Rutgers releases facility reservation for student conference after group fails to provide essential information for its event
September 28, 2003
NEW BRUNSWICK/PISCATAWAY, N.J. - NJ Solidarity-Rutgers Chapter will not have use of university facilities for a conference scheduled for Oct. 10-12 after failing to meet criteria required of all student organizations planning large-scale events on campus, the university's Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Emmet Dennis, announced today. "The university worked in good faith with NJ Solidarity-Rutgers Chapter to advise officers of their responsibilities and guide them through the process in order to have a safe and viable event," said Dr. Dennis. "We advised them of these requirements early on in writing and in person, but they have not provided the information needed for the event to proceed."
Dr. Dennis noted that members of the student group failed to schedule meetings with university staff to complete required plans and develop event-related contracts, did not provide a list of scheduled speakers and failed to provide a comprehensive description for its event. Students were informed of their responsibilities periodically throughout the process, most recently in a meeting late last week, he added.
Information and material required but not submitted include:
A list of room requirements to accommodate the conference's agenda;
A parking plan and cost estimate;
An event registration plan that ensures the conference is open to all students;
A complete deposit of all money needed to cover conference expenses, including facility and security cost estimates; and
A completed and signed co-sponsorship agreement with NJ Solidarity.
In order to finalize their reservations, all student groups wishing to use university facilities must demonstrate their ability and commitment to hosting an event by providing details concerning registration procedures, their agenda and speakers, space requirements and other aspects of their event five weeks in advance. They must also submit a deposit to cover anticipated expenses associated with the conference, such as security and room set up in the facility. Student leaders of NJ Solidarity-Rutgers Chapter were informed of the requirements for hosting their event in a university facility in February 2003 when they first requested space.
"Despite our best efforts to work with the students to plan a successful event, they failed to meet our established requirements and have not been forthcoming with the basic information that we require of all student groups seeking to use university facilities," Dr. Dennis said.
"We do not even have a title or a list of speakers for the conference at this point," he added. "The situation has been further complicated by the fact that the national organizations that were originally planning the conference with NJ Solidarity have withdrawn their participation and intend to hold their own conference in Ohio in November. As a result, we're unclear as to the scope or extent of the event being planned for the Rutgers campus."
NJ Solidarity-Rutgers Chapter, a student group registered with Rutgers College, had originally sought to hold a conference at the Douglass College campus center. Last month, in response to the organization's own attendance estimates, which rose from 200-300 at the time of the original request to 500 in recent weeks, and recommendations from Rutgers' Division of Public Safety, the university informed NJ Solidarity-Rutgers Chapter that the Louis Brown Athletic Center would be held for the conference. The change of location was necessary so that the university could better address several potential public safety issues that could arise due to increased attendance as well as a heightened level of public interest.
Among the university units working over the summer with the student organization to plan its event were the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs; the Rutgers College Office of Student Leadership, Involvement and Programs; the Division of Public Safety, and the Louis Brown Athletic Center's operations staff.
The students were informed today of the university's intention to release the reservation, and were told that, as a registered student group, they could reapply to host an event at the university at a future date. The process would then be restarted with the same requirements.
"Our commitment to free speech and the right of individuals and groups to express their views remains firm," said Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick. "In rescinding the reservation, the university makes no judgment on the content of the event or the organization's position. It is our responsibility to apply our policies fairly and equally, and I am comfortable that we have done so in this case.
"Rutgers must and will continue to provide a forum for a wide variety of viewpoints," he added.
Contact: Sandra Lanman
732/932-7084, ext. 621
Email: slanman@ur.rutgers.edu