Student Handbook 2023-24 > Student Affairs and Resources > Residence Life > Bedrooms and Suites

Bedrooms and Suites

By design, residence hall rooms are temporary housing with provided furnishings to support students’ academic engagement by removing barriers to success.  Due to the temporary nature of this housing, students are expected to leave their rooms & suites in move-in condition when moving out.  Each student should have the opportunity to personalize their room as they see fit so long as 

a) that personalization does not impact the safety of themselves or their neighbors, 
b) said personalization does not impact the ability of the room to be returned to move-in readiness for future students, 
c) Or, personalization does not violate local, state, and federal laws and policies designed to promote safety in occupancy of community living environments.

With these goals in mind, the following policies are designed to best support students’ decision making to ensure a long-lasting and safe residential experience.

Students may not bring into College housing items that bring risk to the safety and health of others. The College reserves the right to make a determination as to the safety of items that students bring into College housing. The student will be required to remove immediately any item from Olin housing that the College deems to raise a safety concern

Provided Furniture & Bed Lofting/Bunking

Each room has been outfitted with a twin-XL bed & mattress, a dresser and closet or wardrobe, and a desk with a chair for each resident.  These furnishings are designed to last long and meet the high safety standards required of community style living.  College provided furnishings are to remain within the room provided for.  No room furniture may be left in common spaces at any time.  

Students may request materials to bunk or loft beds, contact the Associate Director for Residence Life for more details.  To best comply with fire safety, and OSHA standards, students are discouraged from constructing bed lofts.  Only mattresses and bedding materials shall be lofted; never put chairs, sofas, desks, or other furniture on bed lofts.  Should a student wish to bring in or build a bed loft, they need to work with the Associate Director for Residence Life prior to purchasing/bringing to campus.  Beds, mattresses, and bed lofts are only permitted within bedrooms and may not be stored or used within suite or community common areas.  

Open, visible egress paths of at least 28” must always remain from all beds to the room and suite exit.  Sleeping areas cannot be enclosed with drapes, curtains, or barriers of any kind to ensure residents are visible in the event of a building fire search.  No electrical wiring or lighting fixtures may be attached to a bed or loft, as required by electrical code.  No furniture, including bed lofts, will shield or block sprinklers.

Personal Furniture 

Students are required to register any furniture they bring into the residence halls via this form before or on the day of bringing the furniture into the residence hall.   Residence Life will send out information in advance of move-in for registry process and link.  All upholstered furniture and rugs must carry the label of “California Test TB 117” to meet the fire safety standards set by state law.  Be mindful of the risk of bedbugs, especially when obtaining fabrics & upholstered items from second hand sources.  In addition, the often-significant costs associated with addressing any such infestation will be billed to the student(s) responsible for bringing that piece of furniture into the residence halls.  Students are prohibited from bringing additional mattresses.

Room Alterations & Additional Structures

Any physical alterations to any room without permission from the Associate Director of Residence Life are strictly prohibited.  The Associate Director of Residence Life will consult Campus Operations before permission is granted.

No additional structures will be permitted.  Structures include any item with a footprint larger than 45” X 92” and a height of 72” or more.

Windows and doors must always remain operable and not be impeded from closing.  Installation of anything outside of your room, including antennae or other exterior devices is prohibited.  

Decorating You Room

Students are encouraged to decorate their space to build a home-like environment for rest & relaxation during their time at college.  When decorating, consider how your methods will impact the space at move-out.  Residence Life encourages the use of paint-safe masking tape, removable stick-on hooks, and other temporary hanging solutions to avoid damage to walls & surfaces at your own risk.  Students are responsible for repair costs to rooms upon move-out; these costs are billed to your student account according to the damage billing section of the Student Handbook.  To assure best repair and longevity, residents are not permitted to make their own repairs to the residence halls.

If you use posters/wall hangings to decorate your room, do so in moderation. Entire walls may not be covered, as this ensures the rapid spread of fire.  Decorations must be affixed flat against walls so that flames cannot reach both sides.  If you choose to add your own curtains, you must be able to show proof that they are fire retardant.  Nothing should be attached to or cover any smoke detectors, sprinkler head covers, pipes, or fire alarm strobes/speakers.  Water from sprinkler heads must be accessible to all areas of the room in the event of a fire. Furniture, fabric or other dividers may not be placed in a way that the flow of water would be restricted in the event of a fire.

