Here's some useful information for new residents to help you get settled in the Warehouse, MIT and Cambridge as well as information that current residents will find useful. You can either use your browser to do a Find on this page if you're looking for something specific, or check the general topics below.

Be sure to check out the Policies page for information related to specific policies in place at Warehouse as regards alcohol, guests (including overnight and extended stay guests), pets, use of the two lobby freezers, quiet hours, noise, smoking, use of roof top deck and room reservations. 

If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to contact the RAs at wh-ras@mit.edu.

Mail and Packages

Your mailing address here at the Warehouse is:
Name
224 Albany St, Apt. #
Cambridge, MA 02139-4210

You can receive mail by using your room key to open your mailbox located in the front lobby, to the right of the front desk. If you receive a package, it will be scanned by front desk staff and you will receive an e-mail that is available to be picked up.  Please note that packages can be collected any day of the week but only between the hours of 8am and 11:30pm. 

Internet

The Warehouse is on the MIT wireless network. Your room also has wired ports for a more reliable internet connection - just plug in with an Ethernet cable and follow the instructions in your browser to register your computer. A lot of MIT websites will require that you use an MIT certificate, which you can get from MIT IS&T.

Television

You can stream television for free and have access to DVR and on-demand features on the MIT campus using Comcast XFINITY on Campus. For more information, please see the MIT Knowledge Base on MIT IPTV Service - XFINITY On Campus.

Mailing lists and Slack

Warehouse residents are subscribed to the mailng list wh-all@mit.edu and invited to the Slack workspace mit-thewarehouse.slack.com, which is on the MIT Slack Enterprise Grid. See here for info on accessing Slack at MIT. The wh-all mailing list is used for official communications sent to all Warehouse residents from the RAs, the Heads of House, and House Manager. Accordingly, residents may not be removed from this list. Slack, on the other hand, may be used by all Warehouse residents to send messages to other members of the dorm community. Additionally, the Warehouse secretary posts newsletters to Slack with information about upcoming events in the Warehouse and in the broader community as well as other community news. Residents may choose to join the Slack workspace and unsubscribe as they decide.

Front Desk

Our Front Desk is staffed during the hours of 8 AM - 11:30 PM every day of the week, and most days will also have a security guard afterwards.

Residents may borrow items for free from the front desk. A fee may be charged for front desk items that are returned late or not returned at all. Please note that items cannot be returned between 11:30 PM and 7:30 AM.  See the list of front desk items and DVDs and Wii games that can be borrowed.

Printing

There are two printers in the Warehouse available for residents' use.  A black and white printer is located near the front desk while a color printer/scanner is located in the study lounge next to the laundry room on the ground floor. If the error message "Held: Resources Required" pops up, please resize your document to Letter size. A helpful guide to printing at The Warehouse can be found here. If you have any questions or problems with either printer, please email: icp-help@mit.edu. Both printers are for the use of Warehouse residents only, please do not allow guests to use the printers. 
 

Trash, Recycling & Compost 

Trash bags left outside your apartment will be picked up every Monday - Friday morning. Trash can only be left outside your room weekday mornings from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM. THERE IS NO TRASH PICKUP ON WEEKENDS. DO NOT LEAVE TRASH OUT OVERNIGHT.  If you need to dispose of your weekend trash or if you missed the weekday morning pickup and have smelly trash, please take it to the dumpster which is located at the southwest groundfloor exit of the building (i.e. the parking lot next to the Warehouse). 

Recycling can not be left outside your apartment door. Recycling must be put into the large bins located on each floor. Please break down your boxes before putting them in the bins.  Two larger recycling bins are also located near the outside trash dumpster, at the SW corner of the Warehouse, accessible from the ground floor exit near the rear elevator. NO RECYCLING PICKUP outside your apartment door.

A compost bin and biodegradable bags are provided in your room for free. More biodegradable bags are available at the front desk also for free.  Only food waste can be composted. Bring your compost in the biodegradable bag to the green bin located near the trash and recycling bins outside, at the SW corner of the Warehouse.    There is NO COMPOST PICK-UP outside your apartment door or near the recycling bins on each floor.   All compost MUST be brought to the outside bin. 

Failure to comply with these trash, recycling, and composting policies will result in an automatic $50 fine.

Laundry

The Warehouse has a laundry room on the ground floor. Each resident will be provided with a laundry basket for his or her room. Once you install the CSC Go app you can pay for laundry services, track the availability of machines, and the status of your laundry cycle. In-house laundry service is $1.25 per load, per machine. The first load of laundry will be free for all new users who download the CSC Go mobile application and create an account on their smartphone or mobile device(s). 

