Building Policies

1. 1. These regulations are promulgated under the authority of the Vice-Principal, Administration and Finance, and responsibility for their enforcement has been delegated to the building directors.
   2. The regulations are intended to establish suitable arrangements for the safety of life and property, the efficient accommodation of academic requirements, and the optimum use of available facilities for the maximum number of users within the University.

   3. For the purpose of these regulations, space will be divided into:

      University Space: General-purpose class and meeting rooms under the scheduling authority of the University Timetable Coordinator;

      University Services Spaces: Mechanical, electrical, custodial and services areas under the authority of the Associate Vice-Principal, University Services;

      Departmental Space: Under the authority of deans, departmental chairs or directors, to include offices, seminar rooms, libraries, reading, research and storage rooms;

      General Space: Under the authority of the building director, to include all rooms and all areas not placed under the control of either a specific department or the University, as noted above.

      Note: A more specific designation for the building in question may be added.

   4. Staff and students should be urged to comply with these regulations in order to achieve optimum use of all University facilities.

1. 1. The buildings will normally be considered open as follows:

      • During the Academic session:

        Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. (or 6:00 p.m.)

        When not in session:

      • Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

      Note: The above standard hours apply to two basic groups of building as follows:

      Major Buildings: Those buildings containing space extensively used in evening hours by both the University population and the general public and in which the normal closing hour during the week is designated as 10:30 p.m.

      Minor Buildings: Those buildings in which there is no specific requirement for normal opening after 6:00 p.m. daily.

   2. The above standard hours may not be altered without the authority of the Director, Buildings and Grounds. Access to buildings during silent hours must be authorized by the building director in liaison with University Services and the department concerned. It should be noted that in all cases a valid McGill Identification Card or other appropriate identification as agreed by the Building Director and University Services will be required for building access.

   3. On Saturday, Sunday, statutory holidays and any other holidays so designated in the McGill calendar, the buildings will normally be considered closed.

      Departments or groups wanting to open a building during silent hours, on Saturday, Sunday, or Statutory holidays outside of the normal building hours will be required to cover any additional expenses ($). Departments are to submit their requests by e-mail to special.events [at] mcgill.ca identifying the event /reason building is to be opened, date to be opened, start and end time the building is to be opened, and rooms numbers to be opened and serviced, etc.

   4. It should be noted that special hours pertain to University Libraries and that specific instructions for these libraries will be approved by the Dean/Director of Libraries. Building directors will be notified accordingly.

• The provision, duplication and distribution of internal keys is controlled by the building director, and all requirements for keys must be submitted to his/her office. Keys may not be loaned, duplicated or misused. Keys to offices will be issued to staff members only through the building director.
• Building Directors may order keys through the Facilities Call Centre at 514-398-4555 using a FOAPAL (the cost varies based on the key types). The Building Director will be contacted once their key order is ready for pick-up.

1. Where lockers are available to students, their allotment, at the discretion of the building director, will be made as early as possible in the fall term.
   1. Applicants will present proof of registration in the form of valid student identification card or a letter of acceptance. No locker will be issued without positive identification.
   2. Lockers must be vacated by undergraduates before June 1 of each session. The locks of lockers occupied after that date will be cut and their contents removed. Graduate students may be allowed to retain the use of their lockers during the summer, provided that application is made to the building director before June 1. Lockers for use by Summer Session students are available by contacting the appropriate building director.
   3. The University is not responsible for losses from lockers.

1. General fire regulations for the University pertaining to all facilities are published in this Handbook (see the "Fire Prevention and Procedures" Section D and are widely displayed throughout University buildings. It should be remembered that the primary aim of these regulations is to prevent fires. Building occupants are to note the responsibility of each individual to adhere to the University fire prevention regulations which forbid smoking in all classrooms, labs, auditoria and any other areas where "NO SMOKING" signs have been posted. In addition, special attention will be paid to the following areas, and appropriate regulations will be published by the building director to cover the specific hazards involved:
   1. The overloading of electrical circuits, the use of extensions, the unattended operation of equipment and appliances.
   2. The storage, dispensing and usage of flammable liquids and of combustible gases.
   3. The activities and practices in laboratories of all kinds.
   4. The continual review of housekeeping operations and the periodic removal of surplus materials, old chemicals, or unusable equipment.
2. Specific fire regulations and instructions pertaining to a particular building should be posted by the building director. These should include a description of evacuation routes for the building in the case of emergency. These instructions should be reviewed by the building director with the University Fire Prevention Officer prior to publication.

1. The consumption of food and drink is only permitted in designated areas. Users are requested to dispose of their litter in the waste receptacles provided and to leave the area as they would like to find it.

1. Notices and posters must be submitted to the building director for approval and appropriate posting. No posters are allowed anywhere other than on noticeboards provided for the purpose.

1. Lobbies and hallways are primarily transit areas which are subject to frequent and high density traffic: everything must be done to avoid interference with circulation.
   1. The handing out of leaflets will not be generally permitted. A self-service table may, however, be provided on request to the building director.
   2. Tables and chairs can be obtained and set up in lobbies on request and subject to the following conditions:
      1. The request is made by and for the use of a registered student organization and/or staff association.
      2. The distribution material has been approved by the Executive Director of the Students' Society or an official of the staff association concerned.
      3. For election purposes, the installation of poll stations is requested by the Chief Returning Officer, or in the case of departmental elections, by the Departmental Returning Officer.
      4. With regard to sales for a recognized student or University activity, such as "Old McGill", a play or review, or an officially-sponsored charitable drive and, in all cases, the Students' Society, the department or group involved will inform the building director of the official nature of the sale.
      5. The request for obtaining tables and chairs must be made as early as possible and, in any case, no later than 24 hours before the date required.

