• Facility Use Rules and Regulations
• Facility Features and Restrictions
• Student Life Facility Usage Fees
• Campus Contacts
• Reservations for Free Speech, Expression and Assembly

The rules and regulations for facility use pertain to the reservation and use of all Student Life facilities. All individuals who complete a reservation request form are responsible for being familiar with the information. Questions concerning requests may be sent to Mandi Copeland, Associate Director for Events & Operations in the Office of Student Life.

Social Distancing Guidelines

Accessibility Statement
Reservation Requests
Event Cancellations
Event Reservation Changes
Bully Pulpit Series Clause
Priority Reservations
Exam Period Restrictions for Student Organizations
Fronting
Alcohol Policy
Catering
Event Security

Responsibilties of Sponsoring Organization/Sponsoring Individual
Student Behavior
Damages
Amplified Sound
Parking
Film Screening Liability
Private Parties & Prohibited Events

Social Distancing Guidelines - Updated January 10, 2022

As we monitor the spread of COVID-19 in our surrounding community, we feel it necessary for the safety of our community to put event guidelines in place. These policies remain in effect until it is safe for us to make modifications. 

Indoor events and meetings will be limited to 30 people or the fire-code capacity of the space (whichever is a smaller number) at all College-sponsored gatherings (on or off campus) for all non-academic meetings.  

All other requirements for indoor gatherings remain in place as indicated:  

• Face coverings are required, and social distancing is strongly encouraged.   
• A non-student employee of the College must be present (in person or virtually) to help manage the event. 
• Eating and drinking should be very limited. Food should be pre-packaged, and we encourage providing food and drink in a “to-go” format as guests leave the event.  
• When possible and to minimize direct contact, events/gatherings should not include mingling or reception activities.  
• Maintain a list of attendees in case follow-up is needed for contact-tracing purposes.  

When arriving at the Stern Center or RITA (indoor facilities) for meeting or event:

• One member of the group must check-in at the Information Desk on the first floor.
• Do not congregate outside of the meeting space. Maintain physical distancing at all times.
• Allow for any clearing of a prior meeting or event before entering a space. If a prior reservation has gone over their allotted time, a member of the Stern Center staff will assist in clearing the space.

Accessibility Statement
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all College of Charleston sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires accommodation in order to participate in a program, please contact the Office of Student Life in advance at 843.953.2291.

Reservation Requests
Reservation requests must be received a minimum of three (3) business days prior to the proposed event. Events requiring extensive setup must be submitted 10 business days prior to the proposed event. Advanced planning by groups is strongly encouraged. Reservation requests must be submitted online using the Reservation Request Form. Reservations are not finalized until the Office of Student Life sends a written confirmation to the requesting party. Additional time may be required for review of requests including alcohol or other services.

All reservations require a request through the Reservation Form process. Please be sure to utilize the form for the correct semester to have your reservation processed in a timely manner.

Event Cancellations
A $75 administrative fee will be assessed to any faculty & staff departments and offices or student organizations who do not cancel within two (2) business days of their event or fail to show for an event or meeting. Facility reservations must be cancelled a minimum of two (2) business days in advance of the reservation date. Organizations that cancel less than two (2) business days plus any expenses accrued on their behalf. Organizations that cancel or fail to show for a reservation two or more times risk temporarily losing their reservation privileges for the remainder of the semester.

Event Reservation Changes
Changes to any event setups must be received at least two (2) business days prior to the event. Our ability to accommodate your request is dependent on the availability of facilities, equipment and personnel.

Bully Pulpit Series Clause
Be advised that, on an on-going basis, there will be an on-campus event entitled “The Bully Pulpit Series”. The Bully Pulpit event will be open to faculty, staff, and students and feature detailed question and answer sessions with Presidential candidates. Due to the limited availability of campus facilities and lack of advance notice, this series of discussions will require some events to be relocated to an alternate facility within a 48 hour notice, possibly impacting your event.

Priority Reservations
In most cases, student organizations are given first access to request Student Life facilities, occurring once per semester in the Fall and Spring terms. Faculty and staff are given second access to request Student Life facilities in a similar manner. Once student organizations, faculty and staff are given access to request Student Life facilities, reservations are opened to all on-campus and off-campus organizations. Priority reservation dates are announced once per semester and are sent to students via CougarConnect and faculty and staff via the Yammer.
All other exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Office of Student Life on a case-by-case basis.

Exam Period Restrictions for Student Organizations
Student organizations are not allowed to host meetings, social gatherings or events of any nature during the Dark Period. Each semester the Dark Period begins at 12:01am on Reading Day and extends through the last day of final exams. Recurring weekly student organization meetings are also not scheduled during academic holidays. More information on the Dark Period can be found in The Compass, which is available on the Forms and Policies web page of the Student Life website.

Fronting
Student organizations and CofC departments shall not use their privileges for access to the spaces and services inappropriately to “front” for an external organization in order to avoid or reduce expenses and/or provide access to campus for those entities. All sponsoring organizations must have a representative present at any event held in facilities reserved by the Office of Student Life.  All instances of “fronting” for other student organizations or external organizations will result in an adjustment of all related fees to the external organization rate and may result in the loss of reservations privileges.

