1. ROOM RESERVATIONS
A. Scheduling an Event
Event times and room availability are first come, first served. Before requesting your event space, check the law school Master Calendar, the Course Schedule and Schedule.smu.edu to make sure there are no conflicts with your event (See Accessing Websites below).
1) If you are scheduling a major event with a high profile guest, multiple speaker panel, conference, etc., you should contact Rebekah Bell at rbell@smu.edu.
2) Prior to inviting a guest speaker for ANY event and making arrangements to pay for a flight, hotel, etc., check all calendars and be sure the classroom or event space is available (See Accessing Websites below). Should you need to provide your guest with optional dates, be sure to check with Rebekah Bell at rbell@smu.edu, or 214-768-4177 and make arrangements to tentatively reserve your space until final dates are chosen. DO NOT BOOK FLIGHTS FOR A SPEAKER UNTIL YOU HAVE CONFIRMED THE ROOM RESERVATION. Prior to submitting your room request for final approval, you must represent that you have checked and verified all schedules and received any required permissions, i.e. budget approvals, faculty advisors, etc.
3) If there are conflicts with an event that the Dean’s Office or the Office of Career Services is sponsoring, please contact Rebekah Bell at rbell@smu.edu to get permission to hold your event during that time.
REMEMBER: Scheduling a major event opposite makeup classes or mandatory meetings when students may not be available to attend your event, does not maximize the best use of your speakers, their time and your funds.
B. Accessing Websites
The Master Calendar can be reached via the home page of the law school website. It is located under quick links. http://calendar.law.smu.edu/?c=hpQuickLink_Law-School-Master-Calendar-(1)
The Course Schedule can be reached via the law school home page under current students>registrar>course schedules & information -- http://www.law.smu.edu/Registrar/Course-Schedules---Information.aspx
Schedule.SMU.edu can be reached using the following steps:
1. In the URL address box, type “schedule.smu.edu”
2. When Schedule.SMU comes up, click on the box in the top right hand corner labeled “calendar.” From the drop down box, choose “law region.” Allow time for the screen to change.
3. On the top left hand corner of the screen, choose “grid.” Allow time for the screen to change.
4. Once the screen has changed, click on the small calendar box next to the date below view choices, choose the date from the drop down box, and wait for the screen to change.
C. Reserve a room
To request a room for a law school event (i.e. Meetings, Study Sessions, Guest Speakers) use the appropriate template in Schedule.SMU (See instructions above for “Accessing Websites.) When the homepage first comes up, the box in the middle contains instructions that can be printed. Click on the “Events” tab located on the top left hand corner of the screen.
1. Enter the title of your event in the top box. Click on the drop down arrow under “select an event request form.” Choose “Law School Events Request Form” and click “next.”
2. Fill in the blanks.
3. Click “add/remove meeting”
4. Fill in the date and time and click “add meeting.”
5. When the screen changes, from the top right hand corner, choose “request rooms.” When the room choices come up, choose the space that is available. The room chosen will change colors. Then choose “save and update request.”
6. Once the screen changes, verify the information, then choose “submit request.”
DO NOT login to Schedule.SMU using your SMU ID and password. Only those people who are responsible for approving room requests may login.
DO include your name and SMU ID number in the template when requesting a room so you can be identified. If you have problems using the scheduling system, please do not hesitate to contact Rebekah Bell for assistance.
Godwin Gruber Lawyer’s Inn is not available for use by student groups.
NOTE: The Dean’s Suite may pre-empt a room reservation in certain rooms for special speakers and events. In this unlikely event, we will work with you to find another place for your group’s meeting.
All Law School departments and student organizations affiliated with the Law School must use the template in Schedule.SMU to submit requests for room reservations. Space should be reserved at least two weeks in advance, if at all possible, to allow time for announcements and maintenance notifications for heating and cooling purposes. Please allow at least 48-72 hours for confirmation of your space request. Requests for the current semester will ONLY be considered after all class schedules have been finalized in Schedule.SMU.
2. ADDING TO THE MASTER CALENDAR
Once confirmation for your room reservation has been received, send the following information to Sutton Alford at salford@smu.edu. Sutton will add the event to the Master Calendar and forward the information to the weekly Brief Online.
Should you need to contact any other department within the law school regarding the calendar, the following people have Master Calendar access:
FOR ALL EVENTS:
3. SPECIAL NEEDS FOR EVENTS
Alcohol: If you plan to serve alcohol, you will need to get special permission. Contact Martin Camp, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at mlcamp@smu.edu.
