Chapter 2: Application, Contract Terms, and Shares

From ICC Policy Wiki

Application and Contracting Process

  1. Application: New members must fill out an application for membership.
  2. Availability: Contracts for the following year will be made available dependent upon member status and type of contract(s) requested:
    • Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer: After November
    • Fall/Winter only: After November
    • Spring/Summer only: March
    • Both Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer contracts will be available the second week of October, Fall/Winter contracts will be available the second week of October, and Spring/Summer contracts will be available the first week of March.
  3. Contract Offers: Contracts for available spaces will be offered to applicants eligible for those spaces in order of date of application. Houses may require a prospective member to attend a house orientation before a contract is offered.
  4. Transfer of Contract Restriction:  Except as otherwise provided in ICC policy, contracts may not be bought, sold, or sublet, and no reward or incentive, monetary or otherwise, shall be offered in exchange for the filling of a space.

Eligibility Restrictions

  1. Student and Non-Student Eligibility
    • Student Status: The following applicants shall be considered students
      • Undergraduate students enrolled at least half time in an accredited educational institution
      • Graduate students officially recognized by their departments as active participants in their programs
      • Visiting scholars
      • Participants in the ICPSR program
      • Access International students
      • ICC employees covered by the ICC Administrative Contract
      • NASCO employees
      • Participants in other academic programs determined to be eligible by the Operations Management Committee
    • Grace Period: Current members who have lived in the ICC with student status for the current contract period without being on referral nor having any late fees during the four months prior to their graduation, will be considered students for twelve months after graduation. Members who do not meet these criteria will need house approval to sign their contract.
    • Documentation:  The Operations Management Committee or Housing Services staff may require acceptable proof of student status before allowing a student to sign a contract. Those who fail to provide acceptable proof of student status for the relevant contract period shall be considered non-students.
    • Non-Student Approval:  Non-students must be approved by the house for which they wish to sign a contract before the contract may be validated by the ICC.
    • References for Non-Students: The house or Housing staff will ask non-student applicants to provide the following information:
      • Employer
      • Previous landlord or living situation
      • Proof of income or financial support
  2. Minors: Any minor who is not emancipated and wishes to sign a contract with the ICC must have the contract co-signed by their parent or guardian.  In such cases the parent or guardian will bear ultimate responsibility for the fulfillment of the contract.
  3. Members with Debt
    • Contract Signing and Debt:  A current or past returning member may not sign a contract with the ICC if they have a balance of $250 or more, unless they are in compliance with an existing payment plan approved by the Finance Committee. This balance limit shall be reviewed by the Operations Management and Finance Committees every three years.
    • Bankruptcy:  A member who has declared bankruptcy may not sign a contract without first paying a sum equal to the debt to the ICC that was discharged by the bankruptcy.
    • Chronic Delinquency:
      • Chronic Delinquency Definition: A chronically delinquent member shall be defined for these purposes as a member who fails to pay charges on time so that the ICC initiates a legal action (submitting an official Notice to Quit to the court) against the member.
      • Chronic delinquency constitutes a default of the ICC Membership and Occupancy Agreement. Any member against whom the ICC initiates legal proceedings in any court for chronic delinquency shall:
        • have all future signed contracts with the ICC immediately voided by the Director of Housing, and
        • shall be permanently banned from signing any future ICC contracts.
      • Bans on signing future contracts may be appealed to the Operations Management Committee , in consultation with the Finance Committee.
  4. Gender Ratios
    • Default Gender Ratio:  The default gender ratio for all ICC houses shall be 40% woman-identified / 40% man-identified / 20% gender-neutral. Gender ratios set in individual house constitutions can supersede the ratio in this section, but must make provisions for members who do not identify as man or woman.
    • Contracting and the Gender Ratio:  New members shall be offered contracts in conformance to this ratio. Application of ICC Gender ratios will expire April 30th.
    • Summer Gender Ratio: No gender ratio will be enforced during the summer session

