Cultural Events

Approval Process

Each semester, event organizers who wish to have their events considered for approval as Cultural Events must submit a request to the Cultural Events Committee. The committee is responsible for reviewing event proposals and determining whether they meet the criteria for Cultural Events and Global Learning Initiative (GLI) Events.

Performances and exhibitions sponsored by the College of Visual and Performing Arts and its various units are automatically approved through the Dean's Office. If your event is being sponsored by the college, please click here. A calendar of these events is provided by the Dean’s Office each semester.


Submitting an Event Proposal

When requesting Cultural Event status for an event, please complete the following steps:

 Step 1. 

Review the guidelines for events and submission examples.

 Step 2. 

Find a University faculty/staff member to sponsor the event.

 Step 3. 

If the event will be taking place on campus, make a space request through the campus space reservation system (note: the space request does not need to be approved before an event proposal is submitted). If the event will be delivered virtually, schedule a Zoom Meeting with registration (note: Zoom Webinars are not permitted).

 Step 4. 

Submit an event proposal. Event proposals are reviewed by the Cultural Events Committee, which meets biweekly during the fall and spring semesters. Any proposals submitted after the deadline will be automatically rolled over to be reviewed at the next meeting date. For further assistance here are step-by-step instructions on how to submit your event proposal. 


Submission Deadlines

In order to be guaranteed review at the next committee meeting, event proposals must be submitted by the upcoming deadline. The committee meeting dates for the 2023-2024 academic year can be found below:

      Tuesday, August 6

      (Submission Deadline: Friday, August 2 at 12:00 p.m.)

      Tuesday, August 20

      (Submission Deadline: Friday, August 16 at 12:00 p.m.)

      Tuesday, September 3

      (Submission Deadline: Friday, August 30 at 12:00 p.m.)

      Tuesday, September 17

      (Submission Deadline: Friday, September 13 at 12:00 p.m.)

      Tuesday, October 1

      (Submission Deadline: Friday, September 27 at 12:00 p.m.)

      Tuesday, October 15

      (Submission Deadline: Friday, October 11 at 12:00 p.m.)

      Tuesday, October 29

      (Submission Deadline: Friday, October 25 at 12:00 p.m.)

      Tuesday, November 12

      (Submission Deadline: Tuesday, November 8 at 12:00 p.m.)

      Tuesday, November 26

      (Submission Deadline: Friday, November 22 at 12:00 p.m.)

      Tuesday, December 10

      (Submission Deadline: Friday, December at 3:00 p.m.) 

      *FINAL MEETING BEFORE DECEMBER GRADUATION 

      Tuesday, January14

      (Submission Deadline: Friday, January 10 at 3:00 p.m.)

      Tuesday, January 28

      (Submission Deadline: Friday, January 24 at 12:00 p.m.)

      Tuesday, February 11

      (Submission Deadline: Friday, February 7 at 12:00 p.m.)

      Tuesday, February 25

      (Submission Deadline: Friday, February 21 at 12:00 p.m.)

      Tuesday, March 11

      (Submission Deadline: Friday, March 7 at 12:00 p.m.)

      Tuesday, March 25

      (Submission Deadline: Friday, March 21 at12:00 p.m.)

      Tuesday, April 8

      (Submission Deadline: Friday, April 4 at 12:00 p.m.)

      Tuesday, April 22

      (Submission Deadline: Friday, April 18 at 12:00 p.m.)

      Tuesday, May 6

      (Submission Deadline: Friday, May 2 at 3:00 p.m.)

      *FINAL MEETING BEFORE MAY GRADUATION

 

Notice of Decision

Once the committee has reviewed the event proposal, the Cultural Events Coordinator will notify the event sponsor of the committee’s decision. Four decisions are possible. (1) The committee may approve the event proposal as written. (2) The committee may put its decision on hold pending submission of additional information (if the event proposal is unclear or missing information). (3) The committee may deny the event. (4) Or the committee may allow the event sponsor to revise and resubmit the event proposal, detailing the specific changes that would bring the event into compliance with the guidelines.

      Once an event is approved, it will be added to the Cultural Events calendar. This calendar is updated on a regular basis during the fall and spring semesters as new events are added. Event organizers can e-mail us to request calendar edits as needed.

