The Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering is home to many active student groups on the St. George campus. These groups use various campus spaces to host meetings, events and other group activities that enrich the Skule community.
This FAQ aims to outline what spaces can be booked by student groups, how student group recognition status impacts their ability to book spaces, ways that Campus Events can support student group bookings, as well as address specific questions related to Myhal spaces and Hackathons.
This FAQ was developed in August 2024 and is not updated regularly. If you notice any broken links or out-of-date information, please email Sania Hameed, Associate Director, Teaching, Learning & Student Experience at student.groups@engineering.utoronto.ca.
Bookable Spaces on the St. George Campus
Yes, though there may be certain limitations and rules. There are two primary types of spaces on the St. George campus:
- Spaces managed by Campus Events;
- Spaces managed by particular Divisions or units
In general, the vast majority of bookable rooms on the St. George campus are managed by Campus Events; this includes centrally shared classroom spaces on the St. George Campus, as well as auditorium, lobby, and outdoor spaces. You can use the Student Group Booking Portal to view room availability and capacity, and submit your booking request. However, only Administrative Officers of a Recognized Student Group - as listed on your group’s profile page on the Student Organization Portal) - can book spaces using the Student Group Booking Portal.
While the rest of this FAQ will focus on Campus Events managed spaces, there are also additional rooms on campus owned by particular Divisions or units.
Within Engineering
For example, within Engineering, GB202, the EngCom room (SF B740G), and the SF Pit are Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering managed spaces that can be booked via the Engineering Society (EngSoc) for EngSoc-affiliated clubs, associated entities, project Directorships, or discipline clubs; EngSoc also offers AV equipment rentals. Student Groups in Engineering that are not recognized by EngSoc can reach out to departments to request support with booking GB202.
Myhal Building
Some spaces in the Myhal Building are managed by Myhal Facilities Management and not Campus Events. This includes Myhal upper floor open spaces (5th and 8th floor) and meeting rooms, which can be booked for Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering affiliated groups, with support from departmental undergraduate or graduate offices.
The Myhal Centre Fabrication Facility on the 4th floor can be booked directly to support certain events (e.g. for use during Hackathons, alongside other rooms booked for you with departmental support) by contacting myhal.maker@utoronto.ca; as this is a uniquely equipped space (i.e. is not regular event space), each booking request is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Additionally, while Campus Events generally manages the 1st floor lobby for events, Myhal Facilities Management manages any Pop Up session booking requests for the 1st floor lobby area. You can learn more about their guidelines for Events at Myhal, Pop Up session limitations, and other details via the Myhal Facilities Management SharePoint site.
Outside Engineering
Similarly, outside of Engineering, there are various different options. Some examples include:
- Multi-Faith Centre rooms are managed by U of T Student Life
- Innis Town Hall is managed by Innis College
- Sidney Smith Hall Lobby is managed by Arts & Science
- Hart House rooms are managed by Hart House
- Some Medical Science Building rooms are managed by the Division of Teaching Laboratories
Spaces that are owned by particular Divisions or units may or may not incur booking costs; you will need to review the details for the specific space you are hoping to use. Additionally, if you require event services while using one of these spaces (e.g. movers, caretakers), you will need to inquire whether the Division or unit that owns the space can coordinate this on your behalf. If they cannot support this, you must coordinate this through your faculty, staff advisor, or a supportive department. Campus Events cannot provide support for spaces that they don’t manage.
You can review U of T Student Life’s Campus Room Finder search tool and List of Other Rooms Available to Campus Groups to deepen your knowledge of additional spaces that exist on the St. George campus. For questions about these sites, please contact CampusRoomFinder@studentlife.utoronto.ca.
Recognized Student Groups
Recognized Student Groups are governed by the Policy on the Recognition of Student Groups. Generally, to be eligible for Recognized Student Group status, group membership should be open to all registered University of Toronto students. If your student group is exclusive to students in a particular college or faculty, or limited to any other subset of students, your student group cannot be recognized through this process.
However, if your student group primarily targets a subset of students/students in a particular Faculty but remains open to welcoming members from outside of these areas, you can apply for recognition. For example, if the Sample Undergraduate Engineering Student Industry Club remains open to all students (including interested undergraduate students from outside of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, or graduate students), they would be eligible for recognition.
Departmental student associations (e.g. Chem Club, MSE Club) are not required to seek University recognition as they are recognized by other policies and processes, and are typically added to the Student Organization Portal automatically.
You can learn more about the different types of student organizations at the University of Toronto, and reach out to clubs@utoronto.ca if you have additional questions.
