Students living in dorms this semester and planning on returning to the dorms in the fall may face new restrictions on summer storage.

Administrators in the Department of Residence plan to charge a flat $15 fee for storage of any particular item or items, which is limited to lofts, couches, chairs, lamps and carpet.

Randy Alexander, director of residence, said a $25 penalty is charged if this property is not claimed by 9 p.m. of the second Monday of classes, with exception for extreme cases. Property not claimed by the third Monday in September becomes property of the house for it to sell.

Department of Residence concerns, Alexander said, have been that student contracts only cover the fall and spring semesters, and that the university is liable for any damage that might occur to items stored over the summer.

“I don’t know why we would provide a service while we don’t even have a contract,” Alexander said.

This policy seeks to release the university from liability of items that may be stored over the summer if they are lost, stolen or damaged. Students are asked to sign a form saying they agree to the terms of the summer storage policy and the fee for storage will automatically appear on their university bill. Money collected for summer storage goes to the general fund for the Department of Residence.

The policy provides guidelines and storage can depend on a number of factors.

According to the policy, house storage will be determined by space availability and the operational needs of the Department of Residence on an annual basis.

An individual house may decide to accept only a few of the items that are allowed and may have its own method for doing it because of space limitations.

“I am not trying to regulate every little thing,” Alexander said.

Inter-Residence Hall Association President Rob Wiese said this summer storage policy is not as good as previous policies, but he is pleased it has been saved.

Suggestions on what the storage policy should be derived from a committee formed through IRHA members. Members presented proposals representing their respective associations (UDA, TRA and RCA) to Alexander.

Alexander said he used most of the UDA version as a guide for the summer storage proposal.