[DormCon] Welcome (back) to campus!

[Diego Temkin]

tl;dr:

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Welcome (back) to MIT! 🦈 DormCon 🦈 is your student government for MIT dorms, advocating for student life, organizing events, and sending key updates to all dorm residents.
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Check out upcoming general body meetings with free dinner, and visit dormcon.mit.edu<http://dormcon.mit.edu> for resources.
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Get involved with REX<http://dormcon.mit.edu/rex>, share your dining<https://forms.gle/oXVpueK3JHbBtNZZ8> and Concord Market<http://dormcon.mit.edu/concord> feedback, and look out for laundry and grocery shuttle improvements.
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Join the dormcon-announce mailing list<https://groups.mit.edu/webmoira/list/dormcon-announce> for more updates, and reach out anytime with questions!

[cid:4042ea19-e2b2-467f-82cf-96f45895044f]

Hi dorm resident!

To upperclassmen, welcome back to campus. For first years, welcome to MIT! You’re getting this email from 🦈 DormCon 🦈, your friendly neighborhood student government.

What is DormCon?
The Dormitory Council, lovingly called 🦈 DormCon 🦈, is the student government representing the 11 undergraduate residence halls (as well as undergrads living in graduate housing!). Throughout the year, we work on advocating for student life issues and fostering living group culture and community. We deal with issues pertaining to student life in dorms and we strive to elevate student concerns or ideas to administration. We also run, help organize, and fund events throughout the semester such as REX/CPW, mural pilot programs, apple picking trips, field days, and more!

You’re getting this email from dorms@, a mailing list with all students living in MIT residence halls that only DormCon can use. We promise to keep this list low-traffic and focused on important updates, so please read our emails!

Resources for you!
Our resources include:

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Add yourself to the dormcon-announce@ mailing list<https://groups.mit.edu/webmoira/list/dormcon-announce> for agenda, details on GBM location, reminders, and updates! If you’re not familiar with mailing lists, you can also email dormcon-secretary at mit.edu<mailto:dormcon-secretary at mit.edu> for help.
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Our first general body meeting (GBM) will be on September 11th! Free dinner will be provided, and they happen every other Thursday. GBMs are open to all dorm residents, and these meetings are where residents propose policies and programs that affect and benefit the entire dormitory system.
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See our previous meeting minutes and other relevant information at dormcon.mit.edu<http://dormcon.mit.edu>!
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Feel free to send any questions to dormcon-exec at mit.edu<mailto:dormcon-exec at mit.edu> to reach all of DormCon exec, or go to this page<https://dormcon.mit.edu/about/officers> to find the officer that can help with your specific issue.
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If you’re not on a dormspam list<https://how-to-dormspam.mit.edu/> already, go to join-dormspam.mit.edu<http://join-dormspam.mit.edu> to learn more and add yourself to a list. This is a great way to stay connected to all campus events, not just DormCon!

REX REX REX!
Residence Exploration, or REX, is starting soon! REX is a multi-day experience for first-year students to explore MIT dorms and find their future home on campus, more information can be found on dormcon.mit.edu/rex<http://dormcon.mit.edu/rex>. If you’d like to peruse the events<https://dormcon.mit.edu/rex/events> as we get closer and closer to REX, feel free to also pick up a REX booklet at your dorm’s front desk or at the OFY in 11-101 during working hours.

Due to changes in Orientation scheduling, the available REX event times have also changed this year. If you have thoughts or feedback, please feel free to email dormcon-rex-chairs at mit.edu<mailto:dormcon-rex-chairs at mit.edu>, and if you’re a first year, please fill out the post-REX form with your thoughts once it becomes available.

What has DormCon been up to?
Dining feedback: One of DormCon’s biggest multi-year projects is working on making dining better. However, that requires YOU to submit your concerns, and what you want made better. Right now, there are two forms you can fill out:

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Dining feedback form: Did you eat at a dining hall, or retail location on campus (Bosworth’s cafe in Lobby 7, the Launchpad restaurants on Stud 2, etc) and like it? Or hate it? Was your dietary restriction not accommodated? Did they serve your favorite food, and you want to make sure they serve it again? Let the DormCon dining chairs know! Your feedback will be shared directly with representatives from MIT Dining, and will have an opportunity to make a big impact. forms.gle/oXVpueK3JHbBtNZZ8<https://forms.gle/oXVpueK3JHbBtNZZ8>
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Concord market feedback form: Concord Market is open in the Student Center! Do you have thoughts on it? Share it here! dormcon.mit.edu/concord<http://dormcon.mit.edu/concord>

Laundry updates: This summer, we worked with Housing & Residential Services (HRS) to formalize the renovation policy to develop a free laundry “welcome back” benefit. It was informally done for New House and Burton Conner, and will apply for East Campus until the end of September (and all renovations going forward, including McCormick and beyond).

Furthermore, a pilot program is currently being developed in collaboration with DormCon, Simmons Gov, and HRS to use house tax funding to provide free laundry to Simmons residents for the entirety of the upcoming academic year. If approved by residents, data collected will determine the feasibility of including the cost of laundry in rent, and the goal is to track changes in water/energy usage and maintenance costs. With data collected, the possibility of bundling laundry costs with room rent campus-wide may be considered for future academic years. More information to come soon!

We are hoping to communicate with dorm residents every step of the way and incorporate feedback throughout. If you want to receive more frequent updates, please join dormcon-announce<https://groups.mit.edu/webmoira/list/dormcon-announce>, and feel free to either fill out this feedback form<https://forms.gle/zcLhKgbkRaSjzEFv5> or reach out to dormcon-laundry at mit.edu<mailto:dormcon-laundry at mit.edu> with any feedback.

Shuttle changes: With the closing of Daily Table, the low-cost grocer in Central Square, we have been working to push for changes in grocery shuttle routes to better serve the student population. These changes for Fall 2025 would begin September 5th and are currently in the final stages of review. Be on the lookout for that announcement soon, and if you have thoughts, please reach out to dormcon-dining-chairs at mit.edu<mailto:dormcon-dining-chairs at mit.edu>.

In addition to shuttles, please take advantage of other MIT transportation resources! Zipcars<https://www.zipcar.com/universities/massachusetts-institute-of-technology> are available throughout campus, and a discounted membership (as well as a subsidized MBTA monthly pass) can be purchased through Atlas<https://atlas.mit.edu/atlas/Main.action?tab=aboutMe&sub=commuting&sapSystemId=PS1>. Using these resources demonstrates to administrators how important these are to students and encourages more resources to go towards these services. The most up to date information can be found on their website<https://web.mit.edu/facilities/transportation/shuttles/index.html>, and if you want to share your thoughts directly about transportation services at MIT, send your feedback to shuttles at mit.edu<mailto:shuttles at mit.edu>.


We hope you’ll take advantage of these resources and be engaged in dorm life conversations! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to dormcon-exec at mit.edu<mailto:dormcon-exec at mit.edu> if you have any questions, concerns, or comments.

With love from DormCon,

Diego Temkin 🦈
President

Farin Liani 🦈
Vice President

Paola Namphy 🦈
Secretary
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