Kitchens and communal areas

Kitchen facilities

All students have access to a kitchen which has the following as standard:

• Sink
• Cooker
• Microwave
• Kettle
• Toaster
• Fridges and Freezers

You will have to provide your own crockery, cutlery, and cooking utensils. Remember you can share with others and there are many local charity shops where you can find new and second-hand items. It is not possible for you to purchase your own domestic equipment items - such as washing machines, dishwashers, fridges, or freezers - for use in residential halls. You are however allowed to purchase a rice cooker, countertop pizza oven, or air fryer which can only be used in your kitchen.

Sharing the kitchen space

There are no specifically designated cupboards, shelves, etc for each student's bedroom. You and your fellow students will need to work out how you are going to share the kitchen space.

Please do not overfill fridges and freezers, they work most effectively if not overfilled.

Here are some simple tips that will help the kitchen group to get along:

• store items in the fridges in containers. This makes it easier to identify your own food and helps with keeping the fridge clean.
• clear-up after you have cooked and eaten your meals. Keeping the kitchen tidy helps everyone.
• set-up a kitchen rota so you all share looking after your kitchen space. This could include who will take out the rubbish and recycle.

If you are experiencing issues within the kitchen group then you can raise this with your local Residential Community Team.

Cleaning communal areas including the kitchen

You are responsible for your own cooking and for cleaning up after yourself. Please wash, dry and put away all cooking implements and used crockery and cutlery. Each day you and the other students in your kitchen need to ensure that:

• the kitchen has been tidied and items put away (including food items)
• the kitchen surfaces are clear
• crockery, cutlery, pots, and pans have been washed-up, dried, and put away
• the sink is clear and emptied
• the rubbish and recycling have been tied-up properly and removed to your designated rubbish collection and recycling points

Cleared surfaces and an empty sink area are important to support your local cleaning services. If your residential hall has cleaning services included then the University asks that kitchens are cleared by 9.00am in order for scheduled cleaning to take place. A schedule relating to the cleaning of communal areas is available in your kitchen. Please be prepared to vacate kitchens and communal areas to enable domestic assistants to clean.

If dirty pots, pans, crockery, and cutlery are left lying around, they may be removed by the Campus Cleaning Services Team. Items left at the end of your letting period will be disposed of. Please look to donate, reuse and recycle items before this happens.

Messy kitchens

Leaving kitchens and dining areas in a mess after use is not acceptable. You should maintain the communal areas in a good condition every day - not just allow a kitchen area to become messy and clear up just before the day your kitchen is scheduled for cleaning by the local Campus Cleaning Services Team.

As part of a kitchen group, it is your responsibility to ensure that communal areas are left tidy every day. If kitchens are not deemed tidy enough to be cleaned, the University may invoke the messy kitchen process. This process will enable you and your kitchen group to tidy the kitchen and communal areas before the need to charge for additional tidying and cleaning.

Should the kitchen area be left in an unacceptable state and no one steps forward to help remedy the mess, then the kitchen group may be charged for additional cleaning and tidying. The charge will be made up of the costs of the time taken for additional cleaning, any materials or damage (if any) plus an administration fee. The administration fee per student is £25 (this charge remains at the same level as the 2019-20 academic year). This additional administration fee reflects the cost of processing the damage charge and collection of payment.

Rubbish and recycling

When kitchen bins become full, please tie the top of the bag to prevent spillages and take it to the refuse area. Remember to replace the bag in the bin. These are left by domestic assistants but you can ask a member of the Residential Community Team if there are none available. All broken, sharp objects should be placed into the correct sharps bin provided. For more information on how to recycle certain items please visit the Waste and Recycling pages on the Environmental Sustainability website.

Kitchen rotas for tidying, rubbish, and recycling

It is sometimes helpful if you and the other students in your kitchen group decide on a kitchen rota for tidying, rubbish, and recycling. This helps to share responsibilities and can reduce potential conflict within the group.

If there is no local agreed rota and the kitchen and communal areas are repeatedly left in an unacceptable condition, it may become necessary for the University to impose a local cleaning, rubbish and recycling rota.

Kitchen safety

Please do not place anything on the tops of kitchen cupboards, fridges, and freezers to avoid accidents. You should also place any sharp objects (such as broken glass) in the sharps box provided.

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Residential network - ResNet

All bedrooms in University campus accommodation are connected to the ResNet Service. A network port is provided in each bedroom for connection to the internet. This service is free for residents in University campus accommodation.

The wi-fi service in student bedrooms and kitchen areas is provided by eduroam.

Desktops and laptops can be used to connect in the residences and most tablets and mobile devices can connect to the wireless network. Please refer to the Wireless Network Service pages on the IT Services website for connection details. Residents should note that servers and other equipment such as wireless routers or hubs are not allowed.

