Event Management Policy for Faculty, Staff and Departments
General Principles
1. The College’s facilities are primarily used to support its educational mission. After meeting the space needs of the college’s faculty, staff, and students, facilities may be rented to external clients at the discretion of the Office of Event Management, with the approval of the vice president for student affairs.
2. The land and buildings of Canisius College are private property, and the college reserves the right to control access to its campus.
3. All clients must comply with all College policies and regulations.
4. Canisius College reserves the right to cancel a reservation if the confirmed facilities/grounds are needed by the College. These instances are rare, and every attempt will be made to avoid this situation.
5. In addition to facility rental fees, the client is responsible for any/all additional charges for the event, including but not limited to, additional equipment, staff, security, and housekeeping services; see Billing and Charges.
Sponsorship Policy
1. Canisius College faculty, staff, and departments may sponsor an event on campus as long as the program supports the College’s mission.
2. Canisius College faculty, staff, and departments holding an event or activity, “sponsor”, will serve as the primary contact for all the details of an event, ensure that the event complies with the community standards and a representative from the sponsoring organization must be present at the event.
3. All charges associated with the event will be paid by the department, program or the student club/organization.
4. If a sponsor does not comply with the policies of the Office of Event Management, the college reserves the right to refuse use or rental of space.
Event Reservation Guidelines
1. All room reservations for events utilizing facilities/grounds that are not primarily used for academic classes, religious events, or athletic practices/competitions are requested through the Office of Event Management via the Online Request Reservation Form.
2. If the client’s preferred facility is not available, the Office of Event Management will:
| a. Suggest an alternative location for the event. | |
| b. Reserve the appropriate facility for each event based on attendance and type of event. |
3. Reservation Timetable
No more than three (3) holds can be made per specific event.
Once the reservations are made, please follow the timetable below to confirm the event date:
| Reservations that are made | Timeframe to Confirm a reservation |
| One year or more prior to the event date | Five months |
| Less than one year to two months prior to the event date | 30 days |
| Less than two Months prior to the event date | 14 days |
| Less than one Month prior to the event date | 7 days |
4. It is the client’s responsibility to keep the Office of Event Management apprised of the status of their event, especially when a tentative space reservation is no longer needed.
5. If the event cannot be confirmed within the applicable timeframe, and there is no communication from the client, the client will be contacted regarding the release of all their event request hold dates. The initial requestor can make another hold request for the same dates based on availability.
6. Conflict Resolution
Scheduling conflicts will be resolved by the Office of Event Management, based upon earliest reservation date. Priority will be given if the event is an annual college event that is important to the operation of the College’s mission.
In the event a conflict cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of all parties, the vice - president for student affairs will make the final decision.
Event Cancellation / Change Policy
1. Event Cancellation for Canisius College faculty, staff, and departments
| a. Events scheduled through the Office of Event Management must be cancelled online. | |
| b. A cancellation charge may be applied for events cancelled less than 10 business days prior to the event. see Billing and Charges. | |
| i. A change of event date within 10 business days of the event is considered an event cancellation. | |
| c. An event cancellation less than 24 hours before the event requires the client to cancel his/her event by calling (716) 888-2180 AND by using the Cancel Your Event box. When calling please provide the event name, event date, time, location and event reservation number. | |
| d. If Canisius College is not able to open or otherwise provide its facilities, the client is excused from all cancellation policies. |
2. Catering Cancellation
If your event includes catering services, you must also cancel your food order by contacting Chartwells’ catering department at (716) 888-2325 with the event date, time and location. Clients will be charged 10% of the cost of the catering order if the order is not cancelled within the appropriate time frame. If the event is not cancelled, the client will be billed for the full amount of the catering order.
| a. Events with catering orders greater than $100.00 must be cancelled at least five business days prior to the event. | |
| b. Events with catering orders less than $100.00 must be cancelled at least two business days prior to the event. |
Event Guidelines for Faculty, Staff, College Departments sponsoring College events:
1. Reservations - Canisius College faculty, staff, or departments must first complete an Online Request Reservation Form to request facilities/grounds and resources for their event.
2. Approval – The Office of Event Management will review the event request, approve it, schedule the event and issue an event confirmation number via email. In general, all clients will be notified of their event request status within two business days of their submittal.
3. Room Setups/Audio/Visual/Media Needs – The client must contact and work directly with the Office of Event Management to request all room set-ups and audio/visual/media equipment. All set-ups must be submitted 10 BUSINESS DAYS PRIOR to their event date. Services cannot be guaranteed after that date; see Billing and Charges.
