ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú

Policy

All Oxford campus first- and second-year full-time students are required to live in the residence halls through the spring semester of their second academic year of enrollment. Students in residence halls are required to subscribe to a University meal plan. Students who:

1. are over 21 years of age or older by the first day of class;
2. reside with their parents, legal guardians (who had guardianship at time of admission), within commuting distance (50 miles) from the Oxford campus;
3. reside with spouses or dependent children during the academic term and commute to campus; or
4. have matriculated full-time, after high-school graduation, for at least two years at another institution of higher education or a regional campus are automatically exempted from this requirement.

Students seeking an exemption to the residency requirement must submit an application to the Campus Services Office at least eight weeks before the beginning of the semester for which the exemption is sought. For the purpose of compliance with O.R.C. 3345.47, a student’s residence is deemed to be the address provided by the student at the time of the initial application for admission to ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University’s Oxford campus.

In lieu of a second year of residency, qualified students are permitted to live in qualified and approved off-campus housing. Qualified off-campus housing falls into the following two categories:

1. local, off-campus residence is in a university-recognized social fraternity or sorority chapter house owned or affiliated with an inter/national organization which maintains a charter. The residence is maintained exclusively for its members.
2. Local, off-campus residence is in a university-recognized scholarship or academic residential living facility, owned or controlled by an inter/national organization that is not part of the on-campus residential housing system.

In order for a residence to be approved as a qualified off-campus residence that can house second-year students, they must meet specific criteria:

1. Organizations/chapters that want to receive a chapter exemption to house sophomore students for the following fall must submit their application to the Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life (for fraternities or sororities) or the Office of the Dean of Students (for other organizations) no later than March of the previous semester.
2. The organization must be affiliated/ maintain a charter with an inter/national organization or have expressed written intent to affiliate within three years of formation.
3. Each organization will maintain a commercial general liability policy for the house with limits of no less than one million dollars per occurrence and two million aggregate (including bodily injury and property damage,) covering all members, volunteers, advisors, alumni, housing corporation members, and the inter/national chartering organization. ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University, and its trustees, officers, employees, volunteers and agents shall be named as an additional insured on the organization's general liability policy with limits no less than $ 1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate. This is evidenced on the Certificates of Insurance. The organization must mail Certificates of Insurance to ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University at 501 E High St., 218 Roudebush Hall, Oxford, OH 45056.
4. Houses/ chapters must have a live-in house director by the first day students occupy the house. If no contract is in place at the time of review, a job description and hiring plan is needed.
5. The GPA of rising sophomores in the organization will be reviewed at the end of the spring term. To be approved to house second year students, the overall GPA of the entire new member class may not decrease more than 10% from their GPA in the semester before they joined.
6. The house must "prohibit the presence of alcohol products above 15% ABV in any [organization/] chapter facility or at any [organization/] chapter event, except when served by a licensed third-party vendor." This rule is in compliance with the National Interfraternity Conference Health and Safety Initiatives.
7. At least 30% of the house must be occupied by upperclass students (juniors and/or seniors)
8. The organization/chapter officers/executive board members are recommended to reside in the house.
9. The facility must select whether they will be “damp” or “dry” and each organization must follow their inter/national organization's policies or adopt one that is stricter. A damp facility allows alcohol to be present only in the personal rooms of those members who are of legal drinking age; a dry facility does not allow any alcohol in the facility. We support national policies regarding dry chapter facilities.
10. The organization/ chapter must comply with all City of Oxford Zoning and Fire Safety inspections and policies, and the fire department must recommend that each house meets the fire department standards. Organizations/ chapters that have ongoing violations, as determined by the Cliff Alexander Office in partnership with the Oxford Fire Department, will lose the second-year exemption.
11. ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University Code of Student Conduct – In order to be eligible, a Chapter or organization may not have been suspended or had its recognition revoked by ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University within the 12 month period prior to the application.
    1. If the organization/ chapter is on university probation, instead of removing the exemption completely, the exemption will be halved. 50% of the facility's capacity will be approved for sophomores. (ex: Chapter house's capacity is 42, 21 sophomores will be approved for their exemption)
    2. In the case of expansion or the re-start of an organization, the organization/ chapter must be in good standing with ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú University for one full year and meet the above requirements before they will be considered for the exemption.
12. For IFC chapters: Chapters must provide a list of annex houses (defined as houses where 50% or more of the residents are chapter members) and will provide a list of residents' information for each annex property.

In addition to the organization meeting particular standards, each student must also meet specific criteria for eligibility:

1. Second-year students who want to live in a qualified off-campus house must have a 2.75 cumulative GPA at the end of the semester prior to moving into the house. Any exemption approval is conditional on a final grade check.
2. Students who have been found responsible for any conduct violations reported through the Office of Community Standards may be denied the exemption, and any cases must be resolved prior to moving off-campus. All IFC students with conduct history will be reviewed for eligibility by the Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, IFC, and the IFC Conduct Board (See Policy Library) on a case by case basis. All other students will be reviewed by the Office of the Dean of Students.
3. In addition to applying to Campus Services, students who want to live in a fraternity house during their second year must submit their application to the Interfraternity Council one semester in advance (i.e. in the spring to live off-campus in the fall).

For exemption based on membership or affiliation with a qualified off-campus residence (as defined under this policy), contact the Office of Student Activities, Engagement and ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉúhip for additional information. 

Related Form(s)

Not Applicable.

Additional Resources and Procedures

Not Applicable.

FAQ

Not Applicable.

Policy Administration

Next Review Date

7/1/2026

Responsible Officer

• Associate Vice Presidents and Dean of Students
• Director of Residence Life

Legal Authority

Ohio Revised Code

Compliance Policy

No

Revision History

 Edited November 2019; Amended August 2023

Reference ID

Student Handbook 3.1

Reviewing Bodies

• Student Life Council
• Administrative