SENS Lab Usage Policy

As you probably know, we have a lot of people in both SENS labs.
Recently, it seems that there have been problems
with high volume of traffic of visitors, extended conversations in the lab with
visitors, and usage of lab equipment by people who are not SENS members. 
These problems have caused some SENS people to stop working in the lab. 

In order to ensure that the SENS labs are productive working environments
for all SENS students, the SENS Lab Council and the SENS faculty
have outlined the following items describing appropriate lab usage practices. 

In general, SENS members are asked to use good judgement in their actions
and be respectful of fellow lab members, where it is understood that everyone
is trying to work on their research in a quiet environment.  Please remember
that extra care has to be taken because of the large number of people in each lab. 


1) Phone Usage:
   - Please limit phone calls to 5 minutes.
   - Please exercise care in the volume of your voice
   - If you need to have extended technical calls, please
     take the phone outside (examples might be interviews or technical discussions about
     your research with offsite collaborators).

2) All SENS equipment is to be used by SENS members ONLY. 
   (The SENS equipment has been purchased on federal grants, which
   means that we are held accountable for all activities and can
   be audited and shutdown for inappropriate usage.)

3) The doors to the SENS labs are to be closed at all times.
   (Recently, the doors have been seen to be left open when people
   are going down the hall to the restroom, instructional labs, etc.)

4) Visitors:
   In general, we need to cut down the volume of visitors coming in and out
   of the SENS labs. First, we have many people trying to work in the lab and
   the traffic is disruptive. Second, we have lots of mobile equipment (e.g., wireless
   cards, IPAQs, laptops, etc.), that would be very easy to take. When you have a lot
   of visitors, it is difficult to monitor who is doing what. Third, SENS people have
   been allocated keys to the lab, thus committing them to a specific responsibility to the
   usage of the lab. These visitors have made no such commitment, and therefore are not
   accountable for their actions. 
   
   The following are two categories of visitors:

   a) Significant others who are waiting for a SENS member to complete their
   current task are allowed to wait quietly in the lab, provided that there is	
   available seating. 

   b) All other visitors are asked to wait outside the door until the SENS member
      who is being sought can come to the door. 

5) Extended conversations among SENS members: 

	    - technical discussions about your research are encouraged among SENS members

	    - if it is clear that a given discussion is going to last for an extended
	    period of time (e.g., more than 15 minutes), then in order to be respectful
	    to others in the lab, the discussion should be carried outside of the lab.
	    For example, the research conference room (3112) is a good place for these discussions.
	    One of the secretaries or a SENS faculty member can let you into the room
	    for these occasions. 

6) General maintenance of the lab: 
   Recently, we had a case where one of the labs had rotting food in one of the trashcans,
   thus making the environment unusable by all. Finally, one of the SENS faculty  had to
   dispose of the trashcan. In general, you are responsible for keeping the
   lab clean. The janitors do NOT clean inside the lab.

   a) Every night at 5:00 p.m., somebody needs to put the trashcan outside the door. (Otherwise, the
   trashcan will not be emptied.)

   b) If you use the microwave, make sure that you clean up after yourself. (Use paper towels to
   cover your food so that it won't splatter.)

   c) If you store food in the refrigerator, be sure to toss out any old food.

   The Lab Council will be setting up a cleaning roster, so that all students can share in
   the responsibility of keeping the facilities clean for everyone to use. The SENS faculty
   purchased the microwaves and refrigerators as a convenience for the labs, but it is up to the lab
   members to maintain a clean and usable state.