closedown survival guide
everything you need to know to get summer started

Navigation: General Instructions | Detailed Instructions | Recommended Supplies | Timeline | Cleaning Examples

The end of the school year is approaching. In order to make this closedown as painless as possible we have developed this site to help you in your endeavors. Below are good and bad examples of how clean your bathroom should be when you check-out. To be checked out of your room, we expect your bathroom and room to be so clean that it looks like you never lived there. You may have to spend several hours of hard manual labor to accomplish this task. Don't expect to be checked out until your room has met the standards of the staff.

Paperwork given to students

Students will receive these: checkout instructions and FAQs - as well as these forms: bathrooom contract and roommate cleaning contract.

General instructions top

How to Sign up for a Check-out

Starting at 6am on Thursday, May 1 you can sign up to check out of McConnell. The sign ups will be placed on the Activities Board in the lobby.
Your roommate must be present at your check out appointment if you are moving out first, so make sure you pick a time that works for both of you. It is most convenient if you check out together.

Deadlines for Checking Out:

The deadline to signup for checkout is 11pm on Sunday, May 4 if you are checking out on or before Wednesday.
The deadline to signup for checkout is 11pm on Wednesday, May 7 if you are checking out on Thursday, Friday or Saturday.
Juniors must be checked out by 4pm on Friday, May 9.
Seniors must be checked out by either 4pm on Friday, May 9 or between 6am-11am on Saturday, May 10.
No one will be allowed to stay in the hall on Friday evening of graduation - even if you are waiting to check out until Saturday. Students will need to find arrangements for alternative places to stay this night.

Check-out FAQs:

Q: What happens if my roommate isn't there when I try to check out of the room first?
A: You may not check out at that time. Your checkout time must be rescheduled to a later time when your roommate will be present.

Q: What happens if I miss my scheduled time to check out?
A: You will need to reschedule your check out time with the RA who has been assigned to check you out, possibly at a time that is inconvenient for you. You could also be charged a $75 improper check out fee.

Q: What happens if I need to change my scheduled time?
A: If you need to change your previously scheduled check out time you will need to either check out together with your roommate, or reschedule with the RA who is assigned to checking you out of your room.

Q: What happens if I want to move out the weekend before finals week and commute for my exams?
A: Yes, this is allowed. You would need to sign up for an early check out time through the front desk before 12noon on Thursday, May 1.

Q: What happens if all the times I am available to check out are already taken?
A: Signing up early will help eliminate the possibility of this from happening, but in case it does happen, you’ll have to check out at a time that is inconvenient for you.

Q: What happens if my parents are available to move me out while I am not there?
A: Thank your parents profusely and either escort them up to your room or a staff member will assist them.

Move Out Completely

Students must be completely moved out at the scheduled checkout time--this also means nothing (boxes, clothing, cleaning supplies, etc.) in the hallway. Students with anything in the hallway will not be checked out

Avoid Improper Checkout Penalties

Students must sign out on their room inventory sheet and turn in their room key to the RA checking them out. If a student does not turn in the key or sign the inventory sheet, a $75 Improper Checkout fee may be charged. If there are any damages to the room, these will be noted on the inventory sheet. UNT Housing will bill repair costs to parents' home addresses. Additionally, transcripts and grades may be blocked until all fees are paid.

If You Brought it, Please Take it with You

All furniture and carpet must be removed from the room. Carpet or broken furniture must be taken to the local dump grounds, Goodwill organization or donated elsewhere. Due to the lack of dumpster space and refuse retrieval the City of Denton will not allow us to throw carpet in the dumpsters.

Move Out Deadlines

Students must checkout and leave McConnell Hall within 24 hours of their last exam unless the student is formally involved with TAMS graduation. It is permissible for a student to check out early and essentially commute to their final exams if they so choose.

JUNIORS: All juniors or first year students need to be moved out by Friday, May 9th by 4:00pm. The staff needs time to get dinner and cleaned up in time to attend graduation. Juniors who are not completely moved out and checked out by 4pm will be penalized with the improper check out fee (starting at $75, depending on the state of the room).

SENIORS: McConnell Hall will close at 11pm May 9th the Friday of graduation and will reopen at 6am the next morning. This allows students to be with their families and relatives during this celebrative time. Seniors can check out before Saturday if they prefer. That is, no students will be allowed to stay in McConnell Hall on Friday night. However, 11am on Saturday, May 10 is the latest. At 11 am, the $75 Improper Checkout fee will be assessed in addition to other applicable fines.

