Skidaway Institute of Oceanography

Housing Policy

June 27, 2005

Housing Population

Students

Primary long term student housing is in the Quadraplex. Long term students are generally housed two per two-bedroom apartment. Short term students may be housed at a higher density when necessary. Overflow student population will be housed in other units as necessary. Available housing is insufficient to accommodate students with spouses except for short term. Students may not invite unrelated persons to reside in student housing. Permission to reside in housing can only be granted by the Institute.

Pursuant to legislation effective January 1, 2004 (Official Code of Georgia Annotated § 31-12-3.2) and the University System of Georgia Board of Regents Policy (408.02) all students and interns occupying housing on campus are required to sign a document stating that they have received a vaccination against meningococcal disease or reviewed the information on meningococcal disease provided by the institution.  No student or intern will be granted access to housing on campus until a Student & Intern Meningococcal Vaccine Form has been completed and signed.

Visiting Scientists

Visiting scientists will generally be accommodated in individual units appropriate to their needs. These accommodations will also be available to their spouse and children.

Institute Employees

Newly hired Institute employees are permitted to utilize housing for brief periods, as available, while they secure permanent housing off campus. Requests for short-term exceptions must demonstrate extraordinary need, and will be considered by the Housing Committee on a case by case basis.

Sponsorship

All visitors (non-SkIO employees) who occupy Skidaway Institute Housing must be sponsored by either a faculty or senior staff member, or by the Institute itself if so approved by the Director. The sponsor is ultimately responsible for the visitor's conduct and for any unreimbursed costs incurred by the visitor.

General Information about Housing

Furnishings

Housing is provided with furniture, linens and kitchen necessities. Non-essential items such as televisions, radios and small kitchen appliances are provided when available.

Phones

Housing fees include local line charges to the unit. Institute phones can be dialed as the last four digits of the appropriate phone number. Local phone calls can be made by first dialing '9' to get an outside line. Long distance domestic calls cannot be made without a phone calling card. The tenant is responsible for purchasing phone calling cards. Personal calls should not be made on Institute phones without use of a calling card.

Utilities

Housing fees include utility costs. All housing units have heat pumps for central heat and air conditioning. Tenants should maintain a comfortable temperature in housing units, but be conservative with energy consumption. Turn unit off temporarily while windows and doors are open for long periods of time. Do not turn the units off when leaving the housing unit for extended periods of time. Temperature controls should remain at 65 °F during winter and 80 °F during summer at all times (even when housing unit will be unoccupied).

Laundry Facilities

A coin-operated washer and dryer are provided in the small brown building next to the Quadraplex driveway. Change can be made by the Business Office during normal working hours. Problems with the laundry facilities should be promptly reported to the Business Office so that repairs can be effected. Residents who use the laundry facility are expected to clean up after themselves. A broom and dustpan are provided in the building. Residents should provide their own laundry supplies; any supplies in the laundry room belong to other residents and should not be used without their permission.

Garbage

Tenants are responsible for carrying their household garbage to the dumpster next to Institute shop building. Tenants should not leave recyclable items behind in the housing unit when they vacate. Garbage should not be stored on the housing porches at any time.

Pest Control

Housing units are sprayed on the first Friday of each month. The pesticide used is Saga, a pyrethrin analogue with a short half-life and an extremely low toxicity to vertebrates.

Smoking

Smoking is prohibited.

Length of Stay

For all long-term visitors, the institute will award a one-year lease (Fiscal year July thru June). Renewal of the lease is not guaranteed. Leases may be renewed or changes made based on the need to accommodate as many people as possible. The Housing Coordinator will contact all tenants in the spring to gather information on housing needs for the next fiscal year term.

Short-term visitors (daily, weekly, monthly) will be granted housing as available.

Scheduling and Payment

Reservations must be cancelled by sponsors with as much advance notice as possible. Cancellations that occur 1 week or less to the schedules arrival date will result in the sponsor being charged the equivalent of one week's rent for the reserved housing unit. Verbal arrangements for Housing reservations and incomplete or tentative reservations will not be accepted. Start and end dates, names and affiliations of all occupants, and budget numbers must be provided in writing before a reservation is confirmed. Written or email requests containing all necessary information for reservations should be submitted directly to the Housing Coordinator. No reservation will be considered confirmed until all required information is provided in writing.

