Lifebook: Living on Campus

BUTI provides daily bus service on a scheduled basis between West Street Campus and various off-campus facilities to transport students for classes, rehearsals, and concerts. Buses are owned and operated by a local company, Dufour Tours Busing Company. The BUTI Transportation Manager, located in the Student Life Office, is responsible for maintaining bus schedules and bus operations.

Bus schedules will be posted on the bus bulletin board in the first-floor hallway of Groton Place. It is your responsibility to check this bulletin board several times daily to ensure you are aware of the schedule and any changes that might be made throughout the day. Questions or concerns about your bus service should be made to the Transportation Manager in the Student Life Office, or via email at titrans@bu.edu.

The cleaning staff, employees of Boston University, provides general, daily cleaning of the dormitories and academic buildings on campus. The staff is dedicated to supporting the BUTI program and its mission. All employees are required to go through a thorough background check and screening. In the dorms, they clean common areas and bathrooms, but student rooms must be cleaned by the students occupying them.

Each resident is responsible for keeping his or her residence accommodation clean and safe. Vacuum cleaners and brooms are available to residents for this purpose and can be accessed with a Resident Assistant. Students will be expected to vacuum and clean their rooms prior to departing campus at the conclusion of their programs. See also “Room Inspections”, in the Rules & Regulations.

Dining service begins on the registration day for each program. Dining service will end on Sunday, August 17, 2025 with breakfast for those students staying overnight on campus. Students must show their Boston University Tanglewood I.D. card when entering the dining room for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch. While subject to change, dining service hours are currently scheduled as follows:

Breakfast or brunch, lunch, and dinner are included in the tuition and fees (20 meals per week). Options take into account nutrition and appetite, are designed to appeal to the majority of students, and vary day to day. Service at lunch and dinner provides two main-course entrees and one vegan entree, as well as a salad bar and deli. Breakfast includes cereal and bread options, fruits, and hot foods such as eggs, pancakes, and oatmeal. The dining hall can accommodate special dietary needs, including allergies, and is a nut-free facility. There are no cooking facilities available for student use.

Food is not available from the dining hall outside of dining service hours. Students are permitted to have snacks (that they bring or purchase) in their dorm rooms, kept in sealed containers. Students will also have a chance to visit Walmart at the beginning of their program.

The Health & Wellness Program provides students with tools to develop and practice healthy habits that benefit the body and mind. Regular sessions offered include methods like Yoga, Body Mapping, Alexander Technique, and Feldenkrais Method. Additional resources include referrals to physical therapists and body awareness experts, and additional presentations on injury prevention, the mind-body connection, and overcoming performance anxiety.

Please bring your instruments to BUTI in clean, good working condition prior to arriving at BUTI. Bows should be recently re-haired, and, if you have one available, you should consider bringing a backup bow. In cases of emergencies, BUTI can often coordinate a minor instrument repair, but this often means you will be without an instrument for several days. Students are liable for the cost of any instrument repair and/or service. BUTI is not liable for any repairs and/or services provided.

Internet and Wi-Fi are extremely limited and often not available to students on the BUTI campus. Curricula are designed for students to be successful without the need for internet access, and the primary area of focus for all students should be full immersion in their craft. It’s our belief that students have a more meaningful experience when they embrace the opportunity to “unplug,” and we encourage students to consider this mindset.

This said, there are several areas in close proximity to campus that provide free public Wi-Fi, including the Lenox Public Library, coffee shops, and restaurants. Additionally, BUTI provides student computer stations with internet and printing access (25 cents per page) at Groton Place. We also recommend students consider adding a data plan to their cellular phone service to accommodate their expected internet use and avoid unexpected data use charges.

Coin-operated laundry machines are located in the basements of Groton Place (upper campus) and Hawthorne Hall (lower campus). Washers cost $2.00/load and the dryers cost $2.00/load. Irons are available and can be signed out from your Resident Assistant. All machines take quarters only.

You may request minor repair work be done in your residence by notifying your Resident Assistant or the staff on duty in the Student Life Office.

Each student dormitory floor or house is staffed by two Resident Assistants (RAs), who reside in the dormitory for the duration of the BUTI programs. RAs undergo extensive training prior to the program that includes First Aid, CPR/AED, and workshops on community building, policies, and procedures. At least one RA will always be present overnight on the larger dorm floors or in the smaller dorm houses. They are present to assist students, who are encouraged to look to the Resident Assistants if they have questions, need information, or assistance in any way. RAs will also be providing regular opportunities on their floors or in the dorm houses for the students to get to know their neighbors. All RAs have completed background checks and screenings.

