Procedure 8.01.01

This procedure is intended to facilitate responsible stewardship of institutional resources and supports Minneapolis College Policy 8.01

Any person or organization using college facilities must adhere to applicable college policies and procedures and to federal, state and local statues, regulations and ordinances. Groups that misrepresent an event or affiliation in order to avoid fees and charges will be charged appropriately and may have their reservation privileges suspended.

Part 1. Faculty and Staff Requests

Subpart A. Submit Space Usage Request

Faculty and staff requesting the use of college facilities for a college or department sponsored event or activity must complete the online request form. The online form requires login with an Minneapolis College ID and password. When submitting your online request you must include all equipment that you will need including any tables, chairs or AV equipment. 

Please be as specific as possible and only order what you know you need as there is a limit to the resources available. What you put on your request is what will be ordered for you. The Central Scheduling Department will strive to assign the room or type of room preferred. 

Central Scheduling can be reached at Central.Scheduling@minneapolis.edu or 612-659-6893.

If the described activity appears to be an external or co-sponsored event or activity, Central Scheduling will contact the requestor and identify the appropriate rental rate and any additional requirements.

Subpart B. High Occupancy or Specialized Space Usage

Events that will involve more than 50 people, or events taking place in the Plaza, Theater, Gym, Skyway, third floor of Wheelock Whitney Library or Helland Student Center will need to submit a completed request at least two weeks prior to the event. Groups requesting such events will be required to meet with a representative of the Minneapolis College Central Scheduling Department at least 10 days prior to the date of the event to review the request details such as setup, security, parking, and any AV needs that might be needed along with any charges that may be incurred. A Central Scheduling representative will contact you to arrange this meeting time. If a group does not show up for the scheduled meeting without notifying the Central Scheduling Department their space reservation will be canceled.

Subpart C. Room Setups

Setup and equipment needs are to be identified at the time the reservation is made. Rooms may be arranged in a variety of configurations. Please note that if you require a specific setup, some rooms may not be available to you. Furniture, including tables and chairs, is not to be changed or removed from the space except by special permission from the Central Scheduling Department. 

If a group rearranges the room, they are responsible for returning the room to the arrangement in which they found it at the conclusion of their meeting/event. If the room is not returned to its normal condition the labor charges incurred by the college will be passed to the appropriate cost center. Last minute requests that require additional labor charges may necessitate passing those costs on to the customer. When possible, we will try to accommodate all changes to reservations.

Subpart D. Confirmation

The Central Scheduling Department will confirm requested reservations by fax, mail, or e-mail within 48 hours. The reserving group’s contact person will be required to sign the room confirmation agreeing to the policies and procedures of Minneapolis College Central Scheduling office and return the confirmation to the Central Scheduling Department within (2) days of receipt. At the time of signing the confirmation, no changes to event details can be guaranteed.

Subpart E. Event Support

The sponsoring department is required to staff their event. The Central Scheduling Department is not responsible for the event. Central Scheduling will reserve the space and coordinate all facilities, AV and public safety needs.

At any high-occupancy event the requestor must be present, or must have a designated representative present. In signing the confirmation you agree to the responsibility of the event you are hosting.

Subpart F. Cancellations/No Shows

The Central Scheduling Department reserves the right to impose a cancellation fee if written notice to cancel a space is not submitted at least (5) working days prior to the event and for all no shows on reservations where physical labor has been expended.

Subpart G. Personnel and Security

Events that take place on the Minneapolis College main campus may require additional event personnel and some equipment may require an operator. The cost of the required event personnel will be charged to the reserving group. These charges will be reflected on the reservation confirmation. 

Additionally, some events such as high risk or high occupancy events may require security personnel of the Minneapolis Police Department. The cost of the security personnel will be charged to the reserving group. The Director of Public Safety will be responsible for assessing the risk and number of security personnel required.

