Policies

For Registered Student Organizations (RSOs), UW Departments, and Off-Campus Organizations.

HFS reserves the right to terminate any program without notice or warning for failure to adhere to UW and HFS policies.

Reservation requests

All requests to reserve meeting space must be made at least 10 business days in advance and no earlier than one year in advance. Events that do not provide at least 10 business days in advance will incur an expedited service fee equivalent to 10% of the total rental quote.
Fundraising or political events are prohibited.
A request for Use of University Facilities (UUF) form is required for events open to off-campus attendees.
Room availability during Finals Weeks, Winter Break, and Spring Break may be limited due to HFS student resident activity or planned building maintenance.
Submission of a reservation request does not guarantee your reservation. Only an email confirmation sent by the Conference Services Office validates your request.
Requests will be granted or denied on a content-neutral basis. Reasonable, content-neutral restrictions on time, place and operational logistics will be applied on a nondiscriminatory basis.
To allow others use of the meeting spaces, the reserving RSO/department/organization will inform the Conference Services Office immediately if the event is cancelled. Cancelation fees may apply.

How is payment handled?

Acceptable forms of payment include credit cards, UW ProCards, eChecks and UW cost center worktags.
UW Departments paying with UW cost center worktags will be charged at the conclusion of their event. Note, to be eligible for the UW Department room rental rate, the reserving UW Department must pay with UW cost center worktags.
RSOs and Off-Campus Organizations must pay their invoice in full within 7 days of receiving their invoice, unless an installment payment plan has been agreed to by the Conference Services office. Failure to pay the invoice within this timeframe may result in the cancelation of the reservation.
All credit card and e-check refunds–except for Force Majeure–incur a $25 refund processing fee. If the $25 refund processing fee is greater than the total quoted room rate for the reservation, Conference Services will retain the full payment amount with no additional refund processing fee.
Refunds are typically issued within 7–15 business days via the original payment method.
Clients who request to split the payment between two or more payment forms such as credit card and UW cost center worktags will pay a $25 split payment fee.

Cancelation

Cancelations must be received in writing via email to be considered valid; we will not accept cancelations over the phone.
For multi-day events occurring consecutively across multiple dates, the cancelation and change timeline applies to the earliest booking in your reservation. For series reservations occurring across a range of weeks, months or quarters, the cancelation and change timeline applies to the next scheduled series event date.
If the reservation is canceled 60+ days before the confirmed event date, the full payment will be refunded minus a $25 refund processing fee if the payment was issued by credit card or eCheck.
If the reservation is canceled 10–59 days before the confirmed event date, half of the payment will be refunded minus a $25 refund processing fee if the payment was issued by credit card or eCheck.
If the reservation is canceled less than 10 days before the confirmed event date, no refund will be issued.
If you fail to show up for the confirmed event date, no refund will be issued.
Force Majeure Exceptions: In cases of natural disasters, government-mandated closures or other uncontrollable events, a full refund will be issued.
Conference Services reserves the right to cancel reservations at any time.

What are the fees for reservation changes?

Once your reservation has been confirmed by the Conference Services Office, additional changes to your reservation dates or times may incur additional fees as follows:

30+ days before the event: Subject to availability; No fee.
7–29 days: Subject to availability; incur a $25 change fee.
Less than 7 days prior to the event date: Subject to availability; incur a $50 change fee.

What are the rules for event hours?

Quiet hours are in effect from 10 p.m. until 9 a.m.; however, courtesy noise levels should be observed 24 hours a day.
Events may start as early as 6:00 a.m. PST
All events must end by 11:30 p.m. PST, and the facility must be completely vacated by 12:00 a.m.
Programs and activities must adhere to all federal, state and local laws, and all UW and HFS policies.

What are the building access policies?

Door access is typically prearranged by the Conference Services Office; doors will unlock half an hour prior to the event start time, and doors will remain unlocked until half an hour following the event ‘s conclusion.
HFS meeting spaces are an included amenity for student residents who have access to all HFS meeting spaces when they are not otherwise reserved. The client is responsible for clearing the meeting room of student residents if any students are using the space at the start of the client’s reservation.
The UW is a smoke-free campus; therefore, all HFS buildings are smoke-free.

