Scheduling Guide

Think critically about whether or not an in-person event is really necessary to fulfill your organization’s goals. Make remote/virtual participation available when possible.

Communicate often with the campus scheduler or off-campus facility you are hosting your meeting / event in to ensure you have a safety plan in place that is understood by all parties and will be carried out.

Consider outdoor options when possible and weather permits. If the event is inside, the more open and well-ventilated the space, the better. Physical distancing (6 feet between individuals) is required at all student organization meetings and events.

Use signage regarding attendee direction, sanitizing surfaces, and health behaviors.

If your organization is overseen by a national organization or governing body outside of MSUM (e.g. fraternities and sororities), that has additional and/or more specific guidelines/rules, follow those guidelines as well.

If you are sponsored by, affiliated with, or supported by an MSUM campus department, communicate with them regularly and follow any additional guidelines they have in place.

A student organization event is defined as any activity in which members and non-members of the organization are invited to participate. All recognized student organizations hosting events on or off campus in must adhere to the following in addition to the requirements outlined above:

• Before planning an in-person event:
  • Discuss the potential event with your advisor or the Office of Student Activities and get approval to proceed
    • The discussion should include the purpose of the event, why you want to host it in-person, potential audience size, and logistics for the event (e.g. date/time, food, space, budget, etc.)
  • Identify spaces that would have the capacity to host the potential audience
  • Create a plan to adhere to COVID-19 Guidelines
• Events must have approval and space reservations a minimum of three (3) weeks prior to the event
• Event organizers may be asked to create contingency plans should the event need to be modified, postponed, or canceled.

• Having a confirmed reservation in EMS, even if your event is outside
  • If you are using an off-campus location, student organizations are expected to follow the same event guidelines put forth by the university and may be asked to provide proof that the location will adhere to the guidelines for capacity and physical distancing.
• Publishing your event / meeting on DragonCentral
• Taking attendance at your event / meeting and recording it in the DragonCentral Event (details on page
• Following campus masking and physical distancing requirements

You need to reserve rooms that will allow for your meeting attendees to maintain physical distancing.

• All MSUM spaces will be limited to no greater than 25% capacity of the space and will not exceed 250 patrons with required physical distancing, until further notice.
• The online scheduling system will indicate Physical Distancing room capacities or you can work with an event scheduler (schedule@mnstate.edu) to find a space that will be the right size.

Request specific space through EMS WebApp

Attendees must complete the MSUM Daily COVID-19 Self-Assessment before coming to campus or participating in any organization activities. They also must adhere to physical distancing (6 feet between individuals) and wear face coverings that cover the nose and mouth throughout the duration of the meeting.

If you are planning to have any off-campus guests, such as a speaker, at your meeting, we encourage you to consider inviting them to attend in a virtual format. If a non-MSUM community member is attending your meeting in person, they are required to complete the MSUM Daily COVID-19 Assessment.

Plan to limit contact points between members as much as possible, including (but not limited to) sign-in attendance sheets, food items, promotional material, ice breakers that involve close contact, shared supplies for activities/crafts, athletic competitions, etc.

• No self-service meals or buffets are allowed.
• Food items served should be prepackaged or preassembled; however non-packaged food can be provided at an event only if gloves and face coverings are worn by the designated person serving food.
• All food items should be distributed by event staff and not directly accessible by attendees.
• Gloves and face coverings must be worn at all times when serving food.

Best Practices for Serving Food: Food should only be consumed if six-foot physical distancing can be maintained. We strongly recommend that food only be made available at the end of the meeting or event so that attendees can take the food for consumption on their own time.

You must keep a record of attendance for anyone who attended in-person. We encourage you to also include virtual attendance as an option for fully participating in group meetings.  Instead of having your in-person attendees fill out a sign-in sheet, consider options that will allow them to indicate their attendance virtually via personal devices. The Office of Student Activities has ID card scanners that can be checked out for your meeting. The scanner is connected through USB which can be used with most computers.

If after a meeting or club function a student attendee informs your organization that they have tested positive for COVID-19, respect their privacy and do not share this information with others. Instead, encourage them to self-report to the Dean of Students Office by completing this form. Self-reporting is a safe and confidential process and will allow MSUM to provide support to those who test positive. It is required that all students, faculty and staff self-report and self-isolate once they receive a positive COVID-19 test result.

Virtualize your meetings and other functions when possible, or hold hybrid meetings, to be inclusive of students who may not feel comfortable attending in person.  The Student Union has two (2) rooms outfitted with built-in cameras/TVs and has web cameras, 360-degree view Owl web cameras and portable TV stands available for checkout and use within the Student Union.  These items can be used with following campus supported video conferencing platforms, Zoom and Microsoft Teams.