Appliances and Software Often Not Allowed In College Dorms
BY SYLVIA kOHL
If you think that what you bring to your dorm room is your own business, you are mistaken – many if not all dorms have sets of rules establishing the lists of things and even software that is prohibited from being used, kept or even just brought onto the dorm’s territory. Sometimes these things are quite legal and innocuous otherwise – which means that you should read your dorm’s regulations very carefully lest you get kicked out. Here are some unexpected items that most college dorms want to keep away:
1. Cooking Appliances
Toasters, microwaves, electric frying pans, hotplates and suchlike – absolute majority of colleges prohibit their students from keeping and using all these unmistakably helpful devices. The reason is simple – although you may believe yourself to be careful and responsible, your college cannot be so sure, and all these items are first-rate fire hazards.
2. Kodi Boxes
Now, the status of Kodi boxes is ambiguous – in their default state they don’t go against any kind of law and, theoretically, can safely be used for their purpose (as a tool for home theater setup). However, when it comes to add-ons that allow to use them for piracy, the situation becomes much more complicated. That is why some colleges ban the use of Kodi outright, without taking into account their potential lawful application – so make sure you’ve studied the rules of your particular college before installing one.
3. Candles and Incense
Bad news for those of you willing to create a New Age atmosphere in your room – chances are, your college has a very strong stance against it. Or, rather, not the atmosphere but candles and incense that are often treated as its indispensable part. Again, they can be a potential fire hazard.
4. Screws, Nails, Wallpaper and Double-Faced Adhesive Tape
Well, most likely you won’t be reprimanded for keeping these in your room, but don’t think about using these for redecorating it. Sorry, but you won’t be able to put a nail in the wall to hang your favorite picture – you are not allowed to damage the walls in any way, even if the damage in question is just a bit of paint accidentally peeled off. Other students are going to live in the same room after you, and you should leave it in the same state it had been when you moved in.
5. Pets
Most colleges won’t allow you to keep pets in a dorm room. Exceptions may exist in some cases for fish (although you should check the allowed size for the fish tank, as they vary wildly) and certified service animals. If keeping one with you is important, this should be among the first things for you to check.
6. Air Conditioners
In hotter climates, the idea of living without air conditioning can sound crazy, but it is as it is – the only way for you to have any kind of air conditioning in your dorm is for it to come pre-equipped with it. No college will allow you to install a personal one, although you normally won’t have problems with bringing a fan. Although they are much less efficient, they can still be of huge help when the heat becomes stifling.
These are the most typical normally legal things that are prohibited by colleges, but the list certainly doesn’t end here. Some dorms are more specific in their bans, some get outright weird (for example, the reason to ban cinder blocks from dorms isn’t immediately obvious, but it is a regulation that exists on many a college campus). So read the rules carefully and make sure you follow them!
Sylvia Kohl is an IT teacher with more than 8 years of professional experience. Her main spheres of interest are e-education and she convinced that learning process doesn’t stop after years in school and university.
