Resources

Mail/Newspaper Delivery

  • United States Postal Service Mail: Mail in the building is delivered to the box with the corresponding apartment number on the first floor of the building. Mail and boxes that are too large for the mailbox will be delivered to the Front Desk.

  • Newspapers: Newspapers can be delivered to a cabinet located on the first floor of the building. 

  • Packages: Packages delivered by mail carriers (i.e. USPS, UPS, FedEx) are kepy behind the front desk in the lobby of the residence. Please visit the front desk attendant and provide your name and MIT ID to retrieve your package. Residents will receive an email from front desk staff once a packaged has been recieved for a resident.

ID Cards

MIT picture ID cards are used for access to Site 4 and most MIT facilities. Students and spouses should carry their MIT ID at all times when outside of their apartment. For security reasons, please do not prop open the lobby doors or allow anyone without a valid MIT ID into the building. Learn more about how to acquire an MIT ID on the Atlas Service Center website. 

Phone Information

For more information regarding phone service for students at MIT, please visit the IS&T website.

Laundry Room

The laundry room is on the third floor of the building. Download the Washlava app on a mobile device in order to use the laundry machines.

Please remove your laundry in a timely manner after it has finished the cycle. All residents share the laundry room and not removing your laundry from a machine stops other residents from the use of the machines. Any laundry left unattended for more than 48 hours will be removed. Learn more about Washlava on their website. 

Resource: washer's manual

Network Connection

Information regarding MIT Networks and policies can be found on the IS&T website. The IS&T Service Desk can be contacted by email at servicedesk@mit.edu or via telephone at (617) 253-1101.

Cable TV

Students residing on campus may continue to use the Xfinity on Campus service to access content provided by Comcast. This service, accessible through computers, laptops, and tablets, has been available to residents via MITnet since January 2016. Residents who have a Roku streaming media player now also have the option of watching XFINITY on Campus content directly on their television sets by downloading XFINITY Stream, a free channel app for Roku devices.

If you have questions about the XFINITY on Campus service, please send an email to the IS&T Service Desk at servicedesk@mit.edu or call (617) 253-1101. You can also send a request online.

Maintenance

All non-urgent maintenance problems need to be reported through the online Atlas website. MIT certificates or credential are required to access the form. This online form can also be used if you would like to request having the vents in your kitchen or bathroom cleaned.

Residents who encounter an urgent maintenance issue should contact the House Operations Manager. If the House Operations Manager is not in the office, contact HRS Operations (“Unit-12”) at 617-253-1500. On evenings, weekends, and holidays, also use 617-253-1500. When possible, please submit requests for maintenance during regular business hours (Monday to Friday 9AM-5PM). It costs the Institute much more to provide these services after hours.

Temperature Control

The Graduate Tower at Site 4 possesses a unique climate control system that includes temperature controls within each apartment unit to optimize individualized unit temperature controls. The large-sized temperature displayed on your thermostat screen represents the actual temperature of your apartment. A smaller-sized seasonal temperature range is displayed to the right of the actual room temperature.

  • During the Cooling Season, the available temperature setting range is 71-79°F. Air conditioning can be set at any of these temperatures. 
    • Note: For sustainability reasons, the cooling temperature can never be set below 71°F during any season.
  • During the Heating Season, the available temperature setting range is 66-74°F. Heating can be set at any of these temperatures. 
    • Note: For sustainability reasons, the heat can never be set above 74°F during any season.
  • Heating and cooling are available at all times of the year, regardless of the season, although the available setpoints will change according to the season. 
  • The system is currently in the cooling mode now but will switch to heating mode automatically within the next few weeks.

As a reminder, the climate control system allows for continuous heating/cooling for 8 hours. If no motion is detected in the apartment after 8 hours, the system will enter a ‘standby’ mode and reduce heating/cooling as part of the building’s energy conservation measures.

Cooling Season (Typically May through September)

  • When you set your thermostat to your desired cooling season operating temperature, please note warm air will initiate if your apartment falls 5 degrees below your selected setpoint. Note: You will see the range above and below the small arrows on your thermostat.
  • Example: If you set the thermostat to 79 during the cooling season, air conditioning will come on if your apartment heats above 79, (it will come on at 79.5 and cool your space back to 78.5) and the heat will come on if your apartment falls below 74 (it will come on at 73.5 and go off again when your space reached 74.5) degrees for any reason. If your apartment is between 74-79, there should be no heating or cooling operating.

Heating Season (Typically October through April)

  • When you set your thermostat to your desired heating season operating temperature, please note cool air will initiate if your apartment raises 5 degrees above your selected setpoint. Note: The heating range is displayed to the right of the actual room temperature.
  • Example: If you set your thermostat to 74°F, Heat will come on if your apartment falls below 74°F (it will come on at 73.5°F, and stop at 74.5°F, the cooling will come on if your apartment raises above 79°F (it will come on at 79.5°F and cool until the space is back to 78.5°F) degrees. If your apartment temperature is between the set range of 69-74°F. there should be no heating or cooling operating.

If you are unable to achieve these temperature ranges on the thermostat, please submit a work order through Atlas and a member of our team will recalibrate your thermostat for you.

Pro Tip: Window Use

If you open windows while the cooling system is operating, humidity may cause the chilled water pipes to sweat and to leak condensate. Please keep windows closed to avoid condensate from leaking.

Emergency Phone Numbers

Residents with medical and/or police emergencies should contact Campus Police at x100 from an MIT phone or (617) 253-1212 from a cell phone or other outside line. If you dial 9-1-1 while on campus from an outside phone, the call will be redirected to MIT Police causing a small delay. 

If the emergency is off campus, dial 9-1-1.

Hospitals

Use the listed emergency phone numbers for emergency transportation to the hospital. MIT Residents are most often taken to Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Cambridge City Hospital (CCH), or Mt. Auburn Hospital. All three are a short distance from campus.

Non-emergency concerns can also be handled by the medical center on campus, MIT Medical. MIT Medical provides 24-hour service and can be reached at (617) 253-1311 for after-hours/urgent care. For general information, please call (617) 253-4481. MIT Medical also has a pharmacy. 

Fire Safety

The Site 4 high-rise is equipped with a fire alarm system that will alert the building of a fire by floor. The alarm system will offer a set of instructions after which an alarm may sound on your floor. When your floor evacuation signal sounds, please exit using the closest stairwell. The floor evacuation signal is an audible alarm following the announcement. Residents that remain in the building after activation of their floor signal are subject to penalty in accordance with the evacuation policy (see Fire & Safety policy). Residents are, of course, always welcome and encouraged to evacuate the building regardless of the instructions provided by the system. Do not use the elevator in the event of a fire alarm anywhere in the building.

It is important that you keep all smoke detectors free from obstacles. There is a heavy fine for covering or blocking smoke detectors in any way. Please remember that hallways and stairwells must remain clear at all times. Bicycles, strollers, and baby carriages are not to be kept in the hallway area.

Lockouts

Residents locked out of their apartments during office hours can get a Lockout Key (must be returned within one hour) at the front desk of the residence. After-hours and on weekends, please contact the HRS Evening Operations (aka “Unit-12”) at (617) 253-1500 or (617) 253-4948. Please let them know of any urgent details (such as a baby locked in the apartment, food cooking, etc).