08-001 SUNY Canton Event Policy - External Entities
Last Update: September 9, 2026
Approved: January 28, 2020 by President Zvi Szafran
Policy Contact: Special Events Coordinator
Supersedes:
I. SCOPE
This policy applies to external entities and faculty/staff operating on behalf of the external entity.
II. POLICY STATEMENT
SUNY Canton's facilities and grounds are first and foremost used to support the College's educational mission and related activities that are of significant interest to the growth of the students and the College. After meeting this primary criteria, SUNY Canton's facilities and grounds serve as possible venue options for external entities to rent at the discretion of the College. This allowed use is meant to further the College's commitment to education, research, and public service without competing with private business enterprises having similar facilities of adequate capacity.
III. POLICY
All external entity requests must go through the Special Events Coordinator, unless the Coordinator has directed a different course of action. The Coordinator will determine if the request should be overseen by another area and, in those cases, appropriately forward the request.
Reservation requests must follow proper procedures for form/document submission and be received a minimum of six weeks in advance of the actual event, and timely correspondence to finalize an event request is required. Delayed/non-responses from the applicant may result in unfulfilled requests, additional fees, and/or a cancelled reservation.
Cancellations on the external entity's part require a 48-hour notice or charges will ensue.
External entity renting/using SUNY Canton's facilities and/or grounds must have an approved revocable permit with the College that requires the external entity to provide liability insurance and specifies the terms and conditions of use for facilities/grounds, including, but not limited to, the name of external entity, nature of the event, dates, times, space being used, number attending, rental/other fees, and restrictions. The permit may also necessitate meeting other liability requirements (i.e., child protection policy requirements).
Revocable permits must be complete and submitted at least 14 days prior to the event.
The College reserves the right to accept or decline requests for space by external entities.
Event requests are not confirmed, and will be considered unauthorized, without a fully signed and executed revocable permit by both parties and notification of decision provided by the Special Events Coordinator.
Extenuating circumstances will be dealt with on an individual basis.
Faculty/Staff Operating on Behalf of External Entity Option
With an external entity's approval, a faculty/staff member may operate on their behalf to request an event be considered for the campus-hosted designation.
Campus-hosted designation requests must follow proper procedures for form/document submission and must be reviewed by the direct supervisor (signature required) in order to move forward. Consideration will be given to event interest, professional relevancy, and supportiveness of the College's mission and vision.
The faculty/staff member is responsible for getting all required responses and signatures for all form/document submissions, submitting all required form/documents to the Special Events Coordinator by the set deadlines, and providing timely correspondence.
Requests require the Vice Presidents Group (VPG) review and action.
Note: With the exception of the revocable permit with liability insurance, all other policy requirements, deadlines, etc. apply for a faculty/staff member operating on behalf of an external entity.
IV. DEFINITIONS
External Entity: any person/group that is functioning outside of the day-to-day operations of the College. (Note: This includes faculty/staff operating on behalf of an external entity.)
Revocable Permit: formal, written contract with the College that specifies the terms and conditions of use of facilities/grounds, including but not limited to the name of external entity, nature of the event, dates, times, space being used, number attending, rental/other fees, and restrictions. The agreement also includes important insurance and liability requirements.
Campus-hosted Designation: a designation given to events in which the campus assumes liability and possibly some or all of the costs. In order for events to receive this designation, they must be vetted and approved by the Vice Presidents Group.
V. OTHER RELATED INFORMATION
None
VI. PROCEDURES
The applicant will complete and submit the External Entity Event Request Form, and email it to the Special Events Coordinator to begin your event planning process. For questions, immediate assistance, or cancellations, call the Special Events Coordinator at (315) 386-7918.
The Special Events Coordinator will review the request, and reach out to the contact person to provide a preliminary status report of the request- i.e., reservation request held, need more detail, cannot accommodate, etc. Note: Please be sure to provide accurate contact information and timely responses.
Upon receipt of all pertinent details, the Special Events Coordinator will send (via email or mail) a Letter of Agreement to the contact person outlining their request, what the College agrees to offer, and any associated fees - known or estimated. A revocable permit will be issued concurrently to be signed and returned with a Certificate of Insurance naming SUNY Canton coinsurer at least 14 days prior to the event.
Returned and complete revocable permits will be sent to the Vice President for Administration for review and action. The Special Events Coordinator will notify the external entity of the decision; events are not confirmed until notification is made.
Faculty/Staff Operating on Behalf of External Entity
Faculty/staff members who are operating on behalf of an external entity and are seeking approval for an event to be considered for the campus-hosted designation must initially submit both forms - External Entity Event Request Form and the Campus-Hosted Designation Request Form (attached to this policy) - to their supervisor for review/action in order for the request to move forward to the next level.
The submission additionally requires a written letter of justification, including a summary of the event, associated costs, how the College would be involved (including specific funding requests), etc.
Once the supervisor's signature and recommendation are complete and packet has been returned to the faculty/staff member, the faculty/staff member will submit the entire request packet to the Special Events Coordinator in hardcopy form or by email.
The Special Events Coordinator will notify the contact person of packet receipt, review the request for feasibility, request any additional information, and provide an estimated date for VPG review/action. Note: Please be sure to provide accurate contact information and timely responses.
The Special Events Coordinator will send an FYI email to the rest of the supervisory chain making them aware of the request and that it will be moving to the Vice Presidents Group (VPG) for review and action. Comments of support or concern can be directed to the Special Events Coordinator for inclusion in the packet being presented to the VPG.
The Special Events Coordinator will provide the full request along with any comments to the VPG for review/action.
Upon receipt of the VPG's decision, the Special Events Coordinator will send (via email or mail) a letter to the faculty/staff member outlining the final decision; events are not confirmed until notification is made.
VII. FORMS
External Entity Event Request Form
Campus Hosted Designation Request Form
VIII. AUTHORITY
None
IX. HISTORY
None
X. APPENDICES
XI. FRENQUENCY OF REVIEW AND UPDATE
January 27, 2025