Room Reservations and Usage Guidance
Links
What to Know Before Requesting a Room
Room Usage Guidelines
The College of Medicine (COM) manages rooms across multiple buildings that may be reserved by COM faculty, staff, and students for classes, meetings, and events.
A room reservation is required to use COM space at all times, including weekends.
All users are expected to be good stewards of COM rooms. To keep spaces functional and in good condition, reservation holders must:
- Remove all trash and dispose of or bring home all leftovers.
– Break down all boxes, including boxed lunches and pizza boxes. Do not place trash on top of receptacles. If nearby bins are full, use other hallway bins. - Clean any major spills
- Wipe down tables and remove crumbs
- Clean whiteboards, if used
- Close windows to maintain building temperatures
- Keep furniture in its original layout
- Do not move, unplug, or remove AV connections
– Most cords are already taut, and moving them may cause damage
If there is a problem with the room, or it is found in disarray, please email comevents@uic.edu.
FAQ
How to Submit a Reservation Request for Events and Meetings
For meetings and events, please follow the steps below.
- Go to Astra Portal
- IMPORTANT: Do not log in
- Click the COM Chicago Faculty & Staff Event Requests
- Complete the top section of fields.
- Click the Add Meeting
- Choose Single, Multiple, or Recurring as applicable.
Please look at the Multiple and Recurring options. These are extremely helpful tools.
– In Multiple, click the blue/white arrow in the center of the window to add your desired dates.
– In Recurring, double-check your end date, as the field will reset if you click another time or date field. - Then complete the remaining fields.
- Click the Add Meeting button (again) at the bottom right.
- Choose Single, Multiple, or Recurring as applicable.
- Click the Request Rooms
- This screen shows you which rooms are available at your desired time. Select the available room you would like to reserve.
- There are more than one page. Scroll through the pages to see all rooms.
- Note: There are three spaces not viewable in Astra, as they require special approval. If you would like to reserve any of these spaces, hit the Cancel button, and skip to step 7.
- Faculty Alumni Lounge (FAL), room CMWT 119
- Lobby with table outside of Moss Auditorium, room COMRB 1030
- Outdoor patio just outside of Moss Auditorium
- Hit the OK
- Add Notes if needed.
- If you would like to reserve FAL, type “Requesting FAL.”
- If you would like to reserve the Lobby outside of Moss Aud., type “Requesting Moss Lobby.”
- If you would like to reserve the COMRB outdoor patio, type “Requesting COMRB patio.”
- Check the appropriate boxes.
- Click the Submit button.
- After this is completed, you will receive an email with the Notification of Event Request Received. This is not the official reservation confirmation.
- When your reservation has been approved, you will receive the Notification of Event Summary from notifications@aais.com. This serves as the official reservation confirmation.
- Please review the attachment to ensure dates and times are correct.
How to Submit a Reservation Request for Student Study (Students Only)
To give students quick access to study space, all COM classroom study space reservations in Chicago are automated through the Astra reservation system.
Exceptions to the automated system are listed below and can be submitted several weeks in advance through the Office of Curricular Affairs.
- Room reservations for exams
- Peer Education Program tutor reservations
- Additional student study options
For student organization reservations, please contact the Office of Student Affairs to begin the reservation process.
To proceed with a reservation request in Astra, please follow the steps below.
- Astra Portal
- IMPORTANT: Do not log in
- Click Events in the red bar at the top.
- Select Request an Event.
- Select COM Chicago Student Study Form from the drop-down menu.
- Click the Next
- Complete the top section of fields.
– Select COM Student in the Event Type drop-down menu. - Click the Add Meeting
– Make sure Single is selected at the top.
– Complete the remaining fields as applicable.
– Click the Add Meeting button (again) at the bottom right. - Click the Request Rooms
– This screen shows you which rooms are available at your desired time. Select the room you would like to reserve.
– Hit the OK - Add Notes if needed.
- Check the special accommodations box if needed.
- Click the Submit
- Ater this is completed, you will receive an email notice of your request. This is not a confirmation for the room booking.
- After we approve your request, you will receive an email with “Requested event has been approved” in the subject line. This is the official reservation confirmation.
– Please review the attachment to ensure dates and times are correct.
Food and Beverage Policies
Due to the AV in the following rooms, food and drink are not allowed in:
- CMWT 316
- CMWT 429
- CMWT 527
- CMET 585
Rooms 426 and 428 CMWT may not be used as food staging rooms. If a group needs a room where food and drink can be served, 220 is a large room with good hallway space, allows for a buffet, and has enough space for groups coming down from 429 and/or 527 CMWT. Food must be consumed in 220 and may not be taken to 427 and/or 527 CMWT. Groups may have food in the following auditoria, but these rooms are difficult to clean. It is incumbent on organizers to make sure all food and drink waste is removed (including under seats) at the conclusion of the event.
