Skip to content

Room Reservations

Making Reservations

All room reservation requests must be made online at https://usc-keck.emscloudservice.com/web/samlauth.aspx. Since there is a heavy demand for spaces, requests should be submitted as soon as possible and, in any case, at least two weeks in advance.

Audiovisual services are provided in KSOM’s learning spaces by the Keck School of Medicine’s Information Technology Office at no cost during working hours.

Most Commonly Reserved Rooms and Spaces

  • Seven auditoria – Mayer (capacity 261), Aresty (capacity 190), MCH 149 (capacity 178), MCH 249 (capacity 178), Hastings (capacity 99), MCH 156 (capacity 99), and MCH 256 (capacity 99)
  • Nine classrooms – KAM B21/23 and KAM B40/42(cap. 42 when combined; can be separated into two 21 person rooms), five small KAM basement rooms (capacity 12)
  • Four community spaces –Mayer Lobby, Hoyt Gallery, Hastings Lobby, Pappas Quad

Scheduling Priorities

The scheduling priorities for events in the learning spaces are listed in descending order below:

  1. Curricular activities scheduled by the Curriculum Office or Office of Student Affairs, including medical school and graduate program course lectures and seminars, placement and final exams, and mandatory student meetings.
  2. Dean’s Office special events.
  3. Grand rounds, CME activities, teaching seminars, and conferences.
  4. All other School of Medicine activities (including student organizations meetings and non-curricular guest speakers).
  5. Other USC schools, departments, and groups.
  6. Non-USC events sponsored by a KSOM academic department or group.

Since curricular activities have the highest scheduling priority, before selecting a date for an event or meeting check KSOM’s online room scheduling calendar to discover when the learning spaces are available.

Lunch Meetings

Because the number of events requesting space for lunchtime meetings often exceeds the number of spaces we have available, and because credit-earning curricular classes held in our spaces typically end at Noon and begin again at 1:00 PM, reservations for lunch meetings can only be one hour in length (Noon to 12:50, plus 10 minutes for cleanup). Groups seeking more than an hour for luncheon meetings (e.g. 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM, 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM, 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM) are encouraged to contact Norris Cancer Hospital (LG 503/504, NTT 7409) or the Norris Medical Library (east and west conference rooms).

Laboratories and Dissections

Please contact Teresa Cook in the  Department of Medical Education for information on reserving rooms and developing protocols for laboratory and dissection activities, teresa.cook@med.usc.edu or 323-442-1875.

Audiovisual Services Costs

Reservations scheduled before 7:00 AM or after 6:00 PM on weekdays, anytime on weekends, or anytime on University holidays will incur a charge for room rental, audiovisual staffing, and housekeeping. Audiovisual staff support or equipment rental in locations outside of KSOM’s learning spaces will also incur a charge.  Because the audiovisual services staff’s primary responsibility is to support curricular activities in our learning spaces during working hours, we cannot guarantee that staff or equipment will be available outside of working hours or outside of our learning spaces.  Please check with keckedtech@usc.edu at least three weeks before your after-hours or outside event to discuss resource availability and their costs. Audiovisual services will not be provided for live surgery recordings or simulcasts.

Event Permit Information

Any activity, event, or program that is designed to attract largely a non-USC audience will require additional approval from USC Fire Safety and Emergency Planning (see https://adminopsnet.usc.edu/department/fire-safety-and-emergency-planning/campus-event-safety)

Special notice regarding the Mayer piano: medical school students can schedule personal practice time on the grand piano in Mayer auditorium when the room is not being used for lectures or other events. Reservations for piano sessions (practice) may occasionally be bumped if the Curriculum Office or the Dean’s Office needs Mayer for a last minute meeting or lecture. Between 5 and 7 PM on weekdays, piano lessons have priority over piano sessions (practice).  All piano lessons and sessions must be scheduled in advance at https://usc-keck.emscloudservice.com/web/Default.aspx/. For liability and security reasons, unscheduled, walk-up piano access is not permitted, even on weeknights and weekends. The piano is not available on University holidays (see https://employees.usc.edu/university-holidays/).

