Don on Duty

The Don on Duty is available to assist with noise disturbances, student concerns, and any emergency situations that may arise after hours (after 5pm on weekdays; 24-7 on weekends).

Don't hesitate to contact them if you need assistance - they are here to help.

They also conduct rounds of the residence to ensure residence guidelines and policies are followed.

Please notify the Don On Duty if you have called 911 for any reason.

 

Service Desk

The Service Desk is open from open from 9:00am – 8:00pm every weekday (closed 1:00pm – 2:00pm for lunch) and 12:00pm – 5:00pm on weekends, excluding holidays and University closures).

Residents can also use the services of U of T Campus Safety, who work in partnership with the University and community.

CALL: 416-978-SAFE (7233)

Mail and Deliveries

The Knox Residence address is: 59 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 2E6

 

Canada Post delivers mail and packages to Knox Residence from Monday through Friday.

 

Letter Mail: Residents can collect their mail directly from the Service Desk during its operational hours. Please be aware that residents will not receive email notifications when letter mail arrives. Therefore, if you are expecting mail, we encourage you to visit the Service Desk during its operational hours to inquire about any mail received.\

 

Packages: All packages received will be processed and stored at the Service Desk. Residents will receive an email when their package is ready for pick-up. To retrieve it, visit the Service Desk during operational hours with a physical ID (T-Card, passport, driver's license, etc.). Please note that residents should not retrieve items from the Service Desk themselves or seek to retrieve their package before they have received an email to do so.

 

Departing residents are responsible for changing their address with Canada Post and arranging for their mail to be forwarded. Any mail received after a resident’s move-out date will be returned to sender.

Bike Storage

Knox Residence offers a limited number of indoor bicycle spaces within our dedicated bike room, located on the lower level of the residence.

To secure a space for your bike, you may submit a request to rent a bike space at the Service Desk. Until your allocation in the bike room is confirmed, making alternative arrangements for storing your bicycle is recommended.

While awaiting confirmation, residents are free to use the outdoor bike racks located outside the building. However, it is important to note that downtown Toronto experiences a higher incidence of bike theft. Bicycles are not permitted to be stored in rooms or common areas, irrespective of their value.

Internet and WiFi

All rooms at Knox Residence come with free wifi.

Currently, only U of T students with a valid UTORid and password will be able to use the UofT wireless networks.

If you do not have a UTORid, but your home institution is part of the eduroam agreement, you should have access to the eduroam network.

For help setting up your computer to access either of these networks, please visit the Information Commons on the first floor of Robarts Library.

Waste Disposal and Garbage

Each room is equipped with both a garbage can and a recycling bin.

Housekeeping will empty your garbage can and residents are expected to empty their recycling waste themselves in the basement recycling and garbage room. Large garbage cans and recycling bins are located in the basement of Centre House for larger items and food waste. The lids on these bins must close securely at all times. If you notice that one of these garbage cans is overflowing, please place a maintenance request through StarRez.

Please do not leave items on the floor beside the garbage cans. Extra plastic lining bags have been placed in the garbage room for residents to use.

RECYCLING

To ensure items are recycled correctly, each recycling bin has corresponding signage on the lid of the bin and on the wall. Residents are asked to recycle their items correctly by referring to these signs. Signs have been placed on the walls to guide residents to flatten cardboard boxes and place them properly on the ground.

Heating

At Knox Residence, the weather dictates when the heating system is turned on. Once it is on, residents can control the amount of heat in their room by turning the knob at the base of their radiator—clockwise for less heat, counterclockwise for more heat.

Residents may hear “knocking” in the pipes, especially when they first turn on their radiator. This is a normal result of hot air entering cold pipes and causing them to expand. It takes about one hour for the radiator to heat up; likewise, it takes about an hour to cool down after shutoff.

It is recommended, however, that residents avoid shutting their heat off completely. This causes less stress to the heating system. In some rooms “knocking” can continue through the winter months.

If you have any questions or concerns about the radiators, please submit them via email to maintenance.knoxresidence@utoronto.ca. If it is an emergency, you may call the Don on Duty.

Please note, Knox Residence does not have air conditioning. 

Housekeeping

Housekeeping will empty garbage bins in residence rooms every week. Residence rooms receive a more thorough cleaning every second week and bed linen is provided so that residents must change their sheets, no exceptions.

Please be advised that these services require the housekeeping staff to enter your room once per week, no exceptions.

The schedule for weekly garbage removal and room cleanings every two weeks is as follows:

- Monday -1st floor
- Tuesday - 2nd floor
- Wednesday - 3rd floor
- Thursday - 4th floor
- Friday - Tower/Basement

On the appropriate cleaning day, each resident should strip the bed, and place the two sheets inside the pillowcase; the housekeeping staff will provide a clean set of sheets and a pillowcase.