- 106 CMWT
- 227 CMWT Irwin Auditorium
- 1020 COMRB Moss Auditorium
- 1017 MBRB Herman Auditorium
- 765 NPI
If you are using any of the above rooms and serving food you will need to submit a request to Facilities Management (FM Web) for extra trash cans. This ensures that there are enough receptacles to handle the trash generated and alerts the BSW’s that there will need to be an extra trash pick up. Information on how to submit a billable request can be found on the Contact Us page.
If you have any questions, please email comevents@uic.edu.
Food and Drink Policy in the Learning Center
The COM Learning Center is a technologically advanced educational hub designed to teach medical students in a modern environment. Faculty, students, and staff must all act as stewards of the COM Learning Center to preserve the furnishings and equipment for future generations.
Tables and electrical floor boxes in the classrooms are energized with power outlets and A/V connections. To protect the equipment and prevent any safety issues, spill-proof containers must be used when bringing beverages into all educational areas including the auditoria (106 CMW and 227 CMWT), the 2 large active learning rooms (429/527 CMWT), the 3rd floor private study rooms, and the 18 small group classrooms.
The allowance of food in Learning Center classrooms is a decision to be made by the Curricular Affairs office on a case by case basis. When food is permitted, the room must be cleaned with all garbage removed, and left in working condition by the students, faculty, or staff overseeing the event.
Food and drink in the Learning Center educational areas is a privilege. The COM Dean’s Office reserves the right to revoke the privilege if the presence of food and beverages becomes a detriment to the COM Learning Center’s primary function as a teaching facility.
If you are eating in one of the study rooms, all garbage must be removed and disposed of in the hallway in the provided receptacles. Please use provided alcohol wipes to clean up any crumbs. Thank you for your assistance in keeping these rooms clean for all users.
Standard Room Supplies
All learning center rooms should be stocked with the following items:
- Alcohol wipes
- Disposable face masks
- Tissue
- Hand soap
- Paper Towels/Dispenser
- Dry erase markers (green, red, blue, black)
- Erasers
- White board cleaner
If any items are missing, please email comevents@uic.edu.
All conference rooms/classrooms (excluding COMRB conference rooms – these are stocked by the departments) should be stocked with the following items:
- Alcohol wipes
- Disposable face masks
- Tissue
- Dry erase markers (green, red, blue, black)
- Erasers
- White board cleaner (if applicable)
If any items are missing, please email comevents@uic.edu.
Classroom Equipment List
COM maintains a set of classrooms for teaching and learning. These are also used for student group meetings and can be available for departmental and other meetings as well. Some spaces are given priority for classes.
Technology available in this spaces include some combination of:
- A projector for in-room presentations
- Echo360 direct recording capability
- Web Conferencing available through a PC installed inside the room
- Web Conferencing available from your laptop using cables connected to room mics and cameras
- Cameras and mics to show the “instructor” area (like a podium)
- Cameras and mics to show the larger room (like the committee members or the students)
A few rooms may have large monitors instead of projectors, and some have multiple displays around the room allowing for two or more different content to be displayed simultaneously.
If you would like to have an orientation on the AV systems in the room you are reserving, please submit a room technology training request at least one week prior to your event.
COVID-19 University Event Registration Information
UIC must continue to monitor events and ensure that all event plans meet the current, appropriate safety guidance. In-person, university-sponsored extracurricular activities (on or off campus) that bring together individuals outside of their primary job responsibilities or duties should be registered in advance.
For current guidelines and to register your event please visit the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs website.
Photos of Reservable Space
College of Medicine has rooms of varying sizes and types that can be reserved by faculty, staff and students. For photos of each available space, please see (Box Folder).
In some cases, room configuration can be changed but may require the user to submit a billable work order via FMWeb. Any questions about rooms and configuration should be sent to comevents@uic.edu.
UIC Guest Wireless Network
Access to UIC’s guest wireless network (UIC-Guest) is a privilege and all guests are required to abide by the UIC Guest Wireless Policy. There are three methods for guests to obtain wireless network access while on the UIC Campus: self-created guest access, staff-sponsored guest access and eduroam.
Visitors from outside the University can access the UIC-Guest wireless network. Read instructions on how to do this.
Alternatively, UIC Faculty and Staff can pre-create Guest WiFi accounts for distribution. These accounts are limited to specific dates. See details here under “Staff-sponsored Guest Access”.
Outdoor Events
Events can currently be held in the courtyard outside of the COMRB (934). This space must be reserved via Astra. Please note that it is the responsibility of the event organizer to place a billable request via FM Web for additional trash cans and place a request for electric if needed via the same process. You may also request tables and chairs via FM Web.
The FSP team maintains a portable podium, pop-up tent and portable amp/speaker/microphone that can be reserved for outdoor events by sending an email to comevents@uic.edu.