Here are some things you'll positively, absolutely need to know about living in Lewis. They are rules and regulations that have formed over time so the dorm doesn't devolve into chaos! Learn them. Live them. Love them. Unlike Survivor, we can't vote off the people we don't like! So, let's do our best to get along.
In Case of an Emergency
When the tornado siren sounds, move quickly and quietly to the lowest floor possible (preferably the basement). Get into an area in which there are no windows. In Lewis, use the game room, the restrooms, and the hallways. Wait for further instructions. Do not, for any reason, go outside until you are sure it is clear. When the fire alarm sounds, every resident must leave the building through the nearest exit, quickly and quietly. Even if you think (or know!) it is just a drill or that the alarm is going off because your roommate burned her popcorn in the kitchen, you must leave! If you don't, you'll have to fork over a $200 fine.
Living With and Respecting Fellow Lewisites (Or, Good Fences Make Good Neighbors)
Lewis Hall isnon-smoking. If you do smoke, you may not smoke in or near the entrances to Lewis Hall. This means no smoking on the front porch, under the overhang by the mailroom door, on the back dock, in the courtyard, or on the patio. You must be at least 25 feet from any building if you are going to smoke. Conveniently, the benches located on the diagonal sidewalks in front of Lewis are perfectly placed to meet this rule. Be sure to throw your butts in the proper receptacles (not on the ground).
Like every other residence hall at Notre Dame, Lewis enforces parietals. This means no men in Lewis before 9am and all men out by midnight on weeknights and Sundays, 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. The lobby clock is Lewis standard time. 24 hour space is limited to the lobby, the first floor parlor, and the Party Room. The chapel, exercise room, and study rooms are not 24 hour space.
Quiet Hours are in effect during parietal hours (23 hour quiet hours are enforced during study days and exam days).
Out of respect for the housekeepers (and for safety reasons), stairways must be clear at all times and hallways must be cleared by parietals. Shoes, umbrellas, drying racks, boxes, candy bowls, or anything else must be gone. Failure to clear the halls by parietals can result in a fine and confiscation of the items.
You may place your belongings like suitcases, trunks, and boxes in hall storage. These things must stay in your designated spot (not your neighbor's spot or on the floor!). Your RA will try to help you if you need extra space. Anything left outside storage will be removed and you will have to pay a fine for retrieving your belongings. You may not place any university furniture in the storage area, with the exception of your bed ends which may be stored with the RA. Do not wear or use rollerblades, skateboards, hoverboards, or scooters, etc. inside Lewis. If you bring your bikeinside, you must take it directly to your room (and do not ride it inside!). You can park your bicycle at one of the bike racks outside or in the cloister walk. Do not park your bike on the grass, in a flower bed, on the front porch, or by a tree or bench! In other words, use the racks or it will be locked up.
University furniture provided for common spaces may not leave the hall or appear in your room. Period. You may not "borrow" social space furniture to change your own room arrangement, either. At the end of the year, your room must be restored to look like it does when you entered it--all furniture (including waste baskets, bed ends, ladders, etc) must be accounted for. When putting up posters/pictures, use masking tape or those awesome 3M strips. No nails or tacks in the walls please! Room walls may not be painted. We just got brand new doors on each room a couple of years ago and we need to take care of them. If you would like to hang something on your door, you MUST use blue painters tape. Whiteboards, etc can be hung on the wall next to your room.
No antennas or satellite dishes may be set up from your room. You have free cable. Enjoy it!
No alcohol-related posters or signs or signs that promote violence against another may be hung in windows or outside of residents' rooms.
Never, ever, for any reason, go out on the room, remove a screen, or burn a candle or incense. These things will result in an automatic fine. We say all these things for your safety (and your wallet). Really.
Policies and Procedures (Or, How to Get What You Want Without Breaking the Rules)
The lounges and kitchenson each floor are there for your enjoyment and use. You must clean them immediately after you use them. If the dishes are left in the kitchen after parietals, they will be confiscated and may only be reclaimed from the Hall Clerk or a Hall Staff member for a fine. If the kitchen itself is left messy, the floor will receive a 12 hour warning during which the kitchen must be fully cleaned or it will be locked for a week and no residents will be allowed access. This includes to get stuff out of the fridge or your cabinet! Bottom line: use the soap and sponges provided and wipe up your spilled cookie batter and crumbs!
The first floor parlorand the basement party room are available for watching television or chatting after parietals. At least one light must be kept on at all times. The Parlor may be reserved any time before parietals and the Party Room may be reserved any time before 8pm. Please be aware that priority is given first to official dorm events, second to private Lewis events (aka your birthday party), and lastly to outside groups or organizations. To reserve these or other spaces, please speak with a Hall Clerk during package hours.
The courtyard is available for use before parietals. When out there, please be considerate, especially of the first floor residents whose windows face the courtyard. Voices carry, so people can hear what you are saying. Don't tell secrets unless you want all of the southwest sections to know! The courtyard is NOT a 24 hour space. (NOTE: There is no keypad out in the courtyard, so you can't swipe back into Lewis after parietals.)
We know you want to be on American Idol, so we've provided shower radios to help further your musical career. Use them at your leisure, but not during quiet hours. Make sure to turn them off when you are done showering.
Lewis boasts of a nice, large laundry room. If you leave (or forget) your clothes in the laundry room for more than a week, they'll be put in the donation box by the ice machine. The items will be donated periodically to St. Vincent de Paul. Hall Staff will place any clothes left out at parietals on Wednesday nights in the donation boxes so the housekeepers can clean the laundry room on Thursday mornings.
No men are allowed in the basement beyond the party room to the North (this means no men in the laundry room, the north study rooms, or the storage rooms). Ever.
Study rooms in the North hallwaysare reserved as study space and occupants are asked to be considerate of those residents living near by (i.e., talking to your hometown honey on the phone at 3am in the 3rd floor study room is not very considerate of those residents who live next door). Hard alcohol is not allowed in Lewis Hall or in any hall on campus. Students who are over 21 may have beer and wine or any beverage under 14 proof. Abusive drinking or drinking games are not allowed- there are a lot of ways to have fun in college that don't involve alcohol!
For a full list of University Standards and Lewis Hall Policies and Consequences, please see the following links: