Facilities Policies

Ray Schlachter, Senior IT Support Consultant and Facilities Manager, oversees all School of Design facilities, which are located in Margaret Morrison and Porter Hall. Stephanie Lange in the Design Office helps support Facilities and occasionally, student workers are hired to support basic operations.  

Hours of support from the Facilities Manager are the same as the hours of the SoD Main Office. During the school year, Mon - Thurs 8:30a - 5p, Friday 8:30 - 4:30p. 

Faculty should fill out the Google Form for any facilities (or tech) related issues or for keycard access-related issues. Your inquiry will be responded to within 1-2 business days.  If the issue requires more immediate attention contact the Design Office. Or you can email destech@andrew.cmu.edu. FMS should be contacted to report issues in University common areas such as restrooms or hallways, for example.

After hours, FMS can be contacted for any urgent facilities issues related to the building at 412-268-2910. For other issues after hours, please fill out the Google Form and it will be responded to within 1-2 business days.

For students, SAC reps can submit requests through the Google Form. SAC reps will be the maintain point of contact for student needs. Also, students can email destech@andrew.cmu.edu if they need more immediate help.

The School of Design buildings are open during the day and into the evening. After hours, you must have your CMU ID to enter Margaret Morrison or Porter Hall. All classrooms, studios and individual offices remain locked during the day, but can be accessed by the people who are using those spaces with their CMU IDs. The main SoD office in MM 110 is always open during office hours (M-Th 8:30 – 5p, F 8:30 – 4:30p during the school year).

Faculty and Staff have access to all classrooms, studios, their personal office suites as well as the main office with their CMU ID. Individual offices require a key for entry. Students have access to their year’s studios with their ID’s as well as the main buildings when they are locked after hours. Any visitors without direct access to a space should not be left unattended in that space.

If you are locked out of a space during office hours, please come to the Design Office MM110. If you are locked out of a space after hours or on weekends, contact campus police at 412-268-2323.

Doors should be closed and never propped open. Thefts are rare but they can occur. Keep your valuables locked away and out of sight. Windows should be closed, lights turned off and the door locked when the last person leaves the space. It is important to familiarize yourself with your surroundings and always be aware of the closest exit routes in case of an emergency. Students are not allowed on the walkway or on the portico outside the first floor studios in Margaret Morrison. Climbing out the studio windows is strictly prohibited.

There are security cameras located in some areas of Margaret Morrison. They are monitored by CMU police and recordings obtained with the use of the cameras will be exclusively accessed by CMU police for safety and law enforcement purposes.

Immediately report any suspicious events or people as well as medical emergencies to University Police/Fire/Ambulance at 8-2323. 

There are First Aid Kits in all studios. A list of stocked supplies are on the kits. Please use the Google Form if you notice any supplies running low. Additionally, First Aid supplies are available in the main office, MM 110, for faculty and staff.

There are two printers in the main office, printers in studios for student use and printers in faculty office suites. The copier/scanner in the SoD kitchen is for faculty and staff use.  Faculty and staff can take reams of paper from the main office supply closets when needed. For cases of paper, toner, or issues with to your printer, please fill out the Google Form.

Printing information specific to studios is included with other information about that space, in the Undergrad, Grad and PhD handbooks.

Facilities Management Services does not provide daily cleaning services. Everyone is responsible for maintaining clean and tidy shared working environments such as classrooms, studios, labs, suites and the main office kitchen and faculty lounge. Personal offices and work spaces must also be maintained and kept clean and sanitary by those that use the space.

Where permissible and available, microwaves, coffee pots, kettles, and sinks should get cleaned after each use by the users. This applies to all break areas, the main office, and studios. Clean and replace any dishes and/or cutlery that you have used during the course of a day. Please do not leave any open food or drink on or around desks or in studios, classrooms or labs. All food waste needs to be taken home or disposed of into the hall receptacles at the end of the day to minimize attracting pests. Individual trash cans are not emptied daily.

