News and Events

Sustainability Surcharge on Water Bottles

2013-01-15T09:20:13Z

Beginning January 19, 2013, a $1.00 Sustainability Surcharge will go into effect on the purchase of any water bottle on campus, whether from a vending machine, The Devil's Den, or Dining Services.

The program, which stems from 'Take Back the Tap' initiative, is meant to reduce the consumption and disposal of plastic water bottles on campus. The surcharge will be used to offset lost revenue from the sale of bottled water and to fund new sustainability initiatives in the future. The campus community is encouraged to use filtered water fountains and the new Bottle Filling Stations Facilities Management is currently deploying around campus. Click on the map below to find a fill station near you!

For more information about the environmental, financial and health implications of plastic water bottles, please visit Earth Now's Take Back the Tap blog or the Food&Water Watch Take Back the Tap homepage.

Winter Break Parking 2012-2013

2012-12-06T15:31:48Z

Winter Break Parking 2012-2013

If you will be leaving a vehicle on campus over the winter break, please park it in the Kaufman lot (enter off of North Street). This will allow our Grounds Crew to more safely and effectively clear parking lots should there be a snow event during the break.

In the event of a large snow, vehicles left in lots other than Kaufman may be towed at the owner’s expense.

If you have any questions, please contact Facilities Management at x1700.

Thank you!

Winter Break Curtailment 2012-2013

2012-12-06T15:29:51Z

Happy Holidays! 2012-2013

READ THIS TO STAY COMFORTABLE!

The Program

Dickinson's Winter Break Sustainable Energy Management Program is an important initiative for the college, financially and environmentally.

The program is simple—to reduce space temperatures and unnecessary energy consumption during the winter break period with the goal of reducing unnecessary utility expenditures and greenhouse gas emissions.

To accomplish this goal, we will curtail space temperatures in unoccupied spaces to a low limit of 55 degrees Fahrenheit where possible and appropriate while

· carefully monitoring buildings to avoid failures and/or accidents

· communicating with the campus to understand special circumstances and exceptions

· affording comfortable temperatures when people return to their spaces

Your cooperation is truly appreciated and is vital to the success of the program.

Academic and Administrative Offices:

These buildings are curtailed during the break period when the college is closed—December 22^th through January 2^nd —and also on the weekends of January 5^th and January 12^th.

During normal working hours (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.), when the college is open, these spaces will maintain normal temperatures.

Exceptions

Constant Temperature Buildings:

These buildings are not part of the Winter Break Sustainable Energy Management Program, and therefore temperatures will remain normal in these buildings:

· Public Safety

· Faculty and Staff Housing (Please turn down your heat if you're leaving for a period of the break.)

· Special Collections in the library and library storage

· The Trout Gallery

· Rector animal labs

· Weiss Center and South College (due to musical instruments requiring constant temperatures)

· Mainframe computer rooms in South College

Special Schedule Buildings:

The following buildings have special temperature requirements based mainly on scheduled events:

· ATS

· The HUB

· The Guest House

· The Kline Center

· Admissions and 50 Mooreland (as per communicated schedule)

These spaces will have normal temperatures as per occupant scheduling requirements or for scheduled events.

Residence Halls

Most residence halls are vacant and will be curtailed for the entire break period: December 17^th to January 16^th—when early returnees for the second semester return to their rooms.

If you live in a small house or apartment and know that you AND your housemates will be vacating several days prior to December 17^th, please contact Facilities Management at x1700, or e-mail Brent Hair so that the curtailment process can begin at the earliest possible date.

Break housing will maintain normal temperatures during the break period. Break housing may include:

· McKenney Suites

· Townhouses

· The Global Communities House (Todd House)

Before you leave for break:

· empty, defrost and unplug your in-room refrigerator and remove all items from lounge refrigerators.

· turn off your lights

· turn off your appliances and unplug them

· turn off your computer and monitor, and unplug them

· close your windows tightly, including storm windows where applicable

· where possible, turn your thermostat back to 55 degrees –DO NOT SHUT OFF THE HEATING SYSTEM.

Tell Us What We Missed

If your space or program has special temperature requirements that are not correctly represented above, please contact Facilities Management at x1700, or e-mail Brent Hair.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Summer 2012 Project Update

2012-06-21T15:53:49Z

As we approach the end of June, summer project work is underway in earnest around campus. In addition to the regular contingent of painters, carpet and window cleaners who occupy campus at this time of year, there are several projects requiring the use of heavy machinery and the placement of storage units and/or dumpsters on the landscape.

