Information for First East Residents
Room Wars

updated 9/3/99

    This page is intended for use by the permanently house individuals who live on the first floor of the east parallel of East Campus, MIT -- First East (1E). Please present any comments or inquiries to a hall chair residing on the floor.

Athena: The nearest Athena cluster is in the basement of building 66. Type "tellme combo" at your Athena prompt to find out the combination for all Athena clusters. You will also become a member of the hall mailing list, first_east@mit.edu. This mailing list is the easy way to communicate with other hall members, because, although we all live within 50 feet of each other, some of us are never home.

Bathrooms: 1E has five bathrooms. Two are in Walcott, one in Bemis, and two in Goodale. The bathroom at the far end of Walcott has two stalls and one shower. The other has one of each; it is also the designated handicapped bathroom. Both are generally considered 'single occupancy' bathrooms -- i.e. don't go barging in if someone else is already in there. But hey, if you really like your roomie, no one is going to stop you from sharing the shower. Bemis has two stalls and three showers. It is the only multiple-occupancy bathroom. The last two in Goodale are replicas of Walcott. All 1E bathrooms are coed and this usually presents no problems with the singles. The doors (except for Bemis) are all marked with an occupied sign. When in use, the indicator should be placed on 'occupied.' When you're finished, REMOVE THE INDICATOR. People don't like dancing around waiting for an allegedly occupied bathroom only to discover that it was unoccupied the whole time and the last person just forgot to take down the indicator. And the reverse is also true: some of use are a little absent-minded, so before entering a seemingly empty bathroom, it's a good idea to knock. When showering, please be sure to fully close the inner shower curtain to prevent water from spilling onto the bathroom floor. Unlike shower floors, the floor just outside the shower is not consistently rinsed down a drain, and therefore accumulates grime as the day progresses, especially if it is wet. The sinks in the bathrooms are not peerless, and therefore have a somewhat fragile washer used to seal against leaking. Therefore, to shut off the sink, turn the knobs just enough to stop the flow of water. You do not have to force the knobs until they don't turn any more. Each bathroom sink also is supplied with a soap container. DO NOT THROW THESE CONTAINERS OUT WHEN THEY ARE EMPTY. Just let a hall chair know so that they can be refilled. Most Importantly, remember that everyone on the hall must use these bathrooms so it is imperative that you clean up after yourself and leave it at least as clean as you found it.

Doors: It is crucial to lock your door when leaving your room, even for just a second. If you lock yourself out of your room, go to the front desk and ask for a lockout key.

FAC: a.k.a. Friday Afternoon Club. Every Friday at 5:30, a different EC hall sponsors a social/food event in Talbot lounge. Yummy. Dorm gives us money to spend on this.

Front desk: The desk number is 253-2871. The desk also has garbage bags, change, stamps, keys (for the weight room, tool room, darkroom, etc.) foozball, pool table equipment, other random sports equipment, vacuum cleaners, paper towels, roll-away beds, phone books, maps, a photocopier, light bulbs, and some other stuff. Oh, and they sell pop. If something is missing from your room, you can ask about it at the desk.

Garbage: There are two trash chutes; one at each end of the hall. We recycle, so make sure you do that first.

Bikes: There are bike racks in the basement of the west parallel. You may store you bike there, but be sure to get it tagged at the desk first or it may be auctioned off over the summer!

Hall chairs: Elected floor people who are supposed to know what is going on and go to all the Housecomm meetings. Current hall chairs are Octavio Gutierrez and Jon Kennell.  Check the residents page for their room #'s, phone #'s, etc.

Hall Tutor: Christi Sherman is our hall tutor. She is incredibly friendly and always willing to talk.  Be sure to get to know her, as she rocks.

Keys: Right now, you have two: one for the entrance doors and one for your room. You might also have a closet key.

Kitchen: We have three refrigerators, a freezer, three stoves, two microwaves, a toaster over, a can opener, an awesome radio and two garbage disposals. The hall buys dish soap and sponges for your use. We have cabinets for stuff, which will be (re)allocated through Kitchen Wars.

Some guidelines for using the kitchen:

Do not use other people's stuff without their prior consent.
Do not leave dirty dishes in the sink.
Do not leave clean dishes in the drainers longer than a few hours.
Clean up after yourself.
We have a kitchen cleaner but if you leave too much junk around in the kitchen (s)he will tell the hall chairs and the hall chairs will have to become nasty. And don't leave stuff in the refrigerator/freezer longer than a month or two. Before you put anything in the refrigerator or freezer, put your initials (or name) on it and the date. Anything that is unmarked will be tossed.