The BUTI West Street Campus has five student dormitories, each with its own unique character and atmosphere. There are two larger dorm-style buildings, and three smaller buildings. Most rooms are double occupancy, and some larger rooms have three or four students. Many rooms have bunk beds or an elevated bed frame. Your room assignment, along with keys, will be provided on registration day.

Room assignments are made to match students by age range, and in some cases, you may have a roommate from another program. Your assigned floor will also house members of other programs, and you should not expect to live only with members of your program. You are not permitted to enter any dormitory except for your assigned hall.

BUTI considers roommate requests and preferences whenever possible. If you would like to make a specific roommate request, you must submit this information via the Student Life Forms by the deadline. All parties must request each other in order for BUTI to consider a specific roommate request.

Our goal is to provide an inclusive, safe living and learning environment for all students. Room assignments are made on a single-gender basis and BUTI can accommodate students whose gender identity differs from their sex as assigned at birth. Before the student life form deadline, non-binary/gender-fluid/transgenders students should contact Manager of Enrollment and Student Engagement, Sarah Shechtman, at sshecht@bu.edu to determine the most appropriate and comfortable room assignment.

Security staff, employees of Boston University, will be on duty monitoring the grounds from 10:00pm to 7:00am daily. Boston University Tanglewood Institute security staff members are authorized to request identification of anyone on the campus at any time in order to ensure the safety of our community. Security staff will be on duty near the entrance to student residences beginning at 11:00pm or midnight (depending on the curfew) to ensure your safety in the building, to prevent unauthorized persons from entering the residences, as well as to ensure students remain in the buildings until they open at 7:00am. All security staff members have completed background checks and screenings.

The West Street Campus has basketball courts, a soccer field, a tennis court, and ample grounds for various outdoor sports activities and games. Outdoor sporting equipment (including Frisbees, basketballs, softball, tennis, volleyball, soccer equipment) may be signed out by students, faculty, and staff from the Student Life Office. Sporting equipment should be returned before 10:00pm the day it is signed out. In addition, the Office also keeps a small inventory of board games, Ping-Pong equipment, and books which may be checked out and kept overnight but should be returned in the morning.

The Health Services Office is located on the first floor in Groton Place adjacent to the entrance to the dining hall. A nurse is available on campus to treat minor ailments and assist referrals. The Health Services Office is open every day from 8am – 9pm. During the overnight hours, BUTI employs a nurse on-call. For assessment after office hours, contact your Resident Assistant or the Student Life Office.

For urgent care (non-emergency) requiring additional support, BUTI will attempt to arrange service for those needing treatment. Please refer to the Student Life Medical Forms for additional medical policies.

Medical Emergencies

In case of a medical emergency, call 911. Our address is 45 West St., Lenox, MA. After calling emergency services, immediately notify the Student Life Office at 617.353.3386.

If you are the subject of an emergency, please be advised you will be taken to either the Berkshire Medical Center or Fairview Hospital for emergency treatment regardless of whether or not your parent(s) or legal guardians have medical insurance. All medical costs are the financial responsibility of the parent(s), legal guardians, and/or student. If you have medical insurance, you are advised to contact your insurance company for their policies on out-of-area coverage. You should also carry your insurance card (or a photocopy) with you. Transportation will be by ambulance if necessary or by a BUTI staff vehicle driven by a Student Life staff member. For any medical treatment, a Student Life staff member will accompany the student and wait with them while at the medical facility.

Mental Health

BUTI has a Youth Counselor on staff as a resource to students who are experiencing program-related mental health concerns. BUTI also works with an Adolescent Behavioral Specialist and a mental health consultant (LMHC) to assess the needs of students in distress. While BUTI is unable to provide treatment for psychiatric conditions, it is our goal to understand the needs of each student to develop the safest plan.

Performance Related Injuries

BUTI encourages students to address performance-related injuries (or the potential for an injury) as early as possible. The Health Services Office can arrange care for students experiencing a performance-related injury with physical therapists in the area. A short visit during the early stages of an injury may be the best way to prevent a more detrimental injury.