This policy was created to articulate University Housing & Residential Life’s guidelines for student room decorating in Temple-owned and Temple-sponsored residence halls. Room decorating is defined as students’ ability to create an environment that represents their personality and personal interests while being mindful of the impact on roommates, community members, and residential facilities. For a more comprehensive list of prohibited items, please refer to the Community Living Standards.
THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES MUST BE FOLLOWED WHEN DECORATING ROOMS IN TEMPLE UNIVERSITY’S OWNED AND SPONSORED RESIDENCE HALLS:
Residence Hall Room Decorations
Students may decorate their individual residence hall rooms, provided that decorations adhere to the following guidelines. These expectations will help prevent rooms from being damaged, eliminate potential safety hazards, and ensure that the residential community remains inclusive.
- Students are permitted to hang posters, photos, artwork, and decorative lights in their residence hall rooms. Please note, wall hangings made of burlap or any other flammable fabrics, tapestries, fish netting, etc are prohibited.
- Student decorations are permitted to cover a maximum of 50% of each wall in any room. If any wall is decorated or covered more than 50%, the student(s) will be asked to remove the necessary amount of decorations to comply with fire safety regulations.
- Students are only allowed to use push pins in Johnson, Hardwick, Morgan North, Morgan South, and Temple Towers to hang items. Students are only allowed to use green painter’s tape in 1940, 1300, and James S. White Hall to hang items if not posting on the cork strips. Cork strips require push pins.
- 3M adhesive devices, transparent tape, mounting tape, duct tape, masking tape, and packing tape are not permitted.
- Students cannot apply paint, fixtures, or adhesive-backed items to any surface in the halls.
- Students are not permitted to paint, install carpeting (area rugs are permitted), hang wallpaper, or apply contact paper or decals in their rooms, apartments, or common areas.
- Students are not permitted to alter any university furniture in any way or hang items from ceilings, pipes, fire-safety equipment (sprinklers or smoke detectors), or overhead lighting.
Health and Safety Inspections occur once a semester in all residence hall rooms to ensure that rooms are safe and free of unapproved items. Residential Life staff will make the students aware of Health and Safety Inspections via communications such as floor meetings, email, and posting notice of inspection in hallways.
Windows & Balconies
Posting, hanging, displaying signage, lighting, or any other materials in, on, or around the residence hall windows, on university window coverings, or common area windows is strictly prohibited. University window coverings (shades, blinds, etc.) need to be visible from the outside.
Inappropriate use of windows and balconies is prohibited, including opening or removing any security or regular screen or using any window or balcony as a means of entrance to or exit from a University Housing building, except in an emergency. Allowing any items to pass or throwing any items over the threshold of a window/balcony is strictly prohibited. Internal balconies cannot be used as means to change floors, except in the event of an emergency.
Door & Hallway Decorations
Students may decorate their residence hall room doors, provided that decorations adhere to the following guidelines. These expectations will help prevent hallways and doors from being damaged, eliminate potential safety hazards, and ensure that the residential community remains welcoming.
- Students are permitted to hang posters, photos, white/chalk boards, and artwork on their residence hall room doors
- Students can decorate up to 50% of their individual residence hall room doors.
- Students may only use green painter’s tape on their doors to hang items. If any door is decorated or covered more than 50%, the student(s) will be asked to remove the necessary amount of decorations to comply with fire safety regulations.
- 3M adhesive devices, transparent tape, mounting tape, duct tape, masking tape, and packing tape are not permitted.
- Students are prohibited from decorating their doors with decorative lights and materials that violate any Temple University policies and procedures or any advertising which promotes illegal activities or illegal content. Decorations may not use explicit language, including slurs or denigration of any groups or individuals, or make references to the use, sale, or consumption of alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana, be sexually explicit/suggestive, or promote illegal activities or illegal content. Students may not decorate the door frame or any walls/boards around their door in the hallway.
- Students are not permitted to post flyers, advertisements, or solicitations of any kind on their doors, windows, or any space outside of their rooms.
- Students are not permitted to decorate any hallway space.
If any room, door, hallway, or window decoration violates the room decoration policy, a Resident Assistant will inform the student(s) that the decoration must be removed immediately. Failure to comply with the directions for removal may result in disciplinary action through the Student Conduct process. University Housing & Residential Life reserves the right to cover and/or remove items that violate the room decoration policy in any way.
Students will be charged for incurred damage to walls, doors, flooring, windows, furniture, appliances, and fixtures.
Damages to a room or any extra required cleaning will be the responsibility of the student(s) and may result in a charge to the student(s) account(s) if it is left after all students have checked out. University Housing & Residential Life staff will determine the nature and extent of all damages.
