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Event Registration Procedures

The Division of Student Life (DSL) believes the registration of events by registered student organizations will promote the health, safety, and wellbeing of all members of our campus community. In planning and implementing events on and off campus, all organizations are required to follow this Event Registration Procedure, as well as any other applicable University policies, including the University’s Alcohol Policy. In order to promote responsible citizenship, all individuals and organizations must also abide by all federal, state, county, and city laws and any relevant inter/national organization alcohol/risk management policies.

Applicability

The Event Registration Procedure will apply to all student organizations registered with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, except for sororities and fraternities registered with the Office of Sorority & Fraternity Life.

Review event registration procedures for sororities and fraternities.

General Event Registration Procedure

Organizations are required to register all events through Campus Event Services.

An organization event shall be defined as any event consisting of prospective, new, active, recently active, and alumni members (or some combination thereof) that a reasonable observer would associate with the organization, was sponsored, financed, or endorsed by the organization, or required advanced planning on behalf of the organization.

Organizations are responsible for reasonable and prudent management and control of all aspects of the event at all times, including the behavior of individual members and guests.

Events With Alcohol

Any organization event at which alcohol is present must meet additional requirements. All event registration documents submitted by organizations are reviewed by the appropriate department office within the Division of Student Life (Center for Student Engagement, RecSports, or Multicultural Student Life). Organizations will be contacted with any questions or concerns about the event.

The University, for health and safety reasons, may limit the number of approved registered events allowed to take place at one time. In instances where multiple events are registered and the University deems it necessary to limit the number of registered events for a given time, approval of events meeting all requirements under these procedures will be considered in the order in which they were registered. In order to reduce the likelihood that an event is denied, organizations should register events at the earliest possible date.

The University reserves the right to shut down a registered approved event, based on information available at the time, including information that the event is being conducted in a manner inconsistent with the event registration guidelines and/or if a safety or security concern reasonably exists. If the event is found to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the event registration and approval, the organization (and possibly individual members) will be referred to the appropriate DSL department office and/or Student Conduct and Community Standards.

All Events:

Events with alcohol must be registered with the appropriate DSL department office at least fourteen (14) business days in advance of the event.  However, since some events may require more time to process because of the complexity or other factors, organizations are encouraged to submit event registration materials and meet with the appropriate DSL department staff at the earliest possible date.

A final guest list must be submitted to the appropriate DSL department office at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the event.  Only members and guests on the final guest list shall be granted entry to the event.

All events with alcohol must be third-party vendor events and comply with the requirements below:

  • Alcohol may only be sold and served by a University-approved third-party vendor (bar, restaurant, caterer, or similar operation). The third-party vendor must be properly licensed by the appropriate local and state authorities and be licensed to sell on the premises where the function is to be held.
  • Organizations are not allowed to purchase alcohol with organization funds; however, organizations are allowed to pay for the labor costs associated with an approved third-party vendor with organization funds.
  • Sober monitors must be stationed throughout the event to ensure event management procedures are followed. Sober monitors must be active members of the organization and in good standing. Sober monitors must be identified in the event registration form.  Sober monitors must be sober upon their arrival at the event and may not consume alcohol throughout the duration of the event.
  • If the event is co-hosted by more than one organization, members of each participating organization must serve as sober monitors. The ratio from each organization should be based upon the number of attendees who are members or guests of that organization.
  • The ratio of sober monitors to attendees must be at least 1:15.
  • The event must have only one entrance. A printed copy of the guest list must be provided at the entrance of the event. A sober monitor must verify the identity of guests and confirm their information is included on the guest list.
  • All individuals entering the event must present a valid photo ID. The photo ID shall be used to verify the entrant’s name and date of birth. Upon verification of identity, a wristband shall be placed on the entrant’s wrist if age 21 or above.
  • The event cannot last any longer than a four (4) hour time period. The sale of alcohol must cease thirty (30) minutes prior to the scheduled conclusion of the event. Exceptions to the time limit period may be approved on a case-by-case basis.
  • No common source alcohol is permitted. Common source is any bulk quantity, common container, or freely available alcoholic beverage (e.g., beer, wine, liquor, or punch) that is made available for consumption. Possessing, furnishing, consuming, or serving from a common source of alcohol is strictly prohibited. A common source shall not include “cash bars” operated by a licensed third-party vendor that comply with these guidelines.
  • Alcohol is not permitted to be consumed or possessed anywhere other than the space designated for hosting the event.
  • Activities or paraphernalia that encourage the rapid and/or excessive consumption of alcohol, including, but not limited to, drinking games (beer pong, flip cup, etc.), ice luges, and drinking funnels, are inconsistent with healthy and responsible use of alcohol and are therefore prohibited.

On-Campus Events:

In addition to the above requirements, all events with alcohol that are held on-campus must also comply with the following requirements:

  • Any alcohol over 15% alcohol by volume is prohibited.
  • A third-party security vendor approved by the University must be present at the event at least one (1) hour prior to the event and one (1) hour after the event concludes. Approved security vendors must be properly licensed and possess all appropriate governmental permits and licenses.
    • A minimum of two (2) security officers are required for any event, and an additional two (2) security officers are required for every 100 attendees.
    • The security vendor is responsible for maintaining safety at the event, ensuring attendees remain in the designated area, monitoring noise levels, and ensuring the event ends on time.

Game Day Events:

A “Game Day Event” is any event with alcohol hosted by a registered student organization on the day of a University of Tennessee, Knoxville home football game. A Game Day Event may occur only four (4) hours prior to the start of a game and must end thirty (30) minutes prior to the start of a game.

At the discretion of the Vice Chancellor for Student Life, additional events hosted on the day of other intercollegiate athletic contests may be designated “Game Day Events” for the purposes of this procedure.

Download Student Life Event Registration Procedures Download Sorority & Fraternity Event Registration Procedures