| STUDENT HANDBOOK |
| NOISE POLICY The primary purpose for being at King's is to conduct learned inquiry. Such a task requires quiet interaction or silent research, reading, and study. There are times and places set aside for both the quiet interchange of ideas and noise-free scholarship. The library, classroom buildings, and residence halls must provide a healthy environment conducive to scholarly pursuits. Excessive noise is inconsistent with those environments. The college takes very seriously its obligation to provide an atmosphere where students can study and exchange ideas. While quiet is the norm for classroom and library buildings, quiet hours have been established for the residence halls. Residence halls are the primary locations where resident students both socialize and study. Quiet hours in the residence halls are from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. on weekdays. On Friday and Saturday quiet hours will be observed after 2:00 a.m. until noon. Ideally, students will encourage each other to observe quiet in the designated buildings and during the appointed times. Should a staff member have to insist on quiet being observed, a disciplinary referral may result. Staff members may also disband groups and temporarily suspend visitation privileges if visitors are involved or if visitation will continue to aggravate the situation. Staff members may also confiscate radios, televisions, stereos, etc., pending action by the Residence Life Office. If an item is confiscated by a staff member, a receipt will be given to the owner of the item. In the residence halls, there are four levels of noise: total silence, quiet hours-level, non-quiet hours-level, and a noise level unacceptable at any time. A useful rule of thumb is this: if you, your guests, or your entertainment can be heard in the hallway, you are being too loud for quiet hours. If your activity can be heard on the other side of the building or on another floor, you are being too loud for non-quiet hours. Please keep in mind that each community member shares a responsibility in maintaining appropriate levels of noise. Courtesy hours are in effect 24 hours a day. This means that individuals should cooperatively comply with any requests for quiet. |