Room Reservation Policy

Definitions

Burton-Conner Group

Any part of the house government (meaning coordinators, floors, etc.), house faculty (GRTs and Halston), or a student group of only Burton-Conner residents.

Quiet Hours

(From JudComm): Except for finals week, quiet hours are midnight through 10:00 a.m. Monday through Friday and 2:00 a.m. through 10:00 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. During finals week, quiet hours are be: 10:00 p.m. to noon except on Saturday evening, when they will not begin until 2:00 a.m. Sunday.

Note for General Use

One does not need to reserve any of these rooms in order to use them; if the keys to one of the common rooms is at the front desk, and the room is not reserved for the given time period, any Burton-Conner resident may use the room without having to reserve it.

General Policy

The following policies apply to all reservations:

• The Reservations Coordinator shall approve or reject requests for reservations in accordance with the policies set by ExecComm and the House Meeting.
• ExecComm and the Burton-Conner House Meeting may approve any reservation, even one in contradiction with these policies, subject only to the restrictions imposed by the Burton-Conner Constitution, MIT policy, and local law.
• ExecComm and the Burton-Conner House Meeting reserve the right to cancel an approved reservation. The Burton-Conner House Manager has the right to reject any reservation.
• A reservation request should be submitted at least two weeks in advance, but may be approved if submitted later.
• A reservation request for an event during spring term will not be considered if it is submitted earlier than the preceding IAP. A reservation request for an event during summer will not be considered if it is submitted earlier than the preceding spring term. A reservation request for an event during fall term will not be considered if it is submitted earlier than the preceding summer. A reservation request for an event during IAP will not be considered if it issubmitted earlier than the preceding fall term.
• A request must be submitted with the name of a Burton-Conner resident who will be held accountable for any fees or charges deemed appropriate by ExecComm or the House Manager.
• All non-House reservations shall be alcohol-free. There shall be no exceptions to this rule. Non-House reservations shall be interpreted to mean all reservations except for those made by House and Floor Officers, Floor Tutors, and Housemasters in the performance of their duties.
• Tables and chairs are not to be removed from any area in Burton-Conner.
• Porter Room may not be reserved during quiet hours.
• Burton-Conner groups will have no additional restrictions, other than those imposed by the Institute and the City of Cambridge.
• Groups of 40 people or less may request any reservable room in Burton-Conner.
  • A guest list for the event must be provided to the Burton-Conner Front Desk on the day of the event, at least one hour before the scheduled time of the event.
  • All guests must enter through the main entrance of Burton-Conner and present positive identification to the Deskworker to gain admittance.
• Any event for over 40 people must take place in the Porter Room.
• MIT Housing Security shall have the right to restrict access to the dormitory by non-Burton-Conner residents.
• Failure to comply with this policy will be cause for suspension of reservation consideration for a minumum of two years for the group and the individual(s) making the reservation.

Porter Room Restrictions

The following additional restrictions apply to non-Burton-Conner groups while using the Porter Room (Dining Hall):

• In effect for the spring 2003 term, there will be black out periods in scheduling from 7 p.m. to midnight every Tuesday and Thursday. Only Burton-Conner groups may reserve Porter Room during black out periods.
• Events for more than 40 people:
  • The interior doors of the Porter Room must be closed and locked. For the duration of the event, entry/exit to and from the Porter Room must be done through the outside doors, even for Burton-Conner residents.
  • All guests must enter through the outside door of the Porter Room and present positive identification to the monitor to gain admittance.
  • If access to restrooms is required during the event, the House Manager (bc-manager@mit.edu) must be contacted prior to the event. The outside restrooms are the only restrooms that are permitted to be used.
• Events for 41 to 60 people:
  • A resident of Burton-Conner must be hired to watch the door of the Porter Room for the duration of the event.
  • A guest list must be provided to the monitor, which he/she will use to allow entry.
• Events for more than 60 people:
  • Events with an open guest list:
    • The event must be registered through the Residential Life and Student Life Program (RLSLP).
    • A resident of Burton-Conner is not required to monitor the event.
  • Events with a closed guest list:
    • A resident of Burton-Conner must be hired to watch the door of the Porter Room for the duration of the event.
    • A guest list must be provided to the monitor, which he/she will use to allow entry.
    • A Campus Police detail must be hired (in addition to that which is necessary to comply with Institute policy) in order to prevent guests from entering the residence hall and to help support the monitor.

