Student Organization Manual

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Chapter 7: Events and Activities

Room Reservations

Rooms are available to student organizations through the Application for Use of Facilities on line at www.utdallas.edu/union. Detailed guidelines regarding the use of facilities can be found on the website but a few things to know and remember:

Eligible to Request Facilities
  • Registered student organizations (individual students cannot reserve facilities)
  • Staff
  • Faculty
Prohibited use of facilities
  • Personal use
  • Non-UTD sponsored programming and/or events
  • Unauthorized sales, marketing, and distribution of propaganda and materials
  • Solicitation by organizations (non-profit included)
Important Things to Know about Room Reservations

Facilities may be requested in the Student Union for an entire academic year

A minimum of 72 hours is required to request facilities

Request for space on Mondays must be submitted by 12:00 p.m. the previous Friday.

Confirmations are sent via email to the contact person, the president of the organization, and the advisor listed on the student organization application. If you have not received a confirmation, your reservation is not guaranteed. Please check your email first before contacting the Events Manager regarding the status of your application.

Room setups and media equipment in locations others than the Student Union are provided by Facilities Management and fees are required. The Events Manager in the Student Union, or CSI staff, can guide you through this process.

Email notification is required to cancel reservations at least 24 hours prior to the date of the event. Three no-shows will result in your organization reservation privileges being suspended.

Food is prohibited in all classrooms and auditoriums.

Open flames are prohibited in all University buildings.

A license is required to show films on campus (see Film Policy)

If your event is classified as a “risk” event, a meeting with CSI staff, Union staff, and your advisor is required no less than two weeks before the event.

Please submit changes or modifications to your application via email. If you received a confirmation prior to requesting a change, your application may be delayed.

Incomplete applications will be returned. This may delay the order in which your application is processed.

The website for space reservations and the link to the application is www.utdallas.edu/union/reserve.

Steps to Reserving a Room

First and most important step: If the person submitting the application is a member of a student organization, please make sure your organization is registered.

Keep in mind that every application is processed on a first come, first served basis. You have a better chance of getting the room that you want if you try to plan ahead and submit a completed application as soon as possible.

Designate one person in the group to handle the scheduling of your meetings and event planning. It helps to eliminate communication problems and confusion.

Ask yourself and your groups, what type of event are we planning? Meeting, banquet, conference, party/dance, lecture are some examples.

Date, time, and the number of people you want to include.

Will you need furniture set up and/or equipment?

Will your organization have food? If so, have you reviewed the food policy? (See chapter four)

Do you need funding? You may be eligible for SOF funds.

What are your advertising options?

Are you inviting a guest speaker? Do they require anything special?

Are you showing a film? If yes, you’ll need to obtain a license.

If your event is open to the public, you’re selling tickets or collecting entry fees, or you expect more than 200 attendees or going past midnight, you event will be considered a “risk” event.

Risk Events

Some student organization events are categorized as “risk” events and require additional planning and information. The criteria for a risk event are:

  1. Expected attendance of 200 or more
  2. Event is open to the public
  3. Your organization is selling tickets or charging an entry for the event
  4. The event will end past midnight
  5. The organization has a past history of problematic events

If one or all four criteria apply to your event, a meeting is required with the student and CSI staff no less than two weeks prior to the date of the event. This meeting is mandatory and your event cannot take place without it.

Risk event meetings

Who should attend? The event planner, responsible member, advisor, and the president of the organization and the responsible university official (RUO), usually your advisor.

Meetings are scheduled on a designated day. Consult with Union staff or call 972-883-2945 for an appointment.

Where You Can Reserve Space
  • Student Union Rooms:
    • Galaxy Rooms (one, two, or all three at once) Total = 300
    • Phoenix Room (seats 50) Fixed lecture setup*
    • Gemini Room (seats 20) Fixed conference setup*
    • Pegasus Room (seats 12) Fixed meeting*
      * Rooms are pre-set and cannot be rearranged
  • Student Union Miscellaneous
    • SU Lower level – recreation area
    • SU lower level pool table area (for tournaments)
    • Comet Cafe (seats 150)
  • Conference Center
    • CN1.112 (Auditorium)
    • CN Lobby
    • CN 1.120 and 1.102 (lecture)
  • Other
    • Gazebo
    • Classroom buildings (some exceptions)
    • Multi-purpose, Green, Jonsson, SOM, etc. keep in mind that most of these rooms are in the classroom pre-set lecture style setup and food is prohibited.
Waterview Park and University Village Clubhouses

If you would like to reserve Phase II or Phase IV clubhouses you should apply for them directly through the Waterview Park Lease office. The telephone is 972-454-5000. UT Dallas does not process applications for those spaces.

