Events, Meetings & Room Reservations

The scheduling priorities for events in the learning spaces are listed in descending order below:

1. Curricular activities scheduled by the Curriculum Office or Office of Student Affairs, including medical school and graduate program course lectures and seminars, placement and final exams, and mandatory student meetings.
2. Dean’s Office special events.
3. Grand rounds, CME activities, teaching seminars, and conferences.
4. All other School of Medicine activities (including student organizations meetings and non-curricular guest speakers).
5. Other USC schools, departments, and groups.
6. Non-USC events sponsored by a KSOM academic department or group.

Because the number of events requesting space for lunchtime meetings often exceeds the number of spaces we have available, and because credit-earning curricular classes held in our spaces typically end at Noon and begin again at 1:00 PM, reservations for lunch meetings can only be one hour in length (Noon to 12:50, plus 10 minutes for cleanup). Groups seeking more than an hour for luncheon meetings (e.g. 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM, 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM, 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM) are encouraged to contact Norris Cancer Hospital (LG 503/504, NTT 7409) or the Norris Medical Library (east and west conference rooms).

Students conducting dissections in classroom spaces will be required to have an approved protocol on file with the Office of Environmental Health and Safety. For more information please contact (323) 442-2200 or complete the online form:  https://ehs.usc.edu/contact/

Reservations scheduled before 7:00 AM or after 6:00 PM on weekdays, anytime on weekends, or anytime on University holidays will incur a charge for room rental, audiovisual staffing, and housekeeping. Audiovisual staff support or equipment rental in locations outside of KSOM’s learning spaces will also incur a charge.  Because the audiovisual services staff’s primary responsibility is to support curricular activities in our learning spaces during working hours, we cannot guarantee that staff or equipment will be available outside of working hours or outside of our learning spaces.  Please check with [email protected] at least three weeks before your after-hours or outside event to discuss resource availability and their costs. Audiovisual services will not be provided for live surgery recordings or simulcasts.

Special events (see below for definition) require both an online reservation and a separate USC Events Permit. Both must be completed at least three weeks before the event.  See https://eventspermit.usc.edu/

Once you complete the USC Events Permit Application, you will be issued an Event ID by USC Fire Safety and Emergency Planning.  Please email Renee Ann Cypert-Soto ([email protected]) in the Dean’s Office so that she can add this official Event ID to your reservation request.  Please note that the Dean’s Office will automatically cancel the reservation request for any special event that does not have a USC-issued Event ID and this event will not be able to use any of Keck School of Medicine’s learning spaces or audiovisual services.

A special event is defined as any meeting or gathering where any of the following is true:

• The event is scheduled to take place and/or to conclude after 6:00 PM on weekdays, anytime on weekends, or anytime on University holidays; and/or
• The event occurs over consecutive days; and/or
• The event is designed to attract largely a non-USC audience (or there will be as many or more non-USC attendees as USC attendees); and/or
• The event’s participants will include minors; and/or
• Any of the participants will be charged any fees to attend; and/or
• Catered food will be served AND the caterer will use any fuel source or device to heat the food on premises; and/or
• Alcohol will be served; and/or
• Mayer Lobby, Hoyt Gallery, or Hastings Lobby is to be used; and/or
• The event changes the intended purpose of the learning space (e.g., using a lobby as a conference reservation area; using an auditorium as a display place for posters).

It is the responsibility of the requestor to ensure that the reserved space is left in good condition and to return the space to the layout for which it was scheduled (see the layout diagram in the learning space). Remember to turn off the projectors and microphones and be sure that all catering, food, and trash has been properly disposed of by the time you vacate the learning space. The requestor (or his or her group) may be charged for restorative costs if the space is not returned to its original condition. Events scheduled after 6:00 PM on weekdays, anytime on weekends, or anytime on University holidays may incur a charge for housekeeping (including the cleaning of the building’s restrooms).

Since the consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited (unless licensed for the consumption of alcohol on the premises), any event being sponsored or hosted by a campus individual, university-recognized group, department, or office must get approval to serve alcohol.

Alcohol Request Form for Student Organizations

Events involving high sound levels may not be scheduled during regular classroom instruction if the possibility of interference exists. Amplified sound is defined as any form of equipment (i.e., microphone, speakers, amplifiers, bullhorns, musical instruments) used to increase sound levels or any object that does not require equipment to project its sound. In some cases, large group singing is also considered amplified sound.

In general, with prior approval moderate amplification (not more than 90 decibels, “A” weighted, measured 45 feet from the front center of the stage) is allowed on the Pappas Quad from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM Monday through Friday. All other requests for amplified sounds will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Please contact KSOM Audio Visual Services for more information.