Here in Facilities, we've been helping out during move in for a few years. We've assembled a list of tips and tricks that we hope will make your move in experience a bit easier. Whether you are a new or returning student, welcome to campus! Our Facilities Service Center is here all year and happy to help. Reach out to us by phone, 609-258-8000, or with an online work order. We also encourage you to visit our construction section to find information about our current construction projects and detours around campus.
1. What if I notice something broken or leaking in my room, or around campus?
Contact us as soon as you notice something is broken, and especially if you notice water from a leak or an unknown source. Really, that is literally why we are here. We have a large campus and your calls help us maintain our buildings and keep our campus safe.
The fastest way to reach us is by giving us a quick phone call, 609-258-8000.
You can email us, [email protected], yet please understand this is actually the slowest way to reach us.
Our Facilities Customer Service Center is staffed from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. during the week.
2. How does climate-control work in my room?
If you are in one of the newer dorms with a thermostat, you may have some control over adjusting heating, and if available, cooling. The settings are based on the outside temperature, so on a very cold day heating will be available, and on a very warm day cooling will be available.
Situations when your thermostat adjustments won’t affect the temperature in your room:
When the outside temperature is lovely - The heating and cooling systems automatically conserve energy by becoming inactive when it is nice or lovely outside.
When your window is not latched - Here is a little-known fact, the window latches are sometimes connected to the heating and cooling systems and will override the temperature settings. Please close AND latch your windows when adjusting the temperature.
Many (but not all) of our bed frames are designed so you can adjust between a low height (approximately 11" clearance) and a high height (approximately 22" clearance). Some beds can be "bunked." Please refer to more details depending on your location below.
Bed Frame Type per Location
Rocky, Mathey, Yeh and New College West
Have a new type of bed frame.
If you live in one of these four colleges and want to adjust the height of your bed, we strongly recommend you submit a basic work order for Facilities to schedule a time to come adjust/unbunk your bed to avoid damaging the bed frame.
NOTE: Students are NOT allowed to "unbunk" a bed for safety reasons.
Other Colleges
Have the type of bed frame shown here.
The short video below provides step-by-step instructions on how to adjust the bed height.
We suggest you grab a rubber mallet and friend to help, this task is much easier with two people.
You can also choose to "bunk" your bed. Call Facilities Service Center to obtain the pegs needed to "bunk" your bed. Facilities will also provide a rail and ladder if you don't have one.
4. May I have a different mattress?
We do get this question a lot, so you are not alone. The University provides standard twin extra-long mattresses and only under extraordinary circumstances do we swap out mattresses. We do inspect every mattress before delivering it to your room. If you feel your mattress is unsuitable, please submit a basic work order and we will come out to assess the condition of the mattress.
You may bring your own mattress to use on the University provided bedframe. If you decide to bring your own mattress, please understand you are responsible for arranging storage for your mattress during the summer. You will find fee-based storage options, as well as other great services, provided by Princeton’s very helpful Student Agencies.
If you decide (as most do) to stick with our mattress, here are the exact mattress sizes to help with your sheet selection:
A standard dorm mattress is twin XL (36” x 80” x 7")
A limited number of twin XXL mattresses (36” x 84” x 7") are available for very tall students. If you are taller than 6‘ and need an XXL mattress, please request one in advance by contacting The Service Point, 609-258-8300.
5. What if I notice bugs in my room or building?
Contact us if you notice more than a few bugs in your room or building, we like to address this issue quickly.
The fastest way to reach us is by giving us a quick phone call, 609-258-8000.
You can email us, [email protected], yet please understand this is actually the slowest way to reach us.
Our Facilities Customer Service Center is staffed from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. during the week.
6. Who cleans my bathroom?
It depends. Our staff clean public restrooms with a hallway entrance. For private and shared bathrooms, i.e. those with entrances inside a dorm room, the residents who access the bathroom will need to clean it. We suggest working out a cleaning schedule with your roommates. Upon request, Facilities may be able to provide cleaning and restroom supplies for shared bathrooms. Contact us by submitting a basic work order.
7. It would be great to have bike hooks installed in my room
We absolutely agree! Submit a basic work order, or phone the Facilities Customer Service Center, 609-258-8000, to request a bike hook installation (NOTE: Yeh and New College West rooms can not accommodate bike hooks). Typically, work orders for installations collected during move in begin in October.
If you are lucky enough to move into a room with a wooden bar with pre-drilled holes in the ceiling, you don't have to wait for installation. Please call the Service Center, 609-258-8000, to ensure we have bike hooks available for pick up. Please note, you must already have the wooden bar with pre-drilled holes on your ceiling to attach the hooks yourself.
8. I accidentally locked my interior bedroom/bathroom door. Can someone open it for me?
Absolutely, call Facilities Service Center, 609-258-8000, and we will be happy to help. If needed, we can send a locksmith to you.
9. There is no power in the kitchen/bathroom outlets
Kitchens and bathrooms have special outlets called GFCI’s (ground-fault circuit interrupter), which are required and provide extra protection in areas around water. If there is no power in the outlet (or even to non-GFCI outlets nearby), press the reset button. If the circuit was interrupted, as designed, pressing the reset button will ‘restart’ the flow of power to the outlet again. If the reset button does not restore power in the outlet, please call our Service Center, 609-258-8000.
10. The outlet on the wall isn’t working
In living rooms and bedrooms with no ceiling lights, the light switch often controls a wall outlet to enable you to turn a lamp on when entering the room.
Each room is different, so it may take a few tries of plugging in a lamp to find the correct outlet-light switch pairing. If there is no power to an outlet, first try flipping the switch to see if that is the issue. Once you find the correct outlet controlled by the light switch, plug in your lamp and you no longer have to walk through darkness to turn on a light.
11. What can I do if I bring my own furniture?
You are welcome to bring your own dorm furnishings. The important thing to remember is the furniture provided in your room when you arrive MUST be in your room when you leave at the end of the school year. The one exception is the mattress. Please review Housing’s furniture policy for more information.
