ROCHESTER FAQ CORNER

  WEEKDAYS (MON - FRI): 09h00 - 09h15 12h00 - 12h15 14:45 - 15h00 17h00 - 17h15 WEEKENDS (SAT & SUN): 09h00 - 09h15 12h00 - 12h15 14:45 - 15h00 17h00 - 17h15

NO , you DO NOT  have to BOOK for a STORAGE SLOT .  Residents must ARRIVE at RECEPTION approximately 15 MINUTES BEFORE designated STORAGE TIME to FILL IN the STORAGE FORM.  Please ENSURE that you are at the STORAGE ROOM 5 MINUTES BEFORE THE STORAGE TIMES.

 During the  ZERO TOLERANCE period , GAMES, SPORTS EQUIPMENT, AND THE PIANO ROOM KEY can ONLY be SIGNED OUT between 16:00 - 20:00 . Returning these items AFTER 20:00 will result in an OFFICIAL WARNING.

  Greetings, ROCCAFELLAS ! We're excited to introduce the Rochester FAQ Corner. A dedicated space where you can find answers to the questions you may have about life in our vibrant community. Whether you're a new neighbour looking to navigate our amenities or a longtime resident seeking clarification on reception guidelines, this FAQ Corner is here to provide you with clear and concise information. Our goal is to enhance your experience by offering a comprehensive resource that addresses common queries and keeps you well-informed! Feel free to explore the various categories, and if you can't find what you're looking for, don't hesitate to reach out. Your feedback is valued as we strive to create an even more connected and informed living environment for everyone. Welcome to your go-to source for all things ROCCAFELLA —let's make student living even more enjoyable together!

  UCT LIBRARIES have  Alternatively, you can use this  link  to upload the credits.

  There are SPECIFIC TIMES for SIGNING OUT and doing STORAGE at ROCHESTER HOUSE. RESIDENTS need to SIGN OUT   at RECEPTION during the ALLOCATED TIMES.    Students will then be asked questions regarding their EXPECTED RETURN DATE  for the FOLLOWING SEMESTER .

The piano room is   NOT SUBJECT to   a BOOKING SYSTEM , but students receive a MAXIMUM of ONE HOUR to utilise the vicinity Students who FAIL to RETURN the key within the STIPULATED PERIOD will be added to the OFFENDERS LIST .  If one COMMITS MORE THAN THREE OFFENCES, they will receive a D.C. and they will be BANNED from using the vicinity for a MONTH.

ROCHESTER HOUSE has NO CURFEW RESTRICTIONS ; residents are FREE to enter and exit the premises as they please.  However, VISITORS MUST be SIGNED OUT by MIDNIGHT .

  Residents are expected to VACATE the RESIDENCY 72 HOURS AFTER their FINAL EXAM . During the MID-YEAR VACATION , this POLICY only APPLIES to ALL FIRST YEARS and NON-HEALTH SCIENCES students. At the END-YEAR VACATION , ALL residents ( HEALTH  and  NON-HEALTH )  MUST VACATE the RESIDENCY 72 HOURS AFTER their FINAL EXAM .

Students residing in the 92 BLOCK are allowed to sign in a MAXIMUM of ONE   GUEST  at a time. While students residing in the 93 , 94 , and 95 BLOCKS are PERMITTED to sign in a MAXIMUM of TWO GUESTS . Note that you are responsible for all your guests. SIGNING IN  is done at the C AMPUS PROTECTION SERVICE'S OFFICE (front desk at the entrance) .   IMPORTANTLY , ALL guests must be SIGNED OUT by 23:59 .

Academics are like a Rubik's Cube - just when you think you've got it, another layer of confusion appears. If you're drowning in textbooks and equations, fear not! We've got the academic lifeguard on speed dial. FIRST point of CALL should be your CLASSMATES , LECTURES , and/or COURSE CONVENORS . Fortunately, ROCHESTER HOUSE also has a network of RESIDENCE TUTORS who are ready to HELP you. Don't be scared to reach out to fellow ROCCAFELLAS and have group study sessions in the study rooms!

You may NOT   USE an electrical appliance which draws MORE than 1 KILOWATT ( 1000 WATTS ) of power.  All appliances are LABELLED to indicate their energy usage.  You may NOT POSSESS or USE:   MICROWAVES KETTLES  GRILLERS  TOASTERS BAR HEATERS  T.V. s AIRFRYERS , etc.  in your ROOM .  You may NOT  have a REFRIGERATOR LARGER than 110 LITRES . You are however PERMITTED to have a FAN HEATER , a REFRIDGERATOR of 110 LITRES and  BELOW. Other APPLIANCES that use LESS than 1 KILOWATT ( 1000 WATTS ) of power are also PERMITTED . IMPORTANTLY!!: Please ensure you have a SAFETY ADAPTER (don't plug directly into the plug point)

Yes, you are allowed ONE OVERNIGHT VISITOR under the following CONDITIONS : You receive APPROVAL from the WARDEN . GUESTS are of the SAME SEX as the RESIDENT . OVERNIGHT STAY is PERMITTED ONLY for ACADEMIC REASONS .

  YES , the TROLLEY must be SIGNED OUT at RECEPTION .

  ALWAYS SIGN OUT at RECEPTION when LEAVING the RESIDENCY overnight.  You also have to SIGN IN at RECEPTION once you have RETURNED .  REMEMBER to HANG your ORANGE TAG on your DOOR HANDLE !

