Events
COVID Guidelines
& Considerations
for Gatherings, Meetings and Events
COVID Guidelines & Considerations for
Gatherings, Meetings and Events
As of August 20, 2020
The safety of our students, faculty and staff is the utmost priority for Maryville University. In response to the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic and to lessen the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission, the Student Involvement Office and Office of University events have adopted the following guidelines and considerations for all gathering’s, meetings and events. This document is an addendum to the current Maryville University policies, procedures and student organizations handbook. Find more information on our #SaintsStrong plan and our student organizations handbook for your reference. The following guidelines and considerations are for all students, faculty and staff that have or are planning to organize, plan and/or participate in on- or off-campus gatherings, meetings or events. These guidelines and considerations are in place until further notice but may be adjusted if conditions improve or worsen.
If you have more questions, please contact the Student Involvement team at CSE@marvyille.edu or (314) 529-9380 or the Office of University Events at campusevents@maryville.edu.
Guidelines
- Space requests must be registered in GetInvolvedMU and/or EMS no less than 20 business days prior to the requested date. Space requests received after the deadline are subject to denial.
- Any requests that are solely entered into EMS, will need to be registered in GetInvolvedMU in order to utilize Check – In functionalities (i.e. faculty and staff focused events, etc.).
- All gatherings meetings and events are limited to 10 individuals. Exceptions to this limit may be granted only with approval from the University Events Office and/or Student Life; however, consistent with current St. Louis County guidance, gatherings, meetings and events shall not exceed 10 individuals or 25% of the facility’s authorized fire or building code occupancy. In no event may there be more individuals than the number that can practice safe social distancing of at least 6 feet between individuals. These requirements apply to both indoor and outdoor, on and off-campus events, including off-campus events held outside of St. Louis County.
- Via the GetInvolvedMU Check – In App and Event Pass found in the CORQ App from a mobile device or iPad. All faculty, staff and students can download the CORQ App and find their event pass located within the App (“How to” Videos can be found on GetInvolvedMU);
- Manually via GetInvolvedMU from a desktop or laptop computer (“How to” Videos can be found on GetInvolvedMU);
- Gatherings, events and meetings will be required to follow all guidelines for social distancing, cleanliness and safety according to the #SaintsStrong guidelines which are guided by the CDC.;
- For Student groups: External vendors, speakers or performers will be approved via the space request process via GetInvolvedMU;
- External speakers, stage performers, artists and vendors will be required to observe all #SaintsStrong guidelines which include, but are not limited to, social distancing, mandatory pre-screening prior to coming to campus, and wearing a face covering;
- No external groups may host events on campus;
- No external guests (i.e. Non-Maryville students, faculty or staff) may attend on-campus events.
- All approved vendors will need to complete the Health Screening survey prior arriving on campus. Vendors will also be held to the same community standards and guidelines for safety, including face covering, social distancing, hand hygiene, etc.
- There will be a limited number of tables and time slots for tabling space. All groups and departments will be required to request tabling space via GetInvolvedMU or EMS;
- The DUC and Gander Dining hall will not be used for tabling at all;
- Tabling space will be set in the DUC Quad only. Due to limited space for outdoor events the Gander Quad and Library Quad will not be used for tabling space outside of special events and requests. Indoor tabling requests will only be considered in the event of inclement weather. The DUC Atrium will be the only location used for these tabling opportunities;
- Tabling space may only be reserved no more than (1) time per week for the maximum of (4) hours, no more than (2) tables to be reserved per group/per reservation;
- In case of inclement weather, the following guidelines will be applied:
- i. Inclement weather will be defined as:
1. Temperatures either less than 55 degrees or greater than 90 degrees
2. Rain, High Winds, Severe Weather and/or Warnings, Snow deemed inclement
3. Groups will be given the option to stay outdoors if and only if the University deems it appropriate and safe.
ii. Tabling Inclement weather calls will be made by 12 NOON CST the day prior to the reserved day by the Office of University Events and/or the Center for Student Engagement staff. This call will be made via email to the event host and advisor and or department contact..
