Reservation Policies
Amplified Sound
This policy follows the UNC-CH Facilities Use Policy
- Amplified sound is permitted outdoors on Fridays between 5pm-10pm, Saturdays from 8am-10pm, and Sundays from 8am-7pm.
- In general, amplified events are prohibited outdoors during class hours, regardless of the time of day with the exception of Wednesdays and Thursdays between 12pm-1pm in the Pit , Plaza and SASB Courtyard.
- All outdoor events are subject to the noise provision of the Town of Chapel Hill Code of Ordinances (Chapter 11, Article III).
- Organizations seeking to have events outdoors that involve amplified sound must be explicit about their intent when making a reservation with the Office of Event Services.
- If asked by Carolina Union Staff to lower the sound level, you must do so immediately and without question. Failure to do so could result in the cancellation of your reservations for the balance of the semester and/or academic year.
- Amplified sound in the Pit, other than from personal systems such as “boom boxes” or pc speakers, is prohibited due to the close proximity of libraries and classroom buildings. Any other sound system must be arranged in advance with Carolina Union Production Services (CUPS) and/or staffed by CUPS technicians at an hourly cost to the client.
- The sound level is not to exceed acceptable levels as decided by the Carolina Union staff.
Cancellations & Inclement Weather
Events
- Failure to confirm and/or provide event details to the Office of Event Services will result in the cancellation of the event.
- If a reservation is canceled more than three weeks (21 days) prior to the event, no charges will be assessed provided the Office of Event Services or the University has not incurred expenses required to provide the requested facilities or other services.
- Cancellation within three weeks of the event date will incur all reservation fees.
- Cancellation within two weeks of the event date will incur reservation fees, any incurred expenses, room charges, and 50% of labor charges.
- Cancellation within one week of the event date will incur 100% of all charges and incurred expenses.
- If client fails to cancel a reservation and the event is not held, all fees and incurred expenses will be charged.
- Labor and equipment changes or cancellations must be made in writing or via email.
Meetings
- Cancellations must be made in writing or via email to the Office of Event Services at least 2 business days in advance of the meeting date.
- If client fails to cancel a reservation and the meeting is not held, all incurred expenses and a no-show fee of $10-$20 will be charged.
CUBE
- Any changes and/or cancellations must be made a minimum of 2 days in advance. Failure to do so will result in the loss the paint cart deposit.
Inclement Weather
Reserving Alternative Locations In Case of Inclement Weather
- Student organizations and departments are responsible for assuring that outdoor events have an alternative location in case of inclement weather. If an alternative location is not booked in advance future dates may be requested based on the Office of Event Services’s standard booking procedures.
- If either the Union Auditorium or Great Hall is chosen as the backup venue in cases of inclement weather the policies below apply:
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When either venue is requested more than three weeks prior to the event, charges will apply regardless of use. Student organizations will be charged a $100 fee for either venue. Departments will be charged for the full price of the venue requested.
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When either venue is requested less than three weeks from the event, charges will only apply if the venue is utilized. If the event requires additional services or staffing, late charges will apply.
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Cancellation Due to Inclement Weather
- If the Carolina Union Office of Event Services or client cancels an event due to inclement weather and Union staffing and services have not been previously reserved for an alternative location, the client is responsible to pay:
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2 hours’ labor per staff member assigned to the event
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A $50 equipment cancellation fee
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Any event expenses previously incurred (outside vendor charges, box office charges, inclement weather venue charges, etc.)
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Food & Beverage
All clients are responsible for being fully in compliance with applicable Orange County Safety and Sanitation Regulations for Food and Beverage Preparations and the University's Alcohol Policy
Please Note: Food is prohibited in General Purpose Classrooms. Alcohol is not permitted in any space reserved through the Office of Event Services.
Open to the public - If the reservation is open to members outside of the reserving organization it is deemed as open to the public.
Members only - If the reservation is only open to members of the reserving organization it is deemed as members only.
- When an event or meeting is open to the public, clients are may only provide self-serviced or catered refreshments and/or meals in reservable venues inside the Carolina Union and Pit.
- When an event or meeting is reserved solely for members of the organization, the food does not need to be self-serviced or catered; the remaining guidelines, however, must still be followed.
Non-catered food is defined as food and/or beverage items brought into the facilities by members of the sponsoring organization. These items include, but are not limited to, cheese and crackers, chips and dips, popcorn, pizza, sandwiches, vegetables, cookies, brownies, cakes, deli meats, fruits, canned drinks, bottled water, coffees, and assorted juices. - Clients sponsoring meals, receptions, or any event where food or beverages of any type will be served in the Carolina Union must notify the Office of Event Services prior to confirming the reservation.
- Food may not be cooked inside a Carolina Union room for any reason.
- Please contact [email protected] if you are interested in bring food trucks on campus.
- All communication with caterers regarding venue setup, reservation start time, caterer access time, event start and end times, etc. will be handled by the client and then relayed to the Office of Event Services.
- Access to the venue by the caterer should be within the reservation start and end times, as well as standard building hours.
- A member of the sponsoring organization will need to arrive to meet the caterer for set up.
- Client must be prepared to provide a catering or restaurant license to the Office of Event Services upon request.
- All food, beverages and/or equipment brought into the Carolina Union by the client or event caterer must be removed by the end of the client’s room reservation. Failure to do so will result in the items being promptly discarded and an excess cleaning fee will be assessed. Multiple violations will result in forfeiture of further related space.
- The Carolina Union will not be held liable should any event attendee experience an adverse reaction to any food or beverage served.