Subpart H. Catering

Sodexho Dining Services has an exclusive contract for catering all food and beverages served on campus. No event at Minneapolis College may purchase food through an outside vendor without the permission of Sodexho Dining Services. Sodexho Dining Services must be contacted at least 10 days prior to your event, to ensure proper planning and product availability. You can reach the Catering Office at 612-659-6787. After the details of your event are finalized, you will receive a catering quote to facilitate obtaining your PO. If a hard copy of this PO is not received at least 3 days in advance of your event, your order will be cancelled. 

All cancellations and changes, including final guest count, MUST take place at least 3 days prior to your event. You will be liable for any charges incurred if changes or cancellations occur inside of this 3 day period. Please inform the Central Scheduling office if there will be any catering at your meeting to ensure they can build in enough time for set-up and take-down. Sodexho Dining Services will pick up all catering within 1 hour of the conclusion of an event.

Subpart I. Miscellaneous Service Rates

The college reserves the right to have, at is sole discretion and at the expense of the college group or department, its own security, facilities or other college personnel present at any event. Preparation cost incurred by the college will be billed to the sponsoring department. Charges will be applied to any event that takes place outside of the normal business hours. Applicable service fees are available through the Central Scheduling Department.

Part 2. Students

Subpart A. Room Reservations

Students who need to reserve space for a meeting, student event/activity or a special event, must contact a representative from the Student Life Office and complete the appropriate forms. The Director of Student Life must approve and sign the appropriate form prior to any event or activity on campus. Student clubs will then present the completed and approved form to the college’s Central Scheduling Department to reserve the requested space. No on-campus activity will be permitted without following this procedure.

Club meetings/activities: Requests for room for the purpose of club meetings or closed-club activities must be made at least three days prior to the meeting date. Requests for dedicated space for a club meeting or closed-club activity must be made within the first week of the semester and will be reviewed based on the unique needs of the club and the availability of college facilities.

Student Events or Activities: Requests for space for a student event or activity as defined above must be made three days prior to the scheduled event.

Special Events: Student clubs are encouraged to make requests for space for a special event as far in advance as possible. In no circumstances will a special event be allowed with less than two weeks notice. The college cannot guarantee the availability of space for a special event. However, decisions about space reservations will be made on a viewpoint neutral basis.

Subpart B. Charges and Fees

Student groups will be charged room rental charges and services fees as follows:

i. Club meetings/activities: No charge

ii. Student event or activities: Student events or activities that are held in the designated areas will not be subject to charges and fees. Student events or activities that are approved in special areas may be subject to service fees.

iii. Special events: Special events are subject to rental charges and service fees.

Subpart C. External Organizations

External organizations must contact contact the Central Scheduling Department at Central.Scheduling@minneapolis.eduor 612-659-6893.

Subpart D. Priority Use of Space Guidelines

College facilities exist for the purpose of educating the college's students. External parties will be allowed to rent college facilities only if such use does not interfere with the college’s core instructional and student support functions.

Central Scheduling will enforce the following guidelines for reserving rooms for all internal and external organizations, and departments seeking to make a reservation. Priority will be given in this order up to 7 days prior to the event, when an alternate location is available for a group that has already reserved the space. If no alternative room is available, the party which has received confirmation on the space will retain it.

Third Floor of Wheelock Whitney Library

1. Minneapolis College Foundation-L.3100
2. Office of the President
3. Credit academic classes
4. Continuing Education and Customized Training
5. College or department meetings and college events
6. Co-sponsored events
7. Student special events
8. External customers

Whitney Fine Arts Theater

1. Theater Department
2. Music Department
3. Office of the President
4. Continuing Education and Customized Training
5. College or department meetings or college events
6. Co-sponsored events
7. Student special events
8. External customers

Bowman Hall Gymnasium

1. Physical Education and Health classes
2. College internal events or events or co-sponsored events
3. Student special events
4. External customers

General Use Spaces

1. Academic courses
2. Office of the President
3. Continuing Education and Customized Training
4. College or department meetings, or college events
5. Co-sponsored events
6. External customers

Date of Adoption: 9/22/2008

Date of Implementation (if different from from adoption date):

Date of Last Review: 9/22/2008

Date and Subject of Revisions: