Running the centre
Visitor policy
A visitor policy is the set of rules in a hall of residence or student residence about who may come in without living there: at what times, to which areas, whether they must sign in, who answers for the visitor and whether anyone may stay overnight. It is usually part of the rules of conduct.
Also known asvisiting rules · visiting hours · guest policy · guests
What it usually covers
Each residence handles it its own way, and the differences are large: there are colegios mayores (Spanish halls of residence with a formative programme) where visitors stay in the common areas, residences where they can go up to the rooms until a set time, and colivings where a guest can stay a few nights with notice. It is usually written into the rules of conduct or the internal regulations. In Spanish, "régimen de visitas" is also the family-law term for the contact between a child and the parent they do not live with; the two have nothing to do with each other.
- Hours: until what time visitors are allowed, and from when.
- Areas: common areas only, rooms as well, or with some floors reserved.
- Registration: name and ID at the porters' lodge, or just notice from the resident; whatever is asked for is personal data. The door itself is a matter for access control.
- Overnight stays: whether they are allowed, how many nights and with how much notice.
- Responsibility: the resident answers for what their visitor does.
Worth knowing
What people take for granted: that everyone knows the rule. Whoever read it on arrival knows it. The real question comes on a Friday night ("can my sister stay over?"), and if the answer depends on who is at the porters' lodge, it is no longer a rule.
Sources
Related terms
- Normas de convivencia (community-life rules)Normas de convivencia are the community-life rules every Spanish university, public or private, must approve under Ley 3/2022: they bind the university community and include measures against violence, discrimination and harassment. They reach a colegio mayor or an affiliated residence through its university.
- Access controlAccess control is the system that decides who can enter a building or an area and records when they did: keys, cards, codes, readers or staff on the door. In a student residence it separates residents from visitors and protects areas such as kitchens, plant rooms or residents-only floors.