Gatherings

*Last updated 6.23.2021

Beginning Wednesday, June 23, the Office of Student Engagement will permit student organizations to host gatherings following the principles and policies described below until Sunday, August 22, when the End Quarter Period begins. Additional guidance will be provided for Autumn Quarter at a later time. 

Guiding Principles

• The health, well-being, and safety of our community are paramount.

• As state and county laws, public health orders, and guidance evolve, we may make adjustments. Continue to check this website for the latest information.

Policies

• Amplified Sound

  • Amplified sound is permitted after 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. Monday-Friday and on the weekends from 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Please be courteous of your neighbors.

• Health and Safety

  • Students must continue to follow all Stanford and public health guidelines that are currently in place.
  • If live music, including singing, is involved, follow these guidelines.
  • Events and gatherings are open to Stanford affiliates regardless of current vaccination status. Student organizations shall not restrict attendance to vaccinated individuals only. Unvaccinated individuals are allowed to attend, but must wear face coverings and practice social distancing as per local and state public health guidance.
  • Follow university face coverings guidance as outlined on Health Alerts.

• Host Responsibilities and Managing Capacity

  • The person who registers the event is the host/event coordinator and is responsible for monitoring capacity. Hosts/event coordinators are responsible for dispersing and/or ending a gathering. 
  • The host/event coordinator is responsible for maintaining a list of participants for the purposes of contact tracing.  An RSVP in advance is recommended.
  • A gathering of more than 500 participants will require a safety plan.

• Food

  • The Health Alerts food policies listed under “required event modifications” apply for Stanford sanctioned on-campus events and gatherings. This includes events run by student organizations.

• Gathering Audience: Stanford Affiliates

  • Student organization gatherings are for Stanford affiliates (students, staff, faculty, postdocs, significant others, etc.). Students on a Leave of Absence are not permitted to participate. Other off-campus visitors or guests are not permitted to attend student organization gatherings at this time. This is separate from inviting a visitor to speak/perform/etc. at your gathering.

• Timeframe

  • Gatherings can take place between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., not to exceed two-hour time blocks at a time.

• Travel

  • University-sponsored undergraduate travel remains suspended, including in the Bay Area. Further guidance for graduate and professional students' organizations and travel is forthcoming.

• Visitors

  • If you would like to invite a visitor to campus to speak, perform, serve as a vendor, etc., they will need to fill out the visitor attestation form. Out-of-state visitors are required to be fully vaccinated, or show proof of a negative test no earlier than 72 hours prior to coming to campus. If a visitor is unable to attest to their vaccination status or get a test, they are not permitted to come to campus. This is separate from inviting general visitors to your gathering, which is currently restricted.

Gathering Registration Process

• CardinalEngage

  • Your organization must be approved in CardinalEngage before submitting an event request. Information on how to register your organization can be found here.
  • Alcohol service/distribution is not allowed for undergraduate student groups for the summer quarter. Attendees are expected to abide by all applicable liquor and drug laws, and university policies. 
  • Graduate and professional school students who want to serve alcohol, please complete the party planning test, provide sober monitors and have equally attractive non-alcoholic beverages (EANAB). Following your test, please register your party in CardinalEngage. 
  • Gatherings can take place outdoors in the designated spaces in the Express Scheduling system. Indoor gatherings for student organizations are limited at this time, given space availability, requirements and restrictions, with priority going to class scheduling.
  • This process will shift in the autumn quarter as we integrate 25Live with the CardinalEngage platform.

• Steps for Registering

  • Step 1: Register your organization in CardinalEngage* for our annual registration process, before submitting your request to host a gathering. *For students from the medical school, business school and law school, please work with your department advisors for specific steps for approval.
  • Step 2: Once your annual registration is complete, submit your event request at least three days in advance of the event in CardinalEngage.
  • Step 3: You will receive an approval, rejection, or ways to modify your event within one business day via CardinalEngage. This is not a space reservation.
  • Step 4: Once approved, you can reserve an outdoor space if you want to reserve an outdoor space on-campus at the following locations, please follow this process for designated spaces:
    • For Roble Field/Patio, Lake Lagunita BBQ, or Meyer Green, on the Express Scheduling system for the following space. Please do not complete any other information on the form.
    • For White Plaza/Old Union Courtyard/Tresidder Patio, please contact Tresidder Meeting Services.
  • For Wilbur Field/Arguello Park (hfdwilbur@stanford.edu) and Levin Field (hfdflomo@stanford.edu), please contact the housing front desk.

Recommended Best Practices 

• Consider how an in-person gathering will align with your organization’s goals and how it will complement existing virtual programming, given that some of your members may not be able to attend an in-person gathering.
• Have one student leader present for every 25 students estimated to attend.
• Strategically promote your event by not over promoting it, to avoid capacity concerns. 
• Be good stewards of your organization's funds. The ASSU Financial Policies can be found here.

Participants at your gathering may be approached by a student, staff or Department of Public Safety staff member, and asked to present their Stanford Health Check badge and identify the host under the following circumstances:  

• You are not adhering to current university face covering requirements. 
• Your gathering has lasted past 10 p.m. any day of the week.
• You are consuming or distributing alcohol to minors under the age of 21. You can be cited for minor in possession (MIP).
• The gathering is excessively loud or disruptive to those in the area.
• Your gathering was not registered.

If you have additional questions about gatherings, please contact studentengagement@stanford.edu.