FAQs

There’s been enormous growth in the number of organizations on campus and with that a significant increase in events requiring space.  Add to that growth the loss of North Hall and the demand for space is even further compounded. To accommodate as many events as possible, a robust scheduling system was needed. If with this system in place to be fair and equitable to all user groups each request needs to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, prior to confirmation. This is to ensure the best and highest use of space, avoid conflicts, and verify that we have sufficient staff on hand to service the space being requested.

In preparation for the use of any space on campus; either prior to, during, or following    an event, several departments may be involved. If an event needs tables, chairs, audio visual equipment, catering or just cleaning the various departments need to sign off on those aspects of the request. This is required to make sure we have the staff, inventory, and time needed to service the space that’s being requested.

The Virtual Event Management System (VEMS) can be found in the Compendium of the John Jay website. Below are the steps for accessing the system:

1. Select the tab “Inside JJ” and enter your username and password.

2. Select “Resource Center.”

3. Under “Work Orders / Facility and Space Request” select “Virtual Event Management Room Request System – VEMS.”

You are now on the home page of VEMS. Follow the instruction for access to the system.

Yes. No. Only partially so. Students can access VEMS for browsing purposes only by going to http://jjayems.jjay.cuny.edu/virtualems/

Only those trained on the system are able to reserve space. More than likely someone in your department has already been trained on the system and can assist you in making your reservation. If there is not someone in your department who has been trained or to be trained on the system please contact Space Reservationist Christine Baerga at cbaerga@jjay.cuny.edu.

Before space can be made available for reservation, the college governance meetings (College Council, Town Hall, Faculty Senate, Academic Meetings, etc.) must be scheduled. In addition, some events are major in nature and are planned years in advance, others are recurring events that roll over from year-to-year and therefore can be anticipated. These major and/or recurring events take priority when scheduling simply because of the advanced timeline and pre-planning required in bringing the event to fruition.

1. OAR Conferences
2. CUNY IT Conference
3. Convocation
4. Open House
5. Commencement
6. Justice Awards
7. Award Dinners

Releasing even smaller spaces prior to setting major events in the annual calendar can cause major conflicts; requiring staff to spend precious time moving events and having to renege on prior approvals.

After major and recurring events are scheduled (usually just prior to the beginning of each semester) the calendar is opened to the general college community for reserving space.

The Department of Theater and Event Support Services will send out general announcements prior to opening the calendar.

No. Space requests for student organizations are submitted through the Center for Student Involvement & Leadership (CSIL). If you represent a student club or organization and are interested in reserving space please contact csilspacerequest@jjay.cuny.edu.

We agree. And our analysis over the last 3 years has revealed that the demand for space for students is greatest during community hour (1:40pm – 2:55pm) and after 5:00pm Monday through Thursday. In response to that need, and prior to opening the calendar to the general community, a considerable amount of space will be blocked out for this purpose. This will ensure that the student groups that don’t assemble until the semester is largely underway are not negatively impacted by this delay and will have access to space(s) required to conduct their events/business. 

The simple fact may be that there isn’t any space available at the time you’re requesting. But if that’s not the case, then on occasion, some event requests may not be approved based on either scheduling conflicts or not having the available staff or resources to setup and service the event.  While we understand that every event is important this may also mean that some events require special approval before being allowed to move forward.

Glad you asked. The Space Utilization Task Force has looked into shared use of conference rooms and developed a method by which administrative conference rooms     are made available in EMS once each department has had sufficient time to reserve them for their own purposes. Also, we suggest you keep in mind that many of these conference rooms adjoin offices and the type of meeting, and/or the noise generated by that meeting, should always be considered.

No. Typically there is no rental fee or labor charge to internal users. There are however rental fees and labor charges that apply to external clients.

CUNY does frequently ask to use space on its college campuses. If space is available we try to accommodate their request. However, as is with all user groups, labor fees are to be fully reimbursed.

Renting space to external clients has become a major revenue steam for colleges across the country. These rentals provide John Jay College with considerable new financial   resources that we are able to use to support the institution. This is especially relevant during years of financial austerity.

It’s not crass to expect accountability and transparency. Rental fees are collected and distributed through the College’s Auxiliary Services Corporation; a non-profit corporation created to support educational, social, cultural, and recreational activities for students, faculty and staff.

Currently, there is an 11-member Board of Directors for the Corporation. The Board meets at least once per semester.  Pursuant to CUNY Guidelines, the governing board is comprised of the College President or his/her designee, plus an additional number of        students and the same combined number of faculty and administrative members.

Administrative members are appointed by the President.  Faculty members are   appointed by the President from a panel whose size is twice the number of seats to be filled. Faculty nominations are made by the Faculty Senate.

Sure. The funds are used to provide scholarships to students and to support major student events such as Open House, Orientation, and Commencement.

Labor charges refer to the services required to support an event. They may include         fees from the following departments and are typically applied to external users only:

Labor charges refer to the services required to support an event. They may include fees from the following departments and are typically applied to external users only:

1. Facilities (for set-up and removal of furniture and custodial services).

2. Audio Visual Services (for providing audio visual needs such as microphones, music playback, and projection capabilities).

3. Public Safety (for providing event security when required).

If you are a student, faculty member, staff member, alumni or college department at     John Jay and are engaged in school sanctioned and approved activities more than likely you’re an internal user. If you represent a for-profit corporation or private entity; a non-profit entity; or an agency of the federal, state, or local government; or if you’re a student, faculty member, staff member, alumni or college department using space for private purposes then you’re probably an external client.