To facilitate this process, please ensure that all cell phones, computers, tablets, USB sticks, chargers, electronics, medication, and any other personal items are removed from the bed. Housekeeping will not be held responsible for damage incurred to items left on the bed. Also, housekeeping staff are not authorized to provide extra blankets/pillows beyond the one(s) already provided to residents.

Residents are free to purchase or bring their own personal bedding if they wish, however, will be responsible for laundering it themselves. In the case where personal bedding is in use, residents must make this clear to the head of Housekeeping who will facilitate the removal of Knox Residence’s property from both your room and the inventory list.

Please keep these bedding items in your room until you arrange with Housekeeping to have them removed. Do not leave any bedding items in the hallways. Placing unwanted items in the hallway is both a nuisance and a potential fire hazard; moreover, you will be held responsible if these items are lost or stolen. Housekeeping will still tend to your room on the appropriate cleaning day.

The washrooms are cleaned daily, Monday through Friday, except for holidays. If you feel that your room has been missed or that your washroom has not been properly cleaned and replenished with new supplies (soap, paper towels, toilet paper), please place a maintenance request on StarRez.

A broom, dustpan, and dusting wand for resident use are available behind the door in the 3rd Floor Common Room. Please be sure to return these items as soon as you are finished with them.

Maintenance

Got a maintenance issue?

Follow these simple steps to submit a maintenance request.

1. 1. Log into your StarRez account.

1. 1. Select “Maintenance Requests” under the dropdown menu.

1. 1. Provide as many details as possible about your maintenance issue.

1. 1. To ensure a faster resolution, provide consent to allow our maintenance team to enter your space when you’re not present.

1. 1. Click “Submit”. You will receive a confirmation e-mail after you submit.

Our maintenance team will visit within 1-2 business day depending on building demand and urgency. For urgent maintenance issues, email maintenance.knoxresidence@utoronto.ca or call the Don-On-Duty if after-hours.

Laundry

24/7 laundry facilities (washers and dryers) can be found in the East House basement.

Each load of laundry costs $1.25 to wash and $1.25 to dry.

Residents can make payments for laundry machines using their reloadable laundry cards, which was provided to them upon move-in. To facilitate this, a cashless payment machine is conveniently located within the laundry room for residents to reload their laundry cards.

The wash cycle is approximately 30 minutes, and the drying cycle is 60 minutes.

Residents are expected to keep in mind the following when using the laundry facilities:

• Keep track of time and retrieve your clothes promptly.
• Empty the lint trap after using the dryer.
• The door to the laundry room must always remain closed. Propping or wedging the door open is a fire and safety hazard and can also result in a fine from the fire department. The only exception to this rule is if a resident is present inside the laundry room. If that is the case, the door can be propped open, and as soon as the last person leaves, the door must be closed.
• Do not write on the machines.

If a machine is not working properly, please submit a maintenance request through StarRez and notify the Service Desk during its operational hours or the Don on Duty if it is after hours.

Guest Registration

Guests are only allowed to stay a maximum of two nights per resident, per week. If your guest is planning to stay longer than two nights per week, please send an email request to info.knoxresidence@utoronto.ca well in advance of the guest’s arrival. You will need to state the reason for your guest’s long stay and cc’ your roommate in the email (if applicable). Acceptance is decided on a case-by-case basis and is based on the approval of the Residence Life Office.

Residents are responsible for their guests’ behaviour. Guests are subject to all residence rules and may be asked to leave by the Dons, Don on Duty, Service Desk, or other Residence Office staff members for failure to observe them. Although residents may invite guests to their rooms, please take note that residents are fully responsible for their guests' behaviour.

Residents expecting visitors who are not a current resident or staff member of Knox Residence (including but not limited to friends, family, or deliveries) are responsible for meeting them in the downstairs lobby. The Dons, Don on Duty, or Service Desk staff are not responsible for letting your guests into the building.

Guests are not to be left alone in the residence. Any guest found alone in the residence will be asked to leave immediately.

No guests are permitted at Knox Residence during the winter holidays when the University of Toronto is closed.

The following guidelines regarding overnight guests only apply when operating outside of the winter holidays:

- Residents may have occasional overnight guests in their rooms. This privilege extends to a maximum of two nights per resident, per week.

- Guests are forbidden from sleeping anywhere outside the host’s room, including common areas such as reading rooms, lounges, or TV rooms.

Occupants of double rooms who wish to have overnight guests should discuss any overnight guests with their roommate prior the guest’s arrival.

Abuse of guest privileges may warrant follow up from the Residence Office. The scope and content of guest privileges may be altered at any time at the discretion of the Knox Residence Office.

TravelSafer Program

The University of Toronto TravelSafer program Is a free service offered by the University of Toronto Campus Safety. A Building Patroller or Special Constable will escort you to and from any location on campus and abutting TTC stations for added peace of mind.

TravelSafer is available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Call any time to arrange for patrollers to come to your location during service hours. It is also possible to arrange for regular walks with the same pick-up location and time each week.

CALL: 416-978-SAFE (7233)