Living in a catered hall

Find out about life in a first-year hall and read the rules and expectations—so everyone can contribute to a positive and thriving hall community.

You can find full details about living in a hall and the rules and expectations in the Student Hall Handbook.

If you have any questions or concerns about hall life, don’t hesitate to speak to your residential adviser or a hall staff member.

Hall events

Your hall organises regular social, cultural and sporting events and you’re encouraged to get involved. Events are a great way to meet new people and connect with others across the hall community. There’s something to interest everyone—from the hall ball to inter-hall volleyball to movie nights.

Look out for event notices in the accommodation portal and on your hall’s noticeboard and Facebook page.

Mealtimes

Mealtimes are an excellent opportunity to socialise with fellow students in the hall community. All your meals will be served in the hall dining room at set times, but you can prearrange a packed lunch or later dinner if you can’t make it. There are a few rules around the dining halls that you need to be familiar with.

Find out more about meals in your hall.

Your room

You are welcome to decorate your room so it feels like home. Posters can only be Blu-Tacked to the walls—don’t use sticky tape or nails. If you need to pin items, use your noticeboard.

You can move free-standing furniture around in your room. You’re also allowed to bring small additional furniture items but check with staff first as some things are not allowed. When you move out, make sure you put the room back as it was and take furniture that belongs to you with you.

There are occasional room checks and you’ll be given notice of these. Staff may also enter your room if there are any wellbeing or safety concerns, or to deal with any nuisance such as loud music.

Cleaning and laundry

You are responsible for cleaning your own room including vacuuming, dusting and rubbish removal. You can find cleaning products in the kitchenette on your floor and borrow a vacuum cleaner from the hall office. Students are also responsible for keeping the common room tidy and doing their dishes in the kitchenette. Professional cleaners will clean the common areas such as bathrooms, dining hall and corridors.

You also need to do your own weekly laundry including your bedding. Laundry facilities are provided in your hall.

Social media

Make sure you have joined your hall’s private Facebook group and Instagram to keep up to date with activities and hall chat. Set up your notifications so you get an alert when new items are posted.

Be respectful when you post on our social media pages. Don’t post anything that may be considered bullying or harassment, or discriminatory, offensive or harmful to others.

Permission to post

You should also make sure you have the permission of people if you are posting photos or information about them on your hall’s Facebook page and on your personal social media accounts. Posting without permission may be a breach of privacy and there can be legal repercussions. If in doubt, always ask the person concerned.

Noise and quiet hours

Halls are a community of students so it’s important the environment is conducive to study. Always be mindful of other residents and make sure no excessive noise is coming from your room. Loud conversations in the corridors are also particularly disruptive to people trying to sleep or study.

Quiet hours are from 10 pm to 8 am every day and this policy is strictly enforced. During study, exam and assessment periods, quiet hours may be extended to 8 pm to 8 am and your hall will let you know when these apply.

If your hall neighbours are making too much noise, politely ask them to be quieter. If this is unsuccessful, use the duty phone to speak to a staff member.

Personal space

Living in a hall community, it’s important to be respectful of other people’s personal space and boundaries. If you’re unsure about what’s appropriate, you can find guidance in the hall handbook. Here are a few tips:

• keep at least a metre of space between yourself and someone you don’t know
• never touch someone without permission
• don’t go into anyone’s room without being invited
• in someone’s room, ask where to sit, don’t assume they will be happy for you to sit on their bed
• don’t overstay your welcome in someone’s room
• don’t borrow things from others without permission.

Guests

Your hall is your home and your friends are welcome to visit.

However, there are times when no guests are allowed which include Orientation week and when exams are on, and may include other times such as if there is an outbreak of illness.

There are a few rules you and your guests need to follow:

• You must stay with them at all times while they are visiting the hall including when they leave.
• You are fully responsible for your guests’ actions while they are at the hall. Unaccompanied, intoxicated, or disorderly guests will be required to leave the hall immediately.
• You must not let your guest use your key or access card.
• A guest may stay the night but a guest pass must be signed by a staff member at least 24 hours in advance of their arrival. No guest may stay on a regular basis, and residents may have only one overnight guest at a time. Book your guest in early as there are a maximum number of guests the hall can host.
• If your guest is under the age of 18, you’ll need to get advance approval from the head of hall.
• It is critical that you and your guest observe quiet hours and the expectations for behavior in the hall. Staff may ask you to remove your guest if they are creating problems in our community.

Alcohol

If you are 18 or over you may choose to drink alcohol in your hall, but you must do so responsibly.

You are allowed to consume alcohol in your room with one or two others, or you can gather in designated common areas or at specific events as advised by your hall staff.

Our limits are:

• one standard 750 ml bottle of wine, or
• six cans of beer, or
• four ready-to-drink (RTD) cans.

You must be mindful of noise and be considerate of other residents who may be trying to study or sleep.

If you’re under 18, you are not permitted to consume alcohol in your hall.

Read the full rules and guidelines around alcohol consumption in the Student Hall Handbook.

Smoking and vaping

Your hall and its grounds are smoke-free and vape-free environments. If you are found smoking or vaping, smoking materials will be confiscated and you may face disciplinary action.

Misconduct and damage

The hall handbook sets out the rules you need to follow and the behaviour expected of you as a resident. The University has set policies and processes in place for dealing with conduct issues in the halls and for when hall property is damaged.

Find out more about misconduct and damage in a hall.

Restorative community

The hall is a restorative community where everyone contributes to the common good and conflict and wrongdoing is handled in ways that promote accountability and repair.

A restorative community fosters positive relationships founded on mutual care, respect, equality, responsibility and honest communication.

Connection circles

Throughout the year, your RA will invite you to participate in connection circles to strengthen relationships and improve communication on your floor. Circles may be held for many reasons, including to:

• build positive relationships
• establish shared norms and values for your floor
• respond to conflict or problematic behaviour on the floor
• process a difficult community event or shared experience
• make decisions about group activities.

Circles are a great opportunity to get to know your neighbours and to have a say in creating your floor culture.

A restorative process may be used to help repair relationships when a resident has harmed another. This restorative process requires all parties to discuss the issue and the responsible student(s) to accept responsibility for their actions and make amends.