Making campus event planning easier and safer for students, faculty, and staff

Students walk across McMaster campus in early spring

Student Affairs is launching a new online student event portal and website that will streamline the recognition and student event-planning process, supporting event organizers in running safe and accessible events for all participants.

“These student-run events are important in creating community and enhancing the student experience,” says Sean Van Koughnett, associate vice-president and dean of students.

Managing risk during student events is a shared responsibility between the student event organizers and respective approvers, so a key goal of the project was to better align the event-planning process to the risk factors identified in McMaster’s  Student Groups Policy.

The portal provides resources to better assess the risk and success of events, including event planning checklists, budget templates, universal program design guidelines and guidance around issues regarding freedom of expression, protest and dissent.

The new student portal will also provide a repository for all important related documentation such as contracts and waivers.

As well, event approvers will have a more concise questionnaire on various risk factors, as well as new guidelines on how to properly assess risk and support student planners.

The portal allows event approvers to customize their response to requests. For example, when declining an event request, the approver can provide feedback that outlines that is required by the event planners.

Event inquiries can now be directed to studentgroups@mcmaster.ca

Visit studentgroups.mcmaster.ca to get started.

 

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