  LOST ? RECEPTION ! Any items LOST within the HOUSE are sent to RECEPTION for the OWNER to RETRIEVE ! A WHITEBOARD on the LEFT CORNER of the RECEPTION WINDOW contains a LIST of all the ITEMS found and returned to the Reception.

  You can BOOK a WEEK in ADVANCE.

  To book your laundry slot, follow these steps: Navigate to Vula and select the Rochester site.     2. Click on the "Sign-up" tab located at the bottom left corner. 3. Look for two "Meeting Titles" labeled "Laundry bookings 1" and "Laundry bookings 2". 4. Click on the [+] symbol next to the meeting titles to expand them. This will display the available slots for different days.                                                                      5. Choose the desired day from the options presented. 6. Select your preferred time slot and sign up. Alternatively, here's the link to a Tutorial Video on how to book a Laundry Slot. Tutorial on how to book Laundry

You can KEEP the SPORTING EQUIPMENT/GAMES for as LONG AS YOU PLEASE . But be CONSIDERATE of other students within the residency.

  Once the Reception is closed, please KEEP the item SAFE and in GOOD CONDITION until the Reception RE-OPEN the FOLLOWING DAY .

  The day staff operates from  08:00 - 16:00  on  WEEKDAYS, EXCLUDING PUBLIC HOLIDAYS .   You can also find the Student Front Desk Assistants operating from  16:00 - 22:00  on  WEEKDAYS  and  08:00 - 22:00  on  WEEKENDS . 

 The reception CLOSES at  22:00 . 

Maintenance Issues are reported on the MAINTENANCE   EXCEL SPREADSHEET depending on the block you live in .  The LINK to the 92 and 94 MAINTENANCE SHEET:   https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CG-AcW7ddg1FB5YPcS9El9U60knxtTKk3RJ_r3Nz3gQ/edit#gid=1450202158 .  Here's the LINK  to the 93 and 95 MAINTENANCE SHEET:   93/95 Temporary Maintenance Sheet - Google Sheets .  PLEASE ensure that you REPORT on the MAINTENENCE SHEET and NOT the CLEANING SHEET.

In the Laundry Rooms with scheduled bookings, you have a total of 1 HOUR and 25 MINUTES for your laundry routine. Specifically, the INITIAL 25 MINUTES are allotted for WASHING , followed by a subsequent 1-HOUR period designated for DRYING . PLEASE NOTE: If you do not fetch the laundry room key from Reception within the first 5 MINUTES , your slot will be FORFITTED .

Fortunately for you, ROCHESTER HOUSE has its very own COMPUTER LAB with a fully FUNCTIONING PRINTER !  The printer ONLY PRINTS in BLACK and WHITE .  The printing system utilised is the UCT PAPERCUT PLATFORM . Here is the LINK used when uploading documents:   https://mpsportal.uct.ac.za/user .   Alternatively, you can also go print at the various University of Cape Town LIBRARIES within the different Campuses.

When experiencing signs of illness, you have THREE options:

 

This is a period during EXAM TIME  where there is a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY  enforced by the University of Cape Town. During this time, there should be NO NOISE and DISRUPTIONS of ANY FORM in the house that may disturb any member of the house. Please note that what is stipulated in the Rochester House Rules as “ SILENCE HOURS ” (where noise is prohibited during term) WILL NOT APPLY during ZERO TOLERANCE . This, therefore, means that there should be no noise at any time. As stated in the rule book “ RESIDENTS SERIOUSLY VIOLATING THIS POLICY MAY BE ASKED TO VACATE THE RESIDENCE ”. GAMES    CANNOT   be SIGNED OUT AFTER 20:00  and the PIANO ROOM will strictly be CLOSED at 20:00 during this period. During Zero Tolerance period, the WARNING SYSTEM will also FALL AWAY COMPLETELY . Noise-making will lead to an  IMMEDIATE DC . 

The SMOKE DETECTORS are programmed to set off the FIRE ALARM once they DETECT: SMOKE.

In the event that someone FORFEITS their LAUNDRY SLOT , the SFDA on DUTY will ANNOUNCE on the ROCHESTER HOUSE LAUNDRY GROUP CHAT .  The FIRST INDIVIDUAL to CLAIM the SLOT on the GROUP CHAT will be PROVIDED with the SLOT . This group chat can also be used to inform other students using the laundry at that time that their clothes are done washing/drying and they should come fetch them. Alternatively, students can give out their laundry slots themselves on the group, and t his is how it works: A student willing to give away their laundry slot will notify the group with details. E.g Slot:  Giving away the 00:30 - 02:30 slot Name: Nqobile Motha The first student to respond will have the slot. E.g Slot: Taken Name: Ayanda Kunene The student securing the slot should provide evidence to the attending receptionist, either before their slot or when collecting the key. This will help with updating the names on the booking system. The g...

  ROCHESTER HOUSE has FOUR LAUNDRY ROOMS , the 92, 93, 94, & 95 BLOCK LAUNDRY ROOMS .  The LAUNDRY ROOMS are subject to a QUARTERLY ROTATION ( rotate per term). The 93, 94, & 95  LAUNDRY ROOMS  are  NOT UNDER a BOOKING SYSTEM  and operate on a FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE BASIS.   They are OPEN 24/7 !