CU Policies & Procedures

All users agree to comply with all federal, state and local laws and University regulations and policies, including those applicable to the use of institutional facilities.

Physical alterations to the Charger Union building: The physical appearance or structure of the building may not be altered in any manner. Any requests for alterations: painting, doors changed, etc. should be directed to the Charger Union Director in writing. In conjunction with the Facilities and Operations Department and in some cases the University Facilities Planning Committee, a decision will be made regarding the request. If approved, the alterations will be charged to the operating budget of the department making the request.

No decorations may be affixed to the walls, ceilings or floors for any event. All decorations must be placed on a table or free standing.

Animals: Service animals shall be permitted in the Charger Union.

Property belonging to the University and placed in the Charger Union, such as pictures, works of art, or other equipment, may neither be taken from the building nor moved from one part of the building to another. Requests for the removal of any items within the facility must be made to the Charger Union Director, and, if such removal is approved, the items must be moved by Charger Union staff.

No bicycles, roller blades, unicycles, skateboards, etc. are allowed in the building.

Gambling is not permitted in the Charger Union.

All refreshments and meal service within the facility must be purchased from the University Food Service. (See Charger Union Food Service Policy).

No commercial or individual selling or soliciting shall be conducted within the Charger Union unless sponsored by a registered student organization or university department and reserved through the Charger Union Reservation Office.

Weapons are not permitted in the Charger Union.

 Users shall be required to be familiar with and respond to emergency protocols for the facility.

Subject to the explicit exception stated below related to registered student organizations, all food service and catering in the Charger Union meeting spaces must be provided by or through the University Food Service. No food and/or beverage may be brought into the facility in connection with an event or activity. The Director of the Charger Union or authorized food service representative may make exceptions to this policy. The policy does not apply to office space. This provision is in effect and must be consistently enforced because the Charger Union holds a restaurant license and must comply with the Alabama State Board of Health regulations.

EXCEPTION FOR REGISTERED STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS: In order to better serve the registered student organizations, an exception to the above restriction on food service in the Charger Union has been created. Registered student organizations may bring food and nonalcoholic beverages into the facility for meetings and events. This exception is subject to the following guidelines:

1. Only factory sealed food and beverages may be used. No homemade products may be served.

2. All food and beverages must be in the original factory sealed containers when served.

3. Neither the Charger Union nor the University Food Service will supply dishes, plates, cups, napkins or any other item necessary to serve the refreshments.

4. The sponsoring organization is responsible for cleaning up all food and beverage items prior to leaving the event.

5. These exceptions apply to refreshments only; no full meals may be served.

6. Food and beverage list must be provided to the scheduling office and approved prior to serving.

7. Violations will result in a possible loss of the space and/or loss of future scheduling rights.

1. No information, advertisement, document, or notice of any kind may be attached to any wall, door, window, railing, or other interior and/or exterior building surface, landscape, or hardscape outside the approved posting areas specified in this Policy.

2. Materials posted in unapproved locations or having content inconsistent with this Policy will be removed and discarded by Charger Union personnel.

3. Damage to walls or other surfaces resulting from violation of this Policy will require that the organization and/or individual(s) responsible pay the costs of repair.

4. Content or event promotion must be of student interest or student-oriented in nature, and any advertised events must be open to all students and/or a broad segment of the campus community.

5. Parties responsible for posting materials in unauthorized spaces will receive a warning as outlined under Violations of Policy.

1. Promotional tables may be reserved by Registered Student Organizations and Affiliated Groups for display and distribution of materials to interested persons in the Charger Union lobby and outdoor locations when the space is not reserved for other use.

2. The promotional tables must be reserved in compliance with the general reservation procedures and will be assigned on a first come, first served basis.

3. Tables must be occupied by a member of the reserving group at all times.

4. Commercial solicitation is not permitted in the Charger Union unless sponsored by a registered student organization or university department and reserved through the Charger Union Administrative Office. Sponsoring organizations or departments are responsible for the activities taking place. No commercial solicitation for personal gain is permitted nor solicitation that is incompatible with the educational mission of UAH.

1. Limited space for banners in the Charger Union Atrium/Lobby is available by reservation through the Charger Union Scheduling Office.

2. Banners must be received in the Charger Union Scheduling Office no later than 12 p.m. on the Friday prior to the reserved week.

3. Banners must be constructed of paper or vinyl with grommets installed. Wood, cardboard, fabric, glitter or other similar type materials are prohibited due to fire and safety hazards.

4. Two banner sizes (horizontal in orientation) are accepted: 3’(h)x6’(w) and 3’(h)x8’(w).

5. Installation and removal is performed by Charger Union personnel only. Banners will be available for pickup in the Charger Union Scheduling Office for one week after removal. At the expiration of this time period, any unclaimed banners will be discarded.

1. Bulletin boards are located on the first and second floor for campus-related posting. Content of material must comply with Section 2 of this Policy. General use posting is not permitted at this time.

2. All materials must be date-stamped by the Information Desk in the Charger Union prior to posting.

3. Materials must not exceed 11” x 17”; limit one poster per event, per posting location.

4. Materials may be posted twenty-one (21) days prior to or up to the event date.

5. Removal of materials will be performed by Charger Union personnel only.

1. Electronic Signage screens are located around the Charger Union and are used to advertise campus events.

2. Campus event screens can only advertise an event for seven (7) days at a time and must be submitted at least ten (10) days before the event date to be included in the rotation of electronic signage. Limited to five (5) reservations per organization per semester.