If you encounter any issues with a laundry device, please report the issue directly via the CSC Go mobile app or call (800) 762-3452 (with the machine ID readily available). See this helpful guide with instructions on how to submit a request. As a secondary point of contact, you may report a mechanical or device issue directly to Warehouse's House Operations Manager, Julie Gagnon via email at juliem@mit.edu.  

Garbage Disposal

To operate the Insinkerator garbage disposal unit in your sink, first insert the sink stopper/strainer, then twist until it locks into place. Now turn on the cold water and flip the switch near the sink. Avoiding flushing fibrous foods, grease, or eggshells down through the garbage disposal; consider composting these instead!

In-room Refrigerator

The 'freezer' section of the refrigerator found in your room does not completely freeze, but rather keeps things near freezing. This is not a fault, so no need to request a new refrigerator. It is perfectly safe to keep food for a long time at the near freezing temperature. 

Do not defrost the refrigerator with a knife - this has ruptured a gas pipe in the past. Instead, turn it off for a day to let it defrost. This needs to be done every 2-3 months typically. 

Lobby Freezers

There are three freezers in the lobby, located outside the kitchen, available for resident use. All items should be clearly labeled with the residents name and date. Items that are 2 months old or not properly labelled may be removed without notice. Please see the Lobby freezers policy page for more info. 

Common Areas, Kitchen, Gyms

There are lounges located on each floor for study or recreational use. There is a televisions with cable in the ground floor TV room. The Colbert Room has a pool table, ping pong table and foosball table, as well as lots of board games for your use. There is a gym on the ground floor of the Warehouse, across from the laundry room, and a smaller gym annex on the first floor with a stationary bike and elliptical machine. 

Library

The Warehouse has a collection of over 300 books for residents to read and borrow located in the ground floor study lounge next to the laundry room. The catalog can be found here. If you want to borrow a book to read outside of the study room, please fill out the log sheet with the check out and return date. Books may be borrowed for up to three weeks.

We are planning to gradually add new books to the collection, feel free to fill out the book request form if you have any suggestions.

Bike room

Residents may store their bikes in the bike room in the northwest corner of the Warehouse, which may be accessed either from the alley on the west side of the building or through the lobby. Residents must use their MIT ID card to enter the room. Bikes may not be stored in hallways.

Transportation

MIT has a shuttle system that is free with your MIT ID for transportation around campus, Cambridge and Boston. The EZRide shuttle stops across the street at Pacific/Albany, and takes you to-and-from campus. The SafeRide shuttle gets you around Cambridge/Boston all nights. For more information on routes, schedules and discounted MBTA passes go to: http://web.mit.edu/facilities/transportation/.

Realtime shuttle routes and schedules for Tech Shuttle, Boston Daytime, Saferide, and grocery shuttles can be accessed 3 different ways:

1. Download the MIT Mobile app on your mobile device and choose Shuttles from the menu.
2. Download the Passio GO app on your mobile device and choose MIT as the agency.
3. Visit m.mit.edu or passiogo.com

Groceries and Dining

Nearby options for grocery stores include:

• Trader Joe's (1.0 mi)
• Whole Foods (1.0 mi)
• Brothers Marketplace (1.0 mi)
• Daily Table (0.7 mi)
• H Mart (0.6 mi)
• Target (0.6 mi)

Residents using Amazon Fresh (delivery) have occasionally encountered problems with their groceries being delivered to Ashdown. We suggest leaving a note in the 'Instructions' section to make sure that the delivery goes to 224 Albany St, and not across the street, when placing your order. This usually prevents the problem. 

You can also check out the MIT food and grocery map, a tool meant to showcase a wide-range of local dining and shopping options for members of the MIT community.

Furniture

If you would like to buy furniture, MIT has a student furniture exchange located down the street from the Warehouse. There is also an Ikea store located in Stoughton, MA.

Safety

Around the MIT campus, and Cambridge in general, is pretty safe, but incidents do occur. Check out the following websites for safety-related information: MIT Campus Police, Cambridge Police, Citizen Observer

Recommendations from MIT Campus Police:

• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Program your cell phone with the MIT Police emergency number: (617-253-1212)
• Please call this number if you become uncomfortable in any situation while on campus. DO NOT hesitate to call.
• Note the locations of the emergency telephones (blue lights) on campus.
• Utilize them in case of an emergency.
• Dial *100* from an Institute telephone if you feel you’re in danger.
• Persons should avoid talking on cell phones, listening to music, or not paying attention while walking. Trust your instincts. Walk with a "don't mess with me attitude".
• If you are approached by someone displaying a weapon and demanding your property, it is recommended that you comply with the request and not resist.

Phone numbers from Institute telephones:
Emergency: 100 [To call for an emergency at MIT phone you must dial 100, not 911]
Medical Emergency: 3-1311
Campus Police: 3-1212
General Information: 3-4481

Notary

See the list of notaries at MIT.