Scheduling Policies and Considerations

Guidance on Scheduling Discussion Sections

Academic Scheduling Principles and Policies
Scheduling non-Brown Events
Basic Event Scheduling Policies
Date and Time Considerations
Green Space Usage Policy
Events During Reading Period & Finals (for Student Groups)
Events During University Breaks (for Student Groups)
Annual Fall and Spring Performances (for Student Groups)

Academic Scheduling Principles and Policies

For an overview of our academic course scheduling policies and principles, please visit our Scheduling Principles page.

View our policy on Reserving Large (100+) Classroom Spaces on Weekday Evenings during Academic Year.

For general information about how classroom assignments are handled, visit our Classroom Assignments & Locations page.

Classroom assignments for the current semester can be found here.

You may also wish to view our Banner Building Codes Translations and Locations list.

Scheduling non-Brown Events

We require that your meeting, event, lecture, etc must be affiliated with and sponsored by a recognized Brown student group or department. Non-Brown groups seeking to use University space need to work with University Event and Conference Services (https://www.brown.edu/offices/events/front), which will help coordinate the fees, contracts, and other insurance requirements of the event. A detail of the policy outlining requirements for non-Brown events can be found on the Office of Insurance and Risk website hereL  https://www.brown.edu/about/administration/policies/insurance-requirements-facilities-use-non-brown-events .

Event Scheduling Policies

There are many things to consider before booking space for your event: Who is coming? What space would be most appropriate for your event? Are there other annual events happening that same day that might conflict such as Commencement, Finals, etc.?

Call our office first so that we can assist you with choosing the right location, avoiding conflicts with other University events, etc.

The majority of event spaces are scheduled by University Scheduling. Other offices are responsible for scheduling some other spaces at Brown that you may want to consider. Again, we can assist you in choosing those spaces even though we may not reserve them.

Please keep the following in mind:

~~There are restrictions on advanced reservation of large spaces (100+) during certain weeks in the academic year when evening midterms generally occur. View the full policy here: Reserving Large (100+) Classroom Spaces on Weekday Evenings during Academic Year .

~~Reserving the room only gets you the room. The next step is to contact the appropriate event services, such as Media Services, Caterintg, Event Support, etc.

~~Brown credit-bearing courses and related components (exams, etc.) take precedence over other University events and conferences. Exceptions to this policy are rare and must be requested through the University Scheduling Office before booking your space.

~~Having potential dates and times in mind when you look for space is very helpful, but do not solidify a date or start advertising until you receive confirmation from our office that the space is available!

~~Instead of asking for a specific space, consider searching for space by room features or capacity. You might be surprised to find a new room you've never been in!

~~Please cancel your reservation where appropriate! Space is limited, so please free up space when you no longer need it.

~~Be sure you know what the standard set-up is. If you stop by to look at the room, don't assume the set-up you see is the one that is always there. Please try to estimate the amount of setup time you will need and indicate it as pre-event or post-event time on your space request.

~~Many University spaces are only available for use during normal business hours, Monday through Friday 8:30am-5pm (8am-4pm in summer). 25live notes these spaces by showing open/close hours by room. If the room you would prefer to use appears unavailable when you search, it may be because your event is after hours or on a weekend or holiday.

~~Be respectful. If your organization hosts an event and the room is damaged, you are accountable for the damage.

~~If you are having an outdoor event, you'll need to identify a rain location or a rain date. Before your space reservation is confirmed, it will also have to be approved by our University Greens committee. You may be asked to provide additional information to aid in this approval.

Date and Time Considerations

Availability of space will obviously impact your ability to plan an event. Having potential dates in mind when you look for space is very helpful, but do not solidify a date until you are sure that space is available!

It is always a good idea to start by consulting the University's academic calendar and the schedule of religious holidays provided by the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life.

While it is not comprehensive, it is good to check the University's Events Calendar for other events that may conflict with your event. You should also post your event as early as possible so that others will know about your event when scheduling.

You should also keep the following major events in mind:

First-Year Orientation: the weeks before and after Labor Day
Family Weekend: mid-October
Fall Festival: Late October, typically the last weekend in October
Third World Center's calendar of cultural weeks and months
Women's History Month [contact the Sarah Doyle Women's Center]
Pride Month: April [contact the LGBTQ Resource Center for more information]
A Day on College Hill: mid-April
Spring Weekend: Late April, typically the weekend right before Reading Days begin [contact the Student Activities Office for more information]
Commencement: Memorial Day weekend

Building Hours: Please keep in mind that our buildings are not open 24/7. While it may be possible to arrange to have a building opened outside of the open/close hours listed on 25live, there may be additional costs or security concerns.

Quiet Hours (near Residence Halls): All members of the University Community have a right to reasonable peace and quiet during normal hours of rest. Creating undue noise or disturbance in or adjacent to residential units is prohibited between 12 midnight and 7 AM on weekdays and between 2 AM and 9 AM on Saturdays and Sundays.

Closing Time (for student events): All events and activities held on Sundays through Thursdays must close by 12 midnight. Friday and Saturday events and activities must close by 2 AM.

Alcohol Service: Alcohol service must end at 1 AM for events that qualify for a Class F license (events where alcohol will be served and money will be collected at the event for any reason). Visit Student Activities for more information.

Outside Music: City regulations do not permit outdoor music after 12 midnight.

Set-up and clean-up: Be sure to reserve the time required by Catering, Facilites, Media Services and others to set-up and clean-up before and after your event.

Green Space Usage Policy

The University greens are a valuable natural resource. It is intended that they be enjoyed by all, in addition to being a show place and forum. Scheduled events/activities must be in keeping with community standards of decorum. In addition, use of the greens can neither result in damage to the greens nor should there be undue disruption of the normal course of University life. Please keep in mind that the greens are living and, as such, we work to distribute events over the University's many green spaces to avoid overuse of any one space; effort is made to limit the use of the main historical greens -- Simmons Quad, the College Green (commonly referred to as the Main Green), and the Front green -- to those events requiring their use.

• LENGTH OF RESERVATION: Usual reservation time is 1 day for an event and 1 to 3 days for exhibits/displays; large exhibits are limited to 2 days. No events involving encampments on main historical greens or residential quadrangles will be permitted.

• GREEN REQUESTS DURING UNIVERSITY EVENTS: Requests during major University event programs (Orientation, Family Weekend, ADOCH, Commencement, etc.) must be approved as part of that program.

• SPACES THAT MAY NOT BE RESERVED: Except during a major University event program, the center of the Front and College Greens, except for the area immediately under the trees in front of Sayles Hall, are for general/informal use only. Exceptions may be granted if a tent is required [i.e. the center of the College Green between the trees in front of Sayles and University Hall and the center of the Front green between University Hall and the Van Winkle Gates cannot be reserved].

• SPONSORSHIP REQUIREMENTS: The activity or event must be sponsored by a University department or recognized student organization. Commerical activity or vending is not permitted. Please be sure passers-by can identify the sponsoring group either by having event organizers present or indicating the sponsorship on a banner or other material.

• RESPECT FOR NEIGHBORS AND SURROUNDING ACTIVITIES: Activities may not disrupt other scheduled events (inside or outside the buildings), including classes. Sound and crowd noise should be kept at the minimum level required for the activity at all times. All requests are reviewed for potential impact on other activities and the neighborhood. City ordinance and University quiet hours restrict the scheduling of outdoor events after 11:59 PM Sunday through Thursday and 1:00 AM on the weekends.

• WEEKDAY DAYTIME SOUND/NOISE CONSIDERATIONS: On weekdays, no amplified sound or high levels of noise are permitted during the day on the College or Front Greens until classes have concluded in the surrounding buildings. Amplified sound may be requested on other greens during the day on weekdays from 12-12:50 PM; however, if any complaints are received, the sound must be immediately turned off. As no classroom or administrative offices are located on Wriston Quad, reasonable noise levels, including amplified sound, may be requested at any time.

