Guidelines
Updated 8.24.20


Please be advised that the University has restricted meetings to outdoor locations only until September 7th. If your organization is interested in holding an event (auditions, viewing party, networking., etc.,) outdoors please contact PAC at psuperformingartscouncil@gmail.com. At this time rehearsals should remain virtual.

Planning events:
  • Booking a venue
    • Venue’s COVID/social distance capacity should be listed in 25Live under layout 
      • For some spaces groups may find that they are still able to put through a request but are advised to wait for confirmation that the event has been approved before moving forward
    • Eisenhower Auditorium will have a tent available for student organizations to book and a priority is being made for performing arts organizations
      • Contact Lea Asbell-Swanger (ela1) or Aimee Crihfield (alc21) if you are interested
  • Food
    • You will find a list of Penn State approved caterers here
    • Should you choose to serve food at your event you will find more guidelines about how to safely do so here
  • Adding your event to OrgCentral
    • OrgCentral is PSU’s student organization and department portal to advertise organizations, events, and track attendance, which in turn helps gather data to measure engagement and needs of the campus. Review the following step
    • Create a new event in your organization.
      • Organizations are strongly encouraged to utilize RSVP or event registration procedures so that you can ensure that only the number of attendees who can be safely accommodated come to your event.
        •  You can also use this information to communicate important event information to your attendees prior to their arrival, i.e. an event entrance/exit plan that directs traffic flow through specific entrances and exits to avoid congestion.
        •  Consider scheduling entry and exits so that participants can arrive/depart in a steady, controlled stream instead of all at once.
​Safety & compliance:
  • Attendance
    • In-person events of 250 people or less are permissible, both indoors and outdoors, as long as appropriate physical distancing occurs and masks are worn. Please note that you should include performers, stage hands, and org members in your count along with attendees.
    • Students hosting events will need to have a plan in place for keeping track of who is in attendance for potential contact tracing needs
      • For drop-in events you will need have to have a member at the door to count people in and out so that you never exceed the max number of people allowed in the space
        • The preferred method of tracking attendance is by using the Event Check-In app on a mobile device. This allows a member of the sponsoring organization to check student attendees into their event. Students will need to access their Event Pass to make use of this system. Consider including instructions in pre-event materials you send to your RSVP list.
        • If unavailable / not working please keep track of attendees names, PSU email, address, and phone number 
          • You must manually enter attendees logged in this way into the OrgCentral Event within one academic day of the event.
  • Masks & Social Distancing
    • Please refer to the Student Compact for University guidelines and expectations
      • In general, COVID-19 requirements include wearing face masks, social distancing, and adherence to University Guidance related to events management
    • Make sure there is 12ft between performers and audience (more if the performers are singers, though we do not encourage indoor singing performances at this time)
  • Questions about compliance
    • What if someone is not wearing a mask? Or isn’t socially distancing?
      • Remind the student(s)/event guest(s) or organization of the requirement and the reason for it: Safety. 
      • Provide a University mask to the student, if available. Ask the student(s)/event guest(s) or organization to comply. 
      • Remind the student(s)/event guest(s) that their non-compliance is a violation of event requirements and of the Student Code of Conduct and ask again for compliance.  
      • Ask the student(s)/event guest(s) or organization to either comply or to leave the event immediately.  
      • If the student(s)/event guest(s) fails to comply, student organization leadership and/or advisor/faculty/staff may ask the individual(s) to leave.  
      • If the student(s)/event guest(s) fails to comply, student organization leadership and/or advisor/faculty/staff may cancel the event and refer the individuals to the Office of Student Conduct.
      • Should an emergency situation develop that you feel cannot be resolved by cancelling the event, please consider calling University Police and Public Safety via 911 for assistance.   
    • Once the immediate situation is resolved, a referral should be submitted to the Office of Student Conduct with the student(s)/event guest(s) and student organization’s name. Referrals can be submitted by students, faculty, staff, or community members to address non-compliance.  
  • We encourage you to consider moving all events to a virtual space where possible
    • See virtual rehearsals and performances tabs for more details​​