Sometimes small organizational changes can have significant effects on how a system operates. Not all projects undertaken at the University need to be especially ambitious in scope to foster positive results.
For example, improvements could be made to the SOURCE, the University's online system for making reservations and searching events. Students, contracted independent organizations and academic departments can use the Web site to book rooms in the different buildings across Grounds for meetings or special functions. The site also catalogs scheduled events and allows users to search them by category.
The SOURCE's Web interface is relatively simple to navigate, and the technical aspects of the system seem to operate smoothly. The SOURCE's human elements, however, could be better structured.
As the system currently works, the Web site's primary role is to facilitate students looking for rooms in different locations. It is essentially a central database containing the information and availability of each room that is available for use on Grounds. After a room is requested, a designated contact person within the corresponding academic department will respond to the request with more specific information and requirements.
This arrangement leads to two basic problems - inefficiency and a lack of standardization. Because each department is supposed to follow the same set of general guidelines when assigning rooms, a decentralized system requires that more people learn the rules and participate in the process. More troubling is the fact that it also results in the inconsistent treatment of student requests. To correct these flaws, the University should consolidate the SOURCE's response system into an existing administrative office.
Having rooms assigned by each department makes sense if the University is trying to afford more discretion to the occupants of each building; faculty might wish to retain a degree of supervision over who is using those rooms. However, because a single, overarching set of rules is in place that dictate specific guidelines, the departments in theory should have no leeway in how they allot rooms.
The current system results in occasional confusion and misunderstandings. For example, event locations often come with specific requirements, like restrictions on the use of amplified music. But when requesting event space, students have found that the room requirements listed on the SOURCE do not always match up with those specified by the person assigning the space. Additionally, some of the departments that allocate rooms appear to be unclear about whom is permitted to request space and for what purposes.
These are relatively minor concerns, but they point to a basic fault in the system that could be easily corrected. The SOURCE response process should be centralized to prevent these inconsistencies from arising and to expedite the system. A single office at the University, such as Facilities Management, should become the contact point for all SOURCE requests. This would greatly reduce the chances of having the rules misconstrued or applied differently by various departments. Making this minor adjustment now could go a long way toward making the system less cumbersome for users and administrators alike.
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