Student groups now have a faster, more efficient way to reserve event space on the campus under a new system run through Stamp Student Union allowing them to request space online.
The new software, called Stamp eCalendar, lists all upcoming events, as well as food services, equipment rentals, risk management and security, a change officials called both environmentally friendly and simpler for students to use. However, users must complete a training session before they can register their group’s event using the online tool, and officials said turnout for the certification workshops has been disappointing.
William Clemm, Stamp assistant operations director, said although only 100 groups completed training last semester, attendance is beginning to pick up.
“It’s one of those things where no one pays attention until it affects them,” he said.
In the past, student groups that wanted to host an event in Stamp needed to first fill out a web form that would be sent to Event Services’ email. Staff would manually add the event into a calendar, and students had to wait and hope there were no conflicts on their desired date. If a conflict arose, staff would contact the students to request alternate dates.
“With the lag time between communications, it was happening quite frequently that somebody would say, ‘I want this space,’ but because [students] took a half hour to reply, somebody else got it,” Clemm said.
With everything online and in real time, students have 24-hour access to the new eCalendar. Clemm said conflicts are minimized with the new system, and the amount of paperwork the office files has been cut in half.
“Previously, students had to work around our office hours, and we send emails during office hours. If they didn’t reply in time, then they won’t hear from us until the next business day,” Event Services Coordinator Amber Dowtin said. “Now, students, when they have time to do that, can, at 4 in the afternoon or 3 in the morning.”
The software itself is not new — the university purchased Event Management Software before Stamp adopted it last January. The eCalendar, a feature of that software, opened up to students May 1.
Students must earn Stamp Event Certification before they can be entered into the system, and only three members per group may be certified, although the certification lasts until they graduate.
Event services staff will hold certification workshops throughout the semester; nine have been held so far, and three more are planned. During training, student group representatives are taught the basics of the software and event planning. The seminars end with a short test, which students must pass with a score of 85 percent or higher.
Sophomore finance major Khalil Pettus, who founded the student group Rising Business Leaders in the spring, said he used the new system a few days ago to schedule their first general meeting in the grand ballroom lounge.
“It’s very straightforward — it tells you what rooms are available and even their dimensions, which is good if you want to do a layout. It’s definitely beneficial to help organize as a new club.”
Groups are not necessarily required to complete the certification process, but only certified members may use the eCalendar, which is the only means of reserving spaces and planning events in campus facilities.
In addition to allowing students to apply for space and services in the student union, the software also allows students to reserve and plan events through Campus Recreation Services and in outdoor spaces and classrooms around the campus, and Clemm said Stamp may expand the program in the future. Students can also look at their past reservations and edit upcoming ones, and see what other permits, meetings and reservations are needed to hold a successful event.
“The new software is very user-friendly,” Terp Thon Operations Chair Matthew Tripsas wrote in an email. “When you are making a reservation, it prompts you with questions that you may not have even thought about in terms of your event.”
Tripsas, who was certified on behalf of Terp Thon, used the software to schedule the organization’s upcoming Color for the Kids race on Sept. 22.
“I am not familiar with what the system was previously, but this one has yet to disappoint,” Tripsas added.