Audio/Visual: If you will need audio or visual technical support, e-mail lawtech@smu.edu AFTER receiving confirmation of your room request. Please notify lawtech at least 7 business days before your event. In all instances, if you will require support during an event, it is important that you include the AV person in your catering meal count.
Budget Approvals: Be sure to contact your Faculty Advisor or Student Bar Association for necessary budget approvals.
Cancellations/Questions: If you decide not to use a room that has been reserved for you, receive an error when trying to submit the template, or have any other questions regarding room reservations, please send an email to dianap@smu.edu or rbell@smu.edu
Catering: Catering in A.J. Thomas, Godwin Gruber Lawyer’s, Karcher Auditorium, Walsh Classroom and Hillcrest Classroom can only be provided by Crescent Foods. Once confirmation for room reservation is received, you may contact Crescent Foods at 214-768-3214.
Contracts: University policy requires the signature of the Dean and the legal department for all contracts. Approvals can take up to 3 or 4 weeks; therefore, it is important that events be scheduled well in advance to accommodate this time frame. If possible, please email a copy of the contract in a Word Document to Rebekah Bell, rbell@smu.edu. She will get the necessary signatures and let you know when confirmation is received.
Grounds: Any function that will utilize outside grounds in the law quad will need to be scheduled through Schedule.SMU and complete a Use of Grounds Permit Form. This form will be signed by the police, risk management and grounds departments. To get a copy of this form, please contact Betty Alexander in the Dean’s Suite at bettya@smu.edu.
Maintenance: When you host a program, it is your responsibility to clean up after your group. Always be sure to appoint a clean-up person/committee. If you expect a large crowd and will need extra trash pickup, please contact Betty Alexander at bettya@smu.edu. When using a classroom, remember there WILL be a class after your meeting, and if they have to sit in a room with food on the tables or soy sauce under the elbows, it WILL affect your ability to reserve a room in the future!
Parking: If you need parking for special speakers or other outside attendees, email Betty Alexander bettya@smu.edu at least 2 weeks in advance. Based on the number of guests planning to attend, she will determine the best options for your event. Should you need parking for more than 5 guests, Betty will need to make special arrangements with Park ‘n’ Pony for your guests. Be sure to provide an account code since parking will be $3 per car this year. It is important that a parking pass is placed on your guest’s car as soon as your guests arrive. An organization representative should plan to meet your special guests in the garage or lot where they will park.
Requests for rooms in other areas: Should you need to reserve rooms in other buildings/departments on campus, please refer to the University Registrar’s Room Scheduling Request Form.
4. PUBLICIZE YOUR PROGRAM
(Room reservations will be verified before requests are processed)
Brief OnLine Announcements
Student Events: No later than two weeks prior to an event, student event coordinators are required to send their information to the SBA Secretary. The SBA Secretary is responsible for adding these events to the Master Calendar and submitting announcements to the Brief Online. ALL events MUST be placed on the Master Calendar.
Faculty/Staff/Outside Organizations: No later than two weeks prior to an event, please send your announcement to Betty Alexander at bettya@smu.edu to have your event advertised in the Brief Online.
Digital Announcements
The Master Calendar is the source of information for events that will be placed on the digital screens. NOT ALL EVENTS will be announced on the digital screens.
Online SBA Daily Announcements
The SBA Secretary looks at the calendar generated by the Room Reservation Form (discussed in Step 2) in composing the all-law announcements. PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL THE SECRETARY DIRECTLY ASKING FOR YOUR ANNOUNCEMENT TO BE PLACED IN ALL-LAW ANNOUNCEMENTS. Using the room reservation approach, all events will be announced and further contact with the secretary will be superfluous.
Because the SBA Secretary will use the information you submit when reserving a room, be specific, for example, make sure to state what student organization you are reserving a room for and what event will be held. If you would like certain language for your announcement, please include it in the comments section at the bottom of the form.
Career Services Online Announcements
To publicize career-related programs, email the flyer for your event to Steve Yeager in the Office of Career Services at syeager@smu.edu. OCS will be happy to send an email on your behalf as well.
Making and Posting Flyers
If you would like to post flyers for an event, deliver your flyers to the designated box hanging outside the SBA office door. We will post them promptly in designated areas, including the glass cases throughout the school. Because there are rules as to where flyers may be posted, PLEASE DO NOT POST THE FLYERS YOURSELF.
Also, a small budget is available to reimburse student organizations for producing flyers. Please check with Alexandra Ashcroft at aashcroft@smu.edu to ensure that funding is available and what amount may be spent BEFORE producing flyers.
If you have any questions regarding making or posting flyers, please contact Sutton.