Please read the Acceptable Use Policy and minimum specification for computers to connect to the ResNet service.

For enquiries relating to ResNet please contact the IT Services Help Desk on 024 7657 5000 or email helpdesk at warwick dot ac dot uk.

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Faults and repairs

The best way to report faults within your accommodation is through the Warwick Accommodation website.

Please do not report power failures online, either speak to your Campus Cleaning Services Manager (not the domestic assistant) or contact the Student Information Centre reception desk in Senate House on 024 7652 2280 (from 08.00 until 20.00 hours). In the case of an incident outside these times please contact Community Safety on 024 7652 2083.

In the event of an emergency, which is likely to endanger life or cause structural damage to property, you should immediately contact the Community Safety Team (who are qualified first aiders) on 024 7652 2222.

Note: Dialling 999 on a mobile or external phone bypasses Community Safety and may lead to a delay in the emergency services attending the correct location. By contacting the Community Safety Team they can dispatch a Community Safety Officer to assist you whilst the emergency services arrive. The Community Safety Team can also give access behind barriers and into residential halls if needed.

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Barbecues

Some campus residences have a designated barbecue area nearby that can be used by small groups of students. Please be mindful of the noise that you may create and plan for:

• removal of rubbish
• the safe closedown of the barbecue and disposal of coals when cool

Here are the guidelines for holding a barbecue on campus. Please be advised that if you and your guests are creating a nuisance you will be asked to finish the barbecue and leave the area. Any damage to the grass, equipment or surrounding area may be charged to you as well as any additional costs of clearing rubbish from the site.

If you want to hold a larger scale event with more than 20 people the site must be booked in advance online, via the Community Safety Team.

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Car parking

Students are strongly advised not to bring cars onto campus. There is extremely limited parking both on the campus and in the surrounding areas, and there is no dedicated parking for students. Only in exceptional circumstances will resident students be allowed to apply for permission to park on campus. Details of the application process can be found on the Car Parking website. For information on more sustainable travel, please visit the Transport and Mobility pages on the Estates website.

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Warwick and the environment

The University of Warwick prides itself on the environment within which it is set - this is a great place to live, work and play. However, with ever increasing pressures relating to sustainability, it is paramount for each of us to “do our bit” to preserve our environment and resources for future students. We are determined to reduce the consumption of resources such as energy and water and to reduce waste. This will also serve to reduce our carbon emissions. If you have an idea for a sustainability project, the University's Environmental Sustainability team would love to hear it.

Energy and water

Simple individual measures can help to reduce our environmental impact. These include:

• Do not leave electrical items (lights, computer, speakers, TV etc.) on when you are out
• Avoid the use of the standby option - this is still an energy demand so turn it off at the wall
• Unplug electrical chargers (for example mobile phones, bluetooth charging devices, etc.) when they are not being used
• Do not have the heating on with windows open. Use the valve on the radiator to turn the heating down or off
• Please report any faulty lights, heaters or dripping taps via the Warwick Accommodation website
• Turn off taps/showers when not in use
• Remember water from taps at Warwick is drinkable (unless labelled otherwise) so you can refill rather than buying bottled water
• Boil only what you need in a kettle
• Put a lid on pans when cooking and turn off the hob or oven when you have finished

Recycling

Warwick is committed to implementing long term waste management strategies to reduce overall waste production and increase the recycled component of the waste stream. You can help by:

• Buying products with less packaging or reusing items for other purposes before placing waste items in the correct bins (please read the labels) in your kitchen. Please clean items before recycling them to reduce contamination (the contamination results in waste not being recycled)
• Keeping food waste to a minimum - plan your meals
• Keeping the waste bins as tidy as possible and disposing of your own waste responsibly
• Using the campus and off-site recycling points for specific items of waste - bulky cardboard, glass, batteries, CDs etc
• Consider how you can best recycle items that you no longer need when you come to leave your University accommodation

Green travel and cycle scheme

The University is committed to encouraging modes of transport which minimise environmental impact. Warwick's Green Travel Plan requires the University to develop and implement long term strategies to reduce car use and offer students (and staff) alternative modes of transport to travel to and from its campus locations. There is also the UniCycle scheme for journeys around campus.

The University of Warwick has invested in many alternative modes of transport in recent years including cycling, walking, car sharing and bus services.

Biodiversity

We all have a responsibility to protect the environment at Warwick, so make sure you do not harm animals, birds, plants or trees. Do not drop litter around the campus and please consider the impact of your actions.

For further information or suggestions relating to Warwick and the Environment, please visit the Environmental Sustainability website.

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