Event Policies

The right to acquire, possess, and consume alcoholic beverages is limited by laws that establish minimum drinking ages, drinking and driving laws, and so on. Miami University also has established policies on alcohol use on campus and by campus groups. It is incumbent on students, faculty, and staff to become knowledgeable regarding these policies, whether for individual decision making or for planning programs and events for a department or organization, including student organizations.

If alcoholic beverages are to be served, this must be communicated at the time of scheduling and approved by the Director of the Armstrong Student Center. All alcoholic beverages must be purchased through Miami Catering. Any alcohol provided by Miami Catering must be serviced by a member of their staff.

Student organizations may not charge alcohol to their university account and may not host events with alcohol in Armstrong Student Center.

Read the full policy on alcohol and university property

Spaces at the Armstrong Student Center may not be set up or decorated in any manner without prior consent from the Armstrong Student Center staff. The Armstrong Student Center must approve the location and type of special decorations, banners, or signs (indoor and outdoor).

• Standard Armstrong Student Center signage must not be covered or otherwise obstructed.
• All exit doors, exit lights, fire sprinkler heads, fire alarm pulls, fire extinguishers, and other emergency or safety equipment must be kept free of obstacles or decorative material.
• Decorations, balloons, signs, banners, etc. may not be nailed, tacked, stapled, or otherwise fastened to ceilings, walls, doors, windows, painted surfaces, or columns. Painter's tape may be used to attach event-related signs to walls.
• Keep all paper and cloth away from light fixtures.
• Decorations and all outdoor and indoor directional signage must be removed immediately following the event.
• The use of decorations, exhibits, or displays must be arranged with the Armstrong Student Center for labor to set up and remove materials.

Prohibited Items and Practices

Please note the following items are not permitted in the Armstrong Student Center:

• Straw or other dry plant material, including fresh-cut trees.
• Special effects equipment, such as smoke, fog, and fire machines.
• The burning of candles, incense, or other substances producing an open flame is strictly prohibited in the Armstrong Student Center at all times.
• Glitter, sand weights, confetti, rice, bird seed, dance wax, powder, or similar materials.
• Adhesive-backed (stick-on) decals or similar items.
• Any paint, chemicals, or liquids that can damage the facility.
• Portable helium tanks.
• Any extensive electrical power usage must be approved by Armstrong Student Center staff. Extension cords may not be plugged into other extension cords.
• Tape may not be used on floors unless it is designated as floor tape. Floor tape will be provided upon request. Regular masking, box, or duct tape is not permitted on walls, floors, or ceilings.
• Any freestanding decorations must be stable and lightweight.
• Balloons are allowed, but they must be weighted or tied to centerpieces or chairs. Any balloons that come loose may incur retrieval fees. Helium balloons may not be brought into the Bicentennial Rotunda.
• Dry ice is allowed in the Armstrong Student Center with prior approval from Armstrong Student Center staff and must be handled by a knowledgeable person.
• Electric lights may be used if they comply with the manufacturer’s recommendations.
• Painting is prohibited within reservable spaces inside the Armstrong Student Center.

Additional Information

Any special needs for decorations, exhibits and displays beyond the scope of this policy must be approved by the Armstrong Student Center staff.

Violation of any of these policies may result in suspension of facility reservation privileges for the semester. Additionally, any damages incurred will be repaired by the Armstrong Student Center and the client will be billed for all costs incurred on the basis of materials required and staff time. Similarly, excessive cleaning charges will be billed to the client.

The Armstrong Student Center is not responsible for the loss of any materials, displays, gifts, favors, or other items left in the building.

Requests for exceptions to any of the Armstrong Student Center policies should contact the director, or the director’s designee, and may be referred to the Armstrong Student Center Board. 

Armstrong Student Center Catering Policy:

All events held in the Dee and Frank Cafaro Lounge and in the Donald W. Fritz Pavilion must use Miami Catering for food orders. Events that occur outside that time will be subject to the external food policy. Please contact Conference and Events services at conferenceandeventservices@MiamiOH.edu to begin your catering order for those spaces. No outside food will be permitted in these spaces.

External Food Policy

Events in all other event spaces can have outside food according to the following guidelines:

• All events requesting to use food must turn in the Food Service Request Form to their planner no later than three weeks prior to the event. 
• Food must come from a food establishment with a Butler/Hamilton County Health License. 
  • If requested by the Armstrong Student Center Professional staff you may be asked to supply the Butler/Hamilton County Health License. 
• No external catering companies are permitted to operate within the Armstrong Student Center.
• Food made by members is not allowed.
• No “potlucks” or “carry-ins” are allowed.
  • A “potluck” or “carry-in” is where members of the event each contribute a dish to the meal. 
• Prepackaged nonperishable items (i.e. snack packs of chips,cookies) are allowed. Items must be distributed in their original sealed packaging.
• The following outside food is allowed in Wilks Theater: 
  • Popcorn
  • Cookies 
  • Water 
  • Candy that is not sticky 
• The Armstrong Student Center does not offer any access to a kitchen or kitchen appliances and organizations are not allowed to bring in kitchen appliances (i.e. griddles, air fryers, microwaves, etc.) to warm up food. 
•  If alcohol is served at an event, both food and beverages must be contracted through Miami University Catering. Additional alcohol policies apply. All policies relating to alcohol must still be followed.

