Student Handbook 2024-25 > Student Affairs and Resources > Residence Life > Community Spaces

Community Spaces

Our residence halls feature a wealth of shared community spaces.  While regular cleaning and maintenance occurs throughout these spaces, students are expected to always leave the spaces clean and functional.  Any item left in community spaces are expected to be open for use by all students, as such leaving personal items is discouraged.  Any item left in community spaces may be assumed to be unwanted and then disposed of.  Community items should be returned to their standard location within 48 hours of borrowing, for extended borrowing please alert reslife@olin.edu.

Only furniture provided by the College may be left in public areas of the residence halls at any time due to fire restrictions.  Any personal furniture left in public areas will be disposed of without notice.  No bedroom furniture may be moved to community spaces, retain all bedroom furniture in your room and contact Residence Life to inquire about possible storage options.

Residence Life is committed to supporting the ever-changing needs of the residential community and wants to work with students and student groups to offer the best possible community resources.  All changes and additions to community spaces and resources must be approved by the Director for Residence Life prior to purchasing items or altering spaces. 

Stairwells, Corridors, & Elevators

Fire egress pathways run from each bed to the exterior of the building, including stairwells and corridors.  These pathways must remain clear at all times.  Leaving items in stairwells is prohibited as these spaces serve as an area of refuge during emergencies should a person not be able to descend the stairs.  Hallways need to remain free of all obstructions to avoid tripping during an emergency evacuation.  In some areas within the residence halls you will find the hallways widen, this is typically to provide turning space for wheelchair users and as such should also remain clear.  We prohibit the placement of personal door mats in the hallways as well to assure custodial staff can easily keep our hallways clean.

Each residence hall has one elevator, if you ever experience an elevator issue, we ask you call that issue in to Public Safety immediately.  Facilities Management will send out alerts if an elevator is out of order for an extended period of time and post out of order signage.  If you need support during elevator outages, please contact the ResLife team through the R2 On Call.  To support the longevity of the elevators, be aware of the load limits and do not jump in elevators.  Do not ever use the safety equipment such as emergency bell unless necessary due to an emergency.

Community Kitchens

Each residence hall features a shared community kitchen stocked with a stove top, oven, microwave, sink, community fridge, and tons of cooking utensils.  The primary goal of our community kitchens is to provide students a space to share in cooking and food as a cultural practice.  By design, all students are required to have a meal plan and should not plan to rely on access to the kitchens for regular sustenance. Cooking that happens in these spaces should be a stress reductive activity for students.   

All personal food must be stored in your room or suite. One cabinet in each kitchen and the spice rack are dedicated to shared community foods.  The amount of food in the kitchen is limited to best assure food safety, prevent attracting unwanted creatures, and assure equitable access to the limited community space.

All items stored in the community kitchen are assumed to be open for community use, students should not leave things in community spaces they do not welcome others to utilize.  Items determined to be inoperable or unsafe will be discarded.  Leave only clean dishes, dirty dishes are at risk of being disposed of by staff in the process of cleaning the kitchen.

All small electrical appliances must be UL listed, properly maintained, and used only in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.  Deep frying is prohibited within the community kitchens; open flame devices and flammable fuels are prohibited in the kitchens.  

Team Rooms & Study Nooks

Throughout the residences there are spaces dedicated to teamwork and studying.  Typically, these spaces feature chairs around a table with a few white boards.  Students should clear whiteboards after each use to welcome others in and to help extend the life of these resources.  For additional dry-erase markers, contact Residence Life.

Laundry Rooms

East Hall features one large laundry room in the lower level.  West Hall features a small laundry on each floor in the North wing.  Washers and dryers allow for unlimited usage to discourage overloading the machines, which can cause damage.  All washers on campus are High Efficiency Machines and require no more than 2 tablespoons of detergent, excessive detergent causes build up and damage to machines.  Residence Life encourages use of laundry pods and powder detergents due to the frequent spills caused by liquid detergents.

Laundry rooms also feature irons and ironing boards; be sure to return these to their storage area after each use.  While Olin does encourage the use of drying racks to reduce ones carbon footprint, drying racks cannot be left in the laundry room or hallways as they restrict necessary egress pathways.  You are welcome to bring your own iron for use in your room, but it must include an automatic shutoff switch and is only to be used on proper ironing boards.

Waste Stations & Cleaning Supplies

Every floor features a waste station for students to leave trash and recyclables. Students are personally responsible for the removal of any items not accepted within the following waste streams:

• Landfill: All non-recyclables should be placed in the trash cans located in the waste stations on each floor.  Pet waste must be bagged.
• Single Stream Recycling: Olin currently utilizes a single-stream recycling system for paper, clean plastic containers, glass bottles, and metal cans.  Recycling does not need to be bagged.  These bins are found in the waste stations on each floor.
• Cardboard Recycling: Corrugated cardboard is the most successfully recycled material on campus.  Each waste station features an area for flattened carboard boxes, please be sure to flatten all boxes before leaving to aid in the continued success of this waste management initiative.
• Composting: Items which are commercially composted are collected in the community kitchen compost bins and the dining halls.
• E-Waste & Batteries: Electronic waste & batteries bins are being placed in the residence hall waste stations on each floor during the 2024-2025 year in a trial program.
• Freecycle: A dedicated space to leave and take items for reuse in an effort to divert waste from landfills exists in West Hall 132 for all students to leave and take items from.  Only items permitted within the residence halls can be left in the freecyle area.  This space is a community effort and we ask for your help in maintaining the organization of the space.

