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Room Regulations

  1. Students must cooperate with University officers and facilities maintenance personnel, who may enter the rooms at any time for inspection, maintenance, or other University business.
  2. Upon arrival, all residents are requested to report any damage to their room in writing to their Building Manager or to Yard Operations for students living in any of the Yard and Union dorms. The cost of repairs for subsequent room damage will be charged directly to the student. Occupants of rooms or suites are jointly responsible for loss or damage unless specific information establishes individual responsibility.
  3. General Program students (college-age and older) may not visit the residences of Secondary School Program, Pre-College Program, Crimson Summer Academy, or other secondary school students, nor may they have any high school students in their rooms.
  4. Students are expected to keep their rooms clean and in good order and abide by the following rules:
    1. Students may not burn candles or incense—or create an open flame of any kind—in their residences.
    2. No nails, tacks, hooks, or tape may be used on walls, doors, moldings, ceilings, or floors; nothing with a glue back may be attached to walls or doors. Students must obtain permission to hang or attach pictures and decorations from their building manager’s office (for Houses) or Yard Operations (for dorms).
    3. Students must use the furniture provided by the University. They may not remove University furniture from their rooms, nor may they add personal furniture such as waterbeds, temporary room partitions, or other large items. Students will be charged for missing University furniture and for the removal of personal furniture.
    4. Students may not dismantle bunk beds. Students will be charged for reassembling dismantled bunk beds.
    5. Students may not use dart boards.
    6. Students may not use fireplaces.
    7. Students may not remove screens or storm windows. They may not climb through windows, lean out of windows, or sit on windowsills. They also may not climb the sides of buildings or be on the roofs or fire escapes of buildings.
    8. Students may use only electrical appliances and wiring that comply with the standards of the National Electrical Code, Underwriters Laboratories, and Massachusetts laws and regulations.
      1. Halogen lamps are not permitted.
      2. Spliced cords are not permitted.
      3. Extension cords and stereo speaker wiring must be in good condition and of adequate wire gauge.
      4. Extension cords and stereo speaker wiring must not be attached to wall or floor surfaces, run through doorways or partitions, or be covered by rugs.
      5. Appliances must not be connected to light sockets.
  5. The Summer School may request inspection by facilities maintenance electricians of any electrical appliance used in university housing. Should facilities maintenance declare the appliance unsafe, it must be removed immediately.
  6. Residents are required to maintain a clear path for ingress and egress (i.e., entering and exiting). Nothing may block walking paths to doors and windows. All corridors must always be clear of furniture, trash, cords, etc.
  7. Harvard Yard is a tobacco-free space. Smoking, including vaping, is prohibited in all University buildings. This includes, without limitation, in all administrative, academic, and residential buildings and athletic facilities. Smoking is also prohibited within 25 feet of any residential building as well as in any residential courtyard or breezeway.
  8. Cooking appliances (except MicroFridges rented from Harvard Student Agencies) are not permitted in House and dormitory rooms. These include coffee/teapots, hot plates, popcorn poppers, etc.
  9. Refrigerators are not permitted, with the exception of MicroFridges rented from Harvard Student Agencies. MicroFridges may not be installed in bathrooms or closets. Pre-College Program students are not permitted to rent MicroFridges unless they have approval from the Accessibility Services Office.
  10. Air conditioners are forbidden unless a formal request for accommodation due to a medical condition is approved by the Accessibility Services Office.
    1. In the event of approval by Accessibility Services, air conditioning units will be provided by the Summer School and must be installed by facilities maintenance personnel. Unauthorized installation of air conditioning units will result in the student being held financially responsible for all accrued costs.
  11. Students may not keep animals in university buildings without an approved accommodation from the Accessibility Services Office. Animals may not appear on campus prior to any approval via the Accessibility Services Office.
  12. Students must take all their trash in tied trash bags to one of several trash/recycling depots located throughout the dormitories and Houses. Under no circumstances should litter or trash be left in the hallways, stairways, entryways, bathrooms, or outside the building. Students should be careful not to overload trash bags. Broken glass or items with sharp edges should not be disposed of in plastic bags, but in a container such as a cardboard box or a double paper bag that will help custodial staff recognize the hazard.
  13. Cambridge city ordinance requires the recycling of paper (including newspaper, magazines, and white and colored paper), containers (including cans, jars, and bottles made of metal, glass, and plastic), and batteries. Students are encouraged to recycle all paper, cans, and glass. Harvard uses single stream recycling so all these items should be placed in the same bin.