Principles Guiding Use of Space at SPH.

The Boston University School of Public Health is primarily based in the Talbot and Crosstown Buildings, with additional space on the 9th floor of the Fuller Building and 4th floor of the R Building (BUSM).  We are continuously evaluating the space we have available, balancing our space needs with costs involved in managing our space.  To the end of ensuring that all our space decisions are consistent with our values as a school, the following principles guide decisions we make around space.

  1. Space is a public good; no single unit owns space and we should be nimble and flexible enough to accommodate shifts and growths in particular areas of the school.
  2. All space decisions, in all units, need to be reviewed by the Dean’s Office before being implemented to ensure consistency with agreed upon principles.  All space-related requests should be directed the SPH Manager of Facilities and Building Operations who will assess the implications and confer with the Dean.
  3. Full-time faculty and director-level staff (central or departmental) should have individual offices.
  4. Non-director level staff (central or departmental) and part-time faculty who do not need a private office should share offices. Faculty who do not regularly work on campus three days a week or more will need to share an office or utilize shared space as assigned by the department’s director of administration or chair.
  5. Individual offices or relevant private conversation space will be made available for staff or faculty who regularly engage in conversations that would benefit from privacy.
  6. If full-time doctoral students or research staff have space, it should be in the form of a cubicle or work station in shared offices that are optimally configured for this purpose.
  7. Insofar as possible we will preserve contiguity of research groups to enhance collaboration.
  8. All conference rooms should be open to the school community for scheduling via a central system. While we should have sufficient conference rooms for our need, we want to make sure that we do not have redundant conference room space to ensure sufficient office and work space.

Space Assignment

The Associate Dean for Administration and Finance assigns overall office space to departments. Individual assignments of personnel to particular offices/cubicles are managed by departmental chairs/unit heads and directors of administration. The Associate Dean for Administration and Finance, as well as Occupational Health and Human Resources may be consulted for recommendations as needed.

Access

Access is authorized by each department adhering to campus safety guidelines as well as Campus Planning and Operations protocols and procedures.

Operations & Maintenance

  • Ongoing Operations & Maintenance are funded by central budget resources and will include standard general office infrastructure repairs, maintenance painting, cleaning, except when the Department has applied non-standard office furniture, finishes, fixtures or equipment with no prior approval from the Associate Dean for Administration.
  • Office spaces are initially outfitted with a standard set of furniture funded centrally by the School. Changes or upgrades to the standard set of furniture due to PI preference is the responsibility of the PI and as such must be funded accordingly by that PI’s discretionary account.
  • Each department is responsible for funding of approved equipment, supplies, etc., that are not identified as a larger School project or expense, yet are a preference of the requesting department. Whenever such preferences apply to a specific PI, the latter bears the costs through their discretionary account.

Costs

  • All costs associated with setting up a standard office with standard equipment/furniture (as highlighted in the description of single occupancy/shared occupancy office section below) for a new faculty/staff are borne by the School.
  • All costs associated with additional (by choice) equipment and furniture beyond the standard (described below) are borne by the individual requesting PI through their discretionary account

Inventory

Space inventory is maintained by the Director of Facilities and Building Operations utilizing the Physical Planning & Space Management system. Requests for space inventory information can be made by contacting mkoehler@bu.edu.

Single-Occupant Faculty/Staff Offices

All single-occupant Faculty/Staff Offices contain:

  • Desk, with drawer storage or small file cabinet
  • Task Chair
  • Landline phone
  • Computing equipment

Items that may also be included are:

  • File Cabinet Storage
  • Wall shelving or bookcases
  • Meeting table and seating (optional, and based on office size)

Any faculty/staff seeking to bring into the office other furniture items beyond the above, even if at no cost to the School, must receive approval from the Associate Dean for Administration or Finance in order to do so in order to remain in compliance with fire codes and other legal requirements. The request for approval may be sent via e-mail with a succinct business rationale substantiating the need to bring such other furniture into the office.

Shared Faculty/Staff Offices

All shared Faculty/Staff Offices contain for each personnel:

  • Desk with personal storage
  • Chair

Shared resources may include:

  • File Cabinet Storage
  • Wall shelving or bookcases
  • Land line phone for each occupant
  • Computing equipment

Items that may also be included:

  • Meeting table and seating is optional, and based on office size.

Any faculty/staff seeking to bring into the office other furniture items beyond the above, even if at no cost to the School, must receive approval from the Associate Dean for Administration or Finance in order to do so in order to remain in compliance with fire codes and other legal requirements. The request for approval may be sent via e-mail with a succinct business rationale substantiating the need to bring such other furniture into the office.

Protocol to outfit offices:

  • When possible, vacant offices may necessitate being properly outfitted as highlighted above to accommodate new faculty/staff.
  • Departmental Directors of Administration in collaboration with Departmental Chairs determine which offices to assign to new faculty/staff, whether to displace existing occupants based on actual office usage etc.
  • Whenever displacement of a current occupant is necessary, it is the responsibility of the department’s Director of Administration to coordinate accordingly with the Director of Facilities and Building Operations so that pre-existing items are appropriately removed or disposed of. Furniture may not be placed outside of an office setting, as it may potentially cause entry or egress blocking or other fire code/legal violations. The Director of Administration works with the Facilities Director to create an FSR so that items may be removed or disposed of.
  • Items such as books, office supplies and personal effects should be removed and appropriately disposed of by the existing occupant of the office being vacated. In order to minimize the burden, it is highly recommended that only necessary, work-related items be kept in any occupied office. Personal effects within an office setting should be kept to a minimum.
  • Assembly and dissembling of furniture necessitate an FSR creation by the department’s Director of Administration upon communication with the Director of Facilities and Building Operations. If items need to be relocated, the FSR should include the new location where the items are to be placed and/or assembled.  Union custodians are assigned to service each FSR. Should a request entail moving items that are significantly larger than usual, typically a team of four custodians for a four-hour shift is assigned, commensurate with provisions of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) which custodians are members of.
  • Whenever existing furniture becomes damaged beyond appropriate use, new furniture replacement becomes necessary. In such cases, the Director of Administration works closely with the SPH Director of Facilities and Building Operations in order to engage a BUMC designer in selecting furniture approved by Kimball lines. FSR creation in order to request a new furniture must thus be submitted by the Director of Administration in collaboration with the Director of Facilities and Building Operations. It is likely that a designer as well as a sales representative/consultant would then further engage with the Director of Administration of the respective department in order to measure the impacted space and size up the necessary furniture.
  • Additionally, furniture may be selected from the BU Guide marketplace. Generally, WB Mason is the general material provider. Each selection made must be shared by the departmental Director of Administration with the Director of Facilities and Building Operations. While WB Mason provides shipping, assembly is not always guaranteed. Further, some items may not require assembly. For instance, desks that are 48” or less are shipped by WB Mason in a flat box, while larger desks arrive assembled.  An FSR must be submitted by the Director of Administration, upon consultation with the Director of Facilities and Building Operations to ensure appropriate assembly for any furniture arriving in a box (i.e. unassembled).
  • Regardless of vendor, there are limitations to what can be purchased, adhering to considerations such as a commercial building/application, fire rating certifications as well as durability rigor.  To that end, the Director of Administration must render the SPH Director of Facilities and Business Operations aware of any non-BU approved vendors/designers (e.g. purchasing items from HomeGoods or Pier One, etc.).

Any questions or concerns not addressed through the information provided in the sections above may be directed to the SPH Director of Facilities and Building Operations or to the Associate Dean for Administration and Finance.