Student Organization Guide to Reserving Student Center Space and Best Practices

Reserving Space within a Student Center

Only registered student organizations and sponsoring departments can reserve space in the Student Centers.

• All reservations MUST be submitted through the Scheduling@Cornell tool, which can be found here.
• All requests or cancellations MUST be made at least five (5) business days in advance.
• Reservation requests for the Fall semester will be accepted starting in early August to coincide with student organization registration, and the Spring semester will be accepted starting mid-December.
• Space will not be available for reservations from the beginning of the study period until the end of finals for each semester.
• Weekly requests may be made for meeting rooms only, stipulating that each group is allowed only one (1) repeating event a week, and the event does not exceed four (4) hours.  Organizations can reserve space for repeating events for one (1) semester per academic year. 
• All reservations are tentative pending the receipt of completed necessary forms (event and room setup, equipment needs, University Event Team (UET) approval, etc.) and information (account for billing, event management, etc.).  Space may be released if not completed within two (2) business days before the event. 
• Bring your reservation confirmation with you during the event for verification.  
• For movie events: Bring viewing rights confirmation with you at the time of the event when viewing a movie.  

• Setup needs (equipment, A/V, tables, chairs, etc.) must be provided at the time of the request, and any changes must be submitted at least two (2) business days before the event.  Any additions at the time of the event will result in a charge to the group.

• All spaces must be returned to their original condition (except reservations with approved setups).  If they are not, there will be a $30 cleaning fee.  If damages have occurred, there will be a $30 cleaning fee plus the cost of repairs.

• Any event with activities approved by the UET must have a full-time Cornell professional staff member in attendance; their name, email, and cell phone number must be provided two (2) days before the event.

• Student Center assumes no responsibility for groups’ display items or materials.

• Conference and Event Services reserves the right to reschedule any event; prior notice will be given to the requesting group.

• Events found in violation of University Health & Safety policies are subject to inspection by Environmental Health & Safety, Ithaca Fire Department, Cornell Police, and Student Center Operations staff.  If found in violation, the group could face termination or cancelation and possibly be from future use of Student Center reservations.

Fines and Fees

• Late Cancellations: Cancellations made less than three (3) business days before the day of the event will result in a $30 fee to the reserving group.  No additional reservations will be accepted until the fee is reconciled.

• No-Shows: No-shows will result in a $30 fee plus any setup fees to the reserving group.  Two (2) “no-shows” will result in the loss of privileges to reserve space in the community centers for two (2) semesters.

• Alcohol Use Violations: Violations of the University Alcohol Policy may result in a fine of up to $200 and denial of requests for space for future events.  Violators may be referred to the Judicial Administrator.

• Setup and Clean-up Time: Rooms requiring setup and clean-up will need to allow an extra hour on either side of the reservation time.  If the reserving group is charged for the event, this time is included in the fees.

• Clean-up Fines: Failure to leave spaces in the same or better condition in which they were found, including rearranging furniture (outside of use as indicated in 25Live), will result in a $30 charge.

• Room Damages: Any damages to space (i.e., holes in walls, excessive trash, damage to the floor) will result in a $30 cleaning charge plus the cost of repairs.

• Exceeding Reservation Time: A fee of $30 per hour will be charged to the reserving group and may affect the ability to request spaces in the future.

Note: Unpaid fines and/or fees will result in denial of any future reservation requests.  Rates, fees, and fines are subject to change each fiscal year.  Fees will be calculated based on the event date.

Room and Space Rates 

Student Center space is free to registered student organizations based on standard “as is” setup.  Additional charges may apply for different room configuration needs.

'As Is' Standard Setups

• Multipurpose Rooms—empty
• Meeting Rooms and Art Gallery—boardroom
• TV Lounges-soft chairs only
• Music and International Room—soft chairs only
• Lobby – Table and 2 Chairs

Student organizations will be provided access to in-house mounted equipment with the Event Request in 25Live.  Additional equipment requests will incur the following charges:

Dance Events—If hosting a dance party, the group will be responsible for providing equipment and operators for this purpose.

Food and Beverage Policy

Food and beverages will be allowed in all reserved rooms under the following conditions:

• An event with food and beverages needs to have the University Events Team approved before the event is approved in 25Live.
• Willard Straight Hall may use the approved caterers presented in 25Live.
• Appel Commons and Robert Purcell Community Centers must use Cornell Catering, Cornell Dining, Green Gourmet, or  Bear Necessities for food needs.
• Any group that leaves a room in an unsatisfactory condition may be subject to an additional fee.
• No individual or group may bring alcohol into the Student Center building.  The university’s policy can be found here.
• If you register an event where alcohol will be served, the University Events Team will review your Event Request Form for consideration and approval.

Lobby Use Policy

The Lobby areas in the Student Centers are available for public information purposes, including petitioning, surveying, and general distribution of information.  Cornell University has specific policies regarding conducting sales on Cornell's campus. All those involved with sales activity must be members of the Cornell community. For specific information and guidelines, view Cornell's policy on Sales Activities on Campus; the University's policy can be found here.

• You must reserve a tabling space via the online reservation system found here.   The Student Center Support Team will provide a table.
• Displays must be kept within the boundary of the table and poster stand.
• Materials are NOT to be attached to the walls or woodwork.  Refer to the Poster Policy below.
• The name of the sponsoring organization must appear on all displays.  The group reserving the space must be the group that actually uses the space, and a group member must be present during all activities.

Poster Policy

For Appel Commons and Robert Purcell, posters must be taken to the North Campus Service Center located on the first floor of Robert Purcell Community Center during regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 8 am-4:30 pm) for approval.  For Willard Straight Hall, posters must be taken to the Central Campus Service Center on the fourth floor of Willard Straight Hall. Once stamped, they can only be hung in approved designated areas below.

• Robert Purcell Community Center: 1^st and 2^nd  floors have designated poster boards in lobby areas.
• Appel Commons Community Center: 1^st and 2^nd floors have poster boards in the lobby areas.

• Willard Straight Hall: A few bulletin boards are around the building for posting; these boards will be noted as such. 

Unapproved posters, posters hanging outside designated areas, or other advertising will be removed, and the sponsoring organization may be assessed a $30 cleaning fine for each offense.

Donation Bins

All registered student organizations must reserve a donation bin via the online reservation system found here.

• Bins will be provided to each group by the Student Center Support Team. 
• Bins will be placed in the location you have reserved through 25Live. 
• Each reservation will be allowed for seven (7) days. 
• Bins must be checked and emptied daily by the requesting Student Organization.
• The Student Organization is responsible for marketing materials and signage for the donation bins.  
  • Digital Signage support is available to market the donation bin; send a landscaped 16x9 image to CC Digital Signage Request at ccdigitalsignage@cornell.edu.  This is a free service.
• The Student Centers are not responsible for items in the boxes.

Student Center Contacts

If you have any questions about Student Center or Student Service Center operations, please get in touch with the team members below.

If you have a question or concern for Student Center Operations, please
contact Bill Marsh at wam26@cornell.edu.

If you have a question or concern for Student Service Center Operations, please contact Jennifer Forbes at jf282@cornell.edu.