Office spaces are shared by multiple graduate students, they are used for office hours with undergraduates, and they provide a primary work area for teaching, research, and study.  Thus, the office spaces need to be functional, attractive, and comfortable.

• Space assignments. Students will occupy the space assigned to them. Office mates are expected to be considerate of each other. In rare cases, the Graduate Affairs staff may be able to honor requests for a change of location.
• Desks and other furnishings. Notify the Graduate Affairs staff if furniture, shelves, filing cabinets, blackboards, tables, dividers, vents, doors, windows, etc., are broken or damaged. Office furniture such as bookcases and filing cabinets can be requested from the department. More significant items such as shelving and painting can be supplied occasionally as warranted, subject to our Contact the Front Desk staff regarding any issues that need to be resolved by email frdesk@math.ucsd.edu.
• Blackboards and whiteboards. These are an integral part of the functionality of offices for mathematics research and instruction. Please keep these well-maintained with chalk cleaned up, whiteboard pens capped, etc.
• Personal items and storage. Discard personal items that you no longer want. Desks, bookcases, and open areas should be kept relatively neat and clean. Students may need to do occasional dusting or other light cleaning; cleaning supplies are available in APM 7409. To keep a professional appearance, items such as old exams should be kept stored neatly, preferably in filing cabinets, drawers, or boxes. Items should not obstruct the office or create an overly cluttered appearance. Books and personal items not in current use should be kept neatly arranged.
• Appliances, electronics, food items. Items such as microwaves, coffeemakers, and small refrigerators may be kept and used in the offices provided they are safe and well maintained. It is especially important to keep food items properly stored.
• Garbage and recycling. Put all trash and recyclables in the garbage and recycling bins in your office or in the larger bins in the hallways. Custodial services generally remove trash only once a week (Trash on Fridays, Recycling on Tuesdays), so students may need to empty their office trash and recycling into the bins in the hallways or by the freight elevator. For students in ‘bullpen’ offices (those with at least 8 assigned inhabitants), custodial staff will remove trash daily from one trash can near the room door in addition to their regular schedule. Small amounts of confidential materials can be shredded by putting them in the shredding bin in APM 7018 or 7132. Final Examinations must be kept for at least one quarter (not counting summer). Midterm and Homework may be securely discarded (shred bin) after grades are assigned.
• Bikes. We do not have space to accommodate many bikes; however, bikes may be brought to the office in exceptional circumstances to reduce the risk of theft or damage. It is usually OK to bring a bike in outside normal work hours or in times of bad weather. In any event, bikes should not inconvenience others or create safety problems.
• Student-owned furniture. Subject to approval by the Graduate Affairs staff, students may bring non-department owned furniture of reasonable size to their personal offices, provided that it is in good condition and has the approval of other students in the office. This includes items such as chairs and couches. Rugs and other items that tend to become dirty quickly should be avoided. The department reserves the right to remove any non-department owned owned items.
• Noise and Other Disruptions: Music should generally be played through headphones; however, low level speakers are acceptable outside of regular work hours when other students or visitors are not present. Please be considerate of others in conducting personal phone calls or other related activities. Other potentially disruptive behavior (including but not limited to, pets, odorous foods, inappropriate or unprofessional language, potentially offensive decorations, etc) is strongly discouraged in the name of a mutually respectful workplace. At minimum, such behavior should not interfere with student activities (office hours, study, grading, etc) during regular work hours.
• Safety and security. If you see unsafe conditions, smell smoke, see suspicious visitors, find doors that do not lock properly, etc., please inform the department or campus authorities.
• Office inspections and inventory. Office inspections will most likely occur early in the fall, late in the spring, and before the Graduate Admissions Open House in early Spring.
• Moving furniture. Mathematics staff generally cannot be responsible for removing furniture and we want to avoid hiring movers. Thus students should take care of removing unwanted non-department owned items.
• Common areas. There are rotating graduate student committees that help maintain these spaces. Non-department owned items, including furniture and appliances, should not be placed in common areas without first obtaining permission from the Graduate Affairs staff.
• Smoking. UCSD (joining all other UC campuses, labs and centers) has a smoke & tobacco free policy. The policy prohibits the use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, snuff, snus, water pipes, pipes, hookahs, chew, and any other combustible or non-combustible tobacco product. The policy covers all indoor and outdoor university spaces, including parking lots, private residential space, and the Medical Center campuses.