New FSILG policy allows use of some roof decks this term

New FSILG policy allows use of some roof decks this term

Groups submit application to committee for approval

STAFF REPORTER

September 2, 2014

The Interfraternity Council, the Association of Independent Living Groups Board, and the AILG Facilities Committee have instated a new policy regarding approval for roof deck usage at fraternities, sororities, and independent living groups (FSILGs), overriding the existing prohibition of roof deck use.

The limits, effective since September 2013, prohibited the use of roof decks at all FSILGs until proper permits were acquired. This was accompanied by the IFCs Temporary Open Air Spaces Rule Provision that prohibited the use of all roofs, roof decks, balconies, and ledges at fraternities in both Boston and Cambridge, even for those who had attained the proper licenses.

These changes came after an MIT freshman fell four stories through a skylight at Phi Sigma Kappa last September. Residents could access the skylight through an uninspected roof deck, prompting the city of Boston to express serious concerns about the use of such roof decks.

Now, each FSILG can gain permission to utilize their roof deck by submitting an application to the AILG Board and the AILG Facilities Committee.

The application entails calculating deck occupancy numbers using guidelines from the Facilities Committee, which are based on the square footage of the roof deck and the number of exits available. Roof decks at FSILGs in Boston must also be approved and certified by the city.

It is important to note that the city of Boston roof deck certificates allow use by residents only, and parties are not permitted even on approved roof decks, wrote Henry J. Humphreys, Senior Associate Dean of Residential Life and Dining, in an email to The Tech.

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New FSILG policy allows use of some roof decks this term