FAQs

1. Where is Facilities Management located? Rector
2. What is the best way to address a maintenance issue in my building?
3. How do I use the work order system?
4. How does E-Suds work?
5. How soon will someone come when I put in a work order?
6. When will the heat or AC in my building be turned on?
7. What do I do if I lose my key?
8. How do I get tables, chairs or other items for my event?
9. What do I do when my cable goes out?
10. What do I do when my phone doesn't work?
11. Why do my heating pipes make so much noise?
12. What if I don’t want all of the furniture in my room?
13. How do self-cleaning Residence Halls get supplies?
14. How do Faculty and Staff request projects for their departments or buildings?
15. How do Faculty and Staff request new office or classroom furniture?
16. How do Faculty and Staff order office supplies and paper?

Where is Facilities Management located?
Facilities management is located at 5 North Orange Street on the far West end of campus. To reach us on foot or by bicycle, head West on Louther St. and turn down the alley that leads to the Children’s Center, we are at the very front of the large building just past the DCCC. To reach us by car, head West on Louther Street until you reach Orange Street, turn left at the stop sign and make another left into our parking lot.

What is the best way to get a maintenance issue in my building addressed?
The best way to get a maintenance problem in your room, office or building addressed is to submit a work order yourself. It is always best and most effective if the person who has the problem or first noticed it is the one to submit the work request. That way, if a member of the Facilities Management staff has a question, s/he will know whom to contact. If for some reason, you can not submit the request yourself, please give as much information as possible to the person who will be submitting it for you.

How do I use the work order system?
To use the work system for the first time, go to http://www.dickinson.edu/repairs where you will be asked to enter your email address. If you are new to the system, it will ask that you enter your last name to continue. It will then ask you to enter your first name, email address and phone numbers. Once this is done, you are registered and can begin using the system. To submit a work order, (Step 2)choose the type of building you are in from the “Location” pull down menu and then choose your building and the room number locations within the building where the problem exists. Select the type of problem you have (Step 3) and enter a description of it (Step 4). Put in the date you are requesting the work to be completed by (Step 5) and enter the password, which is ‘password’ (Step 6) and hit Submit (Step 7). If your request includes multiple crafts, such as moving furniture and painting, please submit a separate work order for each trade.

How does E-Suds work?E-Suds is an laundry system that allows you to go online to check if washers and dryers are available and receive notification that your wash and dry cycles are complete via email, cell phone or PDA. Currently E-Suds is available in the following locations: HUB Lower Level, 25-27 W. High Street, Adams, Armstrong, Atwater, Baird-McClintock, Buchanon, Conway, Cooper, Davidson-Wilson, Denny Apartments, Drayer, Goodyear, Kisner-Woodward, Longsdorff, Malcolm, Mathews, McKenney, Morgan, Stuart, Todd and Witwer.   E-Suds is activated using your Student ID card and is available to all students living on Campus. Each semester, students receive a 34 cycle allotment. A cycle can be either a wash or dry cycle.   If you use your allotment before the end of the semester, laundry cards in varying amounts can be purchased in the Bookstore and Devil's Den. Full instructions on how to use the machines are posted in each laundry room. Because the washers are front load, they hold 32% more than a top load washer while using substantially less water, which means using no more than 1/4 cup of laundry detergent (HE (high efficiency) detergents work best). Using more detergent than recommended results in longer drying times and a 'slimy' feeling in the clothes. Drying racks are available in most large laundry rooms to allow for air-drying of clothing. If the proper amount of detergent is used, one washer load will equal one dryer load. Please only do full loads of laundry--the machines are not designed for only one or two items at a time.

How soon will someone come when I put in a work order?
Every work order that is entered into the system is assigned by a member of the Facilities office staff to a technician. Assignments are prioritized based on a number of factors that include emergency or safety issues, time of day the request is made, requested completion date, or availability of technicians or materials. You will receive a notification email letting you know that your request has been received and the current status it has been given. You will also receive notification if the status changes or if the request is a duplicate or is being declined. Finally, you will receive notification when the technician assigned to your request files it as complete.

