Conference Services is committed to providing a pleasant and safe environment for all visitors staying in our residence halls and use our facilities during the summer. To this end, we expect that students and guests of the university abide by all university and residence hall policies and regulations while on campus. We certainly are pleased that you chose to hold your conference with us and we hope that these policies will allow your group (whether it be a youth or adult conference) to have a successful, productive, and enjoyable experience.

If at any time before, during, or after your stay you have any questions of any kind, please do not hesitate to contact our staff. Any time throughout the year, we can be reached at 614.292.9725. During the summer, you can reach us 24 hours a day, seven days a week at this number. For general information about Ohio State University, view the university's website at http://www.osu.edu. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any assistance.

Residence Halls

Safety and Security

• For the safety of our guests, each residence hall is equipped with an Early Fire Detection and Warning System. Should the general alarm sound on your floor, please vacate the building immediately, using the nearest stairwell. DO NOT use the elevators when the general alarm sounds. Please remain outside the building and follow the instructions of the staff members present. Do not attempt to re-enter the building until you are told to do so.
• If the smoke detector in your room sounds due to smoke or a fire, vacate your room, close the door, pull the red general fire alarm located in the hallway, and vacate the building immediately via the closest stairwell.
• Should the smoke detector in your room sound and it is evident that there is no fire in your room, contact the Conference Services office at 292-9725 (2-9725 from your room phone) and inform the staff. A staff member will respond to reset the system and assure proper functioning of the equipment.
• Pulling a fire alarm without just cause, tampering with the smoke detection systems, or false reporting of an emergency to the police or fire department is prohibited and is reason for dismissal from the residence hall.
• It should be noted that our Early Detection and Warning System is designed to provide early warning to our guests in the event of a fire. Please heed the early warning and follow the steps as outlined above for your own safety and protection.
• Unauthorized use of, tampering with, or damaging of emergency safety equipment is also prohibited and is punishable under the Ohio Revised Code. Any repair costs will be charged to the responsible person(s) or group(s).
• Overloading or tampering with elevator equipment, including but not limited to prying open elevator doors and misuse of the panel inside the elevator is prohibited without exception. A good rule of thumb is to limit any elevator to no more than 8 people at a time. If an overloaded elevator gets stuck after normal working hours, it takes at least an hour for emergency maintenance to arrive. This is also very expensive (at least $135 per call). Please stress to all participants the importance of not overloading the elevators.
• Objects may not be thrown in the hallways, student rooms, public areas, or from windows.
• Furniture or linens may not be removed from guest rooms for any reason. Any remaining towels or linens should be left in the room when preparing to check out. The cost of replacing any missing article will be charged. Beds, mattresses and desks may not be moved without the permission of the Conference Services Staff. Housekeeping staff will be going through the rooms after departure to insure room conditions and any missing linen will be charged. Anyone who needs fresh towels or linens must exchange their used items at the Conference Services front desk.
• For security reasons, it is very important that guests keep their room key with them at all times. Guests should always lock their room doors when they are out of the room or when they are sleeping. Also, it is very important to note that if a key is lost or reported missing either during the conference or at check-out and it is not recovered within 5 business days, a charge of $100.00 will be assessed to cover the cost of cutting new keys and replacing the lock.
• All doors to residence hall entrances will remain locked at all times. Guests are asked to report any suspicious persons to the Conference staff immediately.
• Excessive noise from stereos or televisions or from yelling either inside the residence halls or outside the windows is not permitted. There are many different types of groups that are staying on campus ranging from academic conferences to sports camps. All guests will be expected to be considerate of others 24 hours a day, but quiet hours will begin at 10:00 p.m. each night.
• Persons who are not of legal drinking age in Ohio (21 years) are prohibited from possessing alcoholic beverages in the residence hall or on campus.
• Smoking is NOT permitted in the Residence Halls.
• All guests are expected to respect the rights of other guests and individuals at all times. Any behavior that might disturb others in the residence halls is not permitted.
• All youth camps or conferences must comply with a minimum ratio of 1 live-in counselor for every 10 participants.

Residence Hall Rooms

The comfortable rooms on our North Campus range in occupancy from 2 to 4, although we can reserve single person rooms, if requested. Each room has a private bathroom and study room, telephone, and a separate sleeping area with single beds (some bunked) w/ closets and drawers. The rooms are also equipped with a mini-fridge/microwave unit and are air-conditioned. The main differences on South Campus are that the rooms share a community bathroom in each wing and the rooms are not air-conditioned.

Reservations

• In order for reservations to be guaranteed, a signed confirmation agreement must be received 60 days prior to the arrival date of the conference. Please see your agreement form for details.
• All guests may check-in at after 3:00pm and must check-out by 11:00am.
• Every attempt will be made to house your group together. However, due to space limitations, this CANNOT be guaranteed. The Conference Services Office is unable to make specific building assignments without a current listing of conference attendees. Once that is provided, more accurate building placement of conferences can be made. Therefore, specific building assignments will not be provided until listings are received.

Dining Halls

• The traditional dining halls (North Commons is used by most groups) are cafeteria style and offer two entrees per meal along with assorted sides, beverages, and a full salad bar. Since many different groups use the dining facilities at similar times, we strongly suggest that groups of 80 or more stagger or divide their participants into at least two or three shifts. For those much higher than 80, as much as ½ hour per group is recommended. This will help to decrease the amount of time your participants must wait in line to eat.
• Each participant of your group will receive a pre-programmed meal card upon your request. If a guest should lose their meal card, replacements are available at the Conference Services office. The BUCK-ID office may be found on the web at buckid.osu.edu.
• Food other than that posted in the dining halls and utensils must not be removed from the dining area. If you have any questions as to the appropriateness of what food may be carried out, please ask dining hall personnel.
• Beverage containers of any kind may not be brought into the dining halls.
• Ice is not available for outside usage and is provided only for dining guests for during their meals.
• Throwing of food, drinks, or other objects is not permitted.
• Radios may not be played in the dining halls.
• Shirt and shoes must be worn at all times while in the dining halls.

Parking

Parking passes are available for purchase at the Conference Services office. The passes are $5/day and can be purchased daily or can be pre-ordered so that one pass will be used for your entire conference. Please notify us if you would like to pre-order passes. There are multiple overnight parking locations on North and South Campuses. Transportation and Parking Services may be found on the web at www.tp.ohio-state.edu.

Phones

• Phones are no longer provided in the residence hall rooms due to their limited use in the Academic Year, however, guests are welcome to bring their own. The residence hall telephone lines are activated for campus and local calls. To dial a campus number, you must dial the last number of the three number prefix and the last four digits. For example, 292-9725 would be dialed 2-9725. For local calls or 1-800 calls outside of campus, please dial 9 and the number. In order to make long distance calls, you must have a calling card. If you accidentally dial 911, please stay on the line to explain the error to the dispatcher.

Guest Mail

If you would like to receive mail or packages, you must use the following address:

(Your Name)
(Name of Conference)
c/o Conference Services
P.O. Box 3756
Columbus, Ohio 43210

*Note: Guests will receive a notice on their door that they have mail at our front desk.

Recreation Facilities

For your convenience, the RPAC (Recreation & Physical Activity Center) is available for use during your conference. The price is $10/day. It is located convenient to all areas of campus. More information about the RPAC can be accessed on the web at ohiostaterecsports.org. There are also outside basketball and tennis courts available for your use at no charge. Please note that our office does not provide any equipment for these facilities.

Camp Stores

All camp stores must provide a vendor's license to the Conference Services Office 30 days prior to arrival. Camp Stores are prohibited from selling any food items with or without a license. A list of merchandise must be included with the vendor's license.