RESIDENTIAL LIFE AND HOUSING

Click here to register your guest in the Housing Portal.

Guests: Residential Access 

Any resident of a VCU residence hall may enter any other open VCU residence hall as a guest during the period when the resident is checked in to their own housing assignment by swiping their VCU ID at the entrance to the hall they are visiting, which logs their guest visit. While a resident may visit another residence hall without signing in or meeting their host at the entrance, a resident of the hall must host the visit according to the general requirements for all guests. Access to all buildings will be deactivated when a resident checks out of their VCU on-campus residence hall assignment.

Off-campus Access

Any guest who does not live in a VCU on-campus residence hall, including a VCU student who lives off campus, must sign in. To expedite the guest registration process, residential students must provide their guest’s information in advance by creating a “Visitor Reservation” in the Housing Portal.

Resident hosts must complete the following steps to sign in a guest:  

• Residents must register the guest before arrival at the desk.
• Resident host must meet the guest at the front desk with a valid VCU ID
• The resident host must sign the guest in
• The guest will be required to present a current and valid photo ID* at the front desk for the purposes of registration
• The resident host must escort their guests at all times. Resident hosts assume responsibility for their guests and must ensure their guests comply with all VCU policies.

*Acceptable forms of identification include but are not limited to, a current and valid VCU student or VCU employee ID (with a photo), a driver's license or other state issued ID, a passport. Credit cards, ATM cards, other university or college IDs, or expired photo identification documents will not be accepted. A guest presenting an invalid ID will be denied entry to any VCU residence halls.

Use the following steps to register your guest:

STEP 1: Visit the Housing Portal and select ‘VCU-Student SSO Login’

 

STEP 2: Log in with your eID and Password



STEP 3: Select ‘Visitors’ from the upper tab



STEP 4: Click the dropdown menu that states ‘Please select next step’



STEP 5: Select ‘Add New Visitor’ *You have to add a new visitor before you can reserve their visit. To ensure a timely sign-in at the Information Desk, please add your visitor first*


STEP 6: Enter your visitor’s information. Please ensure that the First Name, Last Name, and Date of Birth match the information on the Identification Card they will use to sign-in at the Information Desk.


STEP 7: Provide your V-number in the respective field. *You have to include the ‘V’ when entering your V-number. Otherwise your visitor will not appear on your reservation list in the next step*
Select ‘Add Visitor’ once your V-number has been entered fully.



STEP 8: Then, Click the dropdown menu that states ‘Please select next step’


STEP 9: Select ‘Reserve Visitor’ *Only visitors who have been added first will appear in your reservation options*


STEP 10: Once you are ready to reserve a visitor, find their name from the Reserve Visitor list. Next to their First and Last name is a Visitor ID.
Enter this Visitor ID into the text box at the bottom of the page.
Then click on ‘Select Visitor’


STEP 11: Lastly, choose an Arrival Date and Time for your visitor.
Select a Departure Date and Time for your visitor.
Under Visitor Type, select ‘General Type’
Click ‘Confirm Reservation’


STEP 12: This completes the reservation process. Follow the same instructions to add new visitors in the future, or to reserve previously added visitors.

NOTE: You and your guest will still be required to provide identification and sign in at the information desk. It is critical that the information entered when you register your guest online matches your guest's ID when they sign in.

Restrictions for All Guests

Residents are permitted to have no more than three guests at any given time, and guests may be hosted in the VCU residence halls for no more than three consecutive nights and no more than six nights total in any 30-day period.

Residents must have their roommate(s)’ consent to invite a guest(s) into the room or other shared-living space. A guest visit must not pose an unreasonable burden or unreasonable infringement on the privacy and privileges of the roommate(s). If roommates do not agree about hosting guest(s) within the room or assigned shared living area, the resident wanting to host may visit with their guest(s) in a common area of the residence hall.

Provided there is no unreasonable interference with the living environment of a roommate or suitemate, a resident may have short-term guest(s) (those who stay for a few hours, but not overnight).

If an invited guest violates residence hall or other university policy, they may be required to exit the residence hall immediately, may not be signed back in until meeting with a Residential Life and Housing staff member and the resident host, and may indefinitely lose the privilege of entering any VCU residence hall. Residential Life and Housing will notify the individual of the loss of guest access privilege in writing via VCU email address to the VCU resident host. Any individual who attempts to enter a residence hall without guest access privileges may be subject to arrest for trespassing, and Residential Life and Housing will notify VCU Police. Guest access privileges may be restored only by the Associate Director of Residential Life or a designee.

Because residents share responsibility for their own residential community, the resident responsible for guest conduct (resident host) is not only the individual who signed in the guest but may also include other residents whom the guest visits or residents accompanying the guest at the time of misconduct.

Guest visiting periods may be altered at certain times of the year, such as breaks, final exams, or other schedule disruptions.

Minor Policy 

Guests: Minors

Consistent with VCU’s policy on the Safety and Protection of Minors on Campus, RLH sets additional restrictions for guests under 18 years of age who are not enrolled students at VCU.

Guests under the age of 16 are not permitted in the residence halls at any time unless they are accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Guests who are 16-17 years of age are permitted to enter VCU residence halls with written authorization after submitting a complete and satisfactory Minor Guest Permission Form from a legal parent or guardian. All signed forms must be submitted to the office no later than noon of the business day prior to the date of visitation. VCU does not provide childcare services and is not responsible for any monitoring or oversight of a resident’s guest(s) of any age other than standard enforcement of applicable university policies. Minor guests who arrive to campus without a signed permission form will not be allowed to be checked into the residence halls. No Minor Guest Pass will be issued until a signed Minor Guest Permission Form is received. In addition, for university-sponsored visits, the sponsoring department must request a Minor Guest Pass for the visiting minor.

Host of Minor(s) Responsibilities 

The resident host is responsible for ensuring that: 

• The guest’s parent (or legal guardian) has submitted a Minor Guest Permission Form
• The resident host has received an emailed copy of the Minor Guest Pass, which will serve as confirmation that RLH received and approved the permission form.
• The minor guest is escorted by the resident host at all times
• The minor guest properly presents the Minor Guest Pass (printed or email) to the staff at the information desk when checking into the residence hall