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H.R.E. Center Donation Drives

mfoster — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0000

The Housing & Residential Experience Center is excited to partner with the Office of Sustainability and WPI Green Team to support multiple local non-profit organizations in varying donation drives. Any trash should be placed in available dumpsters near residence halls or trash rooms inside buildings.

See below for specific dates and more information:

April 9-May 11: Food Drive; Boxes will be located in each residence hall (main lobby or lowest floor common room) for non-perishable items. For cold/frozen items please bring to East Hall (30 Boynton Street) to the H.R.E. Center during business hours (M-F, 8am-5pm). All items must be unopened.

April 19-May 4:

Ellsworth Parking Lot Only: Textiles (Clothing, bedsheets, blankets, etc.) and small appliances drive; Heartsprings Purple Bin - all items must go inside bin.
Stoddard C & Daniels Hall: Textiles (Clothing, bedsheets, blankets, etc.) and small appliances drive; Heartsprings Large Boxes - all items must go inside box.

April 19-May 13:

Townhouses Only: Textiles (Clothing, bedsheets, blankets, etc.) and small appliances drive; Heartsprings Purple Bin - all items must go inside bin.
East Hall, Faraday Hall, Marston A, & West House: Textiles (Clothing, bedsheets, blankets, etc.) and small appliances drive; Heartsprings Large Boxes - all items must go inside box.

April 30, 11am-2pm: Furniture and small household items drive; Hackfeld Lot (cars encouraged to this lot only) and/or Boynton North Lot (Commuter Lot)

May 3, 11am-6pm: Furniture and small household items drive; Hackfeld Lot (cars encouraged to this lot only) and/or Boynton North Lot (Commuter Lot)

Housing Selection FAQs

enelsen — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Snow Impact this Weekend: Residential Student Move In and More

amduffy — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 12:00:00 +0000

TLDR:

Significant snowstorm expected to impact residential student move-in on Sun., Jan. 7.
Residential students should consider moving in on either Mon., Jan. 8 or Tues., Jan 9.
For those who can鈥檛 move in Mon. or Tues., residence halls will open Sat. at 9 am.
Dining services will not resume until Sun., Jan 7. Hours of operation are here.
Surface parking lots can be used for brief drop off for students moving into residence halls but will be closed otherwise until Mon., Jan 8 at 6 am.

Dear WPI Community,

The National Weather Service has forecast a snowstorm that will bring upwards of 10鈥?to 12鈥?inches of snow Saturday night into Sunday (January 6 and 7, 2024). The storm will impact our residence hall reopening, scheduled to start Sunday, January 7.

We strongly encourage students to delay their return until Monday or Tuesday.
All residence halls will open Saturday at 9 am to accommodate students unable to delay their move in.
All student IDs will be activated as of Saturday at 9 am to allow access.
Students may move in Sunday but are encouraged to use extreme caution; roads and sidewalks are expected to be slippery.
Students do not need to call or email the Housing and Residential Experience Center with their plans, unless they have a specific issue.

IMPORTANT: Given this late change in opening plans, dining halls and Campus Center food services will not be open until Sunday as originally scheduled. Students who choose to return to campus on Saturday should be prepared to provide their own meals until Sunday at dinnertime.

Parking

All WPI surface parking lots will close at 9 pm on Friday, January 5 and reopen at 6 am on Monday, January 8.
Students returning to residence halls may use the lots for short-term parking while they move in but must then move their cars to the Gateway Garage; gates will open upon approach.
Students living off campus (including in Greek houses) may park in the Gateway Garage as well.
Vehicles should be removed from the Gateway Garage by 9 pm Monday, January 8.
Students are asked not to park in the Park Avenue Garage.

Please note: The City of Worcester will tow and/or ticket cars left on the street if there is a declared parking ban. The city imposes its own parking restrictions on city streets bordering the campus. Those restrictions are in effect and will be enforced until the city declares the parking ban has ended. All Worcester municipal garages are open and free during the city鈥檚 parking ban. Parking fees are imposed once the parking ban lifts. More information is available here. We encourage you to sign up for the city鈥檚 parking alerts via this site.鈥?amp;nbsp;

Throughout the duration of the storm, WPI response personnel will be on campus to support the safety and well-being of our community and our facilities. WPI鈥檚 grounds team will work continuously to clear and maintain walkways and surface areas. However, we encourage everyone on the campus to use caution during the storm.鈥?amp;nbsp;

Should you find yourself in an on-campus emergency situation, please call WPI Campus Police at 508-831-5555.