Follow the steps on the Student Organization Portal to apply for student group recognition, or renew your group’s recognition status / update the Administrative Officers listed on your group’s profile page.
The annual renewal period begins May 1. A large volume of groups submit renewal requests leading up to the Fall term, and processing your application may take several weeks. It is recommended that you renew as early as possible - before August 15 at the latest - to ensure there are no interruptions to your Recognized Student Group privileges.
Working with Campus Events
The Administrative Officers of a Recognized Student Group (as listed on your group’s profile page on the Student Organization Portal) can request a booking for Campus Events managed spaces via the Student Group Booking Portal as early as the first day of the current semester. Academic bookings (i.e. lectures, tutorials, etc) take priority, and no event usage can be confirmed until scheduled classes have been assigned their rooms.
Booking requests must be made at least 6 business days in advance. Requests less than 6 business days before the event cannot be submitted via the Portal, nor will they be accepted by Campus Events via phone or email.
This depends on the overall volume of requests being submitted through the system. Campus Events typically takes between 6 - 10 business days to provide a response; however, this subject to the number of requests in the queue, and the complexity of the request.
Spaces available in the Student Group Booking Portal can be booked free of charge if you are a Recognized Student Group. However, if you are planning on hosting an event that requires services (caretaking, poster boards, campus movers, security, A/V) there are charges associated with those services. Campus Events staff can provide you with a quote for estimated costs, and coordinate these services on your behalf.
When booking events via the Student Group Booking Portal, there will be opportunities to share more details about the needs of your event. Campus Events reviews each request and will prepare a quote for services accordingly; for example, asking for tables would require Campus Moving services, serving food would require Caretaking services. They will work with you to refine and finalize the quote, based on the services needed to support your event.
If you book a space managed by Campus Events, they will be able to provide you with an estimate for the services you require. If you are interested learning about common service provider charges more generally, you can visit the below sites for frequently used services:
- Caretaking: https://www.fs.utoronto.ca/services/caretaking/
- Waste Management: https://www.fs.utoronto.ca/services/waste-management-and-recycling/
- Campus Moving: https://www.fs.utoronto.ca/services/moving/
- Campus Safety: https://www.campussafety.utoronto.ca/rates
- Tech2U AV: https://lsm.utoronto.ca/tech2u
- Poster Boards: https://teachinglabs.med.utoronto.ca/poster-boards/
Please note that the above rates are for reference only; there are different variables that may factor into the cost, including overtime rates and cases where you may need to book a minimum number of service hours.
Service providers update their websites with any changes to pricing on an annual basis, on May 1.
Student groups are able to book rooms free-of-charge, unlike internal bookings by U of T departments and offices. In terms of services, bookings made by a student group receive a 50% discount on audio-visual (A/V) charges. All other services are billed at the rates indicated on the website of each service provider; these rates are subject to change, based on the required services.
Campus Events will reconcile charges on your behalf with the various service providers, and provide you with an invoice for the final cost. This process can take months, due to the billing timelines of the different services.
Once you receive an invoice from Campus Events, you can pay online via credit card, or by cheque. Detailed payment instructions will be outlined on the quote provided by Campus Events.
This is due to fluctuations in service charges. For example, if regular caretaking charges were used to prepare the estimate, but there were issues during the event requiring additional services (e.g. steam cleaning a carpet), these would be reflected in the final cost.
Some spaces are not bookable via the Portal, including:
- Bahen Atrium
- David Naylor Student Commons
- Convocation Hall
- Myhal Building spaces, including MY150 and the Myhal Lobby
For the first two spaces, select any other rooms you are hoping to book through the Student Group Booking Portal and indicate the Bahen Atrium or David Naylor Student Commons in the notes section before submitting your request. Alternatively, if you are only looking to book the Atrium or Commons space, indicate this in the notes section (where you provide event details), update the capacity of the event, and submit the request without selecting additional rooms. After you submit your request, Campus Events will follow up with you accordingly.
For Convocation Hall booking inquiries, please email campus.events@utoronto.ca directly.
The Myhal building cannot be booked by student groups. Only internal U of T departments and units can book this space. See the next question for more details.
Finally, it is possible that the space you are trying to book may not be part of the Campus Events room inventory, and is a space that is managed directly by particular Divisions or units.
Additional Questions and Specific Scenarios
The Myhal building is first and foremost a learning space. Many of the rooms are equipped with technology that needs to be carefully set up and put away. Incorrect use of the space and technology causes significant disruptions to academic classes in this building. For this reason, use of the Myhal building is subject to various rules and restrictions, and the space is not bookable via the Student Group Booking Portal. Only internal U of T departments and offices can book Myhal rooms.