Students are responsible for maintaining a clean and tidy shared environment as well as keeping their desk area clean. At the end of each school year, students must remove all personal items and trash from desks and drawers and from shared areas. If studio assignments are going to change at the end of the Fall Semester, the same policy applies for cleaning out the space.  An email will be sent with a deadline completing these actions. The school is not responsible for any items left after the deadline.

Please be sensitive to others you share an office or common space with. Some people have allergies and sensitivities that might not be obvious at first glance. Air fresheners, incense, or any artificial scents should not be used in SoD spaces.

Similarly, loud music, conversations, or phone alerts can all be distractions to people working around you.

Smoking cigarettes, e-cigarettes or vaporizers is not permitted anywhere inside the School of Design or the surrounding grounds.

Carnegie Mellon has a smoke-less campus policy.

The Undergraduate Studios are shared spaces for classes and for students to work on coursework. Studio room assignments are determined each semester according to class size and the size of the available space. Each studio provides a desk, chair and mobile pedestal for each student. There are whiteboards on the walls and mobile displays for teaching. There is a portable document scanner, paper cutter and first aid kit in each studio. There is a color laser printer provided for coursework. Please see SoD Printing Policy for more information. There is a microwave provided by the school. The school has adopted the past SAC agreement as a policy to have the SAC reps facilitate the cleaning of the microwave regularly. Unmaintained microwaves risk removal from the studio.

Outside furniture, refrigerators, hot plates, coffee makers and other small appliances are not allowed in the studios. At the end of each semester, students must remove all personal items and trash from desks and drawers and from shared areas or it will be thrown out when studios get cleaned and reorganized.

School of Design furniture should not be removed from the studios.

Faculty are expected to help enforce all policies regarding studios and to encourage students to keep the spaces clean.

The grad studio is a shared space for classes and for students to work on coursework and projects. Classroom 215 is an extension of the grad suite and is available to use when classes are not scheduled. The studio provides a desk and chair for full time students and lockers for part time students. There are whiteboards, mobile displays for teaching, a conference room that students can reserve, a shared limited kitchen, a single restroom and common lounge areas.

There are two color laser printers provided for coursework. Please see SoD Printing Policy for more information. A portable document scanner, paper cutter, first aid kit, and other shared office supplies are also provided. Agency over the studio suite, and therefore responsibility for daily upkeep and basic maintenance and cleaning, is placed in the hands of the students. This includes shared responsibility for keeping the kitchen clear of dirty dishes, regular use of the dishwasher, monitoring and removal of dated food in the refrigerator, wiping of counters, and generally maintaining the kitchen in a sanitary condition safe for all. Outside furniture or kitchen appliances are not allowed to be brought into the space.

The Design classroom in MM 215 within the studio suite houses significant technology throughout the room. Students should not attempt to access or use the technology prior to formal training offered by the School of Design, unless accompanied by another person who has had training. Please note that to avoid risk of damage to technology, food and drinks are strongly discouraged in the classroom and, if handled, they must be placed in areas where they cannot damage equipment and furniture and must be properly discarded and surfaces cleaned afterward.

From time to time, with advance notice, the School of Design may host visitors and hold receptions or other events in the studio suite, making every effort to minimize disruption to students. The school will announce these events in advance, along with any special expectations of students.

The PhD studio MM108 is a shared space for SoD Doctoral Design students with desks, chairs, a conference table, whiteboards, lounge area and kitchenette. Teaching Fellows have access to an individual desk and file cabinet. Professional track students may use the shared areas in the studio when visiting campus. For daily printing needs, doctoral students have access to a color laser printer in the PhD Studio. To print materials for courses you teach, a color 2-sided copier is available for your use in the Design Office, MM110.

SoD classrooms are spaces where SoD classes happen. Classrooms are assigned according to class size and times. When classes are not in session, meetings may be held in them. Activities in the classrooms need to be scheduled through the Design office. Requests from other departments for use of SoD classrooms must go through the Design Office (stephanie@andrew.cmu.edu) and will be considered on a case by case basis.

