Student Life Spaces

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

Wilson Commons

Douglass Commons

Other Student Life Spaces

Genesee Hall

O'Brien Hall

Spurrier Hall

Student Centers & Services Building Policy

The rules below apply to all buildings and spaces managed by Student Centers & Services. This includes Wilson Commons, Douglass Commons, Spurrier Hall, Interfaith Chapel, Mack Catholic Center, public space in Genesee Hall, public space in O’Brien Hall, Friel Lounge in Susan B Anthony Hall, student organization space in Morey Hall, student organization space in Rettner Hall, and the radio station in 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 StudentCenters@rochester.edu.

Failure to follow the below policy may result in losing access to spaces/services and/or being charged a fee. Fees will vary depending on the violation.

Acronyms Used:

SCS – Student Centers & Services

ECM – Event & Classroom Management

CIC – Campus Information Center

Access / Building Hours

Student Center’s & Services’ buildings and spaces are accessible to the University community during their scheduled hours. People are not allowed inside SCS’s buildings outside of scheduled hours.
- Staff with offices inside SCS’s buildings are allowed to enter outside of hours for work related purposes but should limit doing so.
- Facilities and Dining Services are allowed into SCS’s buildings outside of hours if their job necessitates it.
Events outside of building hours need to request the building’s hours be changed at least two weeks before their event. Requests will be reviewed and approved on a case-by-case basis.
- Student Organizations should submit this request through their activity registration. The subsidized fee for student organizations is $20/hr.
- Departments should work with ECM to make this request. The fee for departments is $30/hr.
Anyone with a valid University ID can use the meeting rooms throughout the buildings outside of reserved times.
- Meeting rooms in the public space of residence halls are only available during scheduled building hours and are not available for residents to use outside of those hours.
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.

Alcohol

Individuals are not allowed to bring personal alcohol into the buildings.
Events with alcohol must coordinate that request through Dining Services and secure an alcohol permit.

Animals/Pets

Service animals are allowed.
Pets and emotional support animals are not allowed within the buildings.
- Emotional support animals are allowed to walk through public spaces that serve as the primary entrance to their residence hall (ex: walking through the public space of O’Brien Hall to get into the resident portion of the building).
The University policy on assistance animals can be found here.
Events with animals need to follow the events with animals policy.

Audio / Visual Technology

Audio and visual equipment should be turned off at the end of a reservation.
Tampering with equipment is not allowed. Reservations experiencing technical issues should reach out to the ECM Help Desk or the appropriate Building Manager.
- ECM Help Desk: 585-275-9014
- Campus Center Building Manager: 585-329-9093
- Riverside Building Manager: 585-953-8761
- Student Centers Building Manager: 585-622-5996
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 Extron system. For assistance or issues with the Extron 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 if they have a preference for the curtains to be open or closed. If during an event there is an unanticipated need to open or close the curtains, reservations are to use the Extron system or contact the Campus Center Building Manager at (585) 329-9093.

Awareness Displays

The policy on awareness displays and the expression wall can be found here.

Bicycles / E-Scooters / Micromobility Vehicles

Electronic micromobility vehicles (ex: e-bikes, e-scooters) and bicycles are not allowed inside the buildings and should be stored outside at the nearest bike rack.
- Staff with offices inside these buildings are allowed to bring their non-electronic bikes inside their office, as long as it does not block an exit.
- If these items are found in the buildings they may be removed by University staff and placed outside the nearest entrance or bike rack without notice to the owner.
No micromobility vehicles (ex: bikes, scooters, skateboards) are allowed to be ridden inside the buildings.

Building Security / Missing Items

The University does not assume any responsibility for personal belongings that are lost or stolen. It is an individual’s responsibility to keep track of their belongings.
Day lockers are available in Wilson Commons, Douglass Commons, and Spurrier Hall for securing belongings.
Any personal belongings left unattended will be turned over to the CIC and logged into their lost and found system.
- Items turned over to the building managers will also be logged into the CIC lost and found system.

Damage

Damage/vandalism or extra cleaning caused by a reservation will be charged to the sponsoring organization. If damage is caused by an individual outside of a reservation, they will be referred to Public Safety and/or the student conduct system.

Dance Studios

The policy on the Spurrier Dance Studio can be found here.
Tap dance rehearsals are only allowed in the O’Brien Dance Studio and Lower Strong. Tap can be performed for an event in Upper Strong. Other spaces can be approved with an exception form and detailed explanation of what floor protection will be used.

Decorations & Event Supplies

Tape and other types of adhesive cannot be used on any painted surface.
Command strips are not allowed to be used on any 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.
Helium balloons cannot be given away as part of a program and must be tethered as decorations. They cannot be attached to the light poles in Wilson Commons.
Student organizations can submit a Supply and Resource Request Form to request event supplies.
All decorations and supplies must be removed at the end of an event. Remaining items will be disposed of or turned over to the CIC’s lost and found.

Fire Safety

All activities within SCS’s buildings need to adhere to University fire code and the policies set by Fire Safety.
All reservations must adhere to the fire capacity of their reserved space.
- Select event spaces have their occupancy limits posted here, however the furniture setup can change the capacity of the room.
Fire exits, stairs, hallways, and other egress paths cannot be impeded or blocked.
Fire extinguishers cannot be tampered with or removed from their designated spaces.
Open flames (ex: candles) and fog machines are not allowed inside the building.

Flyers / Posting / Solicitation

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. The bulletin board policy can be found here.
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.
Student organizations and departments can distribute information at information tables in approved locations.
There is no solicitation allowed within the buildings.
Outside organizations not affiliated with the University of Rochester are not allowed to distribute information within the buildings or in student life spaces.
- See the University’s Solicitation, Canvassing, and Leafleting Activity policy.
- Outside organizations can use the general posting bulletin boards.

Furniture & Equipment

Furniture cannot be moved out of a space/room without permission from SCS.
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.
If moving furniture within a room, do not drag it across hard surfaces and be careful of walls.
Furniture cannot block egress areas (ex: emergency exists) and cannot be used to block off access to a space.
Hirst Lounge furniture can only be moved by SCS 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.
The Mack Catholic Center chapel furniture cannot be moved.
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.
  - Campus Center Building Manager: 585-329-9093
  - Riverside Building Manager: 585-953-8761
  - Student Centers Building Manager: 585-622-5996
- All borrowed equipment (ex: adapters, rolling white boards, sports equipment) must be returned at the end of the reservation or use. Dry erase markers should be left in the room. Available equipment:

Lounges

The 3rd floor lounges in Wilson Commons, Douglass Commons, and Genesee Hall cannot be reserved or used for events.
Friel Lounge in Susan B Anthony has the following rules:
- No reservations during the below times:
  - Monday – Friday: 10 P.M. and 7 A.M.
  - Saturday/Sunday: 10 P.M. and 9:30 A.M.
- Reservations must follow SCS’s and Residential Life’s policies (ex: courtesy hours, animal limitations, fire code). 
- Reservations are not allowed to use additional speakers or amps. Only acoustical performances/rehearsals are allowed.  
The policy on using Rocky’s Sub Shop & Lounge can be found here.

Messy Events

The policy on messy events can be found here.

Reserving Space

Policies and processes for reserving space within these buildings can be found here.
The chapel in the Mack Catholic Center is a sacred catholic space with several liturgical items that cannot be moved or covered. Those looking to use the chapel must ensure their activities align with and respect the purpose of the space.
The rooms in the below table can be utilized by the Registrar’s office to schedule courses Monday through Friday.
- Douglass 401, Douglass 407, Genesee 325, Friel Lounge in Sue B, and all meeting rooms in Wilson Commons and Mack Catholic Center are available all day for department and student organization reservations and cannot be used for reoccurring academic classes.

Building	Room #	Time Restrictions
Douglass Commons	302	No classes past 6:30 P.M.
Douglass Commons	307	No classes past 6:30 P.M.
Douglass Commons	308	No classes past 6:30 P.M.
Douglass Commons	403	No classes past 6:30 P.M.
Douglass Commons	404	No classes past 6:30 P.M.
Douglass Commons	420	Classes allowed at all times.
Genesee Hall	308	No classes past 6:30 P.M.
Genesee Hall	309	No classes past 6:30 P.M.
Genesee Hall	321	No classes past 6:30 P.M.
Genesee Hall	323	No classes past 6:30 P.M.
Genesee Hall	325	Only University Student Life classes with approval from SCS
Interfaith Chapel	Sanctuary	Music classes only
Interfaith Chapel	202	Only Religious & Spiritual Life classes
Spurrier Hall	103 (Gym)	No classes past 5 P.M.
Spurrier Hall	202 (Den)	No classes past 5 P.M.
Susan B Anthony Halls	Friel Lounge	Only University Student Life classes with approval from SCS
O’Brien Hall	104	No classes past 5 P.M.
O’Brien Hall	105	No classes past 6:30 P.M.
O’Brien Hall	111	No classes past 6:30 P.M.

Smoking

The University is a smoke and tobacco free campus and the use of cigarettes or electronic smoking devices are not permitted. There are designated smoking stations on campus. The University policy can be found here.

Additional Related WCSA Policies

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

Overview

Student Life Spaces

Campus Center

Other Student Life Spaces

Student Centers & Services Building Policy

Additional Related WCSA Policies

Additional University Policies