If you are looking for a large space to host your event, some options that are a similar size to MY150 include:
- BA 1160
- ES 1050
- MC 102
- MS 2158
- MS 3154
- MS 3153
- OI G162
Yes, but it is a complex and expensive process. If there is a department or office that is willing to make the booking request on behalf of your student group, they can secure the space booking for you.
Please note that the Myhal Building is managed by two different groups. For simplicity, Floors 5 – 8 are primarily managed by Myhal Facilities Management, and Floors 1 – 3 are primarily managed by Campus Events. The 4th floor is shared by both groups, with Myhal Facilities Management overseeing the Myhal Centre Fabrication Facility, and Campus Events overseeing the rest of the rooms.
Myhal Facilities Management
For information on booking spaces overseen by Myhal Facilities Management, please review the Myhal section in this earlier question.
Campus Events
Only internal departments can book the Myhal spaces managed by Campus Events spaces, as this requires internal billing information; therefore, you will need departmental support to book the space. Please note that even if a department is willing to make a booking on behalf of a Recognized Student Group, this will qualify as an internal booking, and therefore will be subject to internal room booking rates, with no discount for A/V charges.
As a Recognized Student Group, you will need to submit the Internal Event Intake Form to receive a Campus Events quote for the space and associated service charges. There are some specific instructions for filling out the Contact and Billing information sections:
- Page 1: Contact Information
- For the question re: Affiliation with the University of Toronto, select Other, and type in Recognized Student Group.
- For the questions on Division/Faculty/Department, Division/Faculty/Department address, and Division/Faculty/Department postal code, please input the name of your Student Group, and your Student Group’s mailing address and postal code.
- Page 2: Billing Information
- Input 0000 for all questions.
The rest of the form focuses on event details, which you can fill out in accordance with your event goals. As Campus Events typically requires 6 – 10 business days to provide a quote, and departments may need a week to determine whether they can support your request, you are encouraged to begin this process as soon as possible.
After submitting the form and receiving a quote from Campus Events, you will then need to email the following documents to the respective FASE departmental contact to request their support with booking Myhal:
- a completed and signed copy of the Myhal Booking – Request for Support Letter template,
- Student Group’s bank statement, that shows you have sufficient funds to cover the cost of the quote, plus an additional 10% for unexpected overages (i.e. if the quote is $1000, your bank balance should be at least $1,100).
- a copy of the Campus Events quote
Ideally, departments should receive your request for support at least 4 weeks before your event date. Please note that departments are not obligated to support these requests.
- If the department agrees to provide support: They will provide Campus Events with the relevant billing information that will allow Campus Events to bill the department directly. The department will then recoup the costs by invoicing your student group, as indicated in the Myhal Booking – Request for Support Letter.
- If the department declines to provide support: You are encouraged to reach out to your staff or faculty advisor for further guidance and/or consider booking a different space.
Due to health and safety reasons, buildings should be used for their intended (built and designed) purpose. While residence buildings are an example of spaces designed for sleeping, sleeping is not permitted in any of the academic or common spaces booked via Campus Events. Items such as mattresses, cots, sleeping bags, or any other materials intended for sleeping purposes are strictly prohibited unless a special accommodation is requested, approved and arranged through Campus Events.
Spaces owned by other Divisions or units will have their own policies and restrictions.
Any requests to modify the existing setup of a classroom or common space need to be reviewed by Campus Events, and if approved, should be conducted by an appropriate service provider (i.e. Campus Moving).
While it is understandable that - over the course of an event – classroom chairs may be relocated to other tables within the classroom to encourage group activity, under no circumstances should tables be rearranged or relocated outside of the space that they originated. Additionally, at the conclusion of the event, moved classroom chairs should be returned to their original location.
If a Student Group was found to have moved furniture to other spaces without coordinating to return the room(s) to their original setup, the Student Group will be held responsible for covering any costs associated with resetting the space(s).
For general guidance, your first point of contact would be your staff or faculty advisor.
For requests involving departmental support (e.g. to book certain rooms or services on campus, inquiries about promoting your event), please contact the respective department by emailing them as follows:
- BME: contact.bme@utoronto.ca
- CivMin: phill.snel@utoronto.ca
- ChemE: michael.martino@utoronto.ca
- ECE: events@ece.utoronto.ca
- EngSci: engsci@utoronto.ca
- ISTEP: istep.admin@utoronto.ca
- MIE: hunter@mie.utoronto.ca
- MSE: materials.engineering@utoronto.ca
If you are unclear who to contact, please reach out to Sania Hameed, Associate Director, Teaching, Learning & Student Experience to have your inquiry appropriately redirected.