Hampshire College
Move Out Information
May 2024

Moving Out

As the semester draws to a close, it is important to plan ahead for moving out. As you depart campus, you will need to lock your door and return your residential key(s) in a marked envelope to Dakin Student Life Center outdoor drop box. Each student will be provided an envelope in advance; there are extra envelopes available at the drop box location in the event you misplace the envelope provided to you. Staff will assess your residence after you move out to determine any cleaning/damage charges or facility issues.

All Hampshire College residences close at noon on Sunday, May 19. You are able to move out at any time prior to this date and must make travel arrangements to depart no later than this time. Recognizing that at times, there are extenuating circumstances beyond your control necessitating staying an additional day, some students will be permitted to stay beyond this official move out date, if they submit the late stay form in advance. Students approved to remain in college housing over the summer will not need to submit a late stay form, but must move over to their summer assignment by May 19 at the latest; these students will receive communication about moving to their summer assignment. Additionally, resident advisors are permitted to remain in their residence until May 21 without submitting the late stay form.

Preparing

• Begin cleaning and packing a little at a time weeks before your move out date! Move out day is not the time to begin cleaning and packing. A little each day will save you a LOT of stress later.

• Unwanted items must not be left in residence; they will be discarded and charges assessed on your student account. Clothing may be donated in campus Planet Aid boxes. Consider donating to Goodwill or local organizations anything in good condition. Other unwanted items must be discarded in dumpsters. Trash cannot be left inside or outside of the residential areas.

• Students should not place belongings or trash in the hallway. Items left in the hallway will be charged to everyone in the immediate community/floor if responsibility cannot be determined. There will be additional large waste containers (dumpsters) spread throughout campus for move-out. Students should place all trash (including large bulky items) in these containers. While moving out, students should not leave anything in the hallway unattended as it may be considered abandoned and be taken.

• Return all materials checked out from the Library.

Cleaning

Students must clean their living space as follows:

• • Carefully remove all tape, stickers, adhesive tape, etc. from walls, doors, ceilings, mirrors, and windows.

  • Clean off writing on doors, walls, desks, dressers, or chairs. Wash all furniture surfaces - chairs, desks, dressers, window sills etc. This means there should be no stains, black smudges, tape, or sticky spots left.

  • Place all furniture in the room, in its original place and condition.

  • Bring all of your trash to the nearest outside dumpster. Do not place garbage into the hallway or bathroom (even in recycling/trash cans as they will quickly overflow). Each floor resident will be billed for garbage or items left in the hallway, bathroom, or other common spaces.

  • Remove all personal belongings.

  • No dust bunnies or dirt should be left behind or under furniture.

  • Empty all drawers and wipe out all dust.

  • You do not need to vacuum the floor, but pick up large pieces of debris.

MicroChill Cleaning:

• • Don't forget to clean your MicroChill before departing from campus!

  • Avoid a $50 cleaning fee by following the steps below:

    • Clean the inside of the microwave, unplug the refrigerator, remove all food items, and leave the refrigerator & freezer doors open and allow inside of refrigerator and freezer to defrost (place a towel underneath), and clean with mild soap and water.

    • Thoroughly dry inside and outside of unit with clean towel and leave the fridge and freezer doors open before you leave. 

  • MicroChill will clean the unit for you for $25 if you purchase it here.

Avoid Move Out Charges

A late key fee of $50 will be assessed and students staying in residences beyond closing will be charged $100 per day. View full billing details here. Some of the most common things students get billed for are as follows:

• Unreturned key charge (up to $100, depending on the key).

• Not cleaning the mod-provided refrigerator ($50 fee). This means both removing all food, and wiping down the surfaces.

• Forgetting an entire cabinet of food or dishes ($50 fee). Check all of your cabinets before you leave.

• Furniture missing from bedrooms ($35-$350 depending on furniture item missing). All original items MUST be back in your room before you leave, or you will be billed for any missing items. Staff will not be able to look for missing furniture that you may have moved or loaned to a friend. If it is not in your room, it is considered lost and you are responsible.

• Make sure all screens are in windows. If a screen is out of a window, it is considered damaged and you may be billed for it. Screens found missing in common areas are billed to the whole mod or hall.

• Make sure all your personal items have been removed from the room. This includes clothes hangers, tacks, wall hangings, etc. Check every drawer a second time before you leave. Items left will be considered abandoned and discarded by Facilities staff. Additionally, your account will be billed accordingly.

• Ensure all trash and recycling is placed in dumpsters. If you cannot find a dumpster, ask Residence Life staff or Facilities staff.

• The Library will charge for any unreturned materials.

Donate Usable Items Instead of Tossing Them Out

If you have unwanted items in good condition that you want to donate, the College is partnering with an organization - Hartsprings Foundation - to accept your donations. Bins will be available in the following locations between May 1 - 22:

• Dakin Student Life Center Living Room

• Prescott Tavern

• Enfield Wellness Center

Items they accept:

• All cloth items

• Clothing (all sizes, styles, ages, and genders)

• Bedding and Draperies (NO BED PILLOWS)

• Shoes

• Small appliances

• Electronics

• Kitchenware

• Household goods

• Sporting goods

• Toys

• Books (no encyclopedias, textbooks, or library books)

Items they cannot accept:

• Firearms

• Lawn equipment

• Furniture

• Large appliances

• Baby items (such as strollers, cribs, carriages, etc.)

• Box backed televisions

• Mattresses/Box springs

• Rugs

Please place all donated items into bags before placing into the donation bins.

Campus Storage

Student storage on campus is unavailable. All spaces must be emptied when moving out. Belongings must be taken off campus. Items are not permitted to be stored at Hampshire College over the summer. As is standard at colleges and universities, it is each individual's responsibility (financially and otherwise) to store their items off campus over the summer if not taking them home. 

Students requiring summer storage options are responsible for making personal arrangements. Local storage options are available here; if you have belongings such as furniture that will not fit in boxes, check out the local storage facilities as options.

One option students returning in the fall may consider is Boomerang Storage. Checkout their video here: https://youtu.be/bN1NUHvrInw. They provide boxes and tape for you to pack your belongings. You leave the sealed and labeled boxes in your residence when you depart (locking the door behind you); their movers will pick up your items after you leave (on May 20), store them while you’re away, and deliver everything back to you when you return in August.

Note: Approved international students needing storage will work with Alexandra Soenarjo (asoenarjo@hampshire.edu), Coordinator of Student Affairs for International Student Services.

Borrowing Rolling Carts 

Residence Life has large rolling bins you may borrow for loading belongings in your vehicle. You may borrow one during business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.). To check one out, visit the second floor of Dakin Student Life Center (or call 413.559.6689).

Loading Your Vehicle

As you move out, be sure to avoid driving/parking in the grass. If needing to get closer to the residential building, only drive/park on roads/sidewalks. If parking in non-standard areas like sidewalks, keep your emergency flashers on so others recognize you’re parked temporarily; and do not exceed more than 30 minutes. Move your vehicle quickly after loading/unloading. Vehicles not removed will likely be ticketed/towed by Campus Safety and Wellbeing staff.

Compost Buckets

Mod residents with compost buckets should be cleaned and returned next to the compost bin (near the dumpster). 

Bikes

Visit https://engage.hampshire.edu/news/300764 for details regarding bicycles.

Questions

Email inquiries to housing@hampshire.edu or speak with your Residence Life Coordinator.