General Regulations
Noise
Guests
Pets
Security
Key Policy
Lockouts
Courtyards
Fire Safety
Smoking

Rules and Information

The primary rule of House life is consideration for the other members of this community. Students must not conduct themselves in a way that unreasonably disrupts the lives of those around them.

General Regulations

You should, of course, be aware of the general regulations governing behavior as set forth in the Handbook for Students. Your attention is called especially to the ban on excessive noise at any time, to the rules limiting guests and prohibiting pets in student rooms, and to the need for internal security. The importance of keeping your doors locked cannot be stressed too often. Thefts are, unfortunately, an altogether too common occurrence.

Noise

Loud music late at night can be a major source of tension. After 11:00 PM on weeknights and 2:00 AM on Friday, Saturday, and nights before holidays, no loud music or parties are allowed in the House without specific written permission from the Masters. Students MUST INFORM their entry tutors in advance before hosting any party and submit a Party Form. At all times, be considerate of people who may be studying or sleeping nearby. Excessive noise is not permitted at any time. Do not play loud music with your doors open, or face your speakers into the courtyards.

Guests

Students may have guests staying over-night with them for a total of ten nights per semester, for no more than two consecutive days. For safety reasons your guest must be registered with the Building Manager’s office during his or her stay. We limit the frequency and duration of over-night visitors for two very important reasons. The first is that roommates understandably feel uncomfortable sharing their space with people with whom they have not agreed to live. This is particularly true if the visitor is of the opposite sex. In our experience, roommates are also quite reluctant to be honest about how uncomfortable they feel, since no roommate wishes to give even the appearance of policing their roommate’s behavior. The second is that Lowell House is academic housing, and, as such, should never be considered an apartment or hotel. Lodging is available to our students only while they are attending school. Beyond a very brief visit, we must encourage friends and family members to avail themselves of the several hotels and bed-and-breakfast inns nearby. Lowell is also one of the houses with a rather low ratio of space to student. Whether or not it seems so, when you have a guest, it is very noticeable to your roommate(s). For these reasons, we encourage students who regularly want to spend time with friends or relatives on a 24-hour basis to seek off-campus housing. Students with lifestyles incompatible with conscientious sharing of limited living space have often been surprised at how satisfactory off-campus housing is for them.

Lowell also has one guest suite that may be booked by students or members of the Senior Common Room.

Pets

Undergraduates are prohibited from keeping pets at Lowell House. Exceptions to the rule are rare and students must have the permission of the Masters prior to the animal’s arrival at the University.

Security

Security is a fact of life in Cambridge and, unfortunately, Lowell House is no exception. There have been an increasing number of thefts and attempted break-ins in recent years. Keep your suite door locked when you are not in direct view of the door - items have been stolen from rooms while the occupants were sleeping or in the bathroom - as well as when you are out. Entry doors must not be propped open and should be kept closed and locked at all times. Leaving an entry door open and unattended is a serious security violation. The glass door at the front of the House offers an additional measure of security, but only to the extent that people make it work. The Mill Street gate is now open to Lowellians during daylight hours, but access will be withdrawn if the gate is not kept locked and treated gently. When the door is closed, leave it closed, and do not allow strangers to simply walk in behind you. If you don’t know them, ask to see their Harvard ID. You should feel perfectly comfortable doing this, or being asked for your ID by others. Someone who has no ID and is “here to see a friend” should call from the telephone outside the door.

Key Policy

The Building Manager is custodian of all keys. Lowell House has been changed to key card access. If you are a Lowell student or affiliate, your I.D. card will allow you access to the House and entryways. If you should encounter any difficulty with the system please see the superintendent. Part of security is knowing who has keys to Lowell House. It is for this reason that you must see the Building Manager in order to obtain keys to any room in Lowell House, including your own. In emergency situations, you may leave your University I.D. and obtain a copy of your room key and a temporary entry key card from the Building Manager or security guard.

Additional copies of your key (or your suitemates’ keys) may be ordered from the Building Manager as the need arises. It is illegal to make copies of coded keys; doing so compromises the security of the building. Students found to have made copies themselves will receive a formal admonition from the House that will be included in their permanent records. We are sorry that conditions outside the House make it necessary for us to have such a firm policy about keys and security, but it is only with your cooperation that we can make this work. While it may be a little inconvenient at times, knowing who has keys is an important part of trying to make the House safe and free of theft and crime.

Lockouts

On weekdays and from 5:00 p.m. to 12:45 a.m. every night, someone will usually be available in the Building Manager’s Office to let you into your room if you have locked yourself out. After 12:45 a.m. or during the day on weekends, there is no guard on duty. If you are locked out during these times, you must leave a message on the tutor lockout phone. The number is posted on the door to the Building Manager’s office. Response to your message may not be immediate, so keep in mind that the dining hall is open 24/7 as a safe haven. In any emergency, you must call HUPD at 5-1212, not the lockout phone.

Courtyards

The courtyards are among the most attractive features of the House and they can be ruined quickly by misuse. Organized athletic events (playing a ball game, games of Ultimate Frisbee, etc.) endanger both the grass and the windows and are not permitted. There are grassy areas for sports in front of the house and in the space behind the Malkin Athletic Center. Blankets and towels quickly kill large areas of the lawn, so feel free to relax on the lawn but do not put blankets and towels on the lawn at any time.

Fire Safety

We must remind you that the rules of the College expressly forbid students to use cooking appliances anywhere except in the Dining Hall. Students who wish to use cooking facilities may request access to the Grille. Emergency exit fire doors must not be blocked on either side at any time. Nor may fire doors adjoining suites be opened without the written permission of the Lowell House Housing Committee and all members of both suites. Fire doors opened without authorization pose risks to both safety and security, and students who open fire doors make themselves liable to disciplinary action, including being required to withdraw from College housing. The possibility of serious injury or death from fire is always present. Please make sure you take proper precautions with electrical appliances. Use of fireplaces in student rooms at Harvard College is now prohibited. Candles, or any other open flame, are also prohibited in student rooms, including those for religious observances.

Smoking

Like all Harvard buildings, Lowell House is a smoke-free environment; smoking is not permitted anywhere in the House. Smoking is not allowed under the archways or within 20 feet of any House windows or doors. Cigarette butts musts be safely disposed of in the available ashtrays. Every student has the right to a smoke-free environment, and it is the obligation of the student who wishes to smoke to be considerate of those around him or her.

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