<p>I heard there are random room searches done by RAs. I understand the need for this, but I’m wondering how much of my stuff they’re going to poke through. I’m a girl and my RA is a guy…</p>
<p>My daughter mentioned this after her floor meeting. She said the RA said they can come into the rooms, but they cannot open anything (cabinets, drawers, etc.). It sounded like they just do a general “walk through.”</p>
<p>As my RA told me. They are not random, you sign up for a time, and they just look around to make sure theres no damage. Now, if they hear something illegal going on in someone’s suite, thats when they go in and check fridge(s), cabinets, closets, etc</p>
<p>RAs do the occasional scheduled health and safety check witch involves peeking in ones room and maybe opening the shared fridge, but they cannot open anything else. UA does reserve the right to enter rooms, but usually only does so for maintenance purposes.</p>
<p>Note that like police officers, RAs can “trick” you into showing areas of your room that they don’t have a legal right to see without probable cause and/or a warrant. A good rule of thumb is if an RA asks you to open something rather than doing it themselves without your permission, decline. Of course, you can open your door for room inspections, but make sure that anything even remotely objectionable is out of plain sight.</p>
<p>One of the most common items affected by this rule is the personal fridge. Since RAs cannot open personal property, some students who like certain beverages served chilled will get a personal fridge.</p>
<p>Alternatively, there are some students who like to play with the RAs by having stuff out that, while permitted, may surprise the RAs. </p>
<p>While I highly recommend staying on good terms with ones RAs, it is also a good thing to know excactly what ones legal rights are and how to preserve them.</p>
<p>I wondered while I saw so many mini fridges moving into RCS.</p>
<p>The RA’s won’t randomly enter your room. They perform required “Health and Safety Inspections” which are scheduled in advance with the residents of the suite/room. They perform a simple walk through to be sure you aren’t living with trash piled up and that you aren’t destroying the room. They won’t be poking around in your room or going through your personal belongings. Having said that, if the occupants of the room are underage (21) and alcohol is sitting out in plain view in the common area you will likely be reported. The only people who generally enter your room without prior notice will be maintenance workers who check the smoke detectors on a regular basis or the community director if your suite has a vacant room which is being shown to a potential resident. Plan ahead before Christmas break that you will need to dispose of any perishable food items in the fridge before checking out of your room.</p>