News & Facility Updates
Welcome to the updates page!
Let’s be honest. The buildings that comprise Student Centers are busy. At any given time there is some sort of construction, remodel, refresh, or maintenance project underway. These could be minor painting jobs, large remodels of entire wings, or even new spaces on campus that fall under SC oversight. We hope to use this page as a way to provide snapshot updates for many of these projects and announcements. We’ll never be able to document them all, but we’ll do our best to include projects that would be of most interest to the campus community. So buckle up. Here. We. Go.
January 6, 2021
Sarratt Cinema Upgrades
Winter break 2020 brought about an exciting change to the Sarratt Cinema. For several years the Student Centers Staff has been working towards making Sarratt | Rand as accessible as possible. The Cinema was one of the final pieces of the puzzle.
In November, after classes ended, the demo began to add an accessible platform and a brand new stage lift. The platform was the first to be completed, which will allow a safe viewing area for the members of our community that utilize a wheelchair. It’s important to note that the age of the cinema, unfortunately, would not allow us to put safe wheelchair areas anywhere else but the rear of the room. However, the platform offers a great sightline and the railing is gorgeous and will not hinder the view.
The new stage lift is a truly amazing upgrade compared to what was previously there. The old lift setup was less than ideal for our wheelchair community. With the new lift, the ability to get onto the stage is now a quicker, more seamless process. We are incredibly excited and proud to be able to provide this option to our community.
While our journey to becoming completely accessible isn’t over, these additions are a great way to showcase the inclusivity that Vanderbilt University strives for.
March 20, 2020
COVID-19 Building Hours Update
Student Centers is operating on a modified schedule to align with Dining Services in Commons and Rand, only. Please refer to the Dining Services page for up-to-date hours of operation.
Please note that all other Student Centers, and the Sarratt Box Office, are closed at this time.
March 10, 2020
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update
In response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the university is canceling all events and gatherings in our Student Centers spaces, through April 30th, to protect the safety and wellbeing of our students, staff, and guests. This policy is based on current best-practices regarding social distancing as a prevention strategy for disease transmission.
No charges will be incurred for canceled events scheduled through April 30th, and the Events at Vanderbilt team is currently working to process full refunds for impacted events.
For external clients, if you wish to cancel an event in our Student Centers that is currently scheduled after the April 30th date, please connect with your event manager to discuss options.
Please contact your event manager, eventservices@vanderbilt.edu (for university clients), or meet@vanderbilt.edu (for external clients) to discuss any specific questions pertaining to your event cancellation, for assistance in rescheduling your event for a later date, or for support in identifying alternative venues and vendors for your event.
Virtual EMS is unavailable for the time being, please contact us if you would like to book an event for the fall semester.
We recognize that these actions create significant challenges for our clients, and we ask for your understanding and patience as we respond to this unprecedented public health issue.
December 3, 2019
Changes to Catering Policies for On-Campus Departments
Events at Vanderbilt has an approved catering list that university departments have been required to use in any event space. By using a catering list, we can ensure an exceptional customer experience for our clients by providing an opportunity for departments to work with high quality caterers that are experts in our spaces.
Our goal is to create a diverse catering list with a variety of food options that can accommodate various dietary needs, cultural needs, and price points. We recognize that the catering list can be limiting for smaller scale events. After receiving your feedback, we have amended the requirements in our events spaces.
If you are hosting a smaller scale event where food will be dropped off or picked up, we no longer require the use of a caterer from the approved list. Your catering needs are still required to be discussed with your event manager, and for your safety, food must be provided by a licensed restaurant or catering company. All events serving full-scale catering with onsite catering staff will still be required to use the approved catering list.
We hope this amendment will improve your experience in our spaces. If you have additional questions or concerns, please reach out to eventservices@vanderbilt.edu or your event manager. We look forward to working with you!
March 5, 2018
Virtual EMS Upgrade
We are excited to share with you that Virtual EMS has a new look and the user experience has improved! Log into the EMS Web application with your VUNet ID here or use this link for step by step instructions.
June 1, 2018
Student Media/Art Studios Hallway
Work was recently completed on a familiar first floor corridor of Sarratt. Old carpeting was ripped out and the concrete below was cleaned up, smoothed out, and polished up. Check out that shine.
May 9, 2018
The heat is on.
Commencement is shaping up to be a hot one. It doesn’t look like rain will be an issue, but temps will hover around 90 for the rest of the week. Pool time?
Rand 3rd Floor
Carpet and cabinetry are in! New pics of the SCHQ (Student Centers Headquarters) are below.
May the 4th (2018) be with you!
Class of 2018
Final exams are wrapping up this week, which means Commencement prep is underway. Once again, we’ll be saying our goodbyes to another awesome group of Student Centers seniors. So vital to everything that we do, their contributions have touched every part of our facilities, and they will be greatly missed. We look forward to celebrating them at our Senior Reception next week.
Cloudy, rainy, Friday view of Alumni Lawn getting prepped for #VU2018.
Rand 3rd Floor
Work continues on the new SCHQ, which is on-track for mid June completion.
April 25, 2018
Rand 3rd Floor
Demo is underway in the space that will serve as the future HQ for Student Centers. This includes offices and staff of Reservations & Events, Meet at Vanderbilt, and Production Services. If you plan and host events on campus, this will be your one-stop shop with all resources in one location!
April 23, 2018
Sarratt Box Office Goes Cashless
