Gettysburg College Event Sponsorship Policy

Purpose of Policy

The purpose of this policy is to set expectations, outline roles, and define processes related to sponsoring Events and managing venues on campus that prioritize the student experience, College operations, and the College’s commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive learning environment that allows for the open and respectful exchange of ideas and experiences.

Scope of Policy

This policy applies to all Gettysburg College students, employees, and Departments that are planning or sponsoring an Event on campus. This policy also applies to any individual or group not associated with the College that is using or seeking to use a facility owned or controlled by Gettysburg College.

This policy does not apply to informal gatherings or activities of students or employees that occur in reasonable locations including but not limited to dining facilities, residential buildings, offices, and outdoor spaces however, these activities may not occur in venues that that are reserved for an Event.

Definitions

The following terms have been defined for the purposes of this policy. Definitions provided here do not necessarily apply to how terms are used in other College policies.

Academic Department: A department that appears on the College’s Academic Programs Directory.

Academic Year: The time period between when students begin to move into residential buildings in early August for the fall semester and the end of Reunion Weekend.

Administrative Office: An office that appears in the College’s Office Directory.

Anchor Event: A large-scale campus-wide Event or period of time that occurs annually and is listed on the College’s Academic Calendar

Department: An Academic Department or Administrative Office

Designated Scheduler: A professional staff member in a Department identified in this policy that is responsible for overseeing scheduling for specific venues or purposes.

Event: Any organized activity that occurs on Gettysburg College’s campus.

Event Sponsor: The Department or Organization within the College that is responsible for an Event.

External Group: The individual or group requesting to host a Non-College-Sponsored Event through an eligible Event Sponsor.

Major Event: A large-scale Event that receives priority support over other Events from campus Departments

Organization: A student group that is registered with the College serving as an Event Sponsor

Pre-Scheduled Event: An annual Event that is scheduled prior to the opening of the calendar to prevent major conflicts between it and any other Events that may require the same Venue or similar support from Departments.

Primary Scheduler: The professional staff member in the Office of Student Activities & Greek Life who serves as the system administrator for the College’s online scheduling software.

Venue: A space that is owned or controlled by Gettysburg College that is reservable in the College’s online scheduling software.

Policy Description

General Event Policies

Minimum Requirements

All Events that occur on Gettysburg College’s campus must:

• Have an eligible Event Sponsor as defined in this policy.
• Be registered through the College’s online Event scheduling software.
• Have a College representative as defined in this policy present or responsible for the Event.
• Meet the definition of either a College-Sponsored Event or a Non-College Sponsored Event as stated in this policy.
• Comply with all College policies, local ordinances, and state and federal laws and regulations.
• Be approved by appropriate entities as required by College policy or as a matter of an applicable Department’s business processes.

Use Of College Services

If an Event Sponsor requires a service that is offered by the College, the Event Sponsor must first request the service from the appropriate College provider. The Event Sponsor may contract external vendors for the service only if the appropriate College provider declines to provide the service.

Event Restrictions

Beyond any restrictions outlined in this policy, the President’s Office may limit or prohibit Events as deemed necessary for leigimate health, safety, or security reasons or to prevent serious disruption of campus operations. This includes canceling Events when the College is closed or on limited operations due to inclement weather or other dangerous conditions

College Representative

An individual is considered a College representative if they meet one of the following criteria:

• They are an employee within the Department that is the Event Sponsor;
• They are an employee outside of the Department, a student, or a volunteer approved through Human Resources that is assigned by the head of the sponsoring Department to serve as their representative; or
• They are a member of the leadership team of the Organization that is the Event Sponsor and they have been registered with the Administrative Office responsible for recognizing the Organization.

College-Sponsored Events

Definition

College-Sponsored Events are defined as Events hosted by Event Sponsors on campus that are directly related to the purpose, operation, or mission of that sponsor and approved by the head of the Department or Organization.

Eligible Event Sponsors

The following groups may act as an Event Sponsor for a College-Sponsored Event:

• A student Organization that has registered with the Office of Student Activities & Greek Life;
• A residential community recognized by the Office of Residential Education;
• An Academic Department or Administrative Office;
• An appropriate program within a recognized Department that has been given permission to host its own Events by the head of the Department;
• An institutional vendor that is contracted with the College to provide ongoing services and is approved to host Events by the Department that manages their contract; or
• A varsity or club team that is recognized under Athletics.

