Most students are excited to go home, start the summer and visit with old friends.

You won’t be too excited, however, to receive huge fines from Student Housing and Dining Services. So before you leave for a break filled with beaches, partying and low-paying internships, make sure the condition of your room won’t make you have any fines.

First, make sure any repairs possible are reported to the Fix-It Line at 753-4948 before you move out. Housing and Dining asks that the following rules be followed upon checkout in order to avoid fines.

– All NIU-issued furniture must be present and accounted for in your room.

Whatever was in your room when you arrived in the fall should be left in your room when you leave. Leaving your chair on your floor, but in the lobby, is not going to save you from receiving any fines.

– Your room must be cleaned, and all trash must be emptied.

By clean, they don’t mean empty of your personal belongings. That’s right – sweep, mop and dust your furniture for the next residents.

– The NIU phone must be attached and working.

– The MicroFridge needs to be cleaned, defrosted and plugged in.

Make sure the Spaghetti-O stains are scrubbed out of your microwave, and take a towel to the fridge. The easiest way to defrost your MicroFridge is to turn the power off your unit for a while so that the ice in the freezer compartment melts. Then vacuum, dump or sponge up the water.

You can do things the hard way and scrape the frost by hand with the plastic scraper provided for you in your freezer at the beginning of the year. If your MicroFridge is not cleaned and/or defrosted, expect to receive up to $60 in fines.

– Your personal belongings must all be packed and removed from your room. Even if you have already requested to have the same room for the fall semester.

Jan Gerenstein, coordinator of Residential Technology Services, said it doesn’t really make a difference if you report broken Internet equipment or not because all equipment will be checked after you move out.

Gerenstein said the most common pieces of equipment found missing are the power supply units because many students confuse them with units used for their VCRs, phones and other electronic devices. If this happens to you, Gerenstein suggests mailing or personally bringing back the equipment to the ResTech Help Desk to clear your fines.

The DSL Unit Power Supply and the Ethernet Hub Power Supply will cost you $15 if they are found missing from your room.

Make sure you leave your DSL unit(s) behind and in working order – they are the most expensive ResTech fines. If missing or damaged, you will be charged $250.

Express checkout

If you choose to go this way, all you have to do is drop your keys off in a check-out envelope at the main desk of your residence hall and sign an agreement that you consent to accept any fines incurred or split the charges with your roommate(s).

Alternate checkout

Going with option two will take you a little more time, but you will have the benefit of knowing your CA has inspected your room for any damages that you could be fined for. After your CA has inspected your room, leave your key at the main desk in a checkout envelope. Keep in mind that even though your room may be fine-free, any floor damages discovered after you leave may still be fined to you along with the entire floor.