Hosting a Wood Frame Party

1. Registration allows you to have up to 50 attendees between inside and outside the house, as long as the number of people inside the house does not exceed the fire code capacity for your location. Unregistered parties are not permitted to have anyone outside the house.
 
2. All students seeking to register a party must attend the in-person Party Safer class. At least 50% of the residents in a house must attend the class for the house to be eligible to host parties. Students must attend the course each academic year.

3. All events must be registered through EMS, which can be accessed through your WesPortal. All events must be registered by 11:59pm the Tuesday before your event is scheduled to be held. You will receive an email from a Residential Life staff member approving or denying your event request. Parties are only approved if you receive an email from a staff member. If your event has a status of “In Progress” on EMS, that does not mean it is approved.

4. Registration requests are reviewed by Residential Life and approval is not guaranteed. Houses on Quiet Streets may not host parties, as per their Quiet Street Agreement.

5. You will receive notification regarding whether your party was approved or not on Thursday afternoon. Your request may not be approved if your house has pending judicial charges, or within a month after being found responsible for violations. The number of parties in any given block/area may be limited at the discretion of Residential Life. Parties are prohibited prior to the start of Fall classes. Residential Life reserves the right to not approve requests from houses that have a history of multiple violations.

6. On the day of the party, a Community Advisor will stop by to review the party policies and share tips for hosting a successful party.

7. THIS POLICY IS IN EFFECT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT CLASSES ARE IN SESSION.

8. Parties are prohibited during New Student Orientation, Reading Period, and Finals.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

• Alcohol is allowed under established guidelines below.

• Hosts are required to clean up any trash left on University property, inside a residential space, or outside. Failure to do so may result in a judicial referral or fines.

• Items prohibited from campus, like candles, fog machines, and/or hot tubs, are not permitted at wood frame parties. Please see Fire Safety Guidelines for a full list. 

• Party hosts may not install tents in their yards for party purposes. Pop-up tents smaller than 20’x20’ may be used outside for the duration of the party and taken down immediately after. For more information, please see the campus tent policy. 

• Wesleyan Public Safety has the discretion to return any party to its permitted capacity or end parties when they are deemed to be out of compliance, unsafe, or after receiving two complaints about noise or disruptive behavior.

• Amplified sound, including speakers and DJ set-ups, is not permitted in the wood frame areas. Therefore, speakers may not be placed in doors or windows, on porches, or outside the houses.

• Students hosting a party should always consult with their neighbors when planning the event. Hosts must take an active role in ensuring that the event does not disturb the neighbors.

• One of the hosts must be at the door to monitor who is entering, whether they are of age (and hand stamp or wristband them), and how much alcohol they are bringing in. Anyone who appears to be under the influence should not be admitted. All attendees must have a valid Wesleyan picture ID or must be the guest of a Wesleyan student and have a valid state or college ID.

• One of the hosts must monitor the distribution and consumption of alcohol to be sure minors are not served or consuming.

QUIET HOURS

• When Quiet Hours are in effect (Sunday-Thursday, 11 p.m.-8 a.m. and Friday-Saturday, 1 a.m-10 a.m.), all noise should be kept at a minimal level and not be heard outside the unit. All parties must be relocated indoors by the time that quiet hours begin, and fire code capacities must be observed.

• At all other times, students are expected to observe Courtesy Hours and be mindful to ensure that noise levels do not interfere with or negatively impact other students or the community. Courtesy Hours are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If another person asks you to control the noise level in and around your residence, you are expected to comply with the request.

• Reading and final exam periods: Beginning at 11:59 p.m. on the last day of classes through the last day of finals, 24-hour Quiet Hours are in effect in all residences. Students will not be permitted to register parties during reading period and finals.

ALCOHOL GUIDELINES

• If the event is registered as an alcohol-free event, hosts will be responsible for ensuring that no alcohol is present at the event. If alcohol is to be part of the event, hosts will be responsible for ensuring that any alcohol at the event is legally procured, dispensed, and consumed.

• Alcohol may not be sold without a state liquor permit.

• Host(s) of parties where alcohol is present must be at least 21 years old.

• In compliance with Connecticut State Law, alcohol may only be served to event attendees who are of legal drinking age and present a valid ID.

• Hosts should plan to have no more than an appropriate amount of alcohol based upon the number of attendees of legal drinking age. As a guideline, responsible consumption is one standard drink per hour; a standard drink is 12 fl. oz. of regular beer, 5 fl. oz. of table wine, or 1.5 fl. oz. of hard liquor.

• The source of the alcohol must be contained within the house. Individuals who are 21 or older are permitted to have an open container in the backyard of the house hosting the party, but not in the front yard or in the street.

• Whenever alcohol is to be served, the hosts must provide ample snacks and non-alcoholic beverages.