Amenities and Services

At I-House, we aim to create the most enriching resident life experience possible. We provide numerous amenities and services to promote intercultural communication and understanding. Please see our New Resident FAQs for specific details.

FRONT DESK Hours

Monday-Friday

  • 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Weekends (Sat-Sun) and Holidays 

  • 11:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

*Limited hours during holidays 

*Call this number when window is closed: +1-510-973-4663 

Front Desk

The Front Desk staff provides assistance, responds to inquiries, takes messages, loans sports equipment, games, and keys to shared community spaces. The Front Desk is open Mon-Fri 8 a.m.- 8:00 p.m. and Sat-Sun 11:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. The Front Desk may be closed or have limited hours on holidays.

Gamble Lounge and Sproul Kitchen

Our newly renovated kitchen and lounge area is available for residents' use seven days a week from 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. The space offers a full kitchen and lounge area with seating and a large flat-screen TV, a large dining table, and more! 

Gamble Lounge and Sproul Kitchen Policy:

No reservation required. You can access the room with your I-House card anytime from 8 a.m. - 10 p.m. everyday.

 If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, feel free to reach out to rio@ihouseberkeley.org

International House Food Safety Gamble Lounge Food Safety Tips

Game Room

The I-House Game Room is an entertainment space designed for leisure and recreation, offering a diverse range of games and activities to enjoy. It is a haven for fun and relaxation, equipped with various forms of entertainment such as board games, a pool table, foosball table, and other interactive gaming options. The game room provides a social atmosphere where I-House residents can come together to engage in friendly competition, build community, and simply unwind and have a good time. You can access the room with your I-House card anytime from 8 a.m.-10 p.m. everyday.

Laundry

The laundry room has washers and dryers for resident use which accept debit and credit cards. In addition, you will find other resources in the laundry room such as vending machines (with snacks, drinks and some laundry supplies), an ice machine, and a microwave for resident use. You can download the mobile app here.

Library

The library is on the second floor of I-House. This space is available as a quiet study space exclusively for I-House Residents. It is accessible 24-hours a day, seven days per week. Food and drinks are not permitted.  

Lost and Found

Located at the Front Desk, the I-House lost and found is a designated area where lost items are collected and stored in order to facilitate their return to their rightful owners. This space serves as a central repository for items that have been misplaced, forgotten, or left behind in public places or facilities. The lost and found space aims to provide a reliable and efficient system for individuals to reclaim their lost belongings, promoting a sense of security and ensuring that lost items have the best chance of being reunited with their owners.

Mailboxes

Personal mailboxes are assigned by room and are located to the right of the Accounting window. Your mailbox combination and instructions on how to open your mailbox can be found by logging into your resident portal and clicking the "IHouseID and Mailbox" link. 

Packages and deliveries lockers

The quadient lockers are located on the ground floor of I-House adjacent to the Laundry Room. You can pick up anytime 24X7. For food deliveries, you need to meet the delivery person if you don not want it to be placed in the refrigerated lockers. 

Music Practice Room

The I-House Music Practice Room is a dedicated space designed for I-House residents to hone their craft, explore their creativity, and refine their musical skills. The room is equipped with musical instruments like guitars, piano, drum set, bass, violin, amplifiers, and other necessary tools to facilitate practice and experimentation. It offers a private and secluded space for musicians to rehearse, compose, and perfect their performances, allowing them to immerse themselves in their music and develop their technique, expression, and musicality to their fullest potential. 

There are two music practice rooms.  You can collect the key during Front Desk hours If you fail to adhere to the Music Practice Room rules and policies, you willnot be able to use the space. 

Music Practice Room Policy:

  • The music practice room is designated only for Music Practice Room.
  • No food or drink allowed.
  • Do not take out any supplies (i.e., Guitar capos) from the music room. You can bring your own instruments, but make sure to take them back with you. I-House won’t be responsible for any loss or damage to your instruments.
  • Residents checking out the key are responsible for returning the key at the front desk and will be responsible for any damage or loss while the key is checked out.
  • Make sure all the instruments are in their designated place before leaving the music room. Leave the piano key cover closed when you are done.
  • Turn off the lights when you leave and drop off the keys at the Front Desk.