Reservation Procedure

The following steps should be taken to reserve an area of Burton-Conner:

• A reservation should be submitted at least two weeks in advance of the date of the event. Reservations are usually handled only once each, in the middle of the week after they are received.
• If the area is normally reservable, a Room Reservation Request Form must be submitted (below). Otherwise, the request must be handled in person at an ExecComm meeting.
• Check the list of reservations (below) to determine the status of your request. If your request does not appear within a week of submitting the request, contact the Burton-Conner Reservations Coordinator (bc-reservations@mit.edu).
• If your request is approved, you must complete all appropriate event registration forms and provide copies of them to the Reservations Coordinator after they have been filed with and approved by the Campus Activities Complex (CAC), Residential Life and Student Life Programs (RLSLP), and Campus Police. As of October 19, 1999, events in residence halls must be registered if any of the following conditions are met:
  • Alcohol will be served.
  • Money will be collected.
  • The event is open to non-residents and attendance will exceed 100 people.
  • The event is for residents only and attendance will exceed 250 people.
• See the "Planning Events@MIT Guidebook" (http://web.mit.edu/campus-activities/guidebook) for more information.
• All fees and charges must be paid to the House Manager.
• Any additional Campus Police details must be hired, as specified by the above policy. Contact the Burton-Conner House Master (bc-housemaster@mit.edu) to fulfill this requirement.

Reservability

Unreservable Areas

The following areas are for the express use of the residents of Burton-Conner, and therefore, are not reservable:

• Study Carrels (123A)
• Art Gallery and surrounding lounge areas

Normally Unreservable Areas

The following areas are primarily for use by the residents of Burton-Conner, and are not normally reservable:

• Soloist's Room (024)
• Music Room 1 (025)
• Music Room 2 (026)
• Hobby Shop (055)
• Weight Room (057)
• Drafting Room (110)
• Library (124)
• Rathskeller

Under extenuating circumstances, these facilities may be reserved by Burton-Conner groups. The only areas of those listed above that may be reserved (under extenuating circumstances) by non-Burton-Conner groups are the Library and the Rathskeller. To reserve any of these facilities, the approval of the Burton-Conner Executive Committee (ExecComm) shall be required. A resident who is a member of the group must make the request at an ExecComm meeting. To find out when the next ExecComm meeting will be held, contact the Burton-Conner President (bc-president@mit.edu).

Reservable Areas

The following areas of Burton-Conner are normally reservable:

• Troost Lounge (112)
• Conference Room (121)
• Barbecue Pits
• Ping Pong Room
• Porter Room (Dining Hall)

Fees and Charges

Base Fees

ExecComm is empowered to charge a non-refundable Maintenance Fee to defray the cost of maintaining a particular area of Burton-Conner.
The base fee schedule shall be:

• Events for 40 or fewer people: No base fee.
• Events for 41 to 100 people: $25.00
• Events for 101 to 150 people: $50.00
• Events for more than 150 people: $75.00

ExecComm Supplements

ExecComm may supplement the base fee schedule with any additional charges it deems appropriate.
Some typical charges are the following:

• Events open to non-MIT individuals: $100.00
• Events which are invitation-only for non-reserving group members (i.e. semi-formals): $50.00

House Manager Charges

The Burton-Conner House Manager has the right to charge any additional fees to the reserving group as he sees fit.
For example, additional fees may be levied for the following reasons:

• Set-up/tear-down of tables and chairs
• Anticipated extensive wear to facilities
• Damage to the area (assessed after the event)

Accountability

The Burton-Conner resident who accepts responsibility for a reservation will be held accountable for all fees and charges associated with that event. Payment should be arranged with the House Manager (bc-manager@mit.edu). The House Manager may choose to charge the resident's Bursar's account directly for any fees that have not been paid.

Reservation Form

Please email bc-reservations@mit.edu to reserve an area for your event.