The guiding principle of being in residence at Mather is to be considerate of others in the community. Simply put, you may not unreasonably disrupt your neighbors’ lives. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the guidelines and regulations outlined below and those in the College’s Handbook for Students. Particular attention should be given to the Handbook sections regarding noise, smoking, guests, and security. If you have questions about any of these topics, please consult a member of the House administration.
Disciplinary actions within the House include warning, admonition, probation, and requirement to leave the House. Ordinarily, a written warning from the Masters to a student would precede a requirement to leave the House. This warning will clearly identify the student’s misbehavior, the Masters’ right to require the student to leave the House, and the steps the student must take to remain in residence. Should the student be unable or unwilling to remedy the situation, and should the student continue to behave in a manner that is detrimental to the well-being of the House community, then the Masters, in consultation with the Dean of the College, may require the student to leave the premises even though he or she may continue to be enrolled in the College. A student required to leave a House for disciplinary reasons will not ordinarily have the opportunity to return to a College residence.
The Masters and the Resident Dean trust that your good judgment and consideration for others will keep the unpleasant business of rule enforcement to a minimum; however, violations of the guidelines below may result in disciplinary action by the House and/or the College.
Drinking Age: Massachusetts law and College policy prohibit procurement or distribution of alcohol by anyone under 21 and provision of alcohol to anyone under 21.
Public Spaces: Consumption of alcohol is not allowed in Mather’s public spaces except during authorized parties when an approved carding mechanism is in place. BATs (Beverage Authorization Teams) or other person(s) authorized by the Masters must ensure that underage individuals do not consume alcohol. Any space outside of a private suite is considered public space at Mather. This includes, but is not limited to, the Dining Hall, the Big TV Room, the JCR, the Small TV Room, hallways in the tower and lowrise, and the courtyard.
Kegs: All kegs brought or delivered to Mather must be registered with the Office of the Resident Dean and may only be procured by a student who is of age and residing in the House. This individual is legally responsible for the alcohol, its safekeeping, and its distribution. This individual is also responsible for returning the keg to the store or for its disposal. Kegs may be brought into the House only for a registered party specifically for use during that event.
Only House Councils and approved College student groups may host events in public spaces in the House. Mather’s HoCo should contact the House Masters and the Resident Dean about registering their events. The Office of the Resident Dean has copies of the House Event Registration Form (also available on the main Mather website), and the document Managing Events with Alcohol (also available on the Office of Student Life website).
To register a student group event in a public space in the House, students first should ask the approval of the Masters for the event, then check that the Mather space is available for their event and reserve that space on the House calendars in the Three Columns Gallery. Once they have taken these two steps, students should go to the Undergraduate Student Organization Database (usodb.fas.harvard.edu) and click on the rooms.college portal to start the process for registering their event. This portal also contains important guidelines about registering these events. Students will need again to secure the House’s approval of the event, as part of the registration process.
Definition: A private party must be confined to a single suite. It is the host ‘s responsibility to prevent parties from spilling into the hallway, stairwell, or another suite.
Party Times: Parties on Friday and Saturday nights and on Sunday nights before Monday holidays (designated by the University) must end promptly at 2:00 AM. Parties on other nights must end promptly at 11:00 PM. Hosts are responsible for keeping noise and music at reasonable levels during the party, especially during mid-week. Parties are not allowed during Reading and Examination periods or during recesses on the College calendar. [NOTE: The eve of a College recess is its official beginning.]
Registration: All hosts must obtain a “Private Party Event Registration” form from the Office of the Resident Dean or the Resident Dean’s website, fill it out completely, and return it to the Office of the Resident Dean by 3:00 PM on the day of the party for weekday events and 3:00 PM on the preceding Thursday for weekend parties. Hosts must meet with the Tutor on Call by 8:00 PM for weekday parties, or 8:00 PM on Friday for weekend parties. Only two parties per entryway (as defined by a shared entryway tutor) are permitted on any given night so hosts should plan accordingly and register their parties in advance.
