Preparing for Checkout to Make Move-out Day Less Stressful
If your student lives in the residence halls, he or she will be going through the room checkout process before leaving. Since that time is right around the corner, here are a few tips to share with your student to ensure that the process is smooth as can be:

Go to Informational Meetings and Read Flyers. The residence hall staff will distribute information about checkout and the process students need to follow. Encourage your student to go to informational meetings and to read the materials. Plus, he can ask questions of the hall staff, too — they'll welcome the interest!

Don't Ignore It. It's important to note that the checkout process isn't optional — failure to comply with hall policies will likely result in an improper checkout charge. Students need to turn in their keys/cards and sign out of their rooms officially. Ignoring the process just makes the aftermath messy — and expensive.

Make a Checkout Appointment with Your Student Staff. Students should take a look at their final exam schedule and plan when they'll go home accordingly. Since staff members are students, too, going through finals while also trying to close the building, students are often asked to make an appointment with their staff member to check out. Encourage them to stick to this timeframe out of respect for the staff's schedule — and to make sure that, when they're ready to leave, there is a staffer ready to help. Otherwise, they may have to wait awhile when all they want to do is hit the road for the summer!

Clean the Room! Once students start packing and moving things around, the giant dust bunnies are bound to make themselves known. Encourage students to clean as they go so that they don't have a big mess to contend with when they're ready to check out. And leaving a room filthy is not only disrespectful to the kind cleaning staff who have helped your student all year, there is also a hefty charge associated with it.

Contend with Rug Residue. If your student is holding his rug in place with duct tape, there will likely be sticky residue when he pulls it up. Have him ask the building staff what he should use to clean that up. Again, if left behind, he will be charged for floor cleaning.

Think About Other "Little Things." Furniture that was in the closet all year needs to be put back on the floor. Tape residue on the walls and doors needs to be removed. These "little things" add up.

Know What You're Signing. Once the room condition has been assessed, your student will probably be asked to sign her room contract, saying that she agrees with the assessment. Make sure that she pays attention to what it is that she's signing so there are no surprises over the summer.

More Move-Out Thoughts

• The Way Home. How will your student get home? In his own vehicle? Will you borrow a truck or van to pick her up?
  
• Storing Belongings. Most residence halls don't allow students to store items over the summer. So, if your student is moving off campus, can he leave some bigger items — carpets, furniture, etc. — in that space, even if he isn't yet paying rent? Or will you need to rent a storage space?
  
• Having Enough Containers. Boxes, trash bags and other containers are often at a premium during the end of the year. Make sure your student is well-equipped to start packing so that doesn't need to happen on the actual move-out day! Consider using suitcases and duffel bags, too.
  
• Stuff Disposal. It's important that students find out how to discard and recycle unwanted items within the halls. They can't just leave items in their room or the hall, so encourage your student to talk with residence hall staff ahead of time.
  
• Emotions May Surface. Saying goodbye to friends and moving on can be emotional for many students. Be prepared so that move-out day won't be all about the tasky things — it'll likely involve seeking out friends, swapping addresses and more.