Carleton is home to more than 50 different arts and culture clubs, spanning a wide range of interests, according to the Carleton University Students’ Association’s (CUSA) online hub online. Such groups can often be seen across campus, practicing to prepare for competitions or performances. But some say getting the space needed for their practices can be difficult.
For a club to book a classroom or other space on campus to use for meetings, Jen Sugar, the director of student affairs at Carleton, said all requests must be made with them online. On the Student Affairs website, the office provides students wishing to reserve space with a link to a booking page, which must be filled out 10 days in advance of when the space is needed.
The online form states it needs to be completed by a registered executive of a CUSA-recognized club, and asks a list of questions about what type of event will be held in the space, and who will be attending. The form also states several times it cannot confirm that requested rooms will be available, and some rooms may cost a club extra. Sugar said clubs are typically notified within five days of their request if their space is available.
Though a formal booking system is in place, some arts groups are choosing not to use it. Tim Barretto-Burns, one of the co-presidents of the Carleton Musical Theatre Society (CMTS), said that the booking system is often not helpful.
“We have found that in recent years, the system to actually book rooms gets too crazy,” Barretto-Burns said. “So we usually just try to find a general meeting space, and then try to find an empty classroom, because that works out a lot better.”
Jesse Levy, another co-president, agreed.
“We found that whenever we would book rooms, [the Student Affairs office] would give us rooms that are tiny or with desks that don’t move, which is hard for a musical theatre group rehearsal, because we need a decent amount of space,” Levy said.
Barretto-Burns is also part of Carleton’s Sock ‘n’ Buskin, and said they follow a similar procedure of finding rooms on the spot.
Sugar said some clubs may run into issues trying to find rooms suitable for their needs, but maintained that the office does what it can to help students find the proper space.
“We do our best to provide students with the space that they are looking for, but it can be challenging because Carleton has a very high classroom utilization rate in comparison to some other universities,” Sugar said.
The booking service itself may not be the only issue preventing them from using it.
Yvonne Duah, president of the Carleton University Dance Crew (CUDC), said her group often uses the University Centre atrium to practice. She said she did not know about the formal request system and thus, had never used it.
“Honestly we just show up . . . and no one is here, but we have [had] this spot at this time for the past years I have been in CUDC,” Duah said. “If there is a problem [with the atrium], we just try and find another spot and go there. We make it work.”
Barretto-Burns said there are a few changes that could make the process more tailored to the needs of clubs.
“When you are requesting a room, there needs to be more options,” he said, and added the size of a space and its amenities matter, and that the form should allow more space for clubs to lay out their needs.
If such improvements were made, Levy said the CMTS would consider using the service more.
“There are days where we have gone half an hour, or 45 minutes literally just running around campus trying to find a room. If you think about all that time we’ve wasted . . . we could have had a few extra rehearsals,” Levy said.
Students can request specific rooms that meet their needs, and the office will do their best to accomodate, Sugar said. Despite this, she added those booking should remember that though the office tries to meet all specific room requests, finding required space is not always possible.
Though they currently have no plans to change the booking system, Sugar said students should still use the Student Affairs Office’s online service, and suggested that if any club is having trouble, they can visit the office in person to discuss and clear up any issues.