If you are a student, faculty member, staff member, alumni or college department at     John Jay and are engaged in school sanctioned and approved activities more than likely you’re an internal user. If you represent a for-profit corporation or private entity; a non-profit entity; or an agency of the federal, state, or local government; or if you’re a student, faculty member, staff member, alumni or college department using space for private purposes then you’re probably an external client.

Sounds simple.
It’s not. If you are a student, faculty member, staff member, alumni or college department sponsoring an event that might include external clients as a component to your event, then your event may be considered a “partnership” and therefore rental fees and/or labor costs may apply.

Sounds complicated.
It doesn’t have to be. If you’re an internal user with no affiliation with an external group then there should be no charge. If you’re an internal user partnering with and external organization you can refer to the Space Rental Rate Sheet to view the various rental rates available. There are substantial discounts even when partnering with an external group or affiliation. 

Yes. And you’re required to provide written justification detailing the benefit to the college that should roughly offset the reduction in rent provided by the partnership. Offsets can be achieved through various ways. Below are just a few:

1. Waiving of registration fees for student participation in various workshops/seminars/conferences.

2. Free or reduced ticket prices to theater cultural events such as concerts or plays.

3. Co-branding of John Jay in advertising and promotional material.

The justification requires approval from a Dean, or the Vice President of the sponsoring department. Final approval from the VP of Finance and Administration is required before any ticketing or marketing of the event takes place.

This is complicated. There are certain rooms that can be reserved years in advance and other that can’t be reserved until the governance meetings (College Council, Town Hall, Faculty Senate, etc.) are in the calendar. And then there are lecture halls and classrooms that can’t be reserved until they’re released by the Registrar once the semester schedules are finalized. So if you’re planning a large event that can’t wait until the general release date or “Space Day,” please contact Cheryl D’Antonio at cdantonio@jjay.cuny.edu or Christine Baerga at cbaerga@jjay.cuny.edu.

“Space Day” is a new term used to describe the day when we open our space reservation calendar to student clubs and organizations, faculty, and staff to reserve space not previously allocated to governance meetings and major and/or recurring events. The more prepared you are as an individual or representative of a group on “Space Day” the more likely you’ll find the space you’re looking to reserve.   

The simple answer is yes. If you’re not requesting a specific room set-up or other services provided by AVS or Facilities then your chances of being approved is greatly increased because the approval no longer hinges on available equipment or personnel needing to be available to perform those services. Using the room “as is” is simply stating that however the room was left by the previous user you and or your group are willing to work with that set up or change it around on your own. 

No. But now that you mention it you should be aware of existing guidelines for using some of our spaces on campus like: ‘Hound Square, Kroll Atrium, Jay Walk, Faculty/Staff Dining Room, just to name a few. Guideline for those spaces and others can be found in the John Jay compendium. And don’t forget to submit a work order to the Facilities Department for your event. 

Good question. Reserving your space is just the first step in the process. If you are reserving a space that doesn’t need chairs, tables, heat, air conditioning, or unlocking, then I guess you don’t need to submit a work order. But if you will need any of those things then it’s probably a good idea to do so and that requires a work order. Steps to submitting a work order can be found in the “inside JJAY” compendium but if you’re a student this will need to be arranged through the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership.

No. Currently classrooms are not in the VEMS system. However, we are working with the Registrar on methods whereby classrooms will be made available on EMS for use during community hour (1:40pm – 2:55pm). Until then requests for academic space are to be directed to Cheryl D’Antonio at cdantonio@jjay.cuny.edu or Christine Baerga at cbaerga@jjay.cuny.edu.

Use of the theater comes with its own unique set of challenges, not the least of which is the expense associated with staffing each event. It is a 600 seat, fully-functioning,Broadway-style theater requiring a staff of ushers and Union stagehands to operate. Like most Broadway stages it has an elevator pit and a counter-weighted fly system that is dangerous to operate without proper training and supervision. Therefore use of the Theater is reserved for events requiring seating in excess of 250 people and needing the technical support only offered by a performing arts venue. If the above criteria is met the question as to who pays for the labor costs must then be resolved. This will require approval from the Vice President of Finance and Administration. 

Okay, I won’t. But you do. Table space on campus must be reserved to prevent the proliferation of tabling and to ensure entrances, hallways, and various passageways remain unencumbered and compliant with building and safety codes. Locations approved for table set-ups can be found in VEMS.

No, not so. But poster display units have been popping up all around campus in very large numbers and in an effort to control the proliferation and to ensure the posters placed in each display unit are up-to-date we are requesting that all display units be collected by their respective departments at the end of each week. So please collect your poster display units and return them to your department by end of day each Friday.   

Yes. You can reserve your event space for weekend use but if your event requires AVS     and/or Facilities support it will be subject to available personnel and costs.

Yes. This is a real thing. The college is closed on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday beginning the last week in June through the first week in August. Do not schedule your event over the three-day summer weekends. 

Is it ever.  Helium balloons and confetti are not allowed on campus for fire and safety reasons, and anything taped to the walls can prove damaging to both paint and glass surfaces. The only tape allowed on campus for this purpose is painter’s tape which has low adhesive qualities and will mitigate any damage to wall and glass surfaces. Any   damage to wall and/or glass surfaces will be the responsibility of the user group. 

Yes. Tons. Please refer to the handbook on Space Use Guidelines regarding Insurance      Requirements, Event Sponsorship Opportunities, Ticketing and Marketing Materials, Onsite Collection Policy, Signage, Fire Guards, Magnetometers (Metal Detectors), Tobacco, Drugs, Alcohol, Food Handling, and Sterno.

For questions regarding reserving space for events, please contact Cheryl D’Antonio at cdantonio@jjay.cuny.edu or Christine Baerga at cbaerga@jjay.cuny.edu.