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. Houses interested in registering parties must attend the in-person Party Safer training. At least 50% of the residents in a house must attend the training for the house to be eligible to host parties. For houses with an odd number of residents, more than 50% of the house must attend. For example, in a five person house, 3 of the house residents must attend the training. The Party Safer training for Fall 2025 will take place on Saturday, September 13th. Please reach out to Alyssa Lanphear (alanphear@wesleyan.edu) for the link to sign up.


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, WesWell, and Public Safety 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 for the following reasons:

  • The request was submitted past the deadline (Tuesdays at 11:59pm).   
  • Multiple events have been requested near your residence. 
    • When multiple events are requested in the same area, approval is typically granted to requests that were submitted first. However, the approval committee aims to create equity in the party approval process to ensure the same houses are not being continuously approved/denied. The committee keeps track of how often houses are approved and denied and considers these numbers when reviewing requests.
  • You/your housemates have a pending judicial case. 
  • You/your housemates have existing judicial sanctions that limit event hosting.
    • If any residents in a house have been found responsible of a policy violation, that house is prohibited from hosting an event for 30 days after the judicial case is resolved.    
  • At least 50% of residents in your house have not completed the required Party Safer Course.   
  • Your event was registered under an organization/club/team name.

6. Before the start of your party, a Community Advisor and a Public Safety Officer will stop by to complete a check-in, review the party policies, and share tips for hosting a successful party. The Community Advisor will reach out to the host of the party to schedule a time for the check-in. Failure to schedule a check-in with the CA will result in revoked approval of your event.

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

GENERAL HOSTING GUIDELINES

• A “host” is defined as a resident (s) of the house who submitted the request for the party. 

• Hosts are responsible for the events that happen within their wood frame houses. Hosts are required to manage the noise levels, activity, and guests of their event. Hosts are encouraged to contact Public Safety if assistance is needed in controlling a party.

• 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 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.

• Hosts are required to remain sober and wear the provided wrist bands for the duration of the party.

• Alcohol is allowed under established guidelines.



ALCOHOL GUIDELINES

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

• 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.

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.