Student Housing Rules

Hi, I am a junior in high school who likes to cook and I’d like to ask about the dorm rules.

Online it states that cooking and certain cooking devices are not permitted in the residence halls, I was wondering how easy it would be to sneak things such as an electric skillet and rice cooker in. Do people sneak in prohibited items into the dorms often? How often are the dorm inspections?

Also, I would find it very helpful if someone could tell me about the space in the dorms or how the freshman dorms are like?

Thank you!

If they catch you, you will get a warning. A second offense will get you booted out of residence and possibly expelled. you would be creating a fire hazard for everyone in your dorm.

There’s never really any dorm inspections where they’ll go in your room, unless they have a reason to search your room (ex. someone reports that you have drugs in your room). The RAs will do weekly hall sweeps, however, where they’ll check for anything going on in the lounges or if doors are propped open (which is not allowed). If they smell or see anything drug related however on their route, they are required to report, which would then lead to a search of your room.

However, I would not recommend sneaking those items into your dorm room. The reason the are prohibited are due to them being fire hazards. Also, smoke from cooking for example on the skillet could set off the fire sprinklers, which would ruin you and your roommate’s stuff and depending on how the sprinklers are set up, affect a lot of other people (it depends on the dorm, but I don’t know enough about how they’re rigged. For example, a sprinkler going off in one room could possibly set off all of the ones on your hall). It’s just entirely disrespectful.

If you want to cook, there are a few kitchens on campus that you can reserve, but they’re usually for special events. You will find it difficult to reserve one to just cook a meal for yourself. Unfortunately, that’s just not possible here as an underclassmen (upperclassmen may be allowed to if they are in the apartments on campus).

In doing research on this for my daughter at another college, I learned that schools post this for many good reasons, another important one being that too many appliances being used can overload the circuit in some of these older buildings, creating another fire hazard beyond the obvious ones of forgetting to shut them off, or burning something etc. So while you may be tempted, if they say don’t bring something, you really shouldn’t. Often there are kitchens on the same floor or in the building where they allow you to use these items.

None of the dorms have kitchens (at least as far as I’m aware- none that I have been in or that any of my friends of any class year have been in have had one). That may be true at other colleges, but not here.

I would think it would be difficult to hide cooking smells.

Google “Providence College Residence hall fire” 10 dead students. Rules exist for a reason.

My recent UR graduate also loves to cook and missed it some, until senior year, when she was able to cook in the on campus apartments, but the fantastic education she got at UR made up for it!!!

The dining hall food at UR is really quite good , with a broad selection to choose from. Perhaps you could still have a little creative fun making things which don’t require cooking like salsa, hummus, fruit salad, dips. You can still make some yummy stuff to eat and be fire safe! My daughter always had fun for cooking for us during holiday breaks from school.

Microwave ovens are permitted and can be used to indulge your cooking talents also, there are many recipes that can be modified for microwave cooking. I have some great microwave main dish and dessert recipes that my family enjoys.