1. The following provisions relate to the booking of rooms within the University:
   1. University Space: The booking of general-purpose classrooms for regularly scheduled academic programs is arranged by faculty timetable coordinators in conjunction with the University Timetable Office. The booking of classrooms for evening programs is coordinated by the Centre for Continuing Education in liaison with the University Timetable Office.
   2. Departmental and General Space: The booking of space in buildings pertaining to academic or administrative departments or the building director's general space is controlled by the department or building director concerned.
   3. The booking of all space in buildings by non-University organizations for conferences, special events, film showings, etc., is under the responsibility of Events Booking's Permit Administrator. Space for these events is arranged by this Office in liaison with the University Timetable Office and appropriate building directors.
   4. The booking of rooms in academic buildings for entertainment purposes may be allowed with the proviso that food, drinks or an invitation to join the party will not be offered to University Services building or trade staff.

1. All losses should be reported as soon as they are discovered. Anyone who has lost an article inside a building should go to the building service person’s office to check if the article has been handed in. If there is no building porter, contact Security Services to verify if the article has been turned in. Security Services manages the University Lost and Found system.
2. Similarly, all items found in classrooms, corridors, etc., should be turned in at the office of the building service person (if applicable) or turned over to Security Services. A building porter shall keep all non-valuable found articles in his office for no more than seven (7) days. After seven (7) days, these non-valuable articles shall be sent to Security Services. All found articles of value, such as wallets, McGill I.D. cards, government issued ID cards, bank or credit cards, cameras, lap top computers, keys, jewellery, etc., given to the porter shall be sent to Security Services before 15h00 each day.
3. Once the found articles are sent to Security Services, reasonable efforts will be made to ensure that they are returned to their rightful owner(s). Security Services has adopted the following procedure to dispose of material turned in to the University Lost and Found, but not claimed. The articles are held for a period of sixty (60) days. If at the end of such time the articles remain unclaimed by the owner, the material is then disposed of as outlined below:
   1. Glasses are turned in to pre-designated optometrists identified by local authorities; they, in turn, re-use the frame and also, at times, the lenses for needy individuals.
   2. Keys are destroyed and the material is recycled.
   3. Any items containing personal information (identification cards, personal documents and electronic devices such as USB memory sticks) are destroyed to avoid falling into the wrong hands.
   4. Clothing is sent to a recognized charity for re-use by the needy.
   5. Solid materials, calculators, jewelry, etc., will either be donated to charity or sold with the profits given to charity.
   6. Found money will also be donated to a recognized charitable organization selected by McGill University. The Administrative Secretary or his/her replacement shall obtain a receipt detailing all the articles donated.
   7. All unclaimed non-McGill books shall be donated to the McGill University Volunteer Ladies Association for their annual book fair.
4. Articles that are contaminated or infested are disposed of immediately.
5. All thefts should be reported immediately reported to Security Services. Theft victims of private property should also contact the police. All theft of University property must be reported to the police and Security Services. Details as to make, model, serial number, time of theft, location, presence of strangers and their description should be given as accurately as possible.
6. All academic and non-academic staff, as well as students, should be aware of the fact that both professional and amateur thieves make periodic incursions into University buildings. Care should be taken to lock offices and lockers, to place handbags and purses in a locked drawer, and to make sure that all attractive items such as office machinery, laptop computers, audiovisual equipment, etc., are under lock and key when not in use.

1. The building director is responsible for ensuring that all hazards are avoided, and it is essential that any abnormal situation be reported to him/her as soon as it is perceived. In addition to fire prevention, keys and crowd control, the following should be noted:
   1. Accidents and injuries to persons should be reported immediately to the Security Office, at 514-398-3000. In the case of light cuts and bruises, the injured person should be taken to the office of the building service person or building director where first aid can be provided. In the case of serious injury, the Security Office will immediately arrange for transportation to hospital.
   2. If an accident requires the immediate assistance of tradespeople, such as in cases of electrocution, gas asphyxiation, broken or collapsed structures or portions thereof, call Security Services at 514-398-3000, day or night.
   3. For further information see the "Accident Procedures"

1. A number of areas are strictly out of bounds to all students and staff with the exception of designated University Services staff members. These areas include transformer and electrical inlet rooms, heating and ventilating plant rooms, cleaners' storage rooms, elevator machine rooms, and building rooftops. Other areas, such as equipment storage rooms, projection booths, etc., are out of bounds except with written permission from the building director.

1. 1. The building director is responsible for general discipline without prejudice to the authority of deans and/or chairs in their respective areas. In particular, the building director may:
      1. After consultation with the appropriate dean or chair, require the surrender of a key that has been misused.
      2. Require anyone in the building to provide proper identification.
      3. Request anyone whose behaviour and continued presence are, in the building director's opinion, likely to be detrimental to good order, to leave the premises concerned.

Should any disciplinary problem arise with staff members, the building director will refer the matter to the appropriate chair or department head.

In cases of emergency, both staff and students will be required to follow instructions issued by the building director or his/her delegate.

1. For reasons of public hygiene, and in conformity with Municipal bylaws, animals (pets) such as dogs and cats will not be admitted to University buildings. This restriction does not apply to trained and certified working service dogs attached to people who have a documented disability (guide dogs), or (and) to laboratory animals whose accommodation is approved by the University and subject to animal care regulations. (Municipal by-laws specifically prohibit animals from eating areas, cafeterias, etc.) This regulation is issued under the authority of the Vice-Principal (Administration and Finance).

1. Bicycles are prohibited inside University buildings.
   • The University does not accept responsibility for loss of or damage to bicycles or any other vehicles left on its property.