BUILDINGS & SERVICES UPDATE
SUMMER BUILDING HOURS
MEMORIAL STUDENT CENTER:
- Monday – Friday | 7:00am – 8:00pm
- Saturday – Sunday 10:00am – 8:00pm
RUDDER THEATRE COMPLEX:
- Monday – Friday | 7:00am – 8:00pm
- Saturday – Sunday 10:00am – 8:00pm
RUDDER TOWER:
- Monday – Friday | 7:00am – 8:00pm
- Saturday – Sunday 10:00am – 8:00pm
ALL FAITHS CHAPEL
- Monday – Friday | 7:00am – 8:00pm
- Saturday – Sunday 10:00am – 8:00pm
KOLDUS BUILDING
- Monday – Friday | 7:00am – 8:00pm
- Saturday – Sunday 10:00am – 8:00pm
Semester Event Guide
UCEN reserves the right to terminate all meetings, events, and concessions that are deemed unsafe or outside the established safety guidelines. Failure to operate within these guidelines may result in the cancellation of future bookings and events.
Printable version: COVID-19 Guide
VIRTUAL MEETINGS, CONFERENCES, & EVENTS
Utilize technology (Zoom, Skype, etc) to collaborate instead of meeting in person. For assistance in setting up virtual meetings, conferences, or events, please contact Event Services at 979-845-8904.
- See more information and our full list of virtual services here.
IN-PERSON MEETINGS, CONFERENCES, & EVENTS
Requirement for Event Organizers
- Adherence to Policies: Ensure adherence to maximum room capacity, physical distancing, and seating requirements.
- Face Coverings and Preventative Measures: Ensure all attendees are wearing face coverings when on campus. Face coverings must also be worn at off-campus activities sponsored by TAMU or TAMU recognized student organizations (RSO). Follow simple measures to lower risk and prevent the spread of viruses (not shaking hands, practicing social distancing, etc.)
- Certification of COVID-19 Symptom Free: Ensure all attendees certify that they are not exhibiting symptoms associated with COVID-19 or have been in close contact with an individual that is showing symptoms or has tested positive for COVID-19. Any attendee exhibiting symptoms should be sent home immediately.
- RSVPs: Require your audience to RSVP. Guests who RSVPd need to arrive early, at least 15-20 minutes before the event begins. Events with larger audiences may require additional time to get everyone seated before the start of the event.
- Attendance Tracking: Maintain clear records of event attendees to facilitate COVID-19 contact racing if needed. Records should include attendee’s name, telephone number, and email address.
- No-Touch Material Distribution: Utilize digital distribution of materials. Printed material and physical items are not allowed.
- Signage: UCEN will display signs reminding attendees of room capacity, seating instructions to maximize physical distancing, and preventative measures to keep guests safe. Work with your UCEN event coordinator for additional signage.
- Consider creating a hybrid event with a virtual option for attendees who are unable to attend in person.
Reservations for Memorial Student Center, Rudder Tower, and All Faiths Chapel
- Special event requests for June 2021 through May 2022 will open on Monday, April 26, 2021, at noon. Special events are yearly conferences, large seminars, banquets, and social events that are open to individuals outside your organization’s members. Special Events may take extra time and resources which require additional planning. A maroon link event form is reviewed by UCEN, Student Activities, and your organization’s advisor.
- Weekly organizational meetings occur in 60-minute blocks, at the following times in All Faiths Chapel, MSC, and Rudder Tower 4th floor and 6th floor: 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM, 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM. Meeting times for Rudder Tower 3rd floor, 5th floor and 7th floor: 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM, 9:30 PM – 10:30 PM.
- Student semester reservations for weekly and biweekly meetings are available starting August 16, 2021, at noon virtually at https://events.tamu.edu or by contacting the Event Services office at 979-845-8904 or in person at Rudder Tower 2nd Floor.
- In-Person reservations on the second floor of Rudder Tower will be contactless and social distancing is enforced while waiting in line. Please limit yourselves to only one member of the organization present at the time of booking.
ON-CAMPUS SIZE GATHERING LIMITATIONS
Indoor Gatherings
Indoor spaces available for reservation have revised occupancies based on square footage and seating capacities. We continue to encourage the use of remote technologies for informational meetings, speakers, and events to preserve our efforts to provide a safer environment for face-to-face instruction, on-campus housing and dining, and all members of our community.
Outdoor Gatherings
- University units, student organizations, and/or university affiliated persons may reserve outdoor space through the University Center & Special Events (UCEN)
- Persons or groups of more than 25 persons wishing to exercise the use of Texas A&M’s traditional public forums and/or three (3) reservable free speech areas should contact University Center & Special Events (UCEN) for reservation information and also follow the guidelines articulated in Appendix XI of the Texas A&M Student Rules regarding freedom of expression.
