Updated Graduate Resident Guest Policy

October 14, 2020

Dear Residents,

Earlier this year, we committed to reevaluating the graduate residence hall guest policy after learning from our experience during the first several weeks of the fall semester.  We are writing to update you on the progress of this collaborative review process involving Heads of House, student leaders, the Policy Working Group, staff within the Division of Student Life, MIT Medical, and other campus partners.
 
Below, please find an overview of updates to the existing graduate residence hall guest policy. These changes, which we anticipate will take effect for this coming weekend, will provide residents in graduate housing and Graduate Resident Advisors (GRAs) in undergraduate housing with additional flexibility and opportunities for social connections, while maintaining the Institute’s commitment to protecting the health and safety of our entire community. 

Each of us play a critical role in supporting the health and wellbeing of the entire MIT community, especially in our residential communities.  Any changes to the guest policy depend on a commitment from residents to adhere to all COVID-19 policies and community expectations.  Residents will receive a separate message confirming the effective date of this updated guest policy which will apply to all on-campus graduate residents, partners, and family members.  

In anticipation of this policy going into effect, however, residents in graduate housing and GRAs in undergraduate housing may begin submitting names of on-campus resident graduate students and postdoc COVID Pass users to their guest list now (see below for details).  Please note that the policy includes information for families and couples living in graduate housing and their guests.  To review the full text of the policy, please visit the COVID-19 graduate student policy page. 

Importantly, all guests must be up-to-date with COVID Pass requirements and adhere to face-covering and physical distancing requirements in common spaces throughout the residence hall, including common areas within the resident’s apartment. Residents and guests are also strongly encouraged to continue following these practices when in the resident host’s room.

The current exceptions to the guest policy for residents who require assistance with moving, or with childcare or healthcare, will remain in place.  Graduate residents should contact Associate Dean Naomi Carton at naomic@mit.edu to request an exception.

By relying on guidance from public health officials and experts, and by working with the graduate student community, we look forward to implementing this updated guest policy and will confirm the effective date with you.

Sincerely,

JUDY ROBINSON 
Senior Associate Dean
Residential Education

DAVID FRIEDRICH
Senior Associate Dean
Housing & Residential Services

 

 

Updated Graduate Residence Hall Guest Policy Overview 
(Effective Date to be Confirmed) 

Guest List Registration

Please use the forms linked below to register guests.  Allow 96 hours for guest requests to be approved and added to the access list (e.g. requests received on Friday will not appear on the approval list until Tuesday).

Please Note: For the initial setup of this process, all requests entered by 11:59 pm on Thursday, October 15 will be processed for this weekend (if the policy is confirmed to take effect this weekend).  Requests received after this time will not be approved until next week per the timeline outlined above.

If you experience issues with your guest requests, please contact housingsecurity@mit.edu. 

Important Notes About Guests

  • ALL guests must be current residents in MIT housing and:
    • Approved to live on campus for Fall 2020;
    • Active within the COVID Pass system; AND
    • Up-to-date with ALL COVID-19 testing, health attestation, and other requirements through COVID Pass          
       
  • All guests must abide by all COVID-19 student policies, including the guest policy.  
    • Guests must wear a face covering and practice physical distancing in all residence hall common spaces (e.g. while walking to the resident’s apartment) and in common areas of apartments/suites. Residents and guests are also strongly encouraged to wear face coverings and practice physical distancing when visiting in the resident’s room.
       
  • Visitors who live in the same residence hall as the resident host do not need to be on a guest list or sign-in to visit another resident in-house.  However, only one guest may visit a resident host at a time (which applies to both in-residence visitors  and guests from other residences).

Guest Visitation & Hours

  • Guests are welcome to visit between the hours of 9:00 am and 11:00 pm. 
  • Residents are expected to talk to their roommate(s) about when they will each have a guest, for how long a guest will visit, and which space(s) in the apartment/suite will be used.
  • A resident can have a guest up to three days within a seven-day period during the specified times.
  • Guests must sign in and out at the front desk upon entry and exit.
  • Resident hosts are required to escort their guest to and from the front desk to their room or apartment.  
  • Residents are allowed to host only one guest per day (or one couple/family for hosts in family housing). This also means only one guest will be permitted at a time in a multi-occupant unit (e.g., in a three-person apartment, one of the occupants may have a guest at a given time).
  • Guests are prohibited from visiting residential common areas and must remain in the resident host’s room or apartment. 
  • NO overnight guests are allowed at any time. 

Amending Guest List

  • To minimize contacts across social groups, residents should think carefully about who they want to place on their guest list. Residents may request to amend their current guest list once every three weeks, but must wait one week to establish a new list of up to two guests.