Lockers are the property of Harper College. At no time does the College relinquish its exclusive control of lockers which are assigned to its students for the students’ convenience and temporary use. Students are to use lockers exclusively to store school-related materials. Students are responsible for any items placed in the lockers and Harper College will not be responsible for the loss or damage of the students’ goods under any conditions; therefore, students shall not store valuable items in the lockers. Students will be held responsible for damage to lockers beyond expected wear.
Inspection of the interior of lockers may be conducted by College officials, for any reason at any time, without notice, without student consent, and without a search warrant. The personal possessions of students within a College locker may be searched only when College officials have a reasonable suspicion that the search will uncover evidence of a violation of state or federal law or college policy. As soon as practical before the search of a locker, the College officials will provide notice of the search to students whose lockers will be searched unless disclosure would impede an ongoing investigation by police or school officials.
Requests for location of lockers will be considered, but due to limited availability, locker location may be determined by the College or division. If a student who is mobility impaired requests a locker, preference will be given for an accessible location (where possible). Procedures for obtaining locks, lockers, or keys may vary according to division or building within Harper College. There may be a fee or deposit applied to use of the lockers within each division; see division office for details.
The lock and any material left in a locker after the assignment ceases will be removed and secured in the Harper College Police Department Lost and Found area. Lockers will be cleaned periodically and all locks and materials in the lockers for which the assignment has terminated will be removed for this purpose and placed in Lost and Found.
If a search of a student locker yields contraband, College officials will seize the item and, where appropriate, turn it over to Harper College Police Department who will evaluate the totality of the circumstances and determine if criminal charges are warranted. Contraband may be used as evidence in internal College disciplinary proceedings against the student. Contraband is defined as any unauthorized item or substance possession of which is prohibited by College policy and/or state or federal law. It includes but is not limited to weapons and “look-alikes”, alcohol beverages, controlled substances and “look-alikes”, equipment or records belonging to the College, and stolen property.
A student found to have violated the general use statement for College owned lockers shall be subject to discipline in accordance with the College’s Student Code of Conduct, which may include suspension, exclusion, or expulsion, and the student may, when appropriate, be referred to Harper College Police for potential criminal charges.