For Faculty, Staff or College Departments: A student organization may not place a reservation for faculty, staff or college departments in order to receive free or reduced fees. A faculty or staff member or department may not use the name of a student or student organization to place a reservation to receive free or reduced fees. The person making the reservation must be a currently enrolled student and active member of the organization, communicate all planning for the event and preparation must be completed by student members and the student organization on the reservation.

If the Office of Student Life determines in its discretion that a sponsored reservation has participated in such prohibited activities or has otherwise provided intentionally inaccurate or misleading information, the department or organization, together with any individual or organization on whose behalf the sponsor is determined to have “fronted,” will have all reservation privileges (including existing future reservations) suspended for a time to be determined by the Office of Student Life.
Departments or offices reserving space for a conference or event will be charged the full off-campus rates for the following:

• More than thirty (30) percent of the guests are not part of the College of Charleston community
• An external organization is the primary planner and execution of the event
• There is a charge for the event.

Alcohol Policy
All student organizations, departments and offices should be familiar with the College of Charleston policy on events with alcohol. Any event including alcohol will require the appropriate alcohol management form. Once your reservation has been approved, instructions for this form will be sent to the primary contact for the reservation. Student Organizations will complete this form through CougarConnect Events. Faculty and Staff will receive a Form from the Associate Director for Events & Operations in the Office of Student Life.

Catering
ARAMARK has first right of refusal for all on-campus event. You may make your catering needs online by using their user-friendly website. ARAMARK Food Services (http://cofcatering.catertrax.com ) is the hospitality provider for the College. It operates all existing food-service operations on campus, as well as special catering needs. ARAMARK has a wide array of reception, meal and party foods, as well as beverage options. Any organization requesting to use an off-campus vendor must receive written approval from Aramark for the use of off-campus catering.
All events with alcohol MUST use Aramark for their alcohol and catering.

Event Security
Event security is coordinated and arranged through the Department of Public Safety. The number of Public Safety officers required and the pricing per hour is at the discretion of the Department of Public Safety. All events that include alcohol require the presence of Public Safety officers. Other types of events may also require the presence of Public Safety officers. The Office of Student Life will refer group representatives to the Department of Public Safety upon receipt of the reservation request form.

Responsibilities of Sponsoring Organization/Responsible Individual
It is the responsibility of each organization reserving a facility to be aware of all rules and regulations pertaining to the use of a particular facility. The group representative/responsible individual who submits all forms accepts responsibility for ensuring that all rules and regulations are followed.

Student Behavior
Behavior by students and student organizations using Student Life facilities is subject to the College of Charleston’s Honor System.

Damages
Organizations will be charged for all damages to the facility that occur during their use, including cleaning for wear and tear that exceeds normal use. All props and decorations must be free-standing and removed at the completion of the event. All trash must be disposed of in the trash cans provided at the completion of the event.
The following are not permitted in the Stern Center or RITA buildings:

• Open Flames (candles)
• Fog Machines
• Glitter
• Hanging or tacking (thumbtacks, staples, etc) materials to walls, ceilings doors, windows (painters tape is available if needed)

Amplified Sound
Organizations may use amplified sound in the Stern Center Garden with limited restrictions (until 11pm). For all other outdoor areas, unless specifically banned (Rivers Green, Cougar Mall), organizations must comply with the Amplified Sound Policy, available on the Forms and Policies web page. Organizations are encouraged to use discretion with amplified sound, as events will be shut down if City or College police receive complaints from neighbors.

Film Screening Liability
Any event which includes a film screening requires a licensing fee for any copyrighted material. The organization must also understand that the group agrees to adhere to any and all copyright laws pertaining to the screening of motion pictures on the college campus and/or not in private settings (eg: residence hall room, living room of your apartment). The group is responsible for following up with any copyright issues and are responsible for paying any and all licensing fees prior to the event. One option for license: You can contact Swank at http://www.swank.com for information on purchasing licenses.

Private Parties & Prohibited Events
The Office of Student Life does not accept reservations for private parties such as weddings, birthdays, off-campus company parties or similar events. Off-campus organizations may submit a reservation request for meetings, training sessions and seminars, etc. The Office of Student Life reserves the right to refuse events or to terminate an existing agreement if it is determined that a proposed event is not in agreement with College of Charleston’s mission, core values and/or existing administrative policies. Questions concerning requests may be sent to Mandi Copeland, Associate Director for Events & Operations.
 

Parking
Guest parking is not provided for any event. Contact the Office of Parking Services for questions regarding loading/unloading and campus parking lots/garages. Guests are encouraged to utilize metered street parking spaces and College or City parking garages. Please visit the Parking Services website for garage locations and more information.
For major events utilizing the ballroom or Stern Center Garden for loading/unloading, please contact the Office of Student Life for options at least one five (5) business days prior to your event. Loading and unloading locations may be available but parking will not be provided, and groups will need to provide parking for their vendors.