When will the heat or AC in my building be turned on?
There is not an exact schedule for making the change from cooling to heating – and vice versa – but we do our best to keep everyone as comfortable as possible in an efficient and sustainable manor. The College’s temperature policy calls for an occupied target temperature of 68 degrees +/- 2 degrees for the heating season and an occupied target of 74 degrees +/- 2 degrees in the cooling season. The most challenging times of year are the spring and fall when outdoor temperatures can change rapidly from hot to cold – even within the confines of a single day. At Facilities Management, we refer to these as the ‘shoulder seasons’. The mechanical systems in most of our campus facilities are not able to react to rapid changes from heating to cooling (and vice versa). Therefore, we attempt to use the outside temperatures to our advantage, as much as possible, and to provide limited heating and cooling to buildings during these time periods. One Shoulder Season is in October and November, when it is generally too cool outside to air condition spaces, but too warm to heat spaces. As soon as the outdoor temperatures are forecasted to become consistently cold enough to necessitate heating, the buildings are switched from cooling mode to heating mode. The other Shoulder Season is in April and May, when it is generally too cool outside to air condition spaces, but too warm to heat spaces. As soon as the outdoor temperatures are forecasted to become consistently warm enough to air condition, the buildings are switched from heating mode to cooling mode. Since the weather is fickle, and varies from year to year, we ask for the cooperation of the campus community during the Shoulder Seasons. Please note that personal space heaters are not permitted on Campus. If you feel your space in exceptionally cold or hot, please submit a work order and an HVAC technician will check the area.

What do I do if I lose my key?
If you are a student, you should contact the Res Life office at x1556. They will inform Facilities Management and we will contact you to coordinate a time to change your lock and issue a new key. Faculty and Staff can submit a work request to have their keys replaced.

How do I get tables, chairs or other items for my event?
Any event on campus requiring tables, chairs, podiums or other items supplied by Facilities Management must be set up through the office of Conferences and Special Events (CASE) at x1900. CASE staff members will then coordinate the set up with us. Please do not submit work orders requesting these items as they will be declined.

What do I do when my cable goes out?
The cable system on Campus is administered by Library and Information Services. Please contact them at x1000, option 4 or by sending an email to helpdesk@dickinson.edu.

What do I do when my phone doesn’t work?
The phone system on Campus is administered STC Services. Please contact them at x1000, option 1.

Why do my heating pipes make so much noise?
Many of the older buildings on campus such as Todd & Stuart Houses utilize steam heat, the result of which is loud banging noises caused by hot steam hitting cold pipe and causing it to expand. The noises, while often unsettling, are nothing to worry about. Once the weather is consistently cold and the boilers run more frequently, the noises will subside.

What if I don’t want all of the furniture in my room?
Each Residence Hall room and lounge are allotted certain furniture items and as stated in the Student Handbook, “all furniture must remain in the assigned room”, “no College provided furnishings may be removed from the room to make way for additional furnishings”, and “you may not remove lounge furniture from the public area”.

How do self-cleaning Residence Halls get supplies?
If you live in a self-cleaning Residence Hall and need items such as toilet paper, trash bags, or cleaning supplies, you should submit a work request under the Housekeeping craft. In most cases, if the request is made prior to 2pm, the items will be delivered the same day.

How do Faculty and Staff request projects for their departments or classrooms?
Facilities Management conducts meetings each year with department heads to obtain project requests. These meetings are not mandatory, but are encouraged by Facilities Management. Project requests can also be made at any time during the year by requesting a meeting or simply sending in an email or phoning in the request. Requests are considered, prioritized, and ultimately scheduled into one of the next three fiscal years – or into the “beyond” category - simply meaning that the schedule is uncertain and that it does not appear to be possible to entertain the project request within the next three fiscal years.

How do Faculty and Staff request office or classroom furniture?
Facilities maintains a warehouse that often contains used pieces such as bookshelves, desks, and file cabinets. If you would like to look in the warehouse for a specific item, you must call the Facilities main office at x1212 to make an appointment. Requests for new or replacement furniture, however, are much like project requests and are considered and prioritized based on a number of criteria. If possible, requests should be made prior to the beginning of the fiscal year so that the limited budget can be allotted accordingly. Furniture requests can be made by contacting our Design Technician, Jerilyn Kidd.

How do Faculty and Staff order office supplies and paper?
Copier paper is provided by the Service Center and can be requested through the work order system. Please order by the case and provide your department's account number with the request. All office supplies, including white boards, keyboard trays and floor mats are ordered through the Phillips Group. If an item needs installation, such as a keyboard tray, please submit a work order once the item is received.