Residential Life & Housing > Residence Hall Handbook > Policies > Community Policies

Prohibited Items

For a list of recommended items to bring to campus, please visit 253000xa.com/reslife/new-students/what-to-bring.

All electrical items must be UL-Listed

Adjustable window screens may only be used if students place them on the inside of the room (not in the window itself), so that the screen will not fall out of the window.

The following items are prohibited in ALL Barnard-owned and -operated residence halls.  Items will be confiscated and not returned to students if found. 

  • Adhesive putty, 3M strips, double-sided tape, etc. (you may only use blue painter's tape)
  • "Removable" wallpaper or wall decals (they do not remove as easy as promised and damage the paint on the wall)
  • Pets (only fish, in a 5 gallon or less tank, and approved service/support animals are allowed)
  • Candles / Incense
  • Air conditioners (both window and portable units), evaporative coolers, heating/cooling pads
    • Only USB-powered desktop Mini Cooler / Humidifier units are permitted (example)
  • Any non-College-provided furniture and/or mattresses (for permitted exceptions, please visit Community Policies).
  • Halogen lamps
  • Hot plate, induction cooktop (ex. NuWave), open coil heaters, toaster, "air fryers," or toaster oven
  • Warming trays
  • Pressure cookers / instant pots
  • Deep fryers
  • "Microfridges" (only mini-fridges without an attached microwave are permitted)
  • Mini-fridges larger than 3.5 cubic feet.
  • Space heaters
  • Lava lamps
  • Extension cords and outlet multipliers (only UL-listed surge protectors are allowed)
  • Water beds
  • Electric bikes, electric scooters, electric skateboards, hover boards (i.e. devices with larger and/or lithium batteries)
  • Any smoking devices or paraphernalia, including but not limited to, pipes, bongs, vaporizers, electronic cigarettes, and hookahs
  • Fog Machines
  • Any electrical items that are not UL-Listed or ETL-Listed
  • Illegal drugs and/or paraphernalia
  • Weapons (including guns, tasers, knives, knives not used for cooking, swords, mace, pepper spray, etc)
  • Hazardous & combustible chemicals, which includes (but is not limited to) propane, gasoline, paint thinner, charcoal, and lighter fluid
  • Thermometers containing mercury (sale is prohibited in NY State)

The following items are only allowed in Apartment-Style Suite style kitchens and may not be used in bedrooms or in the Quad or Elliott kitchenettes:

  • Microwaves or "Micro-Fridges" (with attached microwaves)
  • George Forman-style grills or panini makers (only if they have auto-shut-off)
  • Crockpots & rice cookers (only if they have auto-shut-off)

The maximum size mini-fridge allowed in all residence halls is 3.5 cubic feet.