Overview

Student life spaces are areas on campus that facilitate community building through various activities and services presented by and for students. These spaces are managed by Wilson Commons Student Activities and are supported by a wide variety of student employee positions.

Public lounges in the Campus Center (Wilson Commons, Douglass Commons) and Genesee Hall are not reservable spaces and are available for general student use when the buildings are open. Conference rooms and event spaces in all five buildings may be reserved through EMS or through ECM.

Student Life Spaces

Campus Center

Other Student Life Spaces

Student Life Space Policy

The below rules apply to Wilson Commons, Douglass Commons, Spurrier Hall, non-residential life space in Genesee Hall and O’Brien Hall, and student organization spaces in Morey Hall and Todd Union. All other University policies need to be followed in addition to the below. In general, student organizations should follow these rules for all spaces on campus. Student organizations can submit exception requests through the exception form. Departments can contact WCSA@rochester.edu.

Acronyms Used:

WCSA – Wilson Commons Student Activities

ECM – Event & Classroom Management

UR – University of Rochester

  • General
    • Student life spaces are open access during their regular building hours. People are not allowed inside student life spaces beyond the established building hours. Events exceeding building hours need to make arrangements in advance to have the hours changed.
      • Student Organizations should submit this request in their activity registration. The fee for student organizations is $20/hr.
      • Departments should work with ECM to make this request. The fee for departments is $30/hr.
    • Outside organizations not affiliated with the University of Rochester (UR) are not allowed to perform any activities in the buildings without a sponsoring UR department present and a confirmed reservation.
    • Posters/flyers are only allowed to be posted on the designated bulletin boards. Nothing is allowed to be adhered to brick, drywall, ceilings, floors, or left on furniture.
    • Flyers for an event inside the building can be taped to the exterior doors the day of the event. They must be removed immediately after the event ends.
    • Damages caused by a reservation will be charged to the sponsoring organization.
    • Messy activities (ex: events with paint, glitter, tie-dye, pie throwing) can only be performed in Hirst Lounge or outside. Art supplies must be water based and any equipment used must be cleaned in a janitor’s closet sink. Building Managers can assist with accessing these closets. Messy supplies should not be cleaned in bathroom sinks.
    • Candles are not allowed inside the building.
    • Reservations can only be made by UR departments and student organizations. Individuals are not allowed to book space for personal use. Outside entities are not allowed to reserve space unless sponsored by a UR department/student organization
    • Keys for the practice rooms in Spurrier Hall can be signed out from the Music Department. The practice rooms are only open during building hours. When not in use the lights need to be turned off and the door locked.
  • Furniture
    • Furniture cannot be moved out of a space/room without permission from WCSA or ECM.
    • If moving furniture within a room, do not drag it across hard surfaces and be careful of walls.
    • Furniture cannot block fire egress areas (ex: emergency exists) and cannot be used to block off access to a space.
    • Hirst Lounge furniture can only be moved by WCSA or ECM. Reservations need to submit furniture needs in advance of their reservation if they need a layout different from the standard setup. The soft seating in Hirst is not movable and will not be removed from the space.
    • Event furniture needs to be requested in advance and cannot be requested the day of an event.
      • Student organizations must do this through activity registration.
      • Departments can do this through ECM.
      • If an event has a small need day of (ex: one table, two chairs, a single music stand) they can call the Building Manager.
  • Meeting Room
    • Meeting rooms can be reserved in advance by departments and student organizations through Virtual EMS. When not reserved, meeting rooms are available for general use by the UR community by swiping their University ID.
    • All meeting room furniture should be returned to its proper location, whiteboards should be cleaned off, and personal items removed at the end of a reservation.
      • Any personal belongings left in meeting rooms will be turned over to the Campus Information Center and logged into their lost and found system.
    • All borrowed equipment (adapters, rolling white boards) must be returned at the end of the reservation. Dry erase markers should be left in the room.
    • Audio and Visual Equipment should be turned off at the end of a reservation.
    • The following rooms can be utilized by the Registrar’s office to schedule courses until 6:30 P.M.: Douglass 302, 307, 308, 403, 404, 420 (classes can go beyond 6:30 P.M. in this room); Genesee 308, 309, 321, 323; Spurrier Gym; O’Brien 105, 111.
      • Douglass 401, Genesee 325, and all meeting rooms in Wilson Commons cannot be used for reoccurring academic classes. These rooms are available during the day for department and student organization meeting reservations.
  • Events
    • All supplies, furniture, decorations, etc must be removed by the event sponsor at the end of their event. Remaining items will be thrown away. Sponsoring organizations will be charged for any costs incurred for disposal.
    • Tape cannot be used on any painted surface.
      • Events needing to hang decorations should bring equipment to hang their decorations from or contact a Building Manager for assistance.
      • During a Hirst Lounge reservation, items may be attached to the spaceframe, but no furniture or ladders can be utilized for hanging.
    • Decorations cannot impede access to railings, stairways, or exits.
    • Fog machines are not allowed.
    • Helium balloons cannot be given away as part of a program and must be tethered as decorations.
    • Student organizations can submit a Supply and Resource Request Form14-days before their event to request event supplies.
    • All event technology must be coordinated with ECM in advance, even if using outside equipment.
    • All AV, lights, and curtains in the ballroom can be accessed through the installed Crestron system. For assistance or issues with the Crestron system, please contact ECM at (585) 275-9014.
    • The curtains in the ballroom are motorized and cannot be moved manually. When reserving the space reservations must communicate with ECM their need to have the curtains opened or closed. If during an event there is an unanticipated need to open or close the curtains, reservations are to use the Crestron system to open or close or contact the Campus Center Building Manager at (585) 329-9093.

Additional Related WCSA Policies

All policies are listed on the page that discusses the service/space.

Additional University Policies