Safety and security

No exterior exit doors may be propped open to allow guest access.
The reserving organization is responsible for ensuring that room fire occupancy is not exceeded during the event.
For larger scale and/or revenue-generating events, HFS may require that at least one uniformed police officer must be hired and paid for by the reserving organization or another method of security be established acceptable to the Assistant Director for Residential Life.

Audio-visual equipment

HFS does not guarantee the functionality or availability of built-in audio-visual technology.
The reserving organization may request a complimentary half-hour room tour to test AV equipment prior to the confirmed event date, subject to room availability.
Use of amplified sound equipment such as DJ equipment, external PA systems, and karaoke equipment may not be used without prior, written approval from the Resident Director of the host residence hall.
The reserving organization is fully responsible for securing public performance rights from the copyright holder prior to screening films.

Where can I get food and beverages?

Bay Laurel Catering is the exclusive caterer for all HFS meeting space. Please contact Bay Laurel Catering at your earliest convenience.
Prepackaged, nonperishable food and beverage items that do not require preparation, refrigeration or heating are permitted on a case-by-case basis and require written approval from the Conference Services Office at least 7 business days prior to the scheduled event date. In such cases, the client accepts responsibility for cleanup and disposal of all packaging and food waste.
Food and beverages purchased from Café to Go and and HFS express markets and dining units are permitted.
The consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in HFS residence hall meeting spaces, unless served by Bay Laurel Catering. Client must follow the terms, conditions and procedures of the Washington State Liquor Control Board banquet permit process and abide by both UW and HFS policies. An Alcohol Service Request must be submitted and approved.
Events that include food and beverages may be subject to a cleaning fee.

Set up and clean up

The reserving organization must leave the facility in a clean condition, remove decorations, reset furniture, power off audio-visual equipment and ensure the room is securely locked at the end of the event.
Decorations and other materials may be hung on the tables, walls and doors using only blue painter’s tape. The reserving organization is responsible for removing all tape, decorations and signs from the room and building and will be responsible for any damage caused to the facilities due to improper posting/hanging.
Decorations may not be hung from lights or safety fixtures, sprinklers or pipes.
Meeting rooms are provided as-is in their standard room set unless the client arranges for a custom room setup through the Conference Office. A custom room set will incur a setup fee equal to the hourly room rate for the given meeting space multiplied by a minimum of two hours.
The reserving organization accepts all liability for any damage done to UW and HFS property resulting from the sponsored event or a related activity. Any damage that may occur must be reported to the Conference Services Office as soon as possible but no later than the next business day. The UW and HFS assume no responsibility for loss or damage to a guest’s individual property.

Publicizing your event

The reserving organization is expected to follow HFS Posting, Sales and Solicitation, and Facility Use and Reservation policies.
HFS prohibits off-campus publicity.
Campus publicity, such as listings in The Daily or announcements at Red Square or the Husky Union Building (HUB), is permitted without the Conference Services Office receiving prior, written approval from the Resident Director of the host residence hall.

Do you host Youth programs?

The University of Washington promotes safe, high-quality engagements with youth that advance the University’s educational and strategic mission. Under Administrative Policy Statement 10.13 (APS 10.13), the UW has introduced Requirements for University and Third Party Led Youth Programs. This policy and its requirements are to serve as safeguards to protect the well-being of youth participating in university hosted (or sponsored) programs on the UW campus.

Detail on these policies and requirements, as well as answers to common questions can be found at the APS 10.13 Protecting Youth at UW Policy Resource Guide on the UW web site. Mandatory policy requirements for UW Youth Program organizers under APS 10.13 include:

Registration of programs in the Youth Program Registration System (YPRS).
Authorized personnel background screenings prior to interacting with youth.
Authorized personnel training.
Staff conduct in accordance with the University’s Standards for Interacting with Youth.
Mandatory reporting of behaviors of concern.
Maintaining safe environments for youth.
Emergency and safety planning and response appropriate for youth.
Processing youth personal information in accordance with university privacy policy.

Events that do not provide at least 10 business days in
advance will incur a

n expedited service fee equivalent to 10% of the
total rental quote