Covid

As you prepare to return to campus, please remember to test for COVID, especially if you have symptoms or have been exposed to someone who was ill. If you test positive or do not feel well, please delay your return to campus.

鈥?amp;nbsp;
Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

鈥?amp;nbsp;
Art Heinricher, Dean of Undergraduate Studies
Terri Camesano, Dean of Graduate Studies
Philip Clay, Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
Michael Horan, Executive Vice President/CFO
Lauren Turner, Senior Vice President, Talent & Inclusion

Introducing the Housing & Residential Experience Center

enelsen — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Department Name Change:

The Housing & Residential Experience Center is excited to re-introduce ourselves as the Housing & Residential Experience Center (H.R.E. Center)! The new department name is a better representation of our mission and values.

Contact us by emailing housing@wpi.edu for any information relating to the housing environment and residential experience.

Mindful Consideration: Diversity Calendar Resources for Planning Campus Programs (C-Term/Spring Semester)

alanejr — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 12:00:00 +0000

In an effort to foster a community of inclusion and belonging at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) we encourage you to be mindful of religious holidays, interfaith and holy days, and other commemorative events which may impact student and employee participation in campus programs, events, and activities during C-term (January 10 - March 3) / Spring Semester (January 10 - May 3).

Please refer to the resources below as you need to when conducting your program/event scheduling and planning this term/semester.

If you are unsure if the identified date may discourage active participation in your program/event please feel free to consult with a member of the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Multicultural Education or Division of Talent and Inclusion.

Outlook Resources:

Add holidays to your calendar in Outlook for Windows

WPI Calendar Resources:

2023 Worcester Polytechnic Institute Paid Holidays
WPI Academic Calendars and Catalogs

Diversity Calendar Resources:

Win Holiday Calendar (Sapro Systems)
Diversity Calendar 2023 (Diversity Resources)

Calendar of Observances 2023 (Anti-Defamation League)
2022-2023 Multicultural Calendar (National PTA)
2023 Workplace Diversity and Inclusivity D&I Calenda (Worktango)
2023 Religious Holidays & Observances Calendar (Slide Share)
Important Diversity & Cultural Calendar, Dates and Celebration Events (Diversity for Social Impact)

The Collegiate Religious Center (CRC) provides a space to WPI students, faculty, staff, and community members for the purpose of religious exploration, devotions, worship, prayer, education, administration, and fellowship. Our team of Campus Chaplains serve as spiritual advisors for students, and can offer support and guidance irrespective of students' primary religious traditions. As spiritual advisors to the WPI community, Campus Chaplains counteract the inequality of varied expression(s) of religion, spirituality, and any form of meaning-making practice and support student meaning-making expression to tend with systems of oppression as well as any other stressors. This center includes several reservable spaces to suit both spiritual and non-spiritual needs, including a Multifaith Meeting Space, Islamic Prayer Room, and Multifaith Worship Space.

The Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Multicultural Education (ODIME) promotes and oversees all student facing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) learning experiences, programs, services, trainings, and initiatives for WPI.

Auntie Anne's & Planet Smoothie Closed for Repairs

admin — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Planet Smoothie and Auntie Anne's will be closed for repairs until further notice.

Sorry for any inconvenience,

Dining Services Team

Did you Know? Dining Services has an app?

admin — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 12:00:00 +0000

Move In Day August 18: Parking and Traffic Impacts

mfoster — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 12:00:00 +0000

We are excited to officially welcome the Class of 2023 and our incoming transfer students to the WPI campus beginning at 8:30 am on Sunday, August 18, 2019. More than 1,200 students are expected on campus that day to move in to their residence halls and begin New Student Orientation.

In order to ensure a safe experience for the entire WPI community, parking and traffic patterns on WPI鈥檚 campus, and surrounding city streets will be altered for the day, beginning at 7 am. We expect traffic patterns to return to normal by 2pm. WPI Police are working with Worcester City Police to help manage traffic patterns.