Students may not paint their rooms or suite spaces without written approval by the Associate Director of Residence Life.  Students who are approved to paint their rooms will be required to return room to original wall color prior to moving out.  Painting or modifying Residence Hall community spaces, such as lounges and kitchens, is approved and reviewed through the policy on long-term/permanent modification to facilities by non-facilities community members.  

Ceilings & Plenums 

Students are prohibited from accessing space above ceiling tiles and shall not store items within the ceiling plenum(space between finish ceiling and floor plate above).  Absolutely no cloth, paper, or flammable material (including lamp shades) may be hung from the ceiling, as this poses a hazard for egress and fire transmission.  

Lighting Your Room 

While students are prohibited from tampering with provided light fixture, including changing bulbs or switches, students are welcome to bring additional lamps.  Lamps must meet UL standards and shall only use LED, fluorescent, or incandescent bulbs; LED are encouraged to reduce electrical waste.  Due to potential contact with combustible surfaces, all string lights must use LED bulbs.  LED strip lighting shall not be mounted to wall surfaces due to excessive wall damages.  Halogen, oil, heating, and tanning lamps are prohibited.  No lamps shall use paper shades; never place fabric over a light fixture.

Heating & Cooling Your Room 

Olin utilizes a central plant for heating and cooling each of the main campus buildings. All bedrooms include a thermostat with the ability to adjust the temperature within your room.  Campus Operations will announce each Fall and Spring when we enter and exit “Cooling Season” – currently heating is available year-round and cooling is only available during cooling season.  To ensure proper heating and cooling, do not have any thing blocking vents within the room – a 12-inch minimum clearance is necessary for air to flow properly and for any maintenance needed.  The dorm buildings also have units in the penthouses that continuously bring in fresh air to the spaces. To prevent pipe bursts in the winter, please close and secure your windows when you are not in the room and over any breaks.  Should your HVAC unit (or anything else) leak water, please contact public safety immediately to alert Campus Operations to this leak.
 
Students are encouraged to bring fans and blankets to find comfort within the temperature of their room.  Electric blankets and heating pads must have an automatic shutoff.  Personal air conditioners and space heaters are prohibited.  In rare situations where a room's heat is not working, Campus Operations may supply a temporary space heater during the time of repair.

Production Work & Tools

Students should use campus facilities such as the shop for producing any physical elements to their projects.  The use or storage of large power tools such as miter/table saws, 3-D printers, and drill presses is prohibited in the residence halls.  Students are permitted to store personal handheld tools such as drills and sanders in their rooms, but these tools must be used in proper production spaces, not in the residence halls.  

Pets & Plants

Students are encouraged to factor in breaks & travel when considering having pets and plants on campus.  No pets are allowed on campus with the exception of fish in a single 10-gallon tank or smaller and Assistance Animals registered with Disability Services.  All fish should be registered with Residence Life prior to moving in or setting up the fish tank.  All houseplants must be compliant with Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources standards and the sum of soil used by houseplants within one room shall not exceed 10 gallons.  No container of water or dirt shall exceed 10 gallons; water beds, hot tubs, and Jacuzzis are prohibited.  Combustible vegetation, such as fresh-cut trees, is prohibited.  Artificial vegetation must be certified as being fire retardant. 

For details on houseplants, visit MA Department of Agricultural Resources: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-department-of-agricultural-resources 

Micro-Fridge & Cooking Equipment

Each stand-alone room is provided with a microwave-fridge combination unit.  Each suite shares a large microwave-fridge unit.  All additional refrigerators and microwaves must be approved by the Associate Director for Residence Life prior to move-in.  Students are responsible for keeping the Micro-fridge in a clean and healthy condition; all units should be left defrosted and emptied for winter break and at move-out to conserve electricity and avoid food born illnesses. 

For reasons of safety, other than the microwave provided by the college, cooking equipment of any other kind is not allowed to be used outside of community kitchens, including in student rooms. This includes hot plates, toaster ovens, coffee makers, hot pots, immersion heaters, pressure cookers, fry pans, etc.  Bathroom sink drains are not designed for food waste and as such dishes should only be washed in the community kitchen sinks; additionally dishwashing and laundry machines are prohibited.