Planning Your Student Event

Step 1 – Contact your faculty advisor

Each event on the Goshen College campus must have a faculty advisor. This can be the club advisor, a professor for a class project, or a student life representative.

Step 2 – Check for scheduling conflicts on the web calendar

With your faculty advisor, check to see if something is already planned for the date you are requesting that might conflict with your targeted audience.

Step 3 – Complete an Event Request Form

Click to complete an event request form 

A form must be completed and submitted for review and approval (link at bottom of page). This form must be completed 3 weeks in advance of small-scale events. Request forms for mid- to large-scale events (ie 50 or more anticipated attendees) must be submitted no later than 6 weeks in advance. Failure to provide adequate lead-time may result in the Events Office or Student Life office pushing your event date back to allow for necessary preparation. This is an important document, as it will provide additional information about what space needs to be reserved and what services will be needed for your event to be successful. Here is the information you will need for the form:

1. Preferred location of your event
2. Description of your event
3. Description of what you will be doing at the event
4. Number of people you are expecting to attend your event
5. Date of your event
6. Time of your event
7. Length of your event
8. Time you will need to setup and tear-down your event
9. Whether you will be serving food
10. Whether you plan to use a caterer
11. Who will be helping you with setup and tear-down
12. How you will promote your event
13. What account will be charged with any costs incurred for the event

Step 4 – Publicize your event (after receiving confirmation from Events Office)

1. Submit an announcement to the Campus Communicator
2. Fliers / Posters – there are bulletin boards available in each residence hall for posting your promotional items. DO NOT tape items to windows and doors. Posters should be 8.5″ x 11″. A guide to the campus bulletin board locations can be found here
3. After your event: please be sure to take down the fliers and posters that you hang across campus

Step 5 – Event Management on the day of your event

As the event host (person who submitted the Event Request Form), plan to be at the event from start to finish. If you need to divide responsibilities for the program with other leaders in your group, make sure that those other leaders are aware of the requirements related to set up and clean up. Make sure all club/group members know who is running point for the event.

1. Arrive early to set up for your event, so you will be ready when your guests arrive.
2. Assign a crew of volunteers to help you teardown. Once the event is over, it is your responsibility to return the facility back to its original condition. The room should be clean and presentable when you start your event and in return you should leave it the way you found it:
   • All trash should be in trash cans/trash bags. If your event generates a significant amount of trash, please take those items directly to a dumpster.
   • Tables wiped down
   • Floors swept
   • Room reset to the default setup
3. If your student group fails to clean up after an event, the group will be assessed additional fees.