All students should complete the following tasks before they leave campus.

Take out the trash and recycling
Take your trash and unusable items to the trash area. Anything in a trash bag or in the hallway is considered trash and will be disposed of. If you have large broken items please throw them out to avoid charges. If you don’t know if something can be recycled, check the Bates Sustainability page.

Close your windows
Make sure your windows are closed and latched and shades pulled down. Leaving a window even slightly cracked can lead to a pipe bursting in your room damaging all of your and your neighbors’ belongings.

Leave nothing in the hallways or common rooms
Store your items in your room or in the designated on-campus storage areas. 

Lock your room
Easily prevent theft of your belongings by locking your door.

Bring all the items you will need for the break
Your access will not be turned on again until Sunday, January 5th, 2025. Many campus buildings will have the heat turned down and will be inaccessible to students. 

Students that are not returning for the winter semester should complete the following additional tasks before they leave campus:

Clean
Ask your custodian for trash bags, brooms, or vacuums to make sure your room has been left in “broom clean condition” meaning:

• free of all debris
• free of personal effects
• swept clean after their belongings have been removed

Return your key
You should return your key to Campus Security before you leave to avoid late or rekeying fees. You should not leave your key in your room or give it to a friend to return. Check the Access Control website for information on the fees associated with not returning your key on time.

Return your library items
Make sure you return your library books and media to stay free of fees. You can see the Fines & Replacement costs on the Library website.

Remove all items from on-campus storage
If you are not returning for the winter semester, you should remove any items from on-campus storage spaces. In May, any student belongings that are left in storage areas shall be removed and donated to the clean sweep charitable sale.

Before you head home for the break, Campus Safety would like to offer the following tips in securing your off-campus house:  

Lock up or take your valuables
Try to take your valuables with you when you leave for break.  If you can’t take them with you, try to secure them in a space that you can secure.

Consider Telling your Neighbors
Giving your neighbors the heads up that you are off on vacation is a useful way of making sure that someone is keeping an eye on your home for you, even if they are doing it subconsciously.

If they know you are away and see something or someone unusual, it will trigger them to be a little more watchful as they know that you are not there. You should also leave a contact number with them if they do not have one already so that they can be in touch if they have any suspicions or concerns that you should be aware of.

Consider Your Curtains
Strange as this may sound, your curtains, blinds, and shutters tell a story of their own to anyone who is watching your home with a view to gaining entry.

If you usually leave your shutters half-open, or blinds rolled up, suddenly shutting them all with giving your house a locked-down look, which will scream “vacant” to anyone who is interested. As much as possible, keep your curtains, blinds, and shutters in a similar position to how they usually would be.

Don’t Stash Your Key
It can be tempting to leave a key hidden outside your property just in case someone needs to pop in for you.  Don’t do this – especially don’t do this when you are going away for an extended period of time.

Turn Off Electrical Appliances
To help reduce the risk of electrical fires while your home is vacant, switch off and unplug any unnecessary electrical items, including TVs, radios, coffee makers, fans, and lamps. You should also close internal doors where possible to help slow the spread of smoke and fire should the worst happen.

Check doors and Windows
It might seem obvious, but make sure the last person to leave the house has checked all the windows and exterior doors to see that they have been locked.

Keep Lights On
If it is possible, purchase a timer that can be attached to the interior and exterior lights so they can be turned off and on during different times.

For more information about transportation needs, please visit this page.

or

Please contact David Chick in the Campus Safety office.

If you forgot to return your keys before you left campus, please contact the Access Control Office at accesscontrol@bates.edu.

The keys may be mailed to: Access Control Office, 245 College Street, Lewiston, ME 04240.

Please use a padded envelope so the keys do not tear through the envelope while in the mail system.

More information about key return can be found here.