• CLEAN-UP AND VEHICLE ACCESS: Traffic, including emergency vehicle access, may not be impeded. No damage may be done to the trees, grass, or sprinkler systems. Clean-up must be assured and complete.

• LIMITS OF A RESERVATION: Once your reservation is confirmed, no other reservation for a formal event will be made for the same green space area without your approval; however, your reservation does not guarantee that there will not be informal activities in the area. If you are reserving a popular space (like the College Green) and the weather is nice, you may have to contend with significant levels of ambient noise. Please plan accordingly. Public Safety can certainly assist you if any informal activities are creating a significant disruption to your event.

• ADHERENCE TO THESE AND OTHER UNIVERSITY POLICIES: The University has guidelines for Political Activities and for Protests and Demonstrations. If you are making a request for use of a green space for a purpose that could be, in any way, construed as a Political Activity or a Protest or Demonstration, you must review these policies and confirm that your event will conform with these policies.

• APPROVAL OF REQUESTS: Requests for usage of University Green Spaces require several approvals. We cannot guarantee that requests received less than 7 days in advance will be processed in time. Approval does NOT include any equipment or set-up; these must be arranged separately with Facilities Event Support (401-863-7820).

Events During Reading Period & Finals (for Student Groups)

In support of Brown University’s primary academic mission, events occurring during Reading Period and Final Examination Period are restricted, as students prepare for and complete exams. Student groups are encouraged to plan events during the regular academic calendar, rather than during Reading or Finals Period.  See the Student Activities Office Policy Manual for a full description of the policy (§ IV.C) governing student groups usage of space during Reading and Final Exam periods:

 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oX8HZORHleHE7LDIyAwd3raSNeIay35ZVaT6tjaDRcw/edit

Events During University Breaks (for Student Groups)

Undergraduate student groups are not permitted to meet, practice, rehearse, or hold events over University break periods e.g. Spring Break, Summer, and Winter Break due to limited space and resources.

Questions regarding this policy should be referred to the Director of the Student Activities Office, Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center, Room 230, 401.863.2341.

Annual Fall and Spring Performances

With over 60 student performance groups looking to showcase their work during both the Fall and Spring semesters, several activity-specific spaces have been identified and reserved for this purpose in advance.   Due to time constraints and resource allocation considerations, a few site-specific guiding principles have been set in place in order to accommodate annual shows.

Shows in Alumnae Auditorium

Alumnae Auditorium houses special lighting and sound equipment and is the only performance space on campus that also has a stage draperies, backstage area, dressing rooms, thrust, and installable dance floor. The equipment is managed by the student-run Alumnae Hall Advisory Board (AHAB) and its student Technical Advisors. In collaboration with the Student Activities Office (SAO) and Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), AHAB coordinates training for groups using the space. 

Because of the uniqueness of Alumnae Auditorium and the finite number of performance dates available, only a limited number of groups can be scheduled in this space each semester. The calendar of fall and spring shows are set one year in advance, with guidance and approval from SAO and Scheduling. Each group is given equitable tech rehearsal time as well as a full weekend of shows. 

The typical schedule for a show is:

• Sun 8pm-12am:  load in, tech rehearsal
• Mon 5pm-12am:  tech rehearsal
• Tues 10:30pm-12am:  tech rehearsal (after Orchestra class, earlier if orchestra is in Sayles)
• Wed 5pm-12am:  tech rehearsal
• Thurs 10:30pm-12am:  rehearsal (after Orchestra class, earlier if orchestra is in Sayles)
• Fri 8am–12am:  show at group’s discretion
• Sat 8am-12am:  show/s at group’s discretion
• Sun 8am-6pm:  matinee allowed, group must be out of the Auditorium by 8pm for next group

All student group performance dates must meet the SAO’s scheduling policy, which does not permit performances during any University Breaks including Thanksgiving Recess, Spring Recess and Spring Weekend. All of the final exam period is also off limits for performances.


Shows in Salomon DeCiccio Auditorium, List 120 or MacMillan 117

Related Files

Rev Policy for large classroom spaces.pdf

Banner Building Codes

Guidance on Scheduling Discussion Sections