Students Living Out of College: A Code of Conduct

The following Code of Conduct supports the commitments contained within the Student Pledge to be a good and considerate neighbour and to demonstrate high standards of personal conduct in interactions with the wider Durham community. We encourage all our students to read this Code of Conduct.

Maintaining Contact with your College

Students who “live-out” remain, of course, members of their college and are encouraged to enjoy the privileges and responsibilities of membership of their College communities no less than those who “live-in’. In addition to providing a focus for social and recreational life, and a place to collect mail, College is a critically important point of contact with the University on official academic matters, student support issues and, in addition, a medium for emergency messages. It is therefore essential that College be kept informed of each student’s correct term-time address and telephone numbers.

Crime

Durham and Stockton are by and large very safe places. However, crime does occur and quite often this is opportunistic and targeted towards students’ residences. Thieves do look for lap top computers, tablets and mobile phones, for example. They very rarely use forced entry but will look for easy opportunities such as windows left open and mobiles and laptops left on display. Please be vigilant and take precautions to protect your property. If you need advice on securing your home do contact your local police office. Please bear in mind the need to walk around town in company late at night. These are just basic precautions and are not meant to imply that you are more at threat as a liver out.

On Being Good Neighbours

Some neighbours may not be familiar with the University or with the pressures and exuberance of student life. You and your housemates may be a local resident’s only contact with the University. The University and all your fellow students will, therefore, be judged by your behaviour. It is extremely important that you establish and maintain good relations with your neighbours (and they with you). The goodwill of all residents is essential for good relations and in any case you will derive greater pleasure from living out if you get on well with your neighbours. Relationships between local residents and students are not necessarily a source of antipathy. Consider joining or supporting your local residents’ association as this will provide you with an opportunity to contribute to your neighbourhood. Remember that you are an important part of the community.

Noise

Excessive noise at any time, but particularly late at night, is very un-neighbourly and can cause great distress. It is especially disturbing to those whose working day starts and finishes earlier than yours or who need an undisturbed night, particularly between Sunday night and Friday morning which are for most people their working week. Do please respect the needs of others, particularly in terraced houses with thin walls. Please keep radios, TVs and any other music at low volume. If you have a party at your home, remember to inform your neighbours and to promise them that it will finish at a reasonable, and specified, time. Think about inviting them to your party.

During summer months, please remember that noise from garden parties can be excessive even if this is just normal conversation levels. Fireworks should not be let off late in the evening and certainly not during the early hours of the morning (this can be anti-social and may be interpreted as a criminal offence). You should be aware that any citizen who is repeatedly disturbed by excessive noise or other unacceptable behaviour may also contact the Environmental Health Office or the Police who have extensive powers to deal with anti-social activities.

Drunkenness

A significant proportion of complaints received from local residents relates to disorderly behaviour resulting from drunkenness. The easiest way to avoid this type of behaviour is to avoid excessive consumption of alcohol. Many students’ houses do not have front gardens and therefore rowdy and drunken behaviour on the streets causes considerable disturbance and distress to local residents. Unfortunately, this type of rowdy and drunken behaviour has all too regularly led to criminal damage to residents’ properties.

Any incidences of this type will be dealt with robustly by the Police. In extreme circumstances, where the University is deemed to have been brought into serious disrepute, this may lead to disciplinary processes which can lead to a student being required to leave the University.

Parking

The other major source of complaint by non-student residents is the inconsiderate use and parking of cars or other vehicles. The default position of General Regulations of the University is that students are not permitted to park on University premises. Residents find it inconvenient and annoying if they can never park in front of their own home because another car is parked there on a long-term basis.

Recycling and Waste

All Livers Out should manage their waste and recycling responsibly. For information on Recycling and Waste collections in your area, view the Recycling Guidelines at: www.durham.ac.uk/greenspace/policies/students/liversout/ or consult the website of your local council.

Students should please take particular effort to ensure streets are left tidy at the end of term – leaving large piles of waste is unsightly, dangerous and can attract vermin:

• Sort unwanted items in advance so that you have time to dispose of them appropriately i.e. take unwanted clothing to charity shops, unwanted food to food banks etc. 
• Avoid overflowing bins by disposing of recycling and waste at regular intervals throughout the term. 
• Please liaise with neighbours if you will not be around to return your bins to your property after collections. 

The University’s Green Move Out Scheme takes place at the end of the academic year. This Scheme collects students’ unwanted items. These are then distributed to charity or made available to students for reuse at the start of the following year – all donations raised are donated to charity. Information on how to participate in the Green Move Out scheme is available at www.durham.ac.uk/greenspace/greenmoveout/.

University - City Liaison and the Code of Conduct

If action via remonstration proves ineffective (and it is hoped that there will be no such case), the College or University authorities are empowered to deal with the matter as a potential major offence, for which the penalty can be expulsion.