Payment Info:
Payment must be made at the Business Office the first business day after check-in. Payment must made by cash or check (credit cards are NOT accepted).  If you would like Skidaway to bill your home institution (for amounts more than $50) please provide a purchase order number and the name and address of a contact person prior to your arrival.  You can contact Christel Morrison at (912) 598-2422 to make arrangements. 

If payment is to be made from a grant, it is the sponsor's responsibility to provide that information at the time of reservation.

Checking In and Out of Housing

Housing keys should be collected from the Housing Coordinator by the sponsor. Housing keys should be returned to the Housing Coordinator. A $10.00 fee will be charged for each lost key. A $60.00 fee will be charged for the replacement of the locks (if necessary).

Late or Weekend Arrivals

No arrivals outside of normal working hours (M-F, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm) will be handled by Housing staff. If the sponsor wants to allow after hours or weekend arrivals, it is the sponsor's responsibility to receive the key from the Housing Coordinator. Accommodating the unscheduled arrival of a visitor is the sponsor's responsibility. The sponsor should make alternate arrangements for such visitors until Housing schedules can be adjusted during normal working hours.

Pets in Housing

Residents in housing may not keep pets within housing units or on the Institute grounds. Keeping an unauthorized pet will be grounds for immediate eviction. Note: Documented service animals will be allowed with prior approval from the Housing Coordinator.

Parking

Parking areas are provided adjacent to housing units. These parking areas are for housing residents only. If the housing lots are full, residents should park in the Institute parking lot. Residents should not park cars near the live oak trees around the parking areas.

Visitors to Housing Residents

Overnight visitors are occasionally acceptable if all occupants of an apartment agree. Visitors staying longer than overnight are not permitted.

Tenant Maintenance Responsibilities

Cleaning of Housing Units

Each tenant is responsible for keeping the housing unit clean. The tenant's sponsor will be billed directly for any cleaning required in excess of normal levels at a rate of $20.00 per hour. It is the faculty sponsor's responsibility to recover any such costs from their visitors.

Damages

Tenants are expected to report any damage to the housing unit and report promptly any problems encountered so that they can be corrected. Tenant is responsible for repair costs of any damage caused by tenant neglect. Tenant's sponsor will be billed for any such damage if tenant does not compensate Institute for damage caused by tenant's neglect. A quarterly walk-through will be conducted for each housing unit so that maintenance requirements can be assessed. The walk-through will be performed by a member of the Administration and one or more members of the support staff. Forty-eight hours notice to tenants will be provided for scheduling of each quarterly walk-through.

Mold and Mildew

Tenant acknowledges that it is necessary for tenant to provide appropriate climate control, keep the apartment clean, and take other measures to retard and prevent mold and mildew from accumulating in the unit.  Tenant agrees to clean and dust unit on a regular basis to remove visible moisture accumulation on windows, walls and other surfaces as soon as reasonably possible.  Tenant agrees not to block or cover heating, ventilation or air conditioning ducts in the unit.  Tenant also agrees to immediately report to the SkIO housing office: 1) any evidence of water leak or excessive moisture in the unit as well as in any storage room, garage or common area; 2) any evidence of a mold or mildew like growth that cannot be removed by simply applying a common household cleaner and wiping the area; 3) any failure of malfunction of the heating, ventilation or air conditioning system in the unit, and; 4) any inoperable windows and doors.  Tenant further agrees that tenant shall be responsible for damage to the apartment and tenant's property as well as injury to tenant and other occupants resulting from tenant's failure to comply with these terms. 

VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING PERSONAL PROPERTY INSURANCE

SkIO Housing very strongly advises that each tenant carry individual renter's insurance for his or her personal property in the event of fire, flood, theft, hurricane, tornado, overflowing tubs, broken pipes, water main breaks, etc.  Tenant understands that SkIO Housing DOES NOT and CANNOT protect any personal belongings against burglary, vandalism, fire, smoke, and other perils. Tenant also understands that by not having personal liability insurance, he/she may be liable to third parties and to SkIO for certain perils which are covered by renter's insurance. A tenant may be covered by their parents' homeowner's insurance. Check with parents' homeowner's insurance company to see what is covered and additional information necessary for coverage.

Rates

See attached housing fee shedule