      Change in Time, Date, or Location

      If a change is made to the time, date, or location of the event, or if the event is canceled, the organizers and sponsor must notify the Cultural Events Coordinator so that the events calendar can be updated. In the event of a last-minute cancellation, the event organizer must post a notice sign outside of the event area. This is especially important for times when it is unlikely that news of the cancellation will reach students by any other means.


      Modification to Program

      If a change is made to the event program itself such as a new topic of discussion or a speaker/panel different from that listed on the event proposal, the event organizer and sponsor must notify the Cultural Events Coordinator immediately, as the event may require reapproval by the Cultural Events Committee.

      Once the event is approved, the event organizers may use the Cultural Events logo for marketing purposes. The logo is available for download on Communications and Marketing website. The logo may only be used for events that are listed on the events calendar.

      The sponsor of the event is encouraged to contact fellow faculty and staff members, those who teach courses on topics related to the event, and relevant student organizations, to inform them of the event. It is hoped that such information may be used by the faculty and students to enhance their course curricula and learning, thus making the event a more enriching experience for students.

      Attendance Monitoring

      A record of students present at each Cultural Event must be made.

        On Campus Events

        At on-campus events, the Cultural Events Coordinator is responsible for maintaining a record of all students in attendance. A Cultural Event Monitor will arrive at the event area approximately 30 minutes prior to the event to sign students in. In order to receive CE credit, students must scan in and out of the event with their Winthrop ID cards or fill out an attendance slip. Event organizers are encouraged to make an announcement 10-15 minutes before the start of the event reminding students to sign in and out of the event for CE credit.
        **In the event that there is no Cultural Event Monitor available for a particular event, it is the responsibility of the event organizer to maintain an attendance sheet. Event organizers will be notified via e-mail if there is no Monitor available for their event by the Cultural Events Coordinator. 


        Off-Campus Events

        At off-campus events, the faculty/staff sponsor is responsible for maintaining a record of all students in attendance. See instructions below:

        1. The event sponsor is responsible for maintaining an attendance sheet.

        2. 10-15 minutes before the start of the event, the event sponsor should make an announcement reminding any Winthrop students in the audience to sign in and out on the attendance sheet for Cultural Event credit.

        3. Once the event begins, students will no longer be permitted to sign in.

        4. At the end of the event, the event sponsor should remind students to sign out on the attendance sheet.

        5. Within 2-3 business days following the event, the event sponsor must e-mail a scanned copy of the attendance sheet(s) to the Cultural Events Coordinator at culturalevents@winthrop.edu.

        For virtual events events, the faculty/staff sponsor is responsible for maintaining a record of all students in attendance. See instructions below:

        1. At the beginning of the event, the faculty/staff sponsor must make an announcement reminding students of the policy for virtual events.

        2. The faculty/staff sponsor must monitor student attendance during the event, noting any students whose attendance could not be verified.

        3. Within 2-3 business days following the event, the faculty/staff sponsor must e-mail a copy of the Zoom Usage Report to the Cultural Events Coordinator at culturalevents@winthrop.edu.

      Event organizers will have the following responsibilities:

      • They will be in attendance for the entire event.

      • They will notify the Cultural Events Coordinator immediately of any changes to the event, including changes in time, date, location, or duration, as well as event cancellation.

      • They will maintain an attendance sheet in the event that there is no Cultural Event Monitor available for their event. 

      • They will handle any discipline issues that arise at the event.

      • They will supervise the limiting of crowd size to prevent overcrowding

    The decision to deny an event does not reflect the importance of the event nor the committee's support for the program being offered, only its adherence to the guidelines set forth by the Winthrop faculty.

    Event sponsors who wish to appeal this decision may submit a letter of appeal. This must be submitted directly by the event sponsor to the Cultural Events Coordinator. The appeal will be reviewed and a final decision made by the Office of the Provost. The Assistant Provost will notify the event sponsor of the decision.

    Note: Appeals submitted through the improper channels will not be considered. For questions regarding the appeals process or to check on the status of an appeal, please e-mail culturalevents@winthrop.edu.