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Resources for FSILGs > House Manager Resources

House Manager Resources
Contact Information | Role of House Manager

Being part of a Fraternity, Sorority, or Independent Living Group at MIT is an opportunity of a lifetime, and operating a Fraternity, Sorority, or Living Group house is very similar to operating a small business. There are new members to recruit, events to administer, laws and codes to follow, safety procedures to follow, personnel to hire, meals to plan, and finances to manage. As a House Manager, you have taken on the large task of managing the house, coordinating the day-to-day maintenance of the house, and working with the house members and alumni to create comprehensive processes to maintain your living environment at the highest of standards. With a clean, safe, and inviting living environment, your time here at MIT will be that much more positive and memorable. Maintaining a safe living environment involves several components:

  • understanding and compliance with state and city statutes and codes concerning building, health and safety concerns,
  • understanding and compliance with guidelines established by MIT,
  • addressing identified deficiencies associated with these codes and guidelines,
  • communicating about life-safety issues, concerns, and processes, and
  • educating the students, alumni, faculty/staff, and other "community" members of the many aspects of facility management

Within the Fraternity, Sorority, and Independent Living Group community, there are different processes in place that recognize and address compliance of life-safety standards, daily maintenance concerns, and larger ongoing projects. Communication is a key component of effectively managing and maintaining a safe and supportive living environment. Your role as house manager includes developing theses processes and communicating them to the members of your organization.

The FSILG House Manager Manual is compiled as a resource for the Fraternity, Sorority, and Independent Living Group community to aid house managers in their role in providing a safe, clean, enjoyable environment for all residents. It is not intended to be all-inclusive, and in no way should this guide be viewed as a legal manual. It is important to recognize that there are numerous resources for you to take advantage of. In addition to this manual, you should think of your alumni as a resource. The Alumni Independent Living Groups (AILG) can offer you advice on a number of topics related to house management and alumni involvement. The FSILG Cooperative Incorporated (FCI) has much to offer in terms of house management which includes vendors/contractors who are reliable and reachable. As part of the FSILG Community, it is also important to understand that if you have specific questions or concerns you can contact the Fraternity, Sorority, and Living Group advising team in the Office of Student Life Programs.

Contact Information

Fraternity, Sorority, and Independent Living Groups Office
Student Center, Room 549
617.253.7526
617.253.9391 (fax)

David N. Rogers
Assistant Dean
drogers@mit.edu

Kaya Miller
Assistant Director
kmiller@mit.edu

Chris McGill
Coordinator
cmcgill@mit.edu

Fran Miles
Administrative Assistant
fmiles@mit.edu

FSILG Cooperative Incorporated (FCI)

Chris Rezek
Executive Director
crezek@fsilg.coop
E32-133
617.452.4053
617.324.7048 (fax)
MAIL: P.O. Box 397068
http://www.fsilg.coop

Alumni Independent Living Groups (AILG)

Dan Geer
Chair
ailgboard@mit.edu
www.mitailg.net

Environmental Health and Safety Office

David Barber
Safety Officer, Liaison to FSILG Life Safety
dbarber@mit.edu
MIT EHS Office, N52-496
617.452.3477 (EHS main)
617.253.8022 (direct)
617.258.6831 (fax)
http://web.mit.edu/environment/

Boston Department of Public Works
617.635.4900
http://www.cityofboston.gov/publicworks/

Cambridge Department of Public Works
617.349.4800
http://www.ci.cambridge.ma.us/TheWorks

Brookline Department of Public Works
617.730.2156
http://www.townofbrooklinemass.com/Dpw/

Role of House Manager

The House Manager is responsible for the general upkeep of the Fraternity, Sorority, or Independent Living Group house. While specific duties may vary depending on the group, some basic responsibilities may include:

  • Managing the housekeeping operation including administering the finances.
  • Handling repairs/maintenance on the house, furnishings, and equipment.
  • Purchasing cleaning/maintenance supplies.
  • Enforcing safety standards.
  • Coordinating fire drills and educating about life safety.
  • Arranging member/resident work details such as cooking/kitchen duty or house clean-ups.
  • Coordinating Work Weeks
  • Scheduling work with outside contractors.
  • Recommending improvements needed to the alumni house corporation.
  • Coordinating the annual/semi-annual inspections for egress, fire, and sprinkler systems.
  • Coordinating the annual lodging license renewal process.
  • Ordering meal food.
  • Overseeing the room selection/lottery process.
  • Managing the summer boarder process.
  • Communicating and enforcing house, MIT, IFC, Panhellenic Council, LGC, city, state, and federal rules and regulations.

Whatever your specific duties include, communication and decision making are key to the successful management of a Fraternity, Sorority, or Living Group. Some guidelines for house management success are:

  • Be action oriented
  • Understand your role and continue to gain knowledge about house management
  • Be familiar with life-safety expectations/standards, basic building codes, and licensing procedures
  • Communicate with alumni and past house managers
  • Talk to residents regularly and communicate house processes
  • Organize, organize, organize
  • Keep forms for record keeping
  • Watch costs - use the budget as a control
  • Set goals and priorities and work towards accomplishing them
  • Maintain a sense of humor and a positive attitude
  • Lead by example
  • Utilize your resources such as the Fraternity, Sorority, and Living Group advising team

Always be sure to communicate applicable rules and regulations in a consistent and timely manner to the residents. Keeping channels of communication open between residents, house officers, alumni, headquarter staff (if applicable), and Institute officials make enforcement of rules and regulations a simpler task.