Photo by Maryam Tunio

Photo by Maryam Tunio/[email protected]

Marquette will no longer charge university departments and student organizations to use meeting or event spaces, Audio-Visual equipment, non-AV equipment or labor starting July 1.

“We’re pleased to know that the university has approved the movement to this new rental rate structure,” said Annette Conrad, associate director of event management. “It really allows for that money to go back into programming, so we’re really excited about that.”

University hosted events and non-university events will still pay for AV equipment, non-AV equipment and labor fees.

Conrad said rates are applicable to Alumni Memorial Union facilities including meeting spaces in the AMU such as the ballroom, Union Sports Annex, Varsity Theatre, Weasler Auditorium and select outdoor spaces. She believes the new rental rate structure will allow departments and student organizations to plan more programs on campus.

“I think there will be more programming, which is really exciting because it goes to the whole purpose of being on campus, to get that out of classroom experience and experience in planning and participating in events,” Conrad said.

Marquette also established a new pricing structure for university hosted events and non-university events and will change the pricing of university events, university hosted events and non-university events beginning this summer.

The Office of Student Development considers university-sponsored events as activities that are planned and promoted by recognized student organizations, university employees or departments.

University events are also functions that support the university’s mission, are paid for with funds from a student organization and where the majority of attendees are Marquette students. Conrad said examples of these events include Marquette Student Government programs, preview, orientation, open houses and athletic events.

OSD considers a university-hosted event to be programs involving a university entity and an outside organization connected to the university, such as the Insight Summit Series conferences through the College of Communication. Non-university events are activities run by organizations not affiliated with Marquette.

Conrad said the fees for university hosted events and external events have increased slightly, but the Event Management Office has not raised event prices for close to four or five years.

Early last fall, Linda Lee, the Coordinator of Administrative Services in the AMU reached out to comparable universities to see if the Marquette event management rates were competitive and to look at rate structures for student organizations, internal departments, hosted events and non-university events at other universities.

“From there this was a collaborative effort in our department to prepare a draft of guidelines that we thought best suited Marquette – making student organizations and university departments a priority,” Lee said in an email.

Lee considers developing the rate structure that eliminates the room, AV and non-AV and labor fees to student organizations when their events support Marquette’s mission to be a big win.

“Moving forward the funds that were previously paid to the AMU can be used to support and hopefully enhance their programs,” Lee said.

Lee said there should be minimal impact on events held in the AMU.

“Student organizations and university departments will continue to be the priority when booking space,” she said. “For university hosted and non-university events we have an attractive space that continues to be competitively priced.”

Sarah Beattie, former MUSG programs vice president and senior in the College of Communication, said the event management changes will help MUSG focus its spending on student experiences at their programs.

“We could put more money towards things at programs that people actually experience, like food, prizes for trivia and decorations versus having to put so much more money aside for operations,” Beattie said.