Residential Services

Summer School students can connect their own computers to the campus wired or wireless network. Computer labs and printers are available in the Science Center and at 53 Church Street for those who prefer not to bring computer equipment with them over the summer. Visit IT and Email Services for more information.

Communal (hall) bathrooms are cleaned daily by custodial staff. Individual student suite bathrooms should be cleaned by the students living in the suite; cleaning supplies are available at each House Building Manager’s office and at Yard Operations in the basement of Weld Hall (for Secondary School Program students). During the summer, questions about custodial and cleaning services should be directed to your House Building Manager, or Yard Operations.

Laundry rooms are available in each House and the following dormitories: Canaday Hall, Grays Hall, Greenough Hall, Matthews Hall, Stoughton Hall, Thayer Hall, Weld Hall and Wigglesworth Hall. Machines can be operated by quarters or with Crimson Cash ($1.50 wash, $1.50 dry). You can also see if there are washers or dryers available online at LaundryView.com.

Use the cold or warm (colors) cycle when possible to preserve the quality of your clothes and save energy. Do not overuse detergent — too much detergent can also damage your clothes. Do not use dye in washing machines. Consider air-drying your clothing on a rack or using the air fluff setting on the dryers. Aside from reducing energy usage, these actions will also save your clothes from being damaged in the dryers. Most drying racks are collapsible and can fit in a closet or under a bed.

A word of caution: Do not leave laundry unattended; thefts do occur.  

Vending machines are available in each House and following dormitories: Canaday Hall, Greenough Hall, Stoughton Hall, Thayer Hall, Weld Hall and Wigglesworth Hall. The vending machines allow the use of Crimson Cash.

Student rooms will not be equipped with landlines, so students will need to have their own cellphones if they want to use a phone over the summer.

Students may opt in to the Harvard University emergency notification system, MessageMe, which will send an SMS message to subscriber cell phones in the event of an emergency. Enroll at MessageMe.Harvard.edu.

Trash: students must take all their trash in tied trash bags to one of several trash depots located throughout the residences. Under no circumstances should litter or trash be left in the hallways, stairways, entryways, bathrooms, or outside the building.

Recycling: Harvard uses single stream recycling, so all eligible items may be placed in the same bin. See Harvard Housing Recycling Guide for information on what to recycle. You can also learn how to get involved in Harvard’s green initiatives.

Trash and recycling depots for the Yard and Union dorms are located at Canaday Hall, Grays Hall, Greenough Hall, Hollis Hall, Stoughton Hall, Thayer Hall, Weld Hall and Wigglesworth Hall. Trash and recycling depots are on-site of each House.

Summer School sessions are short, and in general, you should not receive mail, including packages, at your on-campus residence unless absolutely necessary.

If you must receive mail, it is important that you use the guidelines provided here.

Due to some delivery issues resulting from previous addressing guidelines, Harvard University Mail & Distribution (HUMS) is asking HSS students with mailboxes at the Harvard Yard Mail Center to end the use of “Harvard Summer School” in your shipping address, and to always include “1 Oxford St”.

The format should be as follows:

[Full Name]
[XXXX]* Harvard Yard Mail Center
1 Oxford St
Cambridge, MA 02138

*[XXXX] represents your assigned, 4-digit mailbox number

Additionally, due to the expanded use of mailbox numbers this year, some residents with mailbox numbers over 2796 have experienced difficulties with online vendors accepting their HYMC shipping address.

If an online vendor does not accept your address with the format above, please use the following format:

[Full Name] – [XXXX]*
Harvard Yard Mail Center
1 Oxford St
Cambridge, MA 02138

*[XXXX] represents your assigned, 4-digit mailbox number

Please reach out to HUMS at 617-496-6245 or hums@Harvard.edu with any questions or concerns.

You will pick up your mail and packages at the Harvard Yard Mail Center, in the basement of the Science Center at 1 Oxford Street. Summer pick-up hours at the Harvard Yard Mail Center are:

• Monday – Friday (excluding holidays): 8:15 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
• Saturday: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

When you receive a package or a piece of mail, an email will be sent notifying you that you may come to the Harvard Yard Mail Center to pick it up.

Given the short sessions, it’s likely that mail or packages will arrive for you after you leave, so please plan your orders accordingly. Any mail that arrives for you before June 19 will be returned to sender. Any mail that is not picked up by the end of your session will be removed. Please visit Harvard University Mail Services for information about mail forwarding.

You may not receive mail or packages at your on-campus residence.  If you need to receive items in an emergency, you should contact the Pre-College Program Office at PreCollege@Summer.Harvard.edu.

Houses: Security guard in building manager’s office from 4 p.m. – 8 a.m.

Yard and Union: Security guards are on duty 24 hours a day.

Report lost keys to your House Building Manager or Yard Operations (located in the basement of Weld Hall) or, after hours, to the Harvard Police as soon as you are reasonably certain they have, in fact, been lost. This is extremely important not only for your security, but also for the security of fellow residents. After reporting your lost key, you will be able to pick up a replacement at the House Building Manager’s office, or in Yard Operations. The $20 key replacement charge will be placed on your student account.

Harvard keys may not be copied. All University keys are labeled with special coding. Only keys properly labeled will be accepted for return at the end of the summer. If your keys have been lost or stolen and you have reason to believe that your security has been compromised, you and your suitemates may ask to have your lock changed.

See ID Cards for more information regarding a replacement Harvard ID card.

If you are locked out of your room and cannot reach your roommate (if applicable), proceed as follows:

• For the Houses: See the building manager or security guard for assistance any time Monday through Friday. For assistance on weekends, please call security at (617) 496-9370 (alternatively, you may call the Harvard University Police at (617) 495-1212).
• For the Yard and Union dormitories: Call security at (617) 496-9370, for assistance any time, day or night (alternatively, you may call the Harvard University Police at (617) 495-1212).

Please have your Harvard ID card ready, as it will be useful to verify your identity before allowing you back into the room. Response time varies based on the number and nature of calls. Be patient.

House building managers and dormitory custodians are experienced in handling routine maintenance requests. These should be submitted through the electronic work request system.

Emergency work requests must be made directly to the building manager’s office by phone or in person. After-hour emergency maintenance calls should be directed to the Operations Center at (617) 495-5560.