Event Sponsor Responsibilities

When hosting a College-Sponsored Event, the Event Sponsor is responsible for:

• Registering the Event through the College’s online Event scheduling software if it occurs outside of any office spaces assigned to the Event Sponsor;
• Requesting and coordinating all support for the Event including confirming the availability of the services prior to the Event occurring. Support that must be requested includes but is not limited to audio and visual technical support, catering, Facilities requests, transportation, and any applicable permits;
• Having a College representative who is present and sober for the duration of the Event;
• Paying for any costs associated with the Event including but not limited to services provided by Departments, vendors, and damage to property; and
• Reporting any theft or damage to College property to Campus Safety.

Organization-Sponsored Events during Finals Weeks and Breaks

Organizations may host non-mandatory alcohol-free Events during finals week and over breaks with approval from the Administrative Office responsible for recognizing the Organization. Only students who are approved to be on campus at the time of the Event may attend. Administrative Offices that approve Events on days that the College is closed are responsible for providing all support that is needed for the Event including but not limited to cleaning and access to the venue.

Non-College-Sponsored Events

Definition

Non-College Sponsored Events are defined as Events that meet at least one of the following criteria:

• The Event is hosted or planned by a person or group that is not affiliated with Gettysburg College;
• The Event is hosted or planned by a person affiliated with Gettysburg College acting on their own behalf or for personal gain;
• The Event is hosted by a Department or Organization within the College but the Event is not related to the operations or mission of the group; or
• The Event is sponsored by a Department or Organization, the majority of participants are not affiliated with the College, and the amount of money taken in for the Event is expected to exceed the costs associated with hosting the Event.

Any Event meeting one of these criteria must be sponsored by an eligible Event Sponsor as outlined in this section.

Eligible Event Sponsors

All Non-College-Sponsored Events must be scheduled and approved through Conferences Services with the following exceptions:

• Dining Services may sponsor these Events in campus dining facilities.
• The Majestic Theater may sponsor these Events in the theater facility.
• The Garthwait Leadership Center may sponsor these Events on the ropes course.
• The President’s Office may sponsor these Events at any location at their discretion.
• Athletics may sponsor NCAA teams from other institutions to use Athletic facilities for practice.

Event Sponsor Responsibilities

When hosting a Non-College-Sponsored Event, the Event Sponsor is responsible for:

• Registering the Event through the College’s online Event registration software;
• Having a College representative that serves as a point of contact for the Event;
• Having a College representative who is available to support the Event organizers when using the facilities;
• Identifying a point of contact with the External Group and sharing their information with other Departments as needed;
• Requesting and coordinating all support for the Event including confirming the availability of the services prior to the Event occurring. Support that must be requested includes but is not limited to audio and visual technical support, catering, Facilities requests, transportation, and any applicable permits;
• Paying for any costs associated with the Event including but not limited to services provided by Departments, vendors, and property damage;
• Reporting any theft or damage to College property to Campus Safety; and
• Collecting liability waivers, indemnification agreements, and/or certificates of insurance from the External Group as deemed appropriate by the President’s Council. Expectations and processes related to these documents are maintained by the College’s Risk Manager.

Event Schedulers

The scheduler in the Office of Student Activities & Greek Life is the Primary Scheduler for the campus and is the primary administrator for the College’s online Event scheduling software. Athletics, Conference Services, Dining Services, and the Registrar each have one Designated Scheduler who is responsible for managing the Venues they oversee.

At the discretion of the Primary Scheduler, and with permission from any appropriate Designated Schedulers, other College employees may be given scheduling permissions for Venues. The appropriate Designated Scheduler, or the Primary Scheduler if none applies, is responsible for resolving any disputes, conflicts, or concerns regarding scheduling that is done by those they have given scheduling permissions to.

