Guidelines for Executing Graduate Dormitory Council (GDC)-Funded Events
Advertising the Event: GDC - sponsored events must be open to all residents in the residence halls. To ensure that as many residents as possible are made aware of your event we require that you advertise it in three ways:
1. You must create an 8.5” by 11” flyer for your event and send it at least one week in advance for approval by Housing and Student Services to gsashous AT fas DOT harvard DOT edu. Once approved, Housing and Student Services will print your flyer and distribute copies to the RAs in their Friday pick-up. Each RA will then post the flyer on the bulletin boards on each floor. To be included in the Friday pick-up, flyers must be sent by Wednesday of that week. Please include on your flyer your name and email address so that residents may contact you with questions about the event. The wording “Sponsored by the Harvard Graduate Dormitory Council” must also appear on your flyer. If alcohol will be served at your event, you must include the following: "Guests must be over 21 with valid ID to consume alcohol. Non-alcoholic beverages and snacks will be served." (Please see below for the policy on serving alcohol.)
2. GDC Website-Your event must be advertised on the GDC website located at http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/gdc/ Do this by notifying the web officer Tyler Gibson (wtgibson AT fas) at least ONE week before the date of the event.
3. Dorm-wide email/GDC Listserv: Please send an email advertising your event to the GDC listserv (Harvard-gdc AT lists DOT hcs DOT harvard DOT edu) 3 days before the event. (The 3 days are necessary due to possible server delays). Please carbon copy the GDC President, Jillian (jdemair AT fas), on this email.
Reserving Rooms and Following Event Policies: You must reserve the room in which you wish to hold your event, such as a lounge or Richards Basement, by contacting the Housing Office (gsashous AT fas DOT harvard DOT edu). Please reserve the room as early as possible to ensure that it is available. In your email, indicate that this is a GDC-funded event and provide details on the room, date and time. Please note that quiet hours begin at 10:00pm Sunday-Thursday, and at 12:00am Friday and Saturday. Also ask for an Event Policy Form from the Housing Office, which you, as organizer of the event, must sign and return. You must follow all policies outlined in the GSAS Residence Hall Handbook. Please pay special attention to the Event Policies on pages 20-24. The GSAS Residence Hall Handbook can be downloaded at the following address: http://www.gsas.harvard.edu/current_students/residence_hall_handbook.php
Alcohol Policy: Any GDC-sponsored event at which alcohol is served requires a Beverage Authorization Team (BAT) to be hired to check IDs and serve alcohol. Rates typically run $17 to $20 per hour for each team member. For events with up to 100 attendees, one team member is generally sufficient. IMPORTANT: Three weeks advance notice is required to hire a BAT. Last-minute requests may not be filled. Please email bat@fas.harvard.edu with your request or call the Student Activities Office at Harvard College: 617-495-1558.
Funding Renewal: The funding allotted at each GDC meeting should be used BEFORE the next GDC meeting. That is, if you receive funding for an event at the November GDC meeting your event should have happened before the December meeting. However, since we are all busy graduate students it occasionally happens that you will need to delay your event. If this happens you will need to renew your funding at the next open GDC meeting. Funding renewal is voted on by the entire GDC. If funding renewal is denied, the money that would have gone towards your event will be put back into the monthly pool and available immediately to fund other events.
Getting Reimbursed: Make sure to keep receipts for anything you buy for your event. Submit receipts to the GDC treasurer (Ruifang Song, rsong AT fas) along with your name and room number in order to receive reimbursement. The easiest way to get receipts to Dandan is by sliding them under her door (Child 314).
Optional Method of Advertisement: Contact the Housing Office (gsashous@fas.harvard.edu) to put a blurb advertising your event in the weekly GSAS Housing Newsletter email; these weekly emails are sent out on Friday mornings, so send your blurb well before this time so that it can be included.