Special Events

Special events (see below for definition) require both an online reservation and a separate USC Events Permit. Both must be completed at least three weeks before the event.  See https://eventspermit.usc.edu/

Once you complete the USC Events Permit Application, you will be issued an Event ID by USC Fire Safety and Emergency Planning.  Please email Renee Ann Cypert-Soto (cypertso@usc.edu) in the Dean’s Office so that she can add this official Event ID to your reservation request.  Please note that the Dean’s Office will automatically cancel the reservation request for any special event that does not have a USC-issued Event ID and this event will not be able to use any of Keck School of Medicine’s learning spaces or audiovisual services.

A special event is defined as any meeting or gathering where any of the following is true:

  • The event is scheduled to take place and/or to conclude after 6:00 PM on weekdays, anytime on weekends, or anytime on University holidays; and/or
  • The event occurs over consecutive days; and/or
  • The event is designed to attract largely a non-USC audience (or there will be as many or more non-USC attendees as USC attendees); and/or
  • The event’s participants will include minors; and/or
  • Any of the participants will be charged any fees to attend; and/or
  • Catered food will be served AND the caterer will use any fuel source or device to heat the food on premises; and/or
  • Alcohol will be served; and/or
  • Mayer Lobby, Hoyt Gallery, or Hastings Lobby is to be used; and/or
  • The event changes the intended purpose of the learning space (e.g., using a lobby as a conference reservation area; using an auditorium as a display place for posters).

Housekeeping

It is the responsibility of the requestor to ensure that the reserved space is left in good condition and to return the space to the layout for which it was scheduled (see the layout diagram in the learning space). Remember to turn off the projectors and microphones and be sure that all catering, food, and trash has been properly disposed of by the time you vacate the learning space. The requestor (or his or her group) may be charged for restorative costs if the space is not returned to its original condition. Events scheduled after 6:00 PM on weekdays, anytime on weekends, or anytime on University holidays may incur a charge for housekeeping (including the cleaning of the building’s restrooms).

Alcoholic Beverages

Since the consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited (unless licensed for the consumption of alcohol on the premises), any event being sponsored or hosted by a campus individual, university-recognized group, department, or office must get approval to serve alcohol.  For more information, including contact information for approvals, please read the “Alcohol Policy” and “Alcohol and Event Planning” sections of USC’s SCampus Manual.

Sound Amplification in Outside Community Spaces

Events involving high sound levels may not be scheduled during regular classroom instruction if the possibility of interference exists. Amplified sound is defined as any form of equipment (i.e., microphone, speakers, amplifiers, bullhorns, musical instruments) used to increase sound levels or any object that does not require equipment to project its sound. In some cases, large group singing is also considered amplified sound.

In general, with prior approval moderate amplification (not more than 90 decibels, “A” weighted, measured 45 feet from the front center of the stage) is allowed on the Pappas Quad from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM Monday through Friday. All other requests for amplified sounds will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Please contact KSOM Audio Visual  Services for more information.

Movie Nights/ Exhibitions of Motion Pictures, DVDs, or Television Broadcasts

Any group interested in using any of our learning spaces for ‘movie nights’ or to show commercial motion pictures, DVDs, or television broadcasts must first purchase a public performance license from the copyright owner — even if the group is not charging admission, is streaming the movie from an online service, or owns or has rented a physical copy of the movie or television broadcast. There can be no exceptions.

This is not a USC policy; this is US copyright law (in particular, Title 17 of the United States Code). Movies or TV shows obtained through a brick-and-mortar or online store or streaming service are licensed for your private use; they are not licensed for exhibition to the public. According to US Senate Report No. 94-473, p. 60, “performances in ‘semipublic’ places such as clubs, lodges, factories, summer camps and schools are ‘public performances’ subject to copyright control” (emphasis added). While copyright law does offer an exception for “face-to-face teaching activities,” group meetings do not qualify for this exemption.

Securing a public performance license is easy and usually requires no more than a phone call. Fees are determined by such factors as the number of times a particular movie is going to be shown, how large the audience will be, and so forth. The major firms that handle these licenses include:

University of Southern California
Skip to toolbar