What is a spontaneous event?
While thorough planning is the standard for student organization success, the Center for Student Involvement (CSI) recognizes that some gatherings occur organically in response to immediate news, cultural moments, or sudden student interest. To ensure safety and accountability, organizations must adhere to the following guidelines regarding spontaneous events.
A spontaneous event is an informal, unplanned gathering that arises organically and without advance anticipation. Because these events develop rapidly, they typically fall outside the standard event registration timeline.
What disqualifies an event from being "spontaneous"?
An event is not spontaneous, and will be subject to standard event registration and policy violations if unregistered, if any of the following apply:
- Prior Discussion: The gathering was planned, announced, or discussed at a prior organization meeting or in official group communications (e.g., GroupMe, Slack, email).
- Funding: Organization funds (including dues, university allocations, or collected money) were used to purchase supplies, food, or services for the gathering.
- Promotion: The gathering was promoted in advance on social media platforms or flyers.
- Reasonable Perception: A reasonable person would perceive the gathering as a planned organizational activity based on its scale, setup, or the proportion of members present.
A Note on Last-Minute Planning: CSI strongly encourages organizations to submit event registrations as early as possible. Please note that a late registration is not the same as a spontaneous event. While our team will make a good-faith effort to accommodate short-notice requests when logistics allow, repeated reliance on last-minute submissions may result in the automatic denial of future late requests.
Expectations & Guidelines
Even when an event occurs spontaneously, student organizations and their members remain accountable to the university’s expectations and standard risk-management practices.
- Time, Place, and Manner: Spontaneous events must not materially or substantially disrupt university operations, academic classes, administrative business, or the flow of campus traffic.
- Respect for Planned Events: Spontaneous gatherings must not interfere with, block, or overshadow previously registered campus events or reserved spaces.
- Safety and Crowd Management: If a small, spontaneous hangout unexpectedly balloons into a large crowd, organization leadership is expected to take immediate, reasonable safety measures. This may include crowd management, turning down amplified sound, and contacting Public Safety for assistance in safely dispersing the gathering.
- Prohibited Activities: High-risk elements (for example alcohol, contracts with outside vendors, and complex staging, and other events with special considerations) are strictly prohibited at spontaneous events, as these require formal risk management review.
CSI Notification & Registration Process
While you cannot register a truly spontaneous event in advance, student organizations must still maintain an accurate record of their activities with the Center for Student Involvement.
- Post-Event Registration: If a spontaneous gathering meets the criteria of an organization event, the organization should notify CSI (studentorgs@udayton.edu) immediately, and must register the event in 1850 as soon as reasonably possible after the event concludes (ideally within 1 business day).
- Documentation: When submitting the form in 1850, use the event description to clearly note that the gathering was spontaneous. Include details on how it originated, the approximate attendance, and any safety measures that were taken by leadership.
- Follow-Up: A CSI staff member may reach out following the post-event registration to offer support, review how the gathering was managed, and provide guidance for future activities.