3. Submit graphics to digitalsignage@uah.edu. 4. Graphics need to be 16:9 format and any common file format.

Guidelines for exterior signage may be found in the University’s Use of Outdoor Areas of Campus policy, section K.

1. The Sr. Director for Union and Programs will make all decisions in compliance with these guidelines and other University policies regarding the usage of indoor and outdoor space.

2. Because the Charger Union is a student fee funded operation, all reasonable attempts to limit or minimize user fees for Registered Student Organizations will be made. Usage fees for certain types of equipment and reimbursable labor rates may apply in certain situations. If a Registered Student Organization sponsors a program in which students are to be charged an entry fee or any other fee, that sponsoring organization shall pay a flat $100 facility use fee and staffing fee. Additional fees, such as audio-visual support may also apply.

3. During the Academic Period, Registered Student Organizations and Charger Union Departments/Programs shall have priority scheduling privileges in accordance with the reservation process for meetings and special events. All other university departments and sponsored non-affiliated users are limited with regard to reserving space no more than sixty (60) days in advance of the event date. In order to assure space availability for students returning to campus in the fall, space is not available for any advance reservation from August 15th through September 1st unless approved by the Director of the Charger Union or her/his designee.

4. Registered Student Organizations, University Affiliated Groups, and Sponsored Non-Affiliated Groups may be eligible to reserve Charger Union facility space for non-Academic Periods when approved by the Sr. Director for Union and Programs and scheduled through the Charger Union Event Scheduling Office.

5. Space within the Charger Union is not available for academic class purposes.

6. University departments and registered student organizations shall not use their privileges to access space, resources or services as a “front” for a Non-Affiliated group or a commercial entity in order to avoid fees or receive reduced fees. All instances of “fronting” will result in an adjustment of all related fees to the appropriate hourly rate.

7. A reservation by the University requiring contracted services or that involve entertainment contracts and/or riders must be confirmed and all arrangements completed before reservation is confirmed. Room reservations are considered tentative until date, set-up, and equipment are approved by the Charger Union Scheduling Office and confirmed by the reserving party.

8. Use of Charger Union equipment is subject to availability.

9. The room requested will be assigned when feasible. Although a user’s request for a particular room will be given consideration, final assignments will be made by the Charger Union Scheduling Office according to the event or meeting's approximate number of participants and intended use. The Charger Union Scheduling Office reserves the right to substitute assignments or move a user to another area when it is deemed necessary.

10. All users reserving space accept responsibility for the proper use of the facility and equipment as well as proper conduct of their members and guests. The Charger Union reserves the right to charge the user and/or its sponsor for any and all damages to Charger Union facilities, equipment, or furnishings.

11. All users are responsible for leaving the room in the same condition as when the meeting or event started. The Charger Union reserves the right to charge the user for any labor required to restore the room to its original state. Users may not access their reserved room/space prior to the scheduled time and must be finished with the room and it must be vacated by the time indicated on the reservation form.

12. All users must notify the Charger Union Scheduling Office of a cancellation no later than three (3) business days prior to the event. Failure to comply with this cancellation notice requirement could result in a charge for any costs incurred by the Charger Union. Repeated violations may result in a violation of policy action.

13. The Sr. Director for Union & Programs or his/her designee may postpone or cancel any/all scheduled events in the Charger Union with or without notice in a viewpoint neutral manner.

The Charger Union will, during the Priority Scheduling Process, schedule reservation requests in the following tiered order:

o Recurring Reservations

o Special Events

o Open Reservations

• At the conclusion of the Priority Scheduling Process, requests will be accommodated on a first come, first served basis including additional Recurring Reservations. Priority scheduling for fall semester will take place from April 1 to April 30, for spring semester from October 1 to October 31, and summer semester from February 1 to February 28.

RECURRING RESERVATIONS:

• During the Priority Scheduling Process, only Registered Student Organizations and/or Charger Union Departments are eligible to make Recurring Reservations for the following Academic Year.

• Eligible users may request only one (1) Recurring Reservation per week. Additional requests will be considered on a space available basis at the conclusion of the Priority Scheduling Process.

• All Recurring Reservations are limited to a four (4) hour time block.

• The following rooms are available for Recurring Reservations in the Charger Union: Meeting Rooms 220, 221, 227, 228, 229, 230, 231, 232, 233, and 236.

SPECIAL EVENT RESERVATION:

• During the Priority Scheduling process, Registered Student Organizations are limited to three (3) Special Events per semester. Charger Union Departments/Programs are not limited to a specific number of special events.

• Special Events can be scheduled in the CGU Theatre, CGU Lawn Whole, Lawn Zone 1, Lawn Zone 2, Lawn Zone 3, Outdoor Lawn Theatre, and Charger Union South Patio.

• Registered Student Organization requests for additional Special Events may be made at the conclusion of the Priority Scheduling Process on a space available basis no more than sixty (60) days prior to the requested date.

OPEN RESERVATION:

• Requests for Open Reservations will be made in accordance with the aforementioned guidelines.

• Requests for Open Reservations may be made for any date/time which is still available on a first come, first served basis at the conclusion of the Priority Scheduling Process.

• All other campus organizations, departments, and sponsored non-affiliated users are limited with regard to reserving space no more than thirty (30) days in advance of the event date.