Cleaning supplies & toilet paper are available to residents, in West Hall these are found in the Laundry rooms and in East Hall these are found in the Supply closet in the North wing of each floor. Community vacuums should be emptied and returned clean after each use.  If a vacuum is not working, please email reslife@olin.edu to assure its speedy repair.

Music Practice Rooms

Two music practice rooms are located in the lower level of East Hall and are open to all residents.  Residents are discouraged from practicing music in their bedrooms out of respect for their neighbors.  Each music practice room features a piano, chairs, and music stands as well as acoustic paneling. It should be noted that these rooms are not sound proof and music should not be practiced during quiet hours.  Additionally, the Jam Room located in the Campus Center features a collection of instruments for student use; this space is located off the Pool Room next to the Mail Center on the lower level and is open to students 24/7.

Fitness Room & Recreation Equipment

Located in East Hall lower level, the Olin Fitness room is a small workout space dedicated to Olin students.  This space is an auxiliary option in addition to the more robust fitness offerings at the LGRAC(Len Green Recreation & Athletic Center) on Babson’s campus.  Students are always encouraged to work out with a buddy and to only use equipment they have previously been trained on how to use properly.  

Across the hall from the Fitness Room is the Recreation Equipment room, which is home to tons of outdoor recreation equipment, the bike share program, bike repair shop, and more.  Be sure to return items to their proper location within this space, leaving recreation equipment outside greatly decreases its life expectancy and usefulness.  

Bicycles at Olin

In the Recreation Equipment room, you will find our bike share bike collection. These bikes are maintained by the bike co-op for community use.  Always wear a helmet and keep the bike locked with the provided bicycle locks whenever using off campus.  If you need assistance with community bikes, email bikes@olin.edu. 

All personal bicycles must be stored in your room or locked to an outdoor bicycle rack.  Personal bicycles should be registered with Residence Life and have a registration sticker attached.  Bicycles left in outdoor bicycle storage are considered abandoned and removed during winter and summer breaks.  Use or storage of motorized vehicles (scooters, e-bikes, motorcycles) is prohibited within the residence halls.

Storage Rooms, Mechanical Closets, & Roofs

Throughout the residences there are a mix of locked closet doors. Most of these spaces are designated homes for building systems like HVAC, plumbing, electrical, or even janitorial supplies. A limited number of spaces have been dedicated to storage for student organizations.  The leaders of the student organizations are issued keys (up to 2 per organization) upon establishment of a use plan for these spaces to assure proper adherence to relevant policies and codes with the Director of Residence Life.  In general, closets, mechanic spaces, and penthouses are off limits to students without prior authorization.  Access to the roof is prohibited.  

Student Storage

The College strongly recommends that all valuable belongings be taken home for intersession and summer breaks. Limited summer storage may be available through Residence Life, availability is announced in April of each academic year.  Details of summer storage responsibilities is included in the Summer Storage Agreement and should be reviewed prior to using summer storage.  Private storage facilities are also available in the Needham area.

Students are discouraged from using summer storage for any high-value (both monetary and emotional value) items due to the at-will nature of our storage setup.  Liquids and hazardous materials may not be kept in storage areas at any time. Students are responsible for contacting Student Affairs to retrieve storage items.  Unclaimed items in storage not removed by the end of the second week of classes will be considered abandoned and items will be given away to students at a pop-up FreeCycle event.  Remaining items will be donated to local charities or discarded.  The College insures only its own property against loss. It does not insure against nor reimburse against the loss, from any cause, of student property including student laptops. It is strongly suggested that students who possess property of value insure against loss through their own insurance company. 

Items left on campus in unapproved storage locations, including items not registered for summer storage, will be considered abandoned and become the property of Olin College.  Personal items are prohibited from being stored in Student Organization storage spaces.

Mail & Packages

All mail and packages are received to the Campus Center on campus where they sort out mail and notify you of packages in the mailroom.  Anything small enough to fit in your physical mailbox will be put there, so we encourage you to keep your mailbox closed and locked at all times.  Your mailbox assignment will stay the same for as long as you live on campus, so it’s a smart idea to save the box number and combination in your phone.  Be sure to always include your first and last name on any mailings.
 
YOUR NAME, MB###
1000 Olin Way
Needham, MA 02492-1200
 
Do not use “PO Box” or even the word “box” on your shipments to campus – this will flag mail to end up in the Needham post office and you will have to go into town to track down your mail.  If you are ever having trouble including your MB### (Mailbox number) on a shipping label, you can stick it in the “APT” or Apartment number spot.  Mail is only received on weekdays, so when a shipper asks if this is a business address it can be helpful to say yes (that tends to discourage weekend delivery).
 
To open your mailbox, turn 4 times LEFT and stop at the first number.  Then turn right past the 1st number and then stop at the second number, turn left and stop at the third number.  Turn right to open.  After closing the mailbox, turn left to lock.