Advanced Reservations

Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 Advance Reservations

The reservation request process for all advance reservation requests for the upcoming academic year beings in mid to late March. Wilson Commons Student Activities and Event & Classroom Management work hard to accommodate the requests and needs of many student organizations and departments. We apologize if your organization does not receive your first requested location choice.

Questions about this process should be addressed to Wilson Commons Student Activities via email at StudentCenters@rochester.edu or your student organization’s primary advisor.

  • General Information
    • Updates about each time frame will be sent out as we approach them.
    • All submissions will need to be made via VEMS. Organizations needing to update their virtual EMS contact or reset passwords can do so via the change virtual EMS contact form.
    • All reservations submitted within their timeframe will be processed in a best fit manner after the template has closed. Reservations are placed based on how they best fit with every other request submitted to maximize the spaces on campus.
    • Reservations submitted after their time frame has ended will be conducted in a first come first served basis.
    • Not all locations will be available in all time frames.
    • Time frames are subject to change.
  • Reservation Timeline
    • Major Event Period: March 16 through May 4
    • Practices/Rehearsals: June/July
    • Meetings/Misc: July
    • Standard Templates Reopen: August
  • Criteria for Major Events Requests
    • Events that will have a minimum of 100 attendees
    • Large programming events such as:
      • Dinners
      • Performances
      • Large guest lectures
      • Galas/Dances
      • Large fundraising events
      • Fairs
      • Cultural exhibits
      • Symposiums
    • Events that require rooms in addition to those in this process should be included in the notes field after every location request
  • Major Event Locations
    • Upper Strong Auditorium
      • Event requests in Strong Auditorium with historical event attendance of less than 250 may be moved to another location.
      • For performance event requests, the rehearsal schedule for Strong Auditorium shows will typically be as follows:
        • Friday night events: Thursday evening to rehearse in the space
        • Saturday night events: Saturday during the day to rehearse in the space
    • Wilson Commons
      • Havens Lounge
      • Hirst Lounge
      • May Room
      • Gowen Room
      • Porch
    • Wilson Quadrangle
    • Spurrier Dance Studio
    • Feldman Ballroom, Douglass Commons
      • The Douglass Ballroom can be requested as one section, two sections, or the entire ballroom. If you need three sections, please request the entire ballroom. A specific bay will be assigned based on availability and best fit. 
    • Interfaith Chapel
      • Sanctuary
      • River Level
    • Goergen Munnerlyn Atrium
    • Rettner Atrium
    • Green Lounge, Hutchison Hall
    • Large auditoriums
      • Bausch & Lomb 109
      • Dewey 1-101
      • Dewey 2-162
      • Hoyt Auditorium
      • Hubbell Auditorium, Hutchison Hall
      • Lander Auditorium, Hutchison Hall
      • Sloan Auditorium, Goergen 101
      • Wegmans 1400
      • Morey 321
  • University Dates

    Dates to know and consider:

    • Fall 2026 Semester
      • August 31 – Classes Begin 
      • September 4 - 6 – Yellowjacket Weekend 
      • October 1 - 4 – Meliora Weekend 
      • October 12 - 13 - Fall Break 
      • November 25 - 30 - Thanksgiving Recess 
      • December 14 – Last Day of Classes (academic) 
      • December 15 - 17 - Reading Period 
    • Spring 2027 Semester
      • January 19 – Classes Begin 
        • January 22 -Rochester “Monday” 
      • February 5 - 7 – WinterFest Weekend 
      • March 6-15 - Spring Break 
      • April 22 -24 - Spring Fest Weekend 
        • April 23 - Dandelion Day 
      • April 30 - Last Day of Classes (academic) 
      • May 1 - 3 - Reading Period 
      • May 14 & 15 - Commencement Weekend 

    You may also want to research various religious holidays while determining your preferred dates.