Contract Terms and Requirements

  1. Definition of Occupancy: A space is considered occupied if a person is living in the room or if personal belongings are left in the room.
  2. Occupancy Requires a Contract:  An individual occupying an ICC space must hold a valid, signed contract. No one may be given a key for an ICC space without presenting a valid printed or electronic contract. No one without an ICC contract for a particular space may prevent a person with a contract for that space from occupying it. The ICC may validate a contract, without a member’s signature, if the member has not signed the contract issued to them but continues to occupy the space. All relevant shares, membership fee, and charges shall be applied as necessary.
  3. Commencement of Contract:  The contract period of a person joining after the beginning of a term shall commence on the day the contract begins or the day that use of facilities begins, whichever is earlier.
  4. Contract Validation:  No contract is valid without a signature on behalf of the ICC by the Director of Housing or their authorized representative.
  5. Amendments:  Any amendments to a contract must be in accordance with current Standing Rules and signed or initialed by both the member and an authorized ICC representative.
  6. Standard Contract Periods:  Standard ICC contract periods will be set by the Operations Committee in accordance with the academic terms set by the University of Michigan’s Office of the Registrar. Standard contract periods must include Fall/Winter Term, Fall-Term, Winter-Term, Spring-Term, Summer-Term, and Spring/Summer Term.  A contract signed after the start of that term through the end of that term is considered a standard contract with a modified start date.
  7. Fall-Term Contracts
    • Fall-Term Contract Periods:  A Fall-Term Contract is a rooming contract for the entire Fall Term or from the date of signing until the end of Fall Term.
    • Availability: Current members may sign Fall-Term contracts at the start of the contract signing period.  New members may not sign Fall-Term contracts until May 1 of the year the contract begins.
    • Fall-Term Contract Limit:  The default house limit for Fall-Term contracts is 10% of house capacity.  Houses may opt out of Fall-Term contracts, which supersedes the default ICC limit. The Operations Committee, in consultation with the Finance Committee and the house, may waive the Fall-Only contract limit for a particular house in case of vacancies or extenuating circumstances. The Operations Committee  may set a date after which house or ICC Fall-Term contract limits for the current or upcoming contract period are no longer enforced, for the purpose of filling vacancies.
    • Fall-Term Contract Fee: Any member who signs a Fall-Term contract before October 1st must pay a fee equal to one month of the member’s ICC charges of $675. This fee shall be paid at the beginning of the Fall Term. The Operations Management Committee will review the amount of the fee every three years, increasing as necessary. If a member extends their contract from Fall Term to Fall/Winter, this fee shall be refunded to their account.
  8. Spring/Summer Contracts
    • During the Spring/Summer Term, every ICC room will be charged a single room term rate (100% ICC charges plus utilities), except for the mandatory doubles in Baker House and Escher House. In order for members to be charged the ICC Spring/Summer double rate of 75% of ICC charges, a House Roster must be submitted at the beginning of each spring/summer month, and updated as needed.
    • If one of the roommates leaves the house each will remain responsible for their own contracts. The remaining roommate will have the option of signing the room to a single contract.
    • If a contract is lost due to a violation of this policy, the house can be fined up to the amount of the contract lost. Finance Committee will be the determining body for the fine and their decision is final.
  9. Boarding-Only Contracts
    • Availability:  Full boarding-only contracts shall be available for all boarding houses for the standard contract periods.
    • Membership and Shares:  Members with boarding-only contracts are full members of the ICC, hold shares, and pay the membership fee.
    • Charges:  Boarding-only contract charges shall be equivalent to house charges.
    • Labor:  Labor requirements for individuals with boarding-only contracts are to be determined by the house.
  10. Non-Standard Contracts
    • Definition:  A non-standard contract is defined as a contract with a minimum of one month that does not qualify as a standard contract or a standard contract with a modified start date.  The Operations Committee may define other non-standard contracts or contract periods at its discretion.
    • Availability:  Non-standard contracts during any part of Fall/Winter Term may not be signed until October 1st of that year. Non-standard contracts for Spring/Summer term,  including any Summer Program approved by the Operations Committee, may not be signed until April 1st.
    • Charges Due at Signing:  All applicable fees and charges for non-standard contracts are due at signing.
    • Labor:  Labor requirements for individuals with non-standard contracts are to be determined by the house.
  11. Switching Houses: A member with a contract for a space in one ICC house may switch their contract to an un-contracted space in another ICC house. The member will then be responsible for only one set of ICC charges and the new house’s charges.

