Building, Facilities, & Operations

 Building Hours and Access

Tate Hall

  • Tate Hall Hours, effective 08/23/2021
    • Public hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
    • University Hours (UMN card key access): 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.; and 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
    • Restricted access (UMN card key access granted through the department):  10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., Monday through Friday, and all day Saturday and Sunday
  • Department main office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Restricted access can be granted for faculty, staff, students and visitors in the department who have a legitimate need. To request access during restricted hours, please submit this ESCI Access Google Form.
  • Access to the main office/mailroom, student computer lab, and/or the department teaching labs should also be requested through the ESCI Access Google Form.
  • KEYS - to request keys for office or lab space, send an email to Jen Petrie ([email protected]) with a copy to your supervisor/advisor/host/PI and include the room number.
  • Locked out? If you have a U Card and it is not working, contact the Public Safety Emergency Communications Center (PSECC) by calling 612-624-3680

Accessing Other ESCI Spaces

 Reporting Building Issues & Facilities Management

How to Report Building Issues

For issues with building facilities, contact Facilities Management directly by phone at 612-624-2900 (4-2900 from a campus phone) or email them at [email protected]. You can also submit a ticket online on the Facilities Management Request Service page. 

Note: While the FM services line works, our direct (Tate Hall) building manager is Nathan (Nate) Ryan ([email protected])

If you report a serious issue or a minor-but-recurring problem, please alert Mark Griffith (building manager; office S74, email [email protected], phone 612-624-4096). For serious issues, it is good to loop Sharon Kressler into the communication, and if safety is involved, also Scott Alexander. You can decide what you consider "serious", but we recommend a "better safe than sorry" approach rather than being conservative or timid about deciding if something is serious.

Lab Equipment Repairs

Contact Mark Griffith for lab equipment repairs. Mark is also available for consultation with regards to design and fabrication of your project. If he cannot machine the project himself, he can act as liaison with the University of Minnesota CSE Shop which provides a wide array of machine shop services including design, fabrication, machining, welding, on-site inspection, and consulting. 

 Office Space

Office space is always tight!

As per Department Policy, priority for office space will be given in the following order:

  1. Visiting Professors
  2. Postdocs/Research Associates (if sponsoring faculty does not have assignable space)
  3. Graduate Students - seniority based on length of time within the Department, starting at semester of admission (this includes exchange students). Within a given class, students entering with an MS shall have more seniority than students entering without an MS.

Students from other departments working with a faculty member will be given offices on a space available basis (no seniority accumulated).

Major office changes/assignments are made in mid-summer for upcoming academic year. Please contact Sharon with questions.

 Waste Management

How do I dispose of...

  • Hazardous Waste/Chemicals
    • Procedures for pick-up of chemical waste can be found here
    • More information about hazardous waste disposal can be found in the hazardous waste guidebook
  • Electronics
    • The U has an electronics recycling program, and there is a procedure for scheduling a pick-up. If the item has a UMN inventory sticker on it, you must fill out a property disposal form and provide a copy to Accounting ([email protected] ). If the item is a computer or other device with sensitive information on it, please work with the OIT to 'sanitize' the device before disposal. 
  • Items with UMN Inventory Sticker
  • Confidential Material
    • Approximately twice a year, the department acquires a large bin for disposal of confidential documents - you will receive an email from Jen when the bins are available. The bin is kept locked when the office is closed. There is a shredder in the ESCI office for small amounts of paper.
  • Used and Empty Toner and Ink Cartridges
    • Used and empty toner and ink cartridges should be labeled with "recycle" and placed in the campus mail box in the main office. 

UMN ReUse Program

The UMN ReUse Program collects surplus office furniture, supplies, equipment and parts throughout the Twin Cities Campus and makes them available to University departments or individuals for purchase. 

ReUse picks up in Tate Hall every Tuesday. Please label items with "for ReUse" and place items in the loading dock off to the side so as to not be in the way of deliveries. The pick-up route can be found here. 

To see what ReUse is offering for purchase, check out their Facebook page where they show recent acquisitions. In addition, the ReUse center can also help with selling high-value equipment. If you plan to sell equipment, you need to contact the accounting office at [email protected]. 

Visit the ReUse Program webpage for more information.

 Mail, Packages, & Shipping

Receiving Mail

NOTE: Please do not have personal packages and mail sent to the department.

When using the department address for professional use, please be sure to include your Name and 150 Tate Hall, as follows:

YOUR NAME
116 Church Street SE
150 Tate Hall
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Mail will be sorted by department staff and placed in your mail slot in room 150-08 Tate.  