Party Control: The Tutor-on-Call and Security Guard will monitor parties on weekends. They will shut down parties that violate the guidelines for private parties. When they do so, they will be acting on behalf of the Masters and the Resident Dean. The Tutor-on-Call and Security Guard will also be available if you need assistance during your party for any reason.
Damages and Fines: Hosts are responsible for the behavior of their guests and may be charged for the costs of building repairs, overtime pay for cleaning crews, and/or Cambridge Fire Department fines incurred by Mather House as a result of private parties.
Private Parties in the JCR: Residents of the tower who wish to host a private party in a space approximating a low-rise common room may use the JCR. To reserve the room for this purpose, sign out the JCR on the calendar outside the Mather Library and submit a “Private Event Registration” to the Office of the Resident Dean. (Note: List the JCR as th suite on the form.) Private parties without alcohol need to be registered according to the private event registration rules above. Since the JCR is officially a public space, alcohol cannot be served without registering your party as a private event with the College 3 weeks in advance, hiring a Beverage Authorization Team (BAT), and obtaining (in some cases) an alcohol permit from Cambridge City Hall. Visit http://www.hupd.harvard.edu/forms/ to register an event, or contact the Office of Student Activities (5-1558) for more information. Maximum capacity of the JCR is 40 people.
Party Rules: For a comprehensive review of the College rules governing private parties, please go to
http://www.orl.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k11447&pageid=icb.page173989 and download the Harvard College Alcohol Policy. The Mather Private Party Registration Packet is available online at mather website (http://mather.
harvard.edu)
Closing Times: Friday-Saturday 2:00AM, Sunday-Thursday 11:00PM.
Student housing in general, and Mather's rchitecture in particular, increases the importance of being a good neighbor. More than 400 individuals are living together in the House and sharing walls, halls, landings, and stairwells. Please keep in mind that your activities, behavior, and decisions may have an impact on every other member of the community. Also, everyone is expected to do their part for maintaining the security, cleanliness, and good order of the House. Lastly, being a good neighbor means trying to resolve problems with others politely and being receptive to such efforts.
Noise: Quiet hours will be enforced after 11:00 PM on Sunday-Thursday nights and after 2:00 AM on Saturday and Sunday mornings. These rules apply to televisions, stereos, radios, and musical instruments (including voices), none of which should ever be loud enough to disturb others in their suites. If you are disturbed by loud noise or music, call or visit the source of disruption and discuss the problem. If the problem persists, your entryway tutor is available to mediate, as well as the Resident Dean. Please remember that each of us is mutually obligated to respond to complaints of noise by quieting down and turning off loud music.
Smoking: Smoking or the burning of any substance (e.g., candles, incense) is prohibited in all indoor areas of Mather. This includes all residential and common areas. Like noise, smoke travels and can disturb your neighbors. Unlike noise, smoke is a fire hazard and smoking or burning substances violates College policies. There is ample covered space in Mather’s courtyard away from entrances; therefore, inclement weather is not an excuse for smoking indoors. If you smell smoke inside Mather, please contact a member of the House administration (e.g., Resident Tutor, Building Manager, Security Guard) immediately so the source can be identified. Any burning substance in the building represents a fire hazard and all residents should take responsibility for the safety of the community. [NOTE: The use of candles for religious purposes must be approved by the Masters. Guidelines are available in the Handbook for Students.]
Tampering with Fire Safety Equipment: Fire alarms pulled and extinguishers discharged without just cause pose unacceptable nuisances, dangers, and expenses for the Mather community: hundreds of people must evacuate the building, often late at night and in bad weather; pranks increase the danger of any future emergencies by causing people to react to alarms with less urgency; and, Mather loses hundreds of dollars in fines for false alarms and costs of cleaning up extinguisher residue. Please be vigilant about protecting the House’s community and resources.
