As part of preparing to "operationalize" the new building, the Day One Readiness team has been working over the past few months to identify best practices and wherever possible, gather written (or web) examples.I have been reading the "Facility Use Guidelines" adopted by the good folks at the UW-Madison Health Sciences Learning Center (HSLC) - it's a thorough document with lots of links to campus guidelines. For instance, there's no need to write a whole big process for catering, because the University has clear guidelines and policies.
And sure, it would be really easy to draft a lot of rules and regulations about keeping the spaces clean and to pick up after yourself but we are all adults.
But helium balloons, now that's a good one.
When I first read the policy banning helium balloons I thought, "well, that Med School is really stuffy. I mean really, who could begrudge a few bright red balloons to welcome students back in September? Or a colleagues birthday celebration, a bouquet of Mylar balloons swaying about?"
Then I remembered we have two major spaces in the new building with ceilings two stories high. The Link and the Concourse are both jewels - and there is nothing more pitiful than watching a couple of balloons begin the painful journey back down as they slowly leak their Helium.
In some facilities on campus Helium balloons are not allowed because they can set off fire alarms and are considered a safety risk. Maybe we should just have a practice that if someone is using these balloons, they need to dispose of the gas the old fashioned way...sucking it in and talking funny.
I'll need to dig a little deeper.
