The Westgate lounge is available to all Westgate residents for parties and other functions. The Information and Publicity Coordinators (westgate-itc@mit.edu) manage the reservation administration.
Reservations
- Reservations are required for private parties, organized meetings, and other similar activities. Reservations may be made up to 30 days in advance. To make a reservation, complete the online reservation form.
- Reservations cost $10 per 4 hours. Reservation fees should be paid through adMIT One. Money collected from reservations will be deposited in Westgate’s general account for use in lounge maintenance and other needs.
- Reservations may be cancelled at any time; however, the ticket is non-refundable. If you need to cancel the reservation a week before the reserved time, request the IT Coordinator at (westgate-itc@mit.edu) to return your ticket for repurpose, but no refund is possible.
- Lounge reservations for weekend evenings (5pm-12am) are usually highly sought after. In an effort to evenly distribute these reservation times, lounge policy dictates that each resident or group may only reserve one weekend evening reservation per month (even if the group includes multiple Westgate residents). If a weekend evening is still available five days in advance (e.g., as of Sunday, a Friday evening is still open on the calendar) any individual or group is allowed to reserve that weekend evening, regardless of other reservations they may have that month.
- Payments must be made within two weeks of placing the reservation.
- Residents cannot make a new reservation until all past unpaid reservations have been paid. Failure to pay could result in loss of lounge reservation privileges until all money has been received.
- Reservations can only be made by Westgate Residents. Other MIT affiliates do not have access to the building, and therefore are unable to reserve the lounge.
- All reservation requests are subject to the discretion of the Graduate Coordinators.
Lounge Treatment
- The individual making the reservation is responsible for the condition of the lounge and its contents as well as the conduct of all guests. This individual is also financially responsible for all damages made to lounge property, including damages or abuse done by guests. The individual is responsible for damages up to the full cost of property replacement, including those made by guests. Abuse of the lounge will result in a complete loss of reservation privileges.
- Smoking is not permitted in the lounge. There is no external ventilation in this room, and it is used by the entire Westgate community.
- Arrangements must be made to admit guests into the building. Blocking or propping doors external to the building is a security breach and is absolutely not permitted.
Cleaning
- The individual who made the reservation is responsible for the cleanliness of the lounge after their reservation is complete. The lounge must be entirely clean by the end of the reservation time, so plan accordingly. The individual who made the reservation is responsible to provide their own cleaning supplies. If you do not own a vacuum, one is available for use at the Tang Front Desk. Make accommodations ahead of time to allow yourself to properly clean the lounge.
- Failure to properly clean the lounge after your reservation can result in a fine of $60. If there is another event planned after yours, make sure you have properly cleaned so you are not held responsible for any of their mess.
- If you are fined you will have 1 week to pay the fine by check. If you do not pay by then it will be charged to your Student Bursar Account, with an additional $10 as a late fee (total of $50).
- If you disagree with the fine, you can go through an appeal process, but this does not guarantee the fee will be waived.
- Any Westgate resident can be fined for not leaving the lounge in clean and orderly condition after their use, even if they have not reserved the lounge.
- Properly cleaning the lounge includes:
- Wipe all tables and countertops with a clean, damp cloth.
- Wipe down the furniture with a slightly damp cloth.
- Vacuum the carpeted area and sweep the kitchen floor, mopping up all spills with a clean, damp mop after sweeping.
- Rinse out the sink.
- Clean spills in the oven and on the stove top.
- Empty and clean the refrigerator and freezer.
- Empty and replace all full garbage cans and recycling bins and replace with a new trash liner (found in trash rooms). Place trash bags in a trash room or the Tang dumpsters.
Alcohol Policy
- If alcohol is to be present at a lounge event, it must be appropriately indicated on the online reservation form. The proper forms must also be filled out and submitted (see below).
- If alcohol will be present and there will be 50 or fewer guests, the Westgate Alcohol Registration Form must be completed and submitted to the House Manager’s office in person, between 8:30am and 3:30pm, Monday through Friday, at least 72 hours before the event.
- If alcohol will be present and there will be more than 50 guests, the MIT Event Registration Form must be completed and submitted and all policies outlined at Alcohol Policies and Procedures @ MIT must be understood and followed.
