Conduct Guidelines
- Community Wellbeing
- Noise
- Smoking
- Non-Smoking Ordinance
- Commercial Use
- Pets
- Overnight Guests
- Unauthorized Occupancy
- Right of Entry
- Responsibility for Personal Property
Community Wellbeing[back to top]
We expect that members of the MIT community will not engage in behavior that endangers their own sustained effectiveness or that has serious ramifications for their own safety, welfare, academic well-being, or professional obligations, or that of others. In situations where an individual student’s physical illness or emotional difficulties affect not only the student, but also others in the community, it is our responsibility to consider the well-being of community as well as the individual in care decisions.
Noise[back to top]
DSL leaves it up to each Living Group to determine any enforced “quiet hours”. However, a resident and/or neighbor has the right to object to noise [especially caused by loud music] which prohibits him/her from studying or sleeping, or which is audible well beyond the student’s own room. Refusal to cooperate in lowering disturbing noise can result in disciplinary action by the House and/or the Department of Student Life.
Smoking [back to top]
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is committed to providing students with a safe and healthy living environment. MIT Residences are responsible for maintaining smoking policies that will respect both the rights of the community and individual rights. Several undergraduate residence halls and all graduate residence halls are completely smoke-free while others permit smoking in designated areas. Check with your House Government.
Non-Smoking Ordinance[back to top]
A City of Cambridge Ordinance establishes the following requirements for MIT residence halls:
- Smoking is prohibited in all areas of MIT residence halls, including all student rooms, hallways and lounges, except as noted below.
- Smoking is permitted in private residences (e.g., Housemasters’ rooms) and student rooms if all of the students are smokers and request in writing that smoking be permitted in their rooms.
Anyone who violates this policy will be subject to discipline under the procedures applicable to him or her as a student at MIT.
Commercial Use[back to top]
Legal restrictions on any resident who resides in an Institute House do not allow the Institute to permit any student residing in an Institute House to conduct a business operation from within a House or to use an Institute House, mailbox, Internet access, or telephone for commercial purposes. Commercial activities in the halls are forbidden.
Pets[back to top]
MIT’s pet policy allows a very limited number of cats only by current upper class students in the following residence halls: East Campus, Bexley, Senior House and Random. No other pets are permitted in these buildings. Policies, rules and regulations that need to be observed can be found at http://web.mit.edu/dormcon/www. In the other seven undergraduate residence halls and in the graduate residences, no pets may be kept by residents or guests. The term “pets” includes mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Fish are not specifically prohibited. Students accompanied by a Guide Dog or Hearing Dog are exempted from the prohibition of pets on campus. Roommates will be informed of the presence of this type of pet and allowed to transfer if a problem arises.
Overnight Guests[back to top]
Undergraduate Students:
Students are allowed to have guests, not to exceed three nights in any given week. Overnight guests are permitted in Institute Housing with the advance permission of all students of the room/suite in which the guest is staying. The host student[s] is [are] responsible for the conduct of her/his guests including damages caused by them. Students within Institute Housing are collectively responsible for their own conduct as well as the conduct of their guests. Sleeping overnight in the public areas of a House [e.g., lounges] is prohibited. Consideration should be given to the rights of roommates at all times. House Governments may provide additional guidelines within this general Institute policy. Please consult your House Government for further information regarding overnight guests.
Graduate Students:
Graduate overnight guest policies vary from building to building and can be obtained through your house government.
Unauthorized Occupancy[back to top]
An undergraduate resident may not sublet, transfer, or share an Institute room, nor may an unassigned person reside there at any point during the academic year, including summer.
Graduate residents may sublicense their accommodations during the summer or IAP. For more information, see:
http://web.mit.edu/housing/grad/sublet/index.html.
A resident may not trade places with another person in or out of the Institute House system. If a resident of an Institute House is discovered at any point to be in violation, the Institute reserves the right to cancel his or her assignment, even if previously confirmed, and take disciplinary action as appropriate.
Right of Entry[back to top]
Because the residence halls and apartments are MIT property, authorized MIT personnel have the legal right to enter student rooms. However, MIT recognizes that entry into a students’ private living space is a serious matter and the Institute respects student privacy within their living areas to the maximum possible extent.
The Institute, however, reserves the right to enter a room or apartment at any time when imminent danger to life, safety, health or property is reasonably suspected as determined by the MIT police, the Department of Student Life, the Housemasters, the House Manager or their authorized representative. The Institute also reserves the right, with advance notice to the residents whenever reasonably possible, to inspect the condition of the room or apartment, conduct a room inventory, to show an apartment or room to prospective residents, to inspect for fire and health hazards, to enforce the rules and regulations of the Institute, to make repairs, installations, additions or alterations to the room or apartment or building or to remove placards, signs, fixtures, alterations or additions to the premises which are in violation of MIT standards.
Responsibility for Personal Property[back to top]
The Institute assumes no responsibility for loss or damage to personal property of students or guests. This includes, but is not limited to, loss by fire, theft, water, and malfunction of electrical or mechanical systems. Residents are advised to obtain insurance to cover their personal property or check if their parent’s homeowner policy will apply.