To reserve a clubhouse in University Village:

  • In order to rent and use a clubhouse facility you must pay a non-refundable fee of $50.00.
  • The fee is used to offset a number of costs related to the administration and rental of the clubhouses, including: payroll, utility expense, cleaning fees to prep between events, etc
  • Any student organization wishing to rent a facility in Phases 1-4 may do so with a student sponsor. The sponsor needs to be a resident living on campus, willing to be responsible for the event, and willing to complete the appropriate form.
  • The facilities are available to rent from 10am to 11pm. We may allow exceptions to this time frame (for instance, until 12am) depending on the reason.
  • There is a six hour maximum time limit per facility rental.

Co-sponsorship

CSI encourages registered student organizations to work collaboratively with other university entities for events and programs. Registered student organizations may co-sponsor events with other registered student, faculty, or staff organizations or with university departments, agencies, or academic colleges and schools.

The University of Texas at Dallas seeks to preserve the limited space on campus for the use of students, faculty, and staff. Therefore, registered student organizations may not co-sponsor on campus programs or events with off-campus persons, businesses or organizations. Examples of prohibited co-sponsorship activities include, but are not limited to:

  • an event that substantially depends on an off-campus person, business or organization for planning, staffing, or management of an event;
  • an event that reserves a room or space for the use of an off-campus person, business or organization; and/or
  • an event that operates for the benefit of an off-campus person, business or organization (except for solicitation of charitable contributions).

We strongly encourage student organizations to consult with CSI staff members during the planning process in order to avoid engaging in a prohibited co-sponsorship.

Guest Speakers

Registered student organizations may present guest speakers who may make speeches, give performances, or lead discussions in fixed indoor or outdoor locations on campus. A guest speaker is a speaker or performer who is not a student, faculty member, or staff member. In order to have a guest speaker at an event, consult with CSI staff before extending an invitation.

Guest speakers may distribute literature to persons who attend the event, but not to others who have not chosen to attend the event. The guest speaker may not accost potential listeners who have not chosen to attend the event. The guest speaker may not help staff a student organization’s table or exhibit. Finally, a guest speaker may not solicit for her or his off-campus business, organization, or service.

When presenting a guest speaker, the registered student organization must make clear that the organization, and not the university, invited the speaker, and that the views expressed by the speaker are her or his own and do not necessarily represent the views of the university.

Film Policy

Registered student organizations may sponsor slide shows, video tapes, or films on campus provided they do not charge admission or solicit donations for the showings. Any videos or films rented or purchased from outlets such as Blockbuster, grocery stores, or other businesses, are permitted for private residence viewing only. You must pay a licensing fee in order to avoid federal copyright violations. Contact one of the following film distribution companies for more information about film licensing:

Swank, Inc 800-876-5577
Criterion Pictures USA, Inc. 847-470-8164
New Yorker Films 877-247-6200

Security

To ensure the safety of students, faculty, and staff, student organizations may be required to hire campus police for on-campus events. If your event is designated as a risk event, police officers will be required. Events requiring security need a minimum of two weeks planning time.

Organizations must pay for the police officer. For purposes of planning and fiscal management, please budget $35.00 per hour per officer for service. There is a three hour minimum. The Event Manager in the student union will submit the request to the police department on behalf of the student organization and will provide the required account number. After the event, billing reconciliation will occur and the student organization will reimburse the University for the Cost of the officers. (See risk event for more information)

Responsibilities Before, During, and After Campus Events

Student Organization Sponsoring the Event:

  • Meet with CSI and/or Union staff to discuss event (type of event, security, tickets, etc.).
  • Reserve facility via online Application for Facilities Usage
  • Follow procedural guidelines specific to individual facilities.
  • Follow procedures for Risk Events.
  • Order special equipment and room set up a minimum of seven working days in advance of the event.
  • Have members easily identifiable at the event.
  • Have at least one authorized representative for the student organization in attendance at the event.
  • Keep an accurate count of event attendance to ensure compliance with maximum room capacity.
  • Work closely with Student Union and other university personnel to ensure a safe event.
  • Assist with clean up when the event is over.
  • Notify the Student Union via email if an event is to be canceled. Notification must be a minimum of 48 hours in advance.

Center for Student Involvement:

  • Provide support and advising to student organizations for event planning
  • Assist with publicity
  • Assist with interpreting food policy and other guidelines
  • Manage ticket procedure.
  • Follow up on reports from the event.

Student Union/Building staff

  • Consult with the student organization about the appropriate use of the facility.
  • Discuss maximum room capacity for event facilities.
  • Process special equipment requests.
  • Monitor restrooms and restock paper products during the event.
  • Clean up when the event is finished.
  • File any written reports of the event with CSI.
  • Unlock and lock the facility.
  • Consult with event organizers if problems occur with the facility.
  • File any building manager reports with CSI.

Facilities Management for outside the Student Union:

  • Student organizations should consult with CSI staff regarding set ups or facilities’ requests for events outside the Union
  • Provide services requested if the request is made a minimum of seven working days in advance.
  • Deliver and pick up special equipment (i.e., tables, chairs, stages, platforms, coat racks, stanchions, folding screens, podiums, trash cans, easels, lecterns, etc.).
  • Set up and take down special equipment if requested in the work order.

Updated: April 16, 2009