting Community Living regarding the animal’s authorization to live in College housing. ESAs are not service animals.
Unauthorized animals discovered in College housing will result in a $250 fine per incident/per day to student(s) assigned to the room/apartment where the animal was located, according to the Albion College Student Handbook (pg. 93). Students with approved ESAs will receive an approval email and a designated move-in day; animals are not authorized to be on campus until this date (often move-in day for the upcoming semester).
Monthly health and safety inspections will be completed in your residential space by Community Living staff.
Forms
Migration of Community Living forms to eRezLife (secured site accessed through single-on) is in process. Forms for 2024-2025 Academic Year have all been made available as of February 2, 2024. Once you log in with your network ID and password, click “forms” to view and initiate any available forms.
If you are an incoming new student and experiencing difficulty logging in to eRezLife or accessing these forms, please contact [email protected] and we will assist you.
Housing assignments are subject to change based on enrollment, space allotment, and the State of Michigan Executive Orders on Public Health. If your assignment does change you will be notified via email. Students may be asked to consolidate or move to new housing arrangements based on quarantine and isolation needs. In the event of temporary closures, restrictions, and/or adjustments to the academic schedule, Albion College shall not be obligated to issue refunds or credits, whether partial or full, for such interruptions or adjustments.