No students allowed in McConnell on Friday Night

No students (Juniors or Seniors) will be allowed to spend the night in McConnell on Friday, May 9. McConnell will close at 11pm on Friday night (check-outs, however, end at 4pm), everyone must be out for the night at that time. The building will reopen at 6am to allow Seniors to move out.

Info for Students Staying on campus for the Summer

1. Be sure you have contacted and done all of your paperwork with Assignments and Collections in Central Housing which is located in Crumley Hall. It is essential that you do this because we do not handle the summer part of your housing. All TAMS students will be living in Crumley Hall, so if you get assigned to another hall please let them know because it is a mistake and they need to fix it before you move in.

2. If you are staying for the May mini-mester:

you can not stay in McConnell Hall Friday night the 9th.
let us know that you need an exception to the Junior move out time, so we allow you to move your belongings out on Saturday - even in this situation you cannot stay in McConnell on Friday night..
if you do not have a place to stay on Friday night, you can you can stay in Crumley Hall that night, but only in a sleeping bag and overnight bag sort of way. If you want this option talk to Brady Black ASAP. You can not move-in your stuff there till Saturday at 10am.
if you choose to stay in Crumley Friday night, you can check-in at their front desk at 8pm.
on Saturday you can move into Crumley between 10am-2pm, please make sure you have moved out of McConnell by that time

3. If you are not staying for May mini-mester but coming up for Summer 1:

you must move out of McConnell like normal, by Friday the 11th at 4p.
there is an option to move your belongings into Crumley for the duration of Maymester for a charge. However, you will not be able to move your stuff into Crumley until Saturday at 10am. If you want to take advantage of this option, you must talk to the front desk of Crumley (between the hours of 8am and 5pm) in order to sign up for this and fill out paperwork. You must do this by May 5 at the latest. Remember: no on cane stay in McConnell Hall on Friday night. If you need to keep your stuff in McConnell over Friday and check out on Saturday, you will need to contact Brady Black to seek an exception.

Want more details? top

Check out the detailed list of check-out tasks click here.

Recommendations for cleaning supplies top

Supplies You Will Need Plastic Scrub brush - it'll help bust grime Sponges Glass cleaner Adhesive Remover (Goo Be Gone) Non-abrasive cleaner/soap scum remover (Soft Scrub with bleach) All purpose cleaner (409, Pinesol) Toilet bowl cleaner Toilet bowl brush Mildew Remover Soap Scum Remover Do not Use: Steel Wool Abrasive cleaners (Comet)	Supplies at the Front Desk Paper towels Vacuums Brooms Dust Pans Mops Spackling Paint and brushes Trash bags Buckets
Suggested Cleaning Timeline top Saturday, May 3: Take down all posters, pictures, knick-knacks, and other decorations and pack them away. Spackle and paint any holes in the walls. Sunday, May 4: Pack up any clothes you won't be wearing from now until you move out. Clean off your desk and pack school supplies you won't need for the rest of the week. Monday, May 5: Condense the things you've stored in drawers, packing what you don't need for the next few days and cleaning out the drawers as you go. Tuesday, May 6: Condense the things in your bathroom cabinets/shelves, packing what you don't need for the next few days and cleaning the cabinets/shelves as you go. Wednesday, May 7: Since you've been keeping your bathroom clean all year and it's been passing room inspections every month, you should be able to scrub the tub/sink/floor and dry it off to make it look like new. Sweep your room for dust bunnies that have been born as you were packing. Thursday, May 8: Move out boxes and disassemble any furniture you brought with you. Make sure you put back any furniture you put in storage (bed frame, mattress). Check the bathroom for toilettries and throw your remaining clothes in a bag. Strip your bedsheets and do a final sweep of the room checking for odds and ends and mop the floor. Cleaning examples top
Bad	Good
Hair and dirt on floor	Floor is spotless and grout is near white
Sink has mildew and grime	Sink is white and smooth to touch
Toilet has yellowish color and dust	Toilet is white and spot-free
Facet is not polished	Faucet is polished to shine
Tub floor spots are visible	Tub floor spots are almost invisible
Tub has mildew and grime	Tub is white and spotless
Grout has mildew, mold and yellowish stain	Grout is near white
Tub has rust around drain	Tub drain shines
Toilet has dirt and spots all over	Toilet is virtually spotless
Tub drain has mildew and stains on it	Tub drain is clean and hair free
Tub fixtures have spots and are not mirror like	Tub fixtures shine
Wall has grime and is rough to touch	Wall is spotless and is smooth to touch