Lounges: We have two. They are for people, not for bikes. If you keep your bike there, don't be surprised to find it on the ceiling. (It's been known to happen.) Feel free to study in them, especially the Walcott lounge.

Medical Center: A convenient way to get to the T. It is locked from 5 PM to 8 AM. It has a card reader, so don't forget to take your ID with you.

Newspaper: We get 'em. To be decided upon on a termly basis. Don't run off with the comics or coupons or sports section or TV guide, or anything else for the matter. First person up picks it up at the front desk every morning and puts it in the TV lounge. Leave it there.

Noise:  Make some.  Be reasonable. Respect others.  But make some.

Packing-up your stuff: At the end of the year, you don't have to take all of your possessions home. The institute allows us to store our belongings in the basement, at our own risk. Just pack your stuff in boxes, you may wish to line the boxes with a plastic bag to protect from the threat of water damage. If you wish, you can number your boxes with the form of ``Box X of Y'' so that when you return you know how many boxes you put in the basement. Some students make a list with a short description of what each box contains. There is a valuables cage for storage of items of worth. You need to make an appointment at the desk to put items there. The hall designates one room to store refrigerators and carpets for the summer. Items other than refrigerators and carpets may be removed by forces beyond our control. The fridge room will be locked all summer. Rooms: Each one should have a sink, a bed, a mattress, a dresser, a desk, a trash can, a wall lamp, a phone, a set of shelves, and one chair. Also bar safe, free, at no extra charge. Repair slips may be filled out and submitted at the front desk. Problems or questions, ask the front desk.

Room wars: Twice a year, we bicker over who gets what room. Worry about it when it happens in December and March.

Study breaks/Hall feeds: Every once in a while, we have free food and socialness on the hall. Come and participate.

T: The T is in Kendall Square. Use it to get anywhere during the hours of 6 am to 12:30 am, the cost is currently $0.85.

Telephones: Your phone number is: 617/225-6XXX, where XXX is your room number plus the building code. The building code for Monroe is 0, Haydn is 15, Wood is 30, Walcott is 45, Bemis is 60 and Goodale is 75. So if you live in Walcott 114, your number is 114 + 45 = 159, or 617/225-6159. Within the Tute, you only have to dial the last five digits. Outside calls means ``9'' first. When you get a phone call, on-campus has one ring, off-campus has a double ring. MIT phone books are distributed in October, and you can check the Boston white and yellow pages at the front desk. You can do call forwarding and other things; check the MIT phone book for details.

Video Equipment: We have a TV, VCR and DVD player. They're the TV lounge, of course. Ask a fellow hall member for the combo. Lock the equipment up after you're done. Don't tell anyone but other forgetful hall members the combo.

Vacuum cleaners: The hall has one, but it breaks a lot. They are kept next to the kitchen. Ask a hall member for the combinations. Let the hall chairs know if it needs fixing.

Room Wars Policies
April 1997
I. Definitions

A. Class refers to the number of years at MIT (up to four). This is different from what the registrar says due to people choosing advanced standing.

B. Room size is simply A, B, C, or D. The relative size, in square footage for instance, is irrelevant. Only the size of your current room matters.

C. Everyone, unless otherwise mentioned, has the right to squat his or her room. No one may choose another person's room unless the person indicates they are moving out. (Squatter's Rights)

II. Rankings - End of spring term

A. Non-frosh who have been residents for at least 2 terms are ranked (1) by class, (2) by current room size, and then (3) randomly

B. Frosh who have lived on the hall for both terms 1. Those currently in doubles are ranked randomly at the top of their class 2. The rest are ranked by current room size and then randomly

C. Transfers who have been on the hall for only 1 term are ranked at the bottom of their class. They are then ranked by room size and then randomly.

D. Anyone in a double must move out (they cannot squat) or they will be redoubled.

III. Rankings after the fall term are done the same as for the spring term except the frosh only have lived on the hall for one term and have squatter's rights. Due to decrowding, people may live in doubles alone for the spring term only.

IV. Miscellaneous

A. Anyone who leaves the hall for a term (a semester abroad, medical leave, etc.) may move back if he or she wishes and can be accommodated. They do not get their old room back, but is ranked at the bottom of their class, and the hall chairs choose which room to assign. Anyone wishing to return must tell the hall chairs preferably in April and December when room wars for the next term are occurring.

B. Any circumstances which are not directly addressed above are subject to the hall chairs' discretion.