iii. Indoor tabling will only be allowed in the DUC Atrium only.
iv. A maximum of (2) groups (organization and/or departments) will be allowed to table indoors at one time period. - i. Inclement weather will be defined as:
- Considerations for Planning
Visit GetInvolvedMU or www.maryville.edu/CSE for helpful “How to” videos to assist you with your planning and collecting data for all gatherings, meetings and events;
- All gathering or event hosts should consider meeting with a university events staff member no less than 7 business days prior to the requested date to ensure that all guidelines and safety precautions are being met;
- Space availability will be limited and on a first come, first served basis. A 30 minute or more window will be placed between events and gatherings to allow for cleaning and cleansing of the space before the next use. This may affect your start time or your end time;
- When hosting events with food, consider having the proper cleaning supplies (i.e. wipes, spray’s, etc.) and safety measures in place to allow for patrons to safely enjoy the food;
- Contactless Pizza Delivery will be allowed, but all other delivery services will not be permitted for gatherings, meetings or events;
- Consider using a space diagram to outline space needs for seating and accommodations needed for the event;
- Make sure that all vendor contracts for student organization events are submitted via GetInvolvedMU no less than 30 days prior to the event (I.e. DJ, Catering, etc.) and/or any services rendered that require payment;
- Interactive Novelties will be assessed on a case by case basis, try to avoid these activities if possible;
- Inform all vendors that they must arrive early to allow time for proper set up;
- Inform all vendors that they must complete a pre-screening health survey before arriving on campus;
- Given limited room capacity, think about anticipated attendance and, consider having multiple performances to allow for smaller numbers;
- To control number of people in attendance and to ensure everyone checks-in, designating an entrance and exit will help. Enlisting volunteers to assist with this will help.
- Funding & Purchasing Considerations
Travel
- MSG will still allow organizations to request funds for virtual trainings and/or,
conference registration fees; - Until further notice, University travel is suspended. Therefore, funds requested for travel, lodging, meals on trip will not be approved;
- Should you decide to travel for an organization-related event at your own expense, Maryville strongly recommends 14-day quarantine or isolation period after out-of-town travel (both domestic and international), particularly where public transportation (air, rail, boat, bus) are utilized, but quarantine will not be required unless mandated by State or other health authorities.
Purchasing
- MSG will allow the following modifications to the funding policy until further notice
§ All organizations will be allowed a (1) time allocation to purchase T-shirts for an
event;
§ All food purchases must follow the guidelines above (refer to Section VIII.)
- MSG will still allow organizations to request funds for virtual trainings and/or,
- Resources
- Programming on the Go (POG) – Items that are reserved via POG will need to be properly cleaned and sanitized (i.e. wiped down and cleaned) before the next patrons use. This may delay usage of these items to allow for proper care;
- The following items will not be available for rental: Popcorn machine, cotton candy machine, or cookie oven.
- Space Regulations (CSE, DUC & LJs)
- Hours of Operations will be slightly modified to ensure safety and to assist with cleaning and disinfecting of all CSE/DUC spaces.
o Monday – Thursday –DUC, CSE and LJ’s close at 10pm CST;
o Friday – Sundays –DUC, CSE and LJ’s close at 11pm CST; - Use of the kitchenette in the DUC is prohibited;
- In-person office meetings with the Engagement team and University Events team will be limitedand are by appointment only. Most meetings a will be conducted virtually.
- Hours of Operations will be slightly modified to ensure safety and to assist with cleaning and disinfecting of all CSE/DUC spaces.
- Accountability & Community Standards
Helping to mitigate COVID-19 transmission is a shared responsibility. Students, faculty, and staff who fail to adhere to COVID-19 policies and protocols may be subject to disciplinary action under the code of student conduct and employee handbook, respectively. If a member of the Maryville community refuses to follow COVID-19 policies or protocols, that person may be asked to leave campus in addition to receiving disciplinary action.