Packages will be place in the Package Closet in the mailroom (150-08 Tate) and a pink slip alerting you to the package will be placed in your mail slot. Please return the pink slip to the door of the Package Closet.

Mailing and shipping with different providers 

  • USPS (United States Postal Service) : all addressed/stamped envelopes can be placed in the white, plastic USPS box in the mailroom. ESCI does not have an account with USPS. For shipping large items, you will need to go to a USPS location, such as the one in Coffman, the St. Paul Student Center, or in Dinkytown as our mail carrier will not take larger packages from the mailroom.  
  • UPS: ESCI does not have a UPS account. If you want to ship through UPS, you can call UPS to arrange a pick-up (for a fee) and leave the package in the same area as the FedEx pick-ups. Even if UPS is making a delivery to Tate, the driver will not take packages that have not been called in for pick-up, as that is against UPS policy. Alternatively, you can take the package to a drop-off location such as a UPS Store or other designated location (i.e. the bookstore in Dinkytown)
  • FedEx: The department no longer has an account with FedEx. All new FedEx accounts must be set up with a PCard, then reconcile those transactions as normal. (If you do not have a PCard, please contact Sharon). To set up a new account: read through the information on this page, then email Steven Walker the following information:
    • Facility Name
    • Street Address
    • Contact Name
    • Phone Number
    • Billing details if different from the shipping information

  • Shippers will be charged a fee for pick-up. If you want to avoid this fee, drop the package off at a FedEx location or- if the package is small enough (i.e. envelope size) - you can drop the package off in the FedEx box outside of Northrop on the Lily Plaza side.

Department Letterhead and Official University Stationary

The Department has electronic letterhead that you can use for official correspondence. There are also paper copies available in the department office.  Students - please send request to [email protected]. 

Official University stationary and business cards can be ordered through UMN Printing Services. 

The use of University logos and watermarks is strict, please work with Sharon.

 Loading Dock

Background

Church Street between Lilly Plaza Driveway and Washington Avenue is a designated “Restricted Vehicle Zone” (RVZ) as defined in the Board of Regents Traffic Ordinance NO. 2. This area is branded as the Church St. Pedestrian Mall and is prioritized for pedestrians and bicycles, with vehicle access heavily restricted. Vehicles are prohibited from traveling through or parking in the RVZ without express permission. At all times, all vehicles traveling or parked in the area must have a valid permit (except for emergency vehicles and paratransit). Additionally, Mon-Fri 7:45 am - 4:45 pm there are further restrictions upon vehicles, and a Church St Restricted Vehicle Zone permit is required. To obtain an RVZ permit, please contact Sharon or Jen

Tate Delivery Access 

  • A full loading zone exists North of Morrill
  • A full height dock is accessible via Gopher Way (Keller)
  • The full height dock at Tate is inside the Restricted Vehicle Zone and access must be by valid permit only

 Parking & Transportation

Parking Facilities Map

Vehicle Reservations

The department has several vehicles (transit vans and one Chevy Suburban) for class trips. In order to schedule a vehicle - contact Mark Griffith as soon as you know you'll need vehicles so that he can get it on the calendar. This is especially important during the school year when field trips are aplenty. Please provide the following information:

  • course #
  • EFS chart string
  • how many students
  • how many vehicles
  • destination(s)
  • approximate mileage (roundtrip)

When returned, vehicles must be cleaned of all detritus, vacuumed, washed, and fueled back up. These tasks can/should be done at Fleet Services. 

Fleet Services has vehicle rentals should a smaller vehicle be needed and/or our vehicles are not available. 

Anyone needing to drive a departmental vehicle must be 19 years of age or older with a valid US or Canadian driver's license. The department reserves the right to deny someone from driving due to any incidents of reckless driving or DWI. 

All drivers must fill out this google form.

 Special Facilities

Gender Neutral Restrooms

There are 4 gender neutral restrooms in Tate Hall:

  • Floor 01 - First Floor, Room 100-19
  • Floor 03 - Third Floor, Room 300-19
  • Floor 0B - Basement, Room B00-20
  • Floor 05 - Fifth Floor, Room 510-05*

*The 5th floor gender neutral restroom has controlled access. You may need ticket, keycard, patient/resident info, etc. to gain entry.

 

Refer to this interactive campus map for the locations of gender neutral bathrooms across campus.

Family Care Room

There is a family care room in 328 Tate Hall (need keys from the main office to access)

Refer to the following resources for lactation and family care spaces across campus: