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Frequently Asked Questions

Should your room be too cold or hot in the winter, reach out to your building/floor RA/RD. They will assist with your problem resolution and check common problem issues (window not latched or unit heater blocked by furniture) as well provide an electrical heater for immediate temporary relief while Facilities is contacted to resolve the problem. Facilities maintains staff until 11:00 at night and can be dispatched directly by radio. Emergency repair response is available 24 hours per day 365 days per year. If temporary heating is not sufficient and resolution to the problem requires extended time, your RA/RD can also help with temporary room assignment.

If your room or bathroom has any environmental issues, such as mold, contact your RA/RD, who in turn will contact Facilities. Facilities has a standard operating procedure to test and remediate conditions like this, which is in accordance with appropriate regulations and guidelines. Facilities maintains staff until 11:00 at night 6 days per week and can be dispatched directly by radio. Emergency repair response is available 24 hours per day 365 days per year. If remediation of the problem requires extended time, your RA/RD can also help with temporary room assignment. Learn more: myUMassD (login required)

Call Facilities directly at extension 8100 and report the incident. We take Student, Faculty and Staff safety very seriously and will address issues like this immediately to prevent additional occurrences.

Contact your RA/RD for your building/floor, they will assist with your problem resolution and check common issues like the windows locking mechanism in the closed position not allowing the window to close and latch. Do not try to force the window crank, which strip the threads of this mechanism. If the issue is mechanical the student or RA/RD can either open a work order or call Facilities at 8100 directly.

If the light is out in your room you can reach out to your floor’s custodian and they can replace light bulbs for you. If it is a light ballast issue, the custodian can open a work order on your behalf and engage Facilities Electrical department. Otherwise the student or the RA/RD can complete a Facilities Service Request to have the light checked and bulb changed or call Facilities at 8100 directly.

If you are having difficulty with accessing your residence hall room seek assistance from your RA/RD for your building/floor. If they are unable to address the issue they will contact a Facilities department locksmith to address the issue.

Students have the ability to contact Facilities with the Facilities Service Request or they can simply call Facilities at extension 8100 and a dispatcher will collect the appropriate information and open a work order in your behalf. Facilities administers nearly 12,000 work orders per year and prioritizes them into 3 main categories: Emergency, Urgent, and Routine. When fully staffed and supported, typically the Department tries to respond to the Emergency items within 1 hour of receipt; Urgent items within 24 hours of receipt, Routine items within 5 days of receipt. Resolution to issues can vary greatly depending on scope of the problem and any lead time associated with materials or equipment acquisition necessary to address the issue.

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