Guide to Fines & Charges
FIRE ALARMS & SAFETY
- £50 automatic charge for fire alarm caused by negligent cooking.
- Up to £300 for tampering with fire safety equipment
- £15 – £100 for propping open fire door or interfering with self-closing mechanism.
- £15 – £100 for refusing to cooperate in event of fire alarm
ANTI-SOCIAL ACTIVITIES & NOISE
- £10-£100 for throwing litter or unacceptable levels of noise
- First noise offence – warning letter (during quiet period = suspended fine)
- Subsequent noise offences £50 fine per offence (can be more during quiet period)
SMOKING
- £40 automatic fine for first offence
- Doubled for each subsequent offence
VANDALISM & DAMAGE
- Will be charged by Residence Office for the cost of repair or cleaning
Residents are responsible for the behaviour of their guests and can be issued with these fines & charges for their offences.
College Rules in Full
Graduate College Rules and Procedures
1) The College is part of the University and all appropriate University rules will apply.
2) The attention of the students is particularly drawn to University rules 2 to 6.
3) Graduate student members who are residence are subject to the residence rules, see resident’s handbook.
4) Students should be aware if they request and accept a room in a female only flat they are agreeing to the following; that they will not invite or allow access to any male visitors into the flat. The reason for this is that many female students choose these areas for religious reasons. Male University staff will have access to carry out cleaning, room inspections and maintenance work, for example.
5) Students must inform the College Office of their term-time and permanent addresses, and any change thereof.
6) Students should ensure their conduct and behaviour is conducive with the rights of others to reasonable enjoyment of college facilities and residences. Failure to do so may constitute a breach of the college rules.
7) It shall be an offence to obstruct a College Officer in the pursuit of his/her duties. Such obstruction shall include abusive language, abusive behaviour and the failure to comply with the reasonable request of a College Officer.
8) Debts in respect of fines, compensation for damage or any other financial obligation must be met within the time stated on the notice of the debt. In addition, students in debt to the College may not be allowed to graduate (see University rule 7 (iii)).
9) Students should note that the Misuse of Drugs Act prohibits the use of college premises for the consumption of illegal drugs, and that the college will co-operate with the relevant authorities in any actions taken to prevent such activities.
10) The college takes breaches of rules that endanger the safety of students particularly seriously. This includes tampering with fire equipment, the propping open of fire doors, the blocking of fire-escape routes or the ignoring of reasonable guidance from the University Safety Office or Emergency Services.
11) Graduate College is a quiet area and residents are expected to maintain reasonable levels of noise at all times. Between 11pm and 8am residents must be quiet – keeping all noise within the confines of their rooms. Parties are not permitted in Graduate College residences at any time.
12) Every student member of Graduate College upon taking up residence within the College agrees to abide by the College, Residence and University rules.
Graduate College Disciplinary Procedures
All alleged or suspected breaches of the College or Residence rules (except in connection with breaches of financial regulations) shall be dealt with in the first instance by the Dean under summary procedure.
Summary Procedure
• The accused person must be informed in writing of the offence which he/she is accused and of the disciplinary procedure including their right to have the matter referred to the College Disciplinary Committee
• The accused person must be given reasonable notice of any disciplinary hearing (normally not less than 24 hours or more than 5 working days). An automatic fine of £25 shall be levied if the defendant does not appear without due cause before the Dean.
• The Dean may impose such penalty as they consider fit and require the payment of compensation for damage or loss. The maximum fine at this stage of the procedure shall be £100 (or £300 in the case of tampering with fire fighting equipment), but no limits are imposed on charges for compensation or restitution which can be made where appropriate. Exclusion from residence is not a possible penalty under this stage of the procedure.
• The decision and any penalties will be confirmed in writing.
• Fines imposed must be paid within ten working days of the date of the written notification; failure to do so can lead to a doubling of the fine. It should be noted that unpaid College fines are officially debts to the University and are covered by University procedures.
• The accused may ask for the case to be referred to the College Disciplinary Committee at any time within this stage of the procedure.
• The Dean may refer the case to the College Disciplinary Committee if they believe that the additional powers of that committee might be appropriate (eg. Exclusion from residence).
• In exceptional circumstances, cases may be withdrawn from the College Disciplinary system and referred to the Dean of the University for summary disposal or presentation to the University tribunal. Such decisions shall be made by the College Dean in conjunction with the Principal.
College Disciplinary Committee
• In the event that the accused chooses to appear before the committee, or the Dean refers the matter to the committee, the College Disciplinary Committee will be called to meet within 21 days (though normally not less than 24 hours or more that 5 working days).
• The College Disciplinary Committee shall consist of the following persons – The Principal of the College, who shall act as chair, a member of the GSA from a panel of three, and a senior member of the College from a panel of five.
• The panels of senior and graduate student members shall be reviewed annually at the last College Council meeting of the academic year and appointments made as necessary before a particular case arises.
• The Dean and Assistant Deans are not eligible for membership of the Committee.
• The accused person must be given a clear statement of the procedures and time intervals for the different stages in the procedures must be stated
• The accused may be accompanied by a friend, tutor or advisor but formal legal representation is not permitted.
• The defendant’s previous record of College or University offences may, at the discretion of the chair, be presented to the committee.
• The procedure should normally be as follows: evidence is presented by the Dean or Assistant Deans and the defendant given the opportunity to reply. Witnesses may be called by both the defendant and the College Disciplinary Officers. The defendant shall have the right to question the College Disciplinary Officers and/or their witnesses. Written evidence can be accepted with the agreement of the Committee Members.
• A simple majority verdict is sufficient to reach a decision. The chair shall have casting vote if required to establish a majority
• Fines imposed by the committee must be paid within fourteen days; failure to do so can lead to the doubling or the fine. It should be noted that unpaid College fines are officially debts to the University and are covered by University procedures.
• An automatic fine of £25 will be levelled against a defendant who does not appear before the committee without due course.
Appeals against the decision of the committee shall be made to the University Dean within fourteen days of the hearing. The decision of the University Dean shall be final.
