All keys for academic, administrative, and residential buildings at Mills are recorded and tracked through the Department of Housing Management and Dining Services (HMDS)/Department of Public Safety (DPS). It is critical in protecting the Campus to maintain accurate and effective control over building access, with both metal keys and electronic cards. The College’s key policy is designed to ensure that people who request keys are actually authorized to have them and to make each key holder accountable for the return of keys after that authorization has expired.

Authorization for Keys

Authorizations for keys are obtained in different ways depending on who you are and what kind(s) of access you need. Details for most situations are provided below under specific subheadings. If you don’t find what you need here, please call HMDS/DPS at 510.430.2127 for assistance.

 Residential Housing Keys

All students who are issued keys for student residential housing must meet certain minimum criteria and, in some circumstances additional criteria as indicated below.

1. The student must have a signed residential contract on file with HMDS.
2. The student must have been cleared by the Controller's Office in regards to their student account.
3. The student must have been cleared by the M Center for holds related to registration.

The M Center and Controller's office use official stamps on documents or signed notes that the student can show HMDS/DPS, along with their Mills ID card, to meet the criteria. 

For students in residence halls equipped with card readers on the exterior doors and computer rooms, your Mills ID card will be activated by the Building Access Administrator to allow you access. Your access will be deactivated when you move out of that residence hall.

Room keys are not issued if a student arrives at night, no packet is available, and she is not on a Student Services resident list. In this case an “emergency room” will be assigned until the conditions stated above have been satisfied.

No extra room keys for student use are kept in the traditional residence halls. Public Safety officers will let a student into her/his room after verifying residency in that hall and checking the student’s Mills ID card.

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 Administrative & Academic Building Keys

The completion of a "Key Request Form" with an authorizing signature is required when requesting keys for academic and administrative buildings. The head of your department is the only person authorized to sign this form. If you have questions about this, contact the HMDS/DPS office at 510.430.2127. If keys are not in stock, they will be ordered and you will be notified when they are ready.

If you need access to buildings equipped with the card reader system, contact the Building Access Administrator in Sage Hall for the necessary steps to have your card activated.

 On-Campus Faculty Housing Keys

The Provost & Dean of the Faculty's Office authorizes keys for faculty who have signed a housing contract with the College. Once authorized, faculty may pick up house keys from HMDS/DPS office in Sage Hall during normal business hours.

 On-Campus Guest Housing Keys

Mills provides short-term guest housing for members of the Board of Trustees, for Visiting Scholars, for Conference guests, for the Summer Upward Bound Residence Program, and for other guests of the College. The Conference Services office authorizes keys for the above guests.

Guests must pick up their keys from the HMDS/DPS office in Sage Hall weekdays between 8:30 am–5:00 pm, after hours or on weekends the keys may be picked up from the Public Safety Gatehouse at the entrance to the College. Guests must return their key(s) to the same office, or, if it is closed, to the Sage Hall Night Deposit Box before leaving the Mills Campus.

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 On-Campus Student Lounge Keys

Students who wish to use the Commuter Lounge spaces, undergraduate women age 23 or older (resumers) who wish to use the Mary Atkins Lounge, and graduate students who wish to use the Graduate Lounge are issued keys to these lounge areas by HMDS/DPS on weekdays between 8:30 am–5:00 pm upon presentation of a current Mills ID card and the student name appearing on:

1. The Division of Student Life list of registered traditional age or resumer undergraduates
2. The Graduate Studies Office list of registered graduate students.

 Student Computing Lab Keys

Keys for each student computer lab in residence halls and Prospect Hill Apartments are available only to Mills students and resident faculty living in that housing unit. The student computing lab keys for campus housing are picked up from the HMDS/DPS office in Sage Hall upon presentation of a current Mills ID card. Labs equipped with card readers will be accessible with your Mills ID card that will be activated for use with the exterior doors of your residence hall.

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 On-Campus Affiliate Keys

Mills has a variety of affiliations with education-related organizations that have chosen to locate their offices and programs on the Mills Campus. This includes the Mills College Alumnae Association (AAMC), the Math/Science Network, the Middlebury Language Program, and the EF-International Language School.

Keys for the employees of the AAMC are authorized by the Executive Director of the AAMC and picked up by the AAMC employee from the HMDS/DPS office in Sage Hall during normal business hours.

Keys for employees of our other on-campus affiliates such as the Math Science Network, and EF are authorized by Conference Services. Lease agreements must be finalized and picked up by affiliate employees at Conference Services’ main office or the HMDS office, both in Sage Hall, before keys will be issued. Keys will be picked up from and returned to the HMDS/DPS office in Sage Hall. Employees of our affiliate organizations are not Mills employees and, therefore, do not have Mills accounts, so any fines for unreturned keys will be billed to the organizations.

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The Department of HMDS/DPS issues and processes the return of all keys. Unless noted otherwise, keys issued by HMDS/DPS must be picked up and returned on weekdays from 8:30 am–5:00 pm in their office in Sage Hall.

Keys are the responsibility of the person to whom they are issued. Employees, students, and guests who are issued keys that are not returned in a timely way are charged a 'non-returned key fee' of $100 for each key. In addition, if keys are not returned on time, the College reserves the right to re-key the doors of a building or a room and re-issue new keys to all holders. The cost of this will be charged to the individual(s) responsible for not returning their keys on time. Be sure to ask for a receipt that documents the date you returned your keys in case any questions arise later about non-returned key fees.

If you find yourself in an emergency situation and therefore unable to return your key to the authorizing office during normal business hours on weekdays from 8:30 am–5:00 pm, please make arrangements with the HMDS/DPS office to return them in an envelope placed in the Sage Hall Night Deposit Box.

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 Electronic Card Access To Buildings

The College is beginning to install electronic card-reader devices to exterior doors on campus to control access. Residence halls and all newly constructed buildings will be equipped first. Authorization for this access will be the same as for traditional metal keys. Your College ID card will be programmed for access to the buildings after you receive your authorization as described above. The HMDS/DPS office in Sage Hall will program your card for this access.

 Access to Buildings When You Don't Have a Key

To gain access to any academic or administrative building without a key, students must show a Mills College ID with a current validation sticker. Employees must show a Mills employee ID. For some laboratories and special areas in some buildings, an additional written authorization may be needed before access can be granted.

Pedestrian Gate Access

Individuals should report unauthorized persons using the Seminary pedestrian gate and not give out the gate code. The Seminary gate is restricted for the use of Mills students, staff and faculty.