Keys and ID Cards: If you lose your keys and/or ID card, notify HUPD immediately. Anyone who finds your ID can gain entrance to Mather at any time until your ID number is deleted from the system; likewise, anyone with your keys can gain access to your suite. [NOTE: It is illegal to make copies of coded keys. Doing so compromises the security of the building and, in turn, everyone’s safety.]
Guests: Students may have guests staying overnight for a total of ten nights per semester, for not more than two consecutive nights. For security purposes, you should always register guests with the Building Manager’s Office and your entryway tutor(s) so that the House staff knows there will be an unfamiliar face around Mather.
Trash: Trash bags are available in the Building Manager’s Office. No trash or dirty dishes should be left in entrances, hallways, or landings. If you take your meal out of the dining hall, return your tray and dishes promptly after you have finished. All trash from private suites should be bagged and deposited in the white containers located in designated areas: the tower basement near the elevator; the basement of A-Entry; and, the closet down a halfflight from B-Entry’s first-floor door. (There is no container in C-Entry so please use one of the other nearby areas.)
Recycling: Mather has a tradition of active recycling. Please join the effort to minimize our collective impact on the environment by depositing your paper and plastic recyclables in the blue recycling bins located near the trash areas. If you recycle, make sure to follow the posted guidelines for what can and cannot be placed in a given bin.
Notices and Posters: Posters not larger than 11x17 that are sponsored by officially recognized Harvard organizations may be placed on entryway bulletin boards and on appropriate bulletin boards in common areas. Please observe the subject headings of these bulletin boards and advertise only one poster per board. Posters may not be placed on walls, windows, support beams, or doors. Official House events and announcements (e.g., Masters’ Open Houses, academic/language dinner tables, SCR events) are advertised on entryway doors and the handrails of common areas on the day of the event; these areas are reserved solely for official House notices in order to facilitate the timely communication of information pertinent to all Mather affiliates.
Items Banned by the College and/or Building Manager
The following items are not permitted in Mather:
1) Pets of any kind
2) Waterbeds
3) Halogen lamps
4) Cooking appliances of any kind (except HSA-distributed microwave/refrigerator combos)
Lockouts: During business hours (8:00 AM to 4:00 PM), the Building Manager will let you into your room. From 4:00 PM until 8:00 AM seven days a week, the Security Guard will let you into your room. During the day on weekends and holidays, the Tutor-on-Call will let you into your room, though you might have to wait if he/she is away from Mather when you call. Contact information will be posted on the door of the Building Manager’s Office and you can use the call box on the front gate.
Vacuum Cleaners: You can borrow a vacuum cleaner in the Building Manager’s Office. There is a half-hour loan period. Please return the vacuum cleaner in a timely fashion and report any malfunctions so that it will be available to other members of the House.
Summer Storage: Schedules will be posted in the spring for storing (April) and removing (August) your belongings. Only students returning in August can store items over the summer. There is no storage available during the academic year. Storing items at Mather is done solely at the owner’s risk. Neither Mather nor the College can take responsibility for either damage to or theft of your property. Make sure that all of your belongings are insured through your family’s insurance policy.
As of April 1, 2006, all sources of alcohol that require a tap are being reported directly to the Cambridge Police Department for tracking purposes. At the point of purchase, you will have to fill out a registration form for the City of Cambridge. This city-wide effort to curb underage and high-risk drinking could have implications for you and the College if the Cambridge Liquor Commission or other law enforcement agency tracks illegal service of alcohol to the keg registered in your name. Registration of a keg with Mather House is a separate effort to maintain community safety and it does not shield you from Cambridge’s new policies. House and College responses to keg and other alcohol violations have no connection to the city’s penalties (a fine of up to $2,000 or imprisonment for up to one year) for serving minors.
For a comprehensive review of the alcohol policy and college rules governing private parties, please go to Office of Student Life website and download the Harvard College Alcohol Policy. Mather’s Private Party Registration Packet is available online.
Party Closing Times