Boynton Street will be one way from Salisbury Street to Institute Road.
There will be no street parking on Boynton Street and Institute Road.
There will also be no street parking on Einhorn or Hackfeld Roads near the Stoddard Complex.

Faculty and staff arriving to campus on Sunday, August 18th are asked to please park in the Lancaster Lot (next to Faraday Hall) or in the Gateway Garage. All other parking lots will be utilized for incoming students and their families.

A shuttle will operate from 7 am-7 pm for faculty, staff, students, and families from the Gateway Garage, to Faraday Hall, to East Hall (Boynton Street), to the Sports and Recreation Center Circle and then back to the Gateway Garage.

Information about our New Student Orientation program can be viewed on the First Year Experience https://fye.wpi.edu/ where you will be able to view the schedule. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Christine Sharry, Director of Student Activities at crsharry@wpi.edu.

We thank you for your patience as we welcome new students and their families to campus.

Best,

Casey Wall

Assistant Dean of Students & Director of the Housing & Residential Experience Center

Karen Bueno

Lieutenant, WPI Campus Police

WPI Dining Services Innovations Allow Students with Nut Allergies to Dine Safely

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 12:00:00 +0000

By Brianna Burke

Nestled in the heart of Massachusetts, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is a hub for innovation. Academics focus mostly on innovations in STEM, but there are other exciting innovations happening on campus. WPI Dining Services has implemented some of these. They aim to fuel these innovative students with exciting options that keep in mind safety for those with food allergies. This August, the newest building on WPI鈥檚 campus, Foisie Innovation Studio and Messenger Residence Hall, opened. It is the home to Auntie Anne鈥檚 Pretzels and Planet Smoothie. Like the other dining locations on campus, they are adhere to the limited nut exposure policy, meaning they do not prepare anything that contains nuts or nut oils.

This change allows students with peanut and tree nut allergies (including coconut)鈥攁 large percentage of the population of students with food allergies鈥攖o dine safely alongside their peers.

The initiative to limit nut exposure in campus dining facilities stems from WPI鈥檚 involvement in the Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) College Program. This program鈥檚 goals include 鈥渄eveloping a comprehensive program to improve the safety and quality of life for college students with food allergies鈥?

According to FARE鈥檚 website: 鈥淏etween 1997 and 2008, the prevalence of peanut or tree nut allergy appears to have more than tripled in U.S. children.鈥?Most of the students in colleges and universities today are born in 1996 or later; the beginning of this trend in nut allergies has already affected colleges and universities around the nation. Therefore, initiatives like the FARE College Program and WPI鈥檚 limiting nut allergen exposure in dining locations on campus are essential for the accessibility of students with these allergies.

In other Auntie Anne鈥檚 and Planet Smoothie locations, they use nuts in a few of their products, and these products, like the Almond Pretzel, are some of their top selling items according to their reports. In order to benefit our students with nut allergies at Planet Smoothie, yet still providing a similar nutrition profile, WPI鈥檚 location uses sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter. According to manager Jill Dickinson, Planet Smoothie agreed to the change because it would enhance business, whereas taking the smoothies that contain nuts totally off the menu would decrease business. Planet Smoothie performed their own tasting trial of the sunflower seed butter smoothie and approved the swap prior to the opening in August and Auntie Anne鈥檚 removed the Almond Pretzel from their menu.

Director of Dining Services Joe Kraskouskas, said the switch to a facility which avoided nuts did not present as many challenges as they anticipated. Both students with nut allergies and parents of those students are happy with the result. One student said, 鈥淚鈥檓 a huge fan of what鈥檚 going on at the Planet Smoothie. Being able to order anything without the fear of cross-contamination is something I can rarely enjoy, but at Planet Smoothie, it is something that I can count on every visit! I get to try new things and be 100% confident that I鈥檒l be okay鈥? Parents of students with nut allergies are also happy that their students have more opportunities and choices at any of the campus food establishments run by WPI Dining Services with their continued limited nut exposure policy.

Overall, this location has been a hit for the campus community and has seen a lot of success. It is a win-win for WPI students with nut allergies and WPI Dining Services. It is a perfect example of how innovation, and some easy swaps, can make dining accessible to a wider audience.