Shares

  1. Definition of Shares: Shares represent member contributions to the working capital of the ICC. They do not constitute stock under Michigan law, a damage deposit, or a prepayment of house bills.
  2. Share Values: Shares shall each have a value of $10.00.  There shall be no interest paid on shares.
  3. Required Shares: Each member shall be required to hold shares according to the following schedule:
    • Rooming members with Fall/Winter contracts: 50 shares
    • Individuals in apartments:  50 shares
    • Rooming members with any other standard contract:  25 shares
    • Rooming members with non-standard contracts:  25 shares
    • Rooming members with contracts for ICPSR, Global Reach, and other short-term academic programs deemed eligible by the Operations Management Committee:  5 nonrefundable shares
    • Boarding-only members:  5 shares
    • Staff covered by the ICC Administrative Contract:  25 shares
  4. Changes in Required Shares: If a current member signs a contract requiring more shares than they currently hold, they must buy those additional shares.  If a member holds more shares than are required for any of the future contracts they have signed with the ICC, they may request to have the excess share amount credited to their account after the close of the books of the prior contract period.
  5. ICC Lien on Shares:  The ICC shall have a lien against a member’s shares for all debts to the ICC or to any ICC house.  Shares shall go first toward any debt owed to the ICC as a whole, second toward debt at the last house the member roomed at, third toward debt at the last house the member boarded at, and fourth toward debt at any other house.  After the house’s books are closed for the period described in the contract, and upon authorization of the appropriate house’s treasurer, the ICC shall promptly give the house all amounts due from shares to cover debts unpaid by the holder, provided that the member does not have a further contract with the ICC.
  6. Share Returns:  Shares shall be redeemed by the ICC in the first October following the end of the member’s final Fall/Winter contract or the March following the end of the member’s final Spring/Summer contract, whichever is later.
  7. Early Share Return Eligibility
    • Early Release:  New members who are replaced or released before their contract start date shall have their shares returned within 2 weeks of being released.  Members released within eight weeks of the beginning of a contract period may request an early share return check at or near the time of their departure.
    • International Travel:  Members who are returning home to another country and current members who are leaving the country for a period of more than six months may request an early share return check at or near the time of their departure
    • Non-Standard Contracts:  Members with non-standard contracts may receive an early share return check.
  8. Early Share Return Rebates and Assessments:  No rebates will be given or assessments charged to members who receive early share return checks.  At closing time, all rebates and assessments for early share returns will be pooled; any surplus will go to the Scholarship Fund and any deficit will be considered bad debt.
  9. Disposition of Abandoned Shares:  Share return checks not cashed within 5 years of the date sent out shall be considered a donation to the Scholarship Endowment Fund. The contract shall reflect this rule.
  10. Disposition of Non-Refundable Shares: Shares which are designated “non-refundable” shall be treated as ordinary income.

Operational Management Committee Jurisdiction

  • Interpretation:  The Operations Committee (OpsCom) has the power to judge the correct interpretation of Chapter 2 of the Standing Rules.
  • OpsCom Policy:  The Operations Management Committee may approve supplemental rules and policies as necessary.
  • Appeal:  All decisions made pursuant to this chapter of the Standing Rules may be appealed to the Operations Management Committee  in writing within a month of the decision.