Drayer Hall
We are currently wrapping up the replacement of the windows and doors in the building. Additionally, the building will be fully painted inside and out.

Witwer Hall
We are replacing the interior doors as well as remediating floor tiles and installing carpeting throughout the building. A dumpster is located between Witwer and Adams to accept construction debris. We have also placed a large storage container in the parking lot behind the building to hold furniture while the carpet is installed.

Morgan Hall
We are replacing the quarry tile on the deck and addressing some gutter issues. A dumpster is set along the southern side of the building to accept construction debris.

Atwater and Armstrong Halls
We are in the final stages of replacing doors and carpeting and making minor bathroom upgrades. Most work is now confined to the interior of the building.

Buchannan and Cooper Halls
Sprinkler systems are being installed, which requires digging from High Street to the buildings to connect water lines. Once digging is complete, the landscape will be repaired.

Montgomery Hall
Work is currently underway to repair the porch columns along Dickinson Walk. A small lift is being used and the area immediately around the work site is blocked off.

Roof Repairs/Replacements
Immediately following Commencement, we completed repairs to the roof of Denny Hall and replaced the roofs on South College and the Townhouses.

Denny Hall Windows/Central Energy Plant expansion
During the week of July 9th, West Street will be closed between Louther and High for several days to allow for the installation of windows in Denny Hall and trenching for steam and chilled water lines to Denny Hall. Stay tuned for more detailed information regarding closures and building access.

Winter Break Parking -- 2011

2011-12-09T16:18:15Z

If you will be leaving a vehicle on campus over the winter break, please park it in the east end of the Kaufman lot (nearest to the DPS entry). This will allow our Grounds Crew to more safely and effectively clear parking lots should there be a snow event during the break.

In the event of a large snow, vehicles left in lots other than Kaufman may be towed at the owner’s expense.

If you have any questions, please contact Facilities Management at x1700.

Thank You!

Winter Break Curtailment -- 2011

2011-12-07T09:24:18Z

Happy Holidays! 2011

READ THIS TO STAY COMFORTABLE!

The Program

Dickinson's Winter Break Energy Sustainability Program is an important initiative for the college, financially and environmentally.

The program is simple—to reduce space temperatures and unnecessary energy consumption during the winter break period with the goal of reducing unnecessary utility expenditures and CO2 emissions.

To accomplish this goal, we will curtail space temperatures in unoccupied spaces to a low limit of 55 degrees Fahrenheit where possible and appropriate while

· carefully monitoring buildings to avoid failures and/or accidents

· communicating with the campus to understand special circumstances and exceptions

· affording comfortable temperatures when people return to their spaces

Your cooperation is truly appreciated and is vital to the success of the program.

Academic and Administrative Offices:

These buildings are curtailed during the break period when the college is closed—December 24^th through January 2^nd —and also on the weekends of January 7^th and January 14^th.

During normal working hours (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.), when the college is open, these spaces will maintain normal temperatures.

Exceptions

Constant Temperature Buildings:

These buildings are not part of the Winter Break Energy Sustainability Program, and therefore temperatures will remain normal in these buildings:

· Public Safety

· Faculty and Staff Housing (Please turn down your heat if you're leaving for a period of the break.)

· Special Collections in the library and library storage

· The Trout Gallery

· Rector animal labs

· Weiss Center and South College (due to musical instruments requiring constant temperatures)

· Mainframe computer rooms in South College

Special Schedule Buildings:

The following buildings have special temperature requirements based mainly on scheduled events:

· ATS

· The HUB

· The Guest House

· The Kline Center

· Admissions and 50 Mooreland (as per communicated schedule)

These spaces will have normal temperatures as per occupant scheduling requirements or for scheduled events.

Residence Halls

Most residence halls are vacant and will be curtailed for the entire break period: December 19^th to January 18^th—when early returnees for the second semester return to their rooms.

If you live in a small house or apartment and know that you AND your housemates will be vacating several days prior to December 18^th, please let Facilities Management know so that the curtailment process can begin at the earliest possible date.

Break housing will maintain normal temperatures during the break period. Break housing includes:

· McKenney Suites

· The Global Communities House (Todd House)

· Townhouses

· Factory Apartments

Before you leave for the Holiday:

· empty, defrost and unplug your in-room refrigerator and remove all items from lounge refrigerators.