4. Event Reservation Time - It is Canisius College’s expectation of the client to adhere to the specified event reservation time.
5. It is the client’s responsibility to return the room to its pre-event condition at the completion of the event. Failure to do so will result in charges, see Billing and Charges.
6. Chartwells Catering – Chartwells Food Service is the exclusive caterer for Canisius College. If any food, beverage, or linen is to be provided, contact Chartwells at (716) 888-2325; see Chartwells’ catering policy. The Office of Event Management must be notified 10 business days in advance if the event is to be catered.
Basic Catering Guidelines
| a. Chartwells has exclusive catering rights to all college facilities unless waived by the director of Chartwells. | |
| b. Due to health codes, Chartwells requires that there only be one food provider at an event. Partial orders are not permitted and will not be accepted. | |
| c. If outside caterers are to be used, they must be all inclusive. All catering supplies are the responsibility of the faculty, staff, departments, and student clubs/organizations and will not be provided by Chartwells. |
7. Ordering Alcohol - If serving alcoholic beverages at the event, see the Canisius College Alcohol Policy for Events.
Event Equipment Policy
1. Equipment
| a. The Office of Event Management coordinates the set-up of event equipment (tables, chairs, and media equipment, etc.) for all events. | |
| b. If additional event equipment is required, an outside vendor must be secured to provide these services. | |
| i. The Office of Event Management reserves the right to approve all outside vendors before contracts are signed with the vendor. | |
| ii. The client is responsible for paying the additional charges of the rental equipment; including delivery, set up, take down, and pick up by the vendor. | |
| c. Canisius College furniture and event equipment is NOT to be moved without the consent of the Office of Event Management. | |
| d. Canisius College furniture and event equipment cannot be moved off of the campus property. | |
| e. Piano Use - Clients who wish to use any of the campus pianos will be charged for piano tuning by the college approved piano tuner. |
2. Event Set-up Modifications
| a. The Office of Event Management must be notified before an event if a change is to occur with the set up of the facility/grounds. | |
| b. Under 10 business days prior to their event, clients will be assessed charges if they request modifications to be made to an agreed upon event set-up; see Billing and Charges. | |
| c. For events that occur after operating hours, the client will be responsible for any payment for additional staff that is needed to support the event. |
Media Center Services Policy for Support of Non-Classroom Events
1. Services Provided – The Media Center’s primary function is to support academic classes. The Media Center also provides media equipment support for non-classroom events to the extent that resources are available.
| a. The Media Center will: | |
| i. Set up all requested media equipment | |
| ii. Assist in training the client on the requested equipment if needed. |
2. Procedure for Ordering Media Equipment and Services
| a. The Office of Event Management will work with the client to determine the media equipment needed for the event and will request these services from the Media Center. | |
| b. Event requests must be received at least 10 business days in advance of the event date to ensure that the client's needs are accommodated. Late requests cannot be guaranteed. | |
| c. If an outside vendor is needed or if additional labor is necessary, additional costs will be incurred at the client’s expense. |
College Grounds Use Policy
1. Use of college grounds is limited to College-sponsored events. Reservations for college grounds need to be approved prior to the event by the Office of Event Management who will consult with Facilities Management.
2. Tents – Outdoor events that require tents are the responsibility of the client.
| a. Requests for tents on college property need prior authorization from the Office of Event Management. | |
| b. Tents cannot be placed in the fire lanes. | |
| c. Stakes for tents or for other structures are not permitted. Only free standing or water barrel support systems are allowed. |
| a. The Office of Event Management reserves the right to approve all outside vendors before contracts are signed with the vendor. | |
| b. The client is responsible for paying the additional charges of the rental equipment; including delivery, set up, take down, and pick up by the vendor. |
4. The use of lights (e.g. strands of Christmas tree lights) in the trees/foliage is not permitted without prior authorization from the Office of Event Management.
5. All bars set up outside to serve alcoholic beverages must be under a tent or awning according to the New York State Liquor Authority.
Housekeeping Policy
1. It is the client’s responsibility to make sure the facility/grounds are left in generally good condition after the event.