Event Scheduling Groups

Academic Calendar and Anchor Events Working Group

The Academic Calendar and Anchor Events Working Group is convened by representatives of the Provost’s Office and the Office of Student Activities & Greek Life as needed to set dates for the Anchor Events which appear on the Academic Calendar. These dates appear alongside the academic dates set by the faculty and are subject to final approval for the Academic Calendar through the appropriate faculty governance policies and procedures. The co-chairs from each office are responsible for selecting members for that committee and setting expectations and guidelines for how it operates. Events that appear on the Academic Calendar will receive first priority for support from campus Departments.

Major Events Committee

The Major Events Committee is convened by the Office of Student Activities & Greek Life and is comprised of representatives from Athletics, Campus Safety, Conferences Services, Dining Services, Information Technology, the Provost’s Office, a designee of the President’s Office, and any other Departments deemed necessary by the committee.

This committee is responsible for deciding:

• Which Events will be categorized as Major Events and/or Pre-Scheduled Events;
• Which Events will receive priority support from campus Departments if there is a conflict;
• If a Venue is classified as restricted or unrestricted for Non-College-Sponsored Events and any applicable restrictions (additional information can be found in the Venue Classification section); and
• Which Venues each Designated Scheduler is responsible for managing.

Venue Classification

The Major Events Committee regularly reviews all Venues on campus to categorize them into restricted and unrestricted venues which will determine how these Venues can be used for Non-College-Sponsored Events during the Academic Year.

Restricted Venues are reservable spaces that can be used for Non-College-Sponsored Events but have restrictions on when they can be used for this purpose. The Major Events Committee may put any reasonable restrictions on the use of these Venues to minimize the impact on the student experience or to reduce scheduling conflicts with College-Sponsored Events including but not limited to time of day, periods of time, days of the week, or reservation lead times. These venues can be reserved for Non-College-Sponsored Events after the calendar opens for the following Academic Year for any time outside of the set restrictions.

Unrestricted Venues are reservable spaces that can be used for Non-College-Sponsored Events without restriction because similar Venues exist on campus that can be used for College-Sponsored Events. College-Sponsored Events hosted in an unrestricted venue are subject to a change in venue if needed to accommodate a Non-College-Sponsored Event if a similar venue is available. These venues can be reserved for Non-College-Sponsored Events after the calendar opens for the following Academic Year.

Exceptions to any scheduling timeline may be made at the discretion of the President’s Office.

Summer Scheduling

Outside of the Academic Year, the use of Venues is prioritized for Non-College-Sponsored Events hosted by Conference Services. During this time, use of any Venue is subject to approval from Conference Services. College-Sponsored Events may be denied or moved to a similar venue to accommodate the needs of Conference Services during this time.

Alcohol Management

All Events with alcohol on campus must adhere to the following expectations:

• The Event, use of alcohol, and location of alcohol must comply with all applicable College policies, local ordinances, and state and federal laws.
• The Event Sponsor must indicate that alcohol will be present at the Event when registering it in the College’s online event scheduling software.
• There must be a process in place to verify the age of all attendees and differentiate between those that are of legal drinking age and those that are not.
• Alcohol must be served by an enrolled student, an employee of the College, or a licensed third-party vendor that has been certified through TIPS, RAMP, or another State approved Alcohol Server Certification.
• Alcohol provided by the Event Sponsor may not leave the Event location.
• There must be a process in place to limit alcohol consumption.
• Food and non-alcoholic beverages must be available for attendees.
• Divisional Vice Presidents may set additional expectations and restrictions for Events with alcohol hosted by Departments or Organizations within it.

Events with alcohol will be approved by the appropriate scheduler once compliance with these criteria is confirmed. Each Division within the College may create any additional approval processes for Events with alcohol as deemed appropriate by their respective Vice Presidents. If additional approval processes are created, a point person must be identified within the division to manage the approval and the primary campus scheduler must be notified of who that person is.

Policy Management

The Primary Scheduler in the Office of Student Activities & Greek Life is responsible for the management of the Event Sponsorship Policy. The Primary Scheduler with assistance from appropriate Designated Schedulers is responsible for the implementation and enforcement of the policy.

Related Materials

• Event Sponsorship FAQs (to be developed following final approval)
• Event Sponsorship manual (to be developed following final approval)