· turn off your lights

· turn off your appliances and unplug them

· turn off your computer and monitor, and unplug them

· close your windows tightly, including storm windows where applicable

· where possible, turn your thermostat back to 55 degrees –DO NOT SHUT OFF THE HEATING SYSTEM.

Tell Us What We Missed

If your space or program has special temperature requirements that are not correctly represented above, please contact Facilities Management at x1700, or e-mail Brent Hair.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Construction update

2011-07-25T14:49:32Z

It is mid-July, and project work is occurring throughout campus. Please read this brief update for information regarding project work that may create minor inconveniences to your daily routine. We appreciate your cooperation and we hope you’re having a great summer!

Excavation Work Between Althouse and Bosler:

The utility infrastructure project to connect Bosler Hall to the Central Energy Plant will commence on Monday, July 18^th. The project requires that we trench between Althouse and Bosler to install new underground chilled water, steam and electrical conduits. The construction area will be well defined by construction fence. For your safety, please do not enter construction areas and please pay careful attention to information signage on site. We apologize for inconveniences that this project may cause. This project will be completed by August 17th.

Weiss Center Entry Step Rehabilitation:

The entry steps to Weiss will be rehabilitated over the course of the next month, starting on Tuesday, July 19^th. The project involves removing the granite steps and re-setting them to correct shifting and settling issues. The front entry will not be available for use during the project, so please use the east entry to the building. The project is scheduled for completion by August 17^th. We apologize for any inconveniences that this may cause.

Streets and Sidewalks:

The Road Diet project is well underway and will continue over the course of the next month. This week, intersection sidewalk areas will be completed on High Street at the intersections of West Street, College Street and Cherry Street. Also, contractors will begin stamping the asphalt at the main intersection crosswalks of College and High, and also on the High Street median areas between Cherry and West Streets. Please use caution when driving, walking, or riding your bike!

Also, over the course of the next month the college will be replacing sections of concrete pathways that require attention or replacement as a result of deterioration or shifting. Please use extra caution in areas of repair, and pay special attention to construction barriers and signage.

Thank you for your cooperation, and please call Facilities Management with questions or concerns, x1700.

Fall 2009 Quota Information

2010-01-26T09:31:29Z

Laundry and Printing Quotas--Fall 2008 versus Fall 2009:

Despite some initial road bumps as we implemented the printing and laundry quotas, data from the Fall 2009 semester very clearly shows that both programs were not only successful, but that the vast majority of the student body was able to fulfill their printing and laundry needs well within the confines of the quotas.

For printing, a staggering 92% of students stayed within the 600 page limit for the semester. Of the mere 170 students who did exceed the quota, more than half exceeded it by 200 or fewer pages which represents a total cost to the student of only $20. The below chart gives a clearer picture of the total usage:

Overall, a total of 674,042 sheets were printed in Fall 2009, a 57% decrease from the 1,432,800 sheets printed during Fall 2008. This represents a savings to the College of $34,196. Environmentally, 758,758 sheets of paper equates to 89 trees preserved.

On the laundry front, 78% of students had at least one cycle remaining on their account at the end of the semester. Unfortunately, it is impossible to know from the data available how many of the remaining 22% simply used their allotted 34 cycles or had to augment with either change or the purchase of a laundry card. A total of 4,004 cycles were completed using either change or a laundry card, which represents approximately 7% of the total loads completed for the semester. The below chart indicates the range of cycles remaining for most students which shows that, on average, students either did a load of laundry every other week or did a load of wash weekly and utilized air drying instead of running a machine.

Overall, washer loads were reduced 41% and dryer loads 44% from Fall 2008. These reductions equate to an average reduction of 43% in the consumption of water, electricity and gas. This represents almost 310,000 gallons of water and nearly 41 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. It also represents a savings in utility costs to the College of almost $10,000.

In conclusion, the successful implementation of both quotas shows that Dickinson students are more than capable of utilizing the resources available to them within reasonable limits, taking into consideration not only the economic, but also the environmental implications of their consumption habits.

Winter Break Curtailment:

Each year during winter break, the College employs stringent curtailment practices both during the period the College is actually closed and during the period between reopening and the return of the student body. These curtailments lead to significant reductions in resources consumed and the associated utility expenditures. During this year’s curtailment period, which included an additional three days of closure, we were able to conserve 201,777 kWh of electricity and 2,049 MCF of natural gas thus preventing 315 metric tons of CO2 from entering our atmosphere. Furthermore, these reductions in consumption saved the College almost $39,000 in utility expenses.