FAQs

• Lost keys
• Maintainance Requests
• Heating & Cooling
• Furniture & Supplies
• Faculty & Staff Questions
• Phone and Cable Issues
• Residence Hall Damages

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.

Lost Keys

What do I do if I lose my Key?

Any member of the campus community who loses a key should immediately contact the Department of Public Safety at x1349. DPS will notify Facilities and a member of our staff will reach out to arrange for lock changes and/or issueing new keys.

Maintance Requests

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, that staff member 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 the "work order system" 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.

• Click on Service Request on the Facilities Management homepage.
• To submit a work order, choose the type of building you are in from the “Location” pull down menu and then choose your building and the room number and/or location within the building where the problem exists.
• Select the type of problem you have. I.E. 'plumbing', 'electrical', 'carpentry'
• Enter a description of the problem or need.
• If your issue has a deadline, please include the date in the description.
• Enter the password, which is "Password."
• Hit "Submit."

If your request includes multiple crafts, such as moving furniture and painting, please submit a separate work order for each trade.

How soon will someone come when I put in a work order?

Every work order that is entered into the system is routed to the appropriate department supervisor and assigned 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, and/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.

How Does Wash Alert Work?

Wash Alert is an online application that allows students to view the availability of machines in their laundry rooms in real time, receive notifications when machines become available, and monitor the status of loads. 

Each semester, students receive a 25-cycle allotment.  A cycle can be either a wash or dry cycle.  If the allocation is used prior to the end of the semester, additional funds can be added to a student’s account via credit card payment on the app.  Additionally, laundry cards for use in the HUB Lower Level only can be purchased at the Bookstore and Devil’s Den. 

Full instructions on how to download the app and use the machines are posted in each laundry room.

Heating & Cooling

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.

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.

Furniture & Supplies

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 toilet paper or trash bags, you should submit a work request under the 'Housekeeping' craft. In most cases, if the request is made prior to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday or 11 a.m. Friday, the items will be delivered the same day. Requests submitted after 11 a.m. on Friday will be fulfilled on Monday.

How do I get tables, chairs or other items for my event?

Any event on campus requiring tables, chairs, podiums, lighting, etc 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.

Faculty & Staff Questions

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 with the Director of Projects or AVP for Facilities. Requests will be evaluated and a design solution and pricing will be provided. Either, the request will be included in the next annual asset renewal cycle for evaluation/selection by the Space Planning Committee or the requesting department can provide funding to advance the project. All requested project designs will require approval for appropriateness and consistency with campus standards by the Space Planning Committee.

How do Faculty and Staff request office or classroom furniture?

Desk Chairs: Chairs that are considered to be past their useful life as determined through an ergonomic assessment performed by the Safety and Emergency Management Specialist will be replaced with the campus standard at no cost to the department making the request. Additional, higher end, models are available for an up-charge. Samples of all available chairs are located at Facilities. If you would like your chair assessed, please place a work order under the craft 'furniture'. 

Other Furniture: Facilities maintains a small inventory of used furniture. If you are in need of a particular piece, please submit a work order under the craft ‘furniture’ and include as much information as possible about what you are looking for and any needs you have in terms of matching color or finish and you will be contacted about availability. Requests for new or replacement furniture 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. As noted in the Surplus Property Policy, Facilities Managment is responsible for ensuring compliance with the college's furniture standards. College funds should not be used to purchase non-standard furniture and equipment. Facilities Management will not be responsible for the repair, replacement or disposal of any non-standard item that was purchased without prior approval. Furniture requests can be made by contacting the Design Technician at x1017.

How do Faculty and Staff order office supplies and paper?

Paper: Copier paper is provided by the Print Center and can be requested by emailing the Print Center directly @  printctr@dickinson.edu. Please order by the case and provide your department's account number with the request.

Office Supplies: All office supplies, including white boards, keyboard trays and floor mats are ordered through Guernsey. If an item needs installation, such as a keyboard tray, please submit a work order once the item is received.

Phone & Cable Issues

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 by STC Services. Please contact them at x1000, option 1.

RESIDENCE HALL DAMAGES

How much will I be charged for damages in my room?

Vandalism, damage, destruction of college or personal property, or creating a condition that requires clean up or repair is not permitted. Damage to your room and college-provided furnishings shall be the financial responsibility of you and other assigned occupants. In instances when unnecessary clean up or repairs are necessary, students may be subject to the financial responsibility either individually, or as a suite, wing, floor or building in such instances when it is not directly possible to determine responsible person(s).

To that end Facilities Management has developed the following list of standard damage charges. Please note the following:

1. If actual costs differ significantly, the college reserves the right to adjust the costs billed. This applies to both higher and lower pricing.
2. Complexity of specific location may result in different pricing.
3. Excessive damage will be priced separately.
4. The standard practice for painting damages is to paint corner to corner.
5. Work done by College staff, when time allows, will be billed at Time/ Labor & Materials

Dickinson College Facilities Managment personnel are solely responsible for the completion of any repairs and therefore have complete authority to choose qualified contractors and representative building materials to complete the repairs. Fees and information associated with this work are considered internal College information and the College is not required to share these details with students or their families. Detailed breakdowns of pricing and/or contractor invoices will not be provided. Repairs are to be conducted by College contractors or staff only. Anyone attempting unauthorized repairs of residential space will be charged the full cost of replacement or repair of the item(s) in question, regardless of the progress of the undertaking.