- Please contact [email protected] if you would like to rent table clothes. You are welcome to provide your own.
Proper Food Safety Handling
- Gloves must be worn when handling food.
- Food must be wrapped and/or covered until consumed.
- Cold food items must be kept at 41 degrees F or below.
- Hot food items must be kept at 140 degrees F or above.
- Food not kept cold or hot must be discarded if not consumed within two hours.
This policy follows the UNC-CH Facilities Use Policy
Sales, Donations & Merchandise
Groups conducting sales in the Union or Pit must obtain a sales permit from the Office of Event Services. Raffles are strictly prohibited. Sales must be cash only.
Guidelines for Selling Merchandise for Student Organizations
If 100% of proceeds are to go towards a charitable non-profit or directly to the sponsoring student organization, the sponsoring organization must obtain a red Carolina Union sales permit and follow the following guidelines:
- The primary purpose of sales shall be to raise money for the benefit of the student organization or the benefit of a charitable group.
- Only members of the official group may sell and/or conduct promotional services and sales.
- Sales must take place in the FPG Pit or FPG Pit Solicitation tables.
- No group may sell goods or services on consignment, rent, or lease, and must show their bill of sale / receipt.
- No sales or sales promotion shall be conducted in such a manner as to establish or to extend to the campus the appearance of a commercial enterprise.
- The sponsoring organization must agree to be responsible for any damages to University property or facilities as a result of the sales activity.
- The sponsoring organization must agree to remove any and all refuse or waste on campus that results directly or indirectly from their sales activity.
- Raffles are prohibited at the University.
- Any sales involving the UNC-CH logo must be licensed through the Licensing Directors office through Auxiliary Services, 919-962-2403. Failure to receive and document proper licensing to sell UNC-CH logo will result in not receiving a sales permit. (Items being sold with other public/private logos will need proof of licensing to receive a sales permit.)
- The red Carolina Union Sales Permit must be visibly displayed on the table at all times.
If any for-profit sales are to take place, the seller must follow the following guidelines:
- The seller collects 80% of proceeds; the remaining 20% go to the Union. Settlement must take place at the conclusion of the event.
- The sponsoring artist or group must supply sellers.
- A full count of all monies and merchandise must take place in the presence of Union staff at the beginning and conclusion of sales and documented on the provided Union Merchandise Form.
- The seller is responsible for collecting all taxes in accordance with state and federal laws.
Use of Carolina Union Managed Exterior Spaces by Charitable Organizations for Commercial Exchange
A charitable organization, as defined by the Facilities Use Policy may sell goods or solicit contributions for their organization in Union managed spaces and are subject to the following:
- Organizations may book no more than 3 days a semester in advance
- Reservation requests are subject to the reservation request cycle for student organizations follow
- Additional days may be booked if the request is within the 7 days for these spaces
- Groups will need to obtain and display a sales permit from the Office of Event Services prior to the reservation
- Event Services reserves the right to limit or deny reservations for non-affiliated charitable organizations based on other factors including demand, location and purposes for the use of the area.
Guidelines for Sponsorship of Union Events
- No promotion shall be conducted in such a manner as to establish or to extend to the campus the appearance of a commercial enterprise.
- A brand may be associated with an event if justifiable for the purpose of furthering the missions of the University, Carolina Union, and sponsoring organization. Events involving such branding must follow the following format:
- (Sponsoring organization) presents: the (brand name) (event name)
Donations
- Events accepting donations at the Stone Center are required to have Box Office staff present.
- Require donations for entry to an event is considered a ticketed event and is subject to the ticketed event policies.
Ticketed Events
An event is considered ticketed if there is any exchange of goods or moneys in order to gain access to the event, including required donations.
- All ticketed events in the FPG Student Union & Stone Center:
- Must be ticketed by the CU Box Office.
- Will be available to the public at the Box Office window and by phone.
- Must have CU Box Office staff at the event.
- Events in spaces scheduled by the Office of Event Services but outside the Carolina Union and Stone Center must use the services of the CU Box Office. Depending on location and schedule, CU Box Office staffing at the event may be available, but is not required.
- Events anticipating capacity or above crowds, conferences with preregistration or any other event that is open to the public and allows or guarantees entrance based on registration or other criteria are required to consult with the CU Box Office at time of reservation. If the CU Box Office Manager determines ticketing is required for an event, it will be subject to all standard Box Office policies and procedures.
- Before any ticketing services can be finalized, the space for a ticketed event must be confirmed through the Office of Event Services. If the event is not occurring in a space booked by the Office of Event Services, the client must submit the following to the Box Office Manager:
- Name of the venue
- Name and contact information for event coordinator of the venue
- Maximum capacity, as dictated by the event and space
- If the event is cancelled, the organization representative must notify the Box Office directly. If the Box Office is notified of an event cancellation:
- Setup, ticket printing and commission fees are billed as incurred expenses, regardless of cancellation timeline. To avoid the setup fee, event must be canceled by 12:00pm one business day prior to the ticket on-sale date.
- Labor fees will be charged according to the Cancellations & Inclement Weather Policy
- The Box Office Manager reserves the right to cancel an event due to a breach of the Box Office contract.
- Sales taxes must be collected on admission charges to a live performance regardless of filing status. The total sales tax rate is currently 7.5% for Orange County. Applicable sales tax and fees will be added to all tickets purchased. The Union will pay all appropriate sales tax on behalf of the organization when contacted for ticketing services. For any questions regarding ticket taxes please contact [email protected].
This policy follows the UNC-CH Facilities Use Policy