2. Chartwells catering will be responsible for cleaning up their equipment and supplies.
Decorations Policy
1. The following are general decorations guidelines:
| a. All decorations must be free-standing and self-contained. | |
| b. Exit or exit signage cannot be blocked, hidden, or disguised. | |
| c. Keep exits and corridors free and clear. | |
| d. Extension cords should not be used in a way that will create a fire, tripping, or electrical hazard. | |
| e. Extension cords must be UL listed, be a minimum of l6 gauge wire, be equipped with a ground plug, and be properly plugged into a wall outlet. Extension cords can not be connected to each other. | |
| f. Decorations can be affixed to walls with painter’s tape only. |
2. The following are prohibited:
| a. The use of nails, tacks, screws, or other sharp objects for securing materials to walls, lighting fixtures, ceilings or floors. | |
| b. Hanging decorations from sprinkler pipes, cables or conduit. | |
| c. Flammable decorations. | |
| d. Flash pots, smudge pots, pyrophoric materials or fireworks of any kind. | |
| e. Decorations posted on official signs (e.g. STOP signs, College signs). | |
| f. Banners which impede access to any building or more than 20 feet from the ground, without specific permission from the Office of Event Management. | |
| g. All tape except painter’s tape. No tape is permitted on the glass in Palisano Pavilion. Painter’s tape is available in the Office of Event Management. | |
| h. Helium balloons in Montante Cultural Center and Marie Maday Theater. |
3. Candles used at any College event must be contained in glass votive holders, glass hurricane shades, or be floating in non-flammable containers.
4. Confetti, Mylar sprinkles, table centerpiece confetti, or other items are permitted at an event as table decorations if the client agrees to remove and clean up all the decorations from the tables and facility.
|
a. The above mentioned items are NOT allowed in the Montante Cultural Center and Marie Maday Theater. |
5. The client is responsible for removing and disposing of all decorations/signage at the completion of an event. See Billing and Charges.
6. The Office of Event Management reserves the right to inspect and approve all decorations.
Billing and Charges
Billing
All billing will be submitted to the sponsoring organization. College clients will have their accounts deducted. The bill may include but is not limited to:
| a. Rental of the facility | |
| b. Security personnel | |
| c. Rental of equipment | |
| d. Additional housekeeping assistance | |
| e. Additional labor (Event Staff, Set-up Staff support, etc) |
Charges
1. Cancellations - For events not cancelled within the appropriate time frame, faculty, staff, departments, and student clubs/organizations will be charged 25% of the facility rental rate.
2. Equipment
| a. If any damage or loss occurs to the event equipment during use, the client will be charged the replacement cost of the damaged equipment. | |
| b. If any equipment is relocated without permission, the client will be assessed a $50.00 charge. | |
| c. All costs associated with equipment rentals are the responsibility of the client. | |
| d. If equipment is requested late, the client will be assessed a $50.00 charge. Additional charges may be incurred due to the complexity of the request. |
3. Event Set-up Modifications
| a. If a client changes the set-up to a facility/grounds and it is not returned to its pre-event status, the client is subject to a $25.00 per hour staffing charge (minimum 1 hour). | |
| b. Late Requests – a charge will be assessed for requests that occur less than 10 business days prior to the event. These requests are those that require complex changes to an agreed upon set-up. Extra staffing will be assigned to accommodate this request. The client is subject to a $25.00 per hour staffing charge (minimum 1 hour). | |
| c. If any client uses a facility without a reservation: The client is subject to a $25.00 per hour staffing charge (minimum 1 hour). |
4. Housekeeping & Decorations – If any of the housekeeping policies are not adhered to, the client will be assessed a charge of $25.00 per cleaning hour (minimum 1 hour).
Parking Policy for Campus Events
1. The College is governed by the Parking Regulations.
2. If concerns over parking issues arise during the planning of your event, please contact Public Safety at (716)888-2330.
Public Safety for Campus Events
1. Public Safety officers may need to be present at an event. Determining factors include, and are not limited to:
| a. Whether or not alcohol is being served (Alcohol policy) | |
| b. The number of people attending the event. | |
| c. The age group of those attending | |
| d. If the event involves a high profile speaker/entertainer | |
| e. If the event is open to the public |
2. The director of Public Safety will determine the number of Public Safety officers required or if an outside security company will be necessary at the event. If it is determined that an officer(s) needs to be present at your event, additional charges will be applied. All charges are the responsibility of the client.
3. Interruption or Termination of an Event - Public Safety and/or the Office of Event Management shall retain the right to interrupt an event in the interest of public safety, and to likewise terminate an event when, in the sole judgment of Public Safety and/or the Office of Event Management, such termination is necessary in the interest of public safety.
As of 1/1/07