Student Event Planning Guide

All SBA Organizations and Journals planning an event should carefully utilize the following steps when organizing their event:
  1. Check for Potential Conflicts on the Law School’s calendar. This is the only calendar that should be referenced (i.e., not the MySuffolk or the SBA website’s calendars).
  2. Schedule an event space, classroom or courtroom by filling out the Room Reservation Form.
  3. If alcohol is being served at your event, please submit the alcohol form to the Dean of Student's Office at least three days prior to your event. The most current updates to the alcohol policy are being finalized and will be made available here as soon as possible.
  4. Room set-up information must be submitted to the Dean of Student's Office at least one week prior to event. Appropriate floor plan templates to be submitted to the Dean of Students Office can be found below. Please PDF the form before emailing to preserve the formatting.
    DO NOT MOVE FURNITURE YOURSELF! It is a University Risk Management issue.
  5. If your event requires PowerPoint, microphones, music, recording or any other technical needs, please contact Media Services at least one day prior to your event.

Catering and Food Needs

Food orders for events of 10 or more people must be ordered through Sodexo per University contract. Sodexo’s catering manager is well-versed at designing menus for any budget. Submit a catering order, or contact Dining Services to set up an appointment. When setting up an appointment, please be sure to bring your group’s 16 digit budget number to the meeting.

Important Note about Alcohol:

If you are serving alcohol at your event, you must order through Sodexo per University Policy. It is the most cost effective option unless you have found someone to donate it. Sodexo receives an ordering discount and they send back un-used inventory so that you are only billed for what is consumed. A list of wines and prices can be furnished upon request from Dining Services.

You must use a Sodexo Safe Serve bartender. Student TIPS bartenders are not permitted to serve on campus events.

Media Services

If your event requires PowerPoint, microphones, music, recording or any other technical needs, please contact Media Services at least one day prior to your event.

Off Campus Events

If you are hosting an event off campus, Suffolk Law School has a pre-approved process with East Coast Tavern Group (Scholar's, Carrie Nation, 6B).

Please contact Ilda Prifti to inquire about space availability. A list of capacity and spend minimums for ECTG is available at the front desk of the Dean's Suite.

ECTG has a blanket agreement with Suffolk and therefore a contract will not be necessary, and they will not ask for a credit card authorization form, but rather will direct bill the school following your event.

*All other off-site vendors require University approval which takes 7-10 business days to pass through. Students are not permitted to sign contracts required from off site vendors. Failure to follow these guidelines could result in the budget office not processing your clubs check request.

Advertising Your Event:

  • For announcements on the electronic monitors, SBA clubs should contact the SBA Director of Marketing; all other event organizers should contact the Dean of Student's Office
  • To advertise your event by email to the student body, law faculty and administrators, the Dean of Students Newsletter is the appropriate forum. Submissions are due to the Dean of Student's Office by noon on Friday. Submissions received later will go in the next week’s iteration. You must include a contact person and the item should already be prepared how you wish for it to show up in the newsletter.
  • All event marketing materials must be approved by the Dean of Students Office. Please refer to the posting policy for additional information here. Please note, events cannot be marketed through enticement of alcohol (includes photos, mentioning of free drinks, beer, wine) as per University policy. Please substitute “drinks/cocktails/beer/wine” with the word “refreshment”.

***In an effort to cut down on email traffic, the Dean of Students Office will only send individual emails to the student body in very limited circumstances and situations, and at the office's discretion.***

Other Things to Keep in Mind:

  • If you want first years students to attend your event, please remember that 1st year evening students have classes on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings
  • Please watch for conflicts with religious observances
  • Try to be sensitive to the evening students' schedules
  • Keep in mind that 1Ls have mid-terms

"Special" Events:

Please inform the Dean of Students Office immediately if you and your group are planning an event that may include a VIP or is unique in some way (i.e., the location, the type of event, the size of the event). This is very important for several reasons:

  • The Dean's Office may be aware of conflicting (or complimentary) events
  • The Deans may want to attend.
  • The Deans may be able to help you!
  • There could be University rules or procedures that apply.
  • There could be liability concerns.

It is hard to say exactly what a Special Event is, so if in doubt, see the Dean of Students Office.

Other Types of Off Campus Events:

Please inform the Dean of Students Office immediately if you and your group are planning events that include transportation (including rental cars) or physical activity (ski trip, SBA boat cruise, and any type of sports competitions, etc.). You will need to obtain a release form from the Dean of Students Office and have it signed by every student participating in the trips/events. Please note that this does not include events held outside the law school building, such as receptions at local bars/restaurants, etc.

Links to Important Diagrams and Forms:

*Please note: floor diagram templates must be filled out completely including contact information and estimated number of attendees. Failure to do so will result in delays as the form will need to be sent back for completion.
*Please PDF the final version to prevent formatting errors before emailing to the Dean of Student's Office.
*Please save the Word Doc in case any changes need to be made.