All events that have outside food must meet the following requirements: 

1. Meet with an Armstrong Student Center professional staff member to receive food approval and to review requirements. 
2. Provide at least two volunteers to clean up any food mess at the conclusion of the event.
   1. Armstrong Student Center will provide dustpans, brooms, trash bags, vacuums, and mops as needed.
   2. Any large messes should be immediately reported to the Armstrong Student Center staff.
3. Accept the risk and liability associated with offering food at an event.
4. Volunteers should ensure that anything that is brought in for food service is thrown away or removed from the room by the end of the reservation time.
5. Volunteers must stay until released by an Armstrong Student Center staff member. 
6. Failure to provide volunteers or leaving before being released will result in a cleaning charge. 
7. Multiple instances of failure to provide volunteers or leaving behind food waste that must be cleaned by the Armstrong Student Center staff may result in the loss of privileges to have outside food in the Armstrong Student Center for a calendar year.
   1. The first instance of failure to provide volunteers or leaving behind food waste will result in a written warning from an Armstrong Student Center professional staff member.
   2. The second instance of failure to provide volunteers or leaving behind food waste will result in the group not being allowed to bring in external food for a calendar year.

All events are still encouraged to use dining and catering services, especially if hosting an event with a large amount of food or dietary restrictions. 

The Armstrong Student Center staff will review this policy every semester and may make changes as needed. 

The Ford Meditation and Reflection Room may be reserved for small events which reflect the purpose of the space (meditation, reflection, and facilitating student search for meaning). Due to space limitations and available amenities, setup options may be limited. Contact the Armstrong Student Center to request use of this space.

When not reserved, the Ford Meditation and Reflection Room is a place for quiet contemplation, meditation, reflection, or prayer. We ask that you please refrain from any of the following activities that could potentially distract from the serenity of this environment, including:

• food and drink
• photography
• excessive noise and conversation, audible music
• candle, incense, or any open or closed flame

Proof of insurance may be required for events that may present a risk of injury to participants or third parties. In such cases, proof of appropriate liability coverage is required prior to approval of the requested event. To protect student organizations and their members, Miami University may require organizations to purchase liability insurance for events held on a Miami campus.

Event planners must register their events with the Office of Student Engagement and Activities. This information is used to assess risk beyond the level covered by the Student Event Umbrella policy. For the entire event insurance policy and related procedures, visit Event Insurance.

Events approved for priority scheduling are:

1. Events approved by the Armstrong Student Center Board for priority scheduling
2. Armstrong Student Center Board events
3. Miami Activities and Programming events
4. Approved Associated Student Government events

Criteria for priority scheduling approval

The Armstrong Student Center Board will consider requests for priority scheduling (before the student organization advance reservation period) for a limited number of events. This process is designed to provide special consideration for events:

• Targeted at admitting students or accepted students who have not yet enrolled.
• That can only be held at a certain time of the year because of the university academic calendar or a cultural, religious, or national holidays.
• That can only be held in the Armstrong Student Center due to the size and logistics of the program.

With the exception of admissions-related events, events approved for priority scheduling should also meet these criteria:

• Have occurred on campus at least once prior to submission of the request.
• Are expected to occur annually.
• Will be open to all students.
• Are primarily targeted at students.

Process for requesting priority scheduling approval

1. Submit a letter of application via email to the director of the Armstrong Student Center and ASC Board. The request must include a justification for the request, as well as the specific dates, time period, date range, spaces and times that are being requested.
2. The Armstrong Student Center Board will discuss the request to determine the impact on other campus events. Pending “preliminary approval” by the board, the director (or designee) will invite the requesting department or organization to attend an Armstrong Student Center Board meeting to discuss the request.
3. During the Armstrong Student Center Board (or sub-committee) meeting, the requesting department or organization will be given the opportunity to communicate the request and the director (or designee) will provide information on the impact of the request. A discussion with members will follow.
4. The request will be tabled until the next Armstrong Student Center Board meeting at which time a vote will be taken. The board may decide to approve the request, approve a modified request, or deny the request.
5. Continuing approval for priority scheduling is not guaranteed. Sponsoring organizations will submit updated information, a confirmation of continuing need, and the dates of events annually. Sponsoring organizations that do not request dates for two consecutive years will lose their approval and must resubmit their application the following year.

The following spaces are intended for open usage and are not available for reservations. Any exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Armstrong Student Center Board.

• Shade Family Room
• Cliff Alexander Leadership Library

The following spaces are controlled by campus departments and are only available with permission from the appropriate department:

• Carruthers Commuter Resource Center (Armstrong Student Center)
• Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and Leadership Administrative Conference Room (FSLL@MiamiOH.edu)
• Center for Career Exploration and Success workrooms and lobby (CCES)

The following spaces may be reserved with prior approval by Armstrong Student Center staff and must not interfere with the regular operations of the space.

• Shade Family Room stage
• Slant Walk/Bicentennial Rotunda
• Harry T. Wilks Theater Lobby
• Atrium
• Red Zone

These spaces also require approval by Dining Services:

• The Commons (food court)
• Bob and Doris ’52 Pulley Diner
• The Galleria (space near Sushi Kabar)

Indoor and outdoor table reservations are available for student organizations, university departments, and non-university groups when hosted by student organizations or university departments.

• Only one table may be reserved at a time.
• Organizations may not reserve more than five days in any two consecutive week period, excluding weekends.
• Reservations promoting a single event may not exceed five days in a consecutive two week period, excluding weekends.
• As outlined in Chapter 7 of the Student Organization Handbook, tables may not be used to advertise consumption of alcoholic beverages or tobacco, promote commercial activity of any person or entity other than a student organization, and are subject to all applicable state and federal laws including libel laws.
• Student organizations hosting a non-university organization must be present with them for the duration of their time on campus. The tabling request will not be approved until registered in the Hub. Charges may apply.
• Cancellations should be made 24 hours in advance. No-shows will be contacted. Remaining reservation dates may be canceled.