A reservation request does not guarantee space availability. In an effort to comply with social distancing guidelines, space availability is limited. Texas A&M reserves the right during this pandemic to prioritize the use of space to University entities responsible for carrying out University authorized events and sponsored activities.
Exceptions
Beginning Monday, March 15, 2021, any on-campus gathering with 100 or more attendees must also receive final approval by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs prior to the gathering. All gatherings will be required to ensure access/entry control, physical distancing provisions, and face covering compliance.
FOOD
Food at events must be catered by Chartwells, dineoncampus.com/tamu/about-catering, 979-845-1118
- All food served inside a UCEN facility requires an approved Food & Beverage Form. General meetings lasting less than two hours will not be approved to serve food and beverage at their event.
- Catered food and drink should be pre-packaged and adhere to the strict food handling restrictions that are in place. The best method for food delivery is individual portions packaged in to-go containers. Bottled and canned drinks only, no common drink stations are allowed.
ROOM OCCUPANCY & MEETING SCHEDULE
- All meeting rooms have an adjusted capacity to promote physical distancing.
- SMALL (10 or less):
- MSC: 1403, 2402, 2403, 2500, 2502, 2504, 2507, L526
- MEDIUM (less than 40):
- MSC: 2404, 2406A, 2406B
- Rudder Tower: 301, 401, 404, 501, 504, 701
- LARGE (more than 40):
- MSC: 2300 (A-E), 2400, 2406
- Rudder Tower: 601
- Rudder Theatre Complex: All venues
- All Faiths Chapel
- SMALL (10 or less):
- Meetings are scheduled in 60-minute increments beginning at 6pm. Meeting Times for Memorial Student Center, Rudder Tower, and All Faiths Chapel:
- Evenings, Sunday – Thursday | 6:00pm – 7:00pm | 8:00pm – 9:00pm | 10:00pm – 11:00pm
- To safely clean and prepare rooms for the next meeting, UCEN requires 60 minutes between scheduled events.
TABLING & CONCESSIONS
All tabling and concessions will occur Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 5:00pm in Rudder Plaza or Koldus Plaza. No MSC 12th Man Hall tabling allowed.
Requirements for tabling organizers:
- No-touch material distribution: Utilize digital distribution of materials. Printed materials and physical items are not allowed.
- Face coverings and preventative measures: Ensure all attendees are wearing face coverings when on campus. Face coverings must also be worn at off-campus activities sponsored by TAMU or TAMU recognized student organizations (RSO). Follow simple measures to lower risk and prevent the spread of viruses (not shaking hands, practicing social distancing, etc).
- Certification of COVID-19 symptom free: Ensure all attendees certify that they are not exhibiting symptoms associated with COVID-19 or have been in close contact with an individual that is showing symptoms or has tested positive for COVID-19. Any attendee exhibiting symptoms should be sent home immediately.
Tabling & Concessions NOT Permissible:
- Bake sales
- Events with animals
- Food sales
- Pie in the face, dunk tanks, inflatables
- Fun runs
- Sponsoring an external vendor
- Supply donation drives
- Financial donation drives (online donations only)
- Merchandise sales (permissible with online purchases and shipments only)
Tabling & Concessions Permissible:
- Blood drives (permissible given the appropriate requirements are met and approved)
- Public sales and transactions (all public sales or transactions must conduct purchases online via approved channels (ex. Marketplace) and product pickup will be limited on campus. Shipment of items is the preferred method of distribution. The intent is to limit the physical exchange of goods.
Applying for a Concessions Permit:
- An eConcessions Permit Form is available here
- Any parties wishing to host concessions activities will be required to provide their safety protocol, and we will ensure that it meets basic university standards.
- The first available date for on-campus concessions permits is Wednesday Aug. 19 (first day of classes)
PLANNING YOUR EVENT
- Contact UCEN: Visit with one of our event coordinators when planning your event. Your assigned event coordinator can help produce event diagrams and event estimates that will help keep you on budget and your guests safe. Current health standards and University guidance will help our department set capacity numbers for each event.
- Things to consider: Physical distancing will require larger rooms be reserved to accommodate a smaller number of guests attending your event, so plan your financial budgets accordingly.
- Safety planning: Complete a Maroon Link Event Form explaining how safety protocols are being proposed and enforced the day of the event.
CANCELLING, POSTPONING, OR MOVING EVENT TO VIRTUAL
- In conjunction with University administration, UCEN will monitor changing conditions and make determinations on when to cancel, postpone, or make events virtual as the situation dictates.
- Recognizing the broader impacts on cancelling events, we will work hard to avoid cancelling events unnecessarily. If events need to cancel, we will do so promptly, allowing event planners and attendees reasonable lead time to adjust.