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, feel free to reach out to rio@ihouseberkeley.org.

Prayer and Meditation Room

The I-House Prayer and Meditation Room is a space designed to accommodate people of diverse religious and spiritual backgrounds, fostering inclusivity, respect, and understanding. It is a welcoming space for silent prayer, meditation, reflection, and worship to support individual religious and spiritual practices. 

Be mindful of everyone using the shared space:

1. Remain silent (e.g. set your cell phone to silent, refrain from playing music or engaging in general converstaion, etc.)

2. Not eating and drinking in the room

3. Not using candles ot incense (or any other scented flame)

4. Leave the room tidy for the next resident

5. Not sleeping in this space

**Please note that this space is reserved for I-House residents ONLY. 

You can collect the key during Front Desk hours from the front desk unless the space is reserved for group prayers. For group prayer sessions, please email  rio@ihouseberkeley.org(link sends e-mail) at least two weeks prior. If you fail to adhere to the Prayer and Meditation rules and policies, you willnot be able to use the space. 

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, feel free to reach out to rio@ihouseberkeley.org(link sends e-mail)

Re-use Room

The I-House Reuse Room serves as a central collection point for items that would otherwise be left behind or discarded when residents move back to their home countries. Residents can contribute a wide range of reusable items such as appliances, clothing, books, and electronics. We ask that items be properly sorted to make them available to others who may benefit from them. By providing a platform for residents to donate their belongings, the reuse room fosters a sense of environmental responsibility, community engagement, and resource conservation, allowing items to find new homes instead of ending up in landfills.

Wireless Access

All resident rooms and most public spaces are equipped with wireless connections that allow you to connect directly to the University of California network.

Residents of International House can connect to one of two networks:

  • Berkeley-Visitor is an unencrypted guest network intended to provide new arrivals and guests of International House with a quality internet connection. Connecting to Berkeley-Visitor requires navigating to a browser such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge to accept the terms of use for the network. After accepting the terms of use, the connection to Berkeley-Visitor will activate and remain available unless you are inactive for 20 minutes. This network disconnects after 20 minutes of inactivity to protect users since the Berkeley-Visitor network is not secure.
  • Berkeley-IoT is the securely encrypted network primarily reserved for online devices which are not desktops, laptops, or phones. To join the Berkeley-IoT Wi-Fi, you must already have completed enrollment in the UC Berkeley account system, meaning you possess a CalNet ID with which to register your account. Any device that cannot perform 802.1x authentication can connect to a secure network through Berkeley-IoT — for most residents, they will connect gaming consoles such as Microsoft Xboxes, Sony Playstations, and Nintendo Switches to this network. Smart Lightbulbs, Wireless Printers, and other devices requiring inter-device connectivity are not currently supported on Berkeley-IoT.
  • eduroam is the securely encrypted network that International House residents and staff use daily. The eduroam network is managed by the UC Berkeley IT team. To join the eduroam Wi-Fi(link is external)(link is external), you must already have completed enrollment in the UC Berkeley account system, meaning you possess a CalNet ID with which to register your account. From this point, you can create your eduroam WiFi account by following the instructions at the following link: https://berkeley.service-now.com/kb_view.do?sysparm_article=KB0013807(link is external)(link is external). When you are finished, enjoy a secure, speedy network connection that is available to you at International House, UC Berkeley, and any other CSU or UC campus.

All three networks are administered and supported by the UC Berkeley IT department. If you have any questions or issues regarding your connection to these Wi-Fi services, details are listed at technology.berkeley.edu/wifi(link is external)(link is external), and UC Berkeley's support team is available Monday - Friday by email, phone, and in-person(link is external)(link is external).

Just living here gives you a much more balanced view of other countries. Everything from lunch to laundry, is a cultural event.
A former I-House resident