There is a standard set up for SoD classrooms which includes mobile tables and chairs. The furniture may be rearranged if needed, but must be returned to the standard configuration of an open rectangle at the end of class time. Any food or drink trash should be taken out to the hallway trash bins to be disposed of, not left in the classroom. Whiteboards should be erased and the projection system turned off. Windows should be closed, lights turned off and doors closed when leaving a classroom.

MM 107 is the main classroom for the School of Design. It has a projection system, screen projector, podium, speakers, Zoom camera and microphone (See computing policy for more instruction regarding use of tech in classrooms); mobile tables and chairs, whiteboards.

MM 121 is a classroom with the same amenities as MM 107. MM 121 is also the main teaching space for Joseph Ballay Center for Design Fusion and, as such, is reserved on Fridays for those classes.

MM 215 is a specialized classroom that is part of the Grad studio, MM 216. The two spaces can be separated via a motorized door. It has a tech setup for collaboration and distance learning. This classroom is scheduled only for grad classes and events.

Faculty are expected to help enforce all policies regarding classrooms and encourage students to keep the spaces clean.

The SoD has two computing clusters that belong to the school and are for SoD use only.

The Reese Cluster is located in MMCH B3/4. The 3D Lab cluster is located in PH A23.

SoD cluster policies and procedures are outlined in the SoD Computing Policies.

Information on the Smillie Lab and its policies is coming soon.

More information on the 2D Lab and its policies can be found here.

More information on the 3D Lab and its policies can be found here.

More information on the SxL Lab and its policies can be found here.

Information on the Physical Computing Lab and its policies is coming soon.

Phone: 412-268-2828
The main office for the School of Design is in Margaret Morrison Room 110. Office hours are 8:30a - 5p M -Th and 8:30a - 4:30p Fri during the academic year, during which time the office door is unlocked and there are staff members in the office. The office remains locked outside of office hours. No students, with the exception of teaching fellows, are to be in the office after hours without the permission of a faculty or staff member.

There is a printer available for faculty and staff. There is also an all-in-one color copier and scanner in the kitchen area. It is not to be used by students for class projects. There are office supplies in the closet for use by faculty and staff. Large amounts of supplies needed for a particular class should be ordered ahead and charged to a faculty member’s teaching budget. There is also a variety of pain medicine and first aid supplies. Medicine from the office (or any medicine) is not allowed to be distributed to students.

The kitchen is for faculty and staff. There is a coffee maker, coffee, sodas and filtered water dispenser with hot and cold water. You are encouraged to use your own water bottle rather than a disposable plastic one. Please clean up after yourself, throw out your used Kcup pod and sugar/creamer and wipe splashes off the counter top. Refrigerator may be used for keeping your daily lunch cold, but food should not be stored in the refrigerator long term. All food is subject to being thrown out at the end of each week.

The School of Design Faculty and Staff Lounge is located in Margaret Morrison Room 111, but must be accessed through the main office, MM 110. This space may be reserved for meetings and events organized by SoD faculty and/or staff. To schedule the use of this room, please contact Stephanie Lange in the Design Office: slange@andrew.cmu.edu or 412-268-2828.

If this room has not been reserved, SoD faculty and staff are welcome to drop in and use the space for an impromptu meeting or lunch. The space should always be left in the same condition as it was found with the table top cleaned off and chairs pushed in. 

Office space is assigned by the Head of the School. It may be necessary to share an office, but the School will do its best to provide all faculty with adequate space to conduct their work. The School provides basic equipment and furniture: desk, chair, file/book storage, and telephone. If you need other equipment, talk to Ray Schlachter, Senior IT Support and Facilities Manager, and the School will try to meet most needs. Small items to support productivity may be purchased with the faculty teaching budget. Other items are a personal responsibility. 

University cleaning services are limited. Cleaning details are available for your reference here.

Please remember to put food trash in the hallway receptacles each day to minimize attracting pests.