As of Wednesday, Feb. 1, students, faculty, and staff can make room reservations through a new feature on OberView. The feature is part of Event Management System, a software used by campuses among other businesses and can be used by the Oberlin College community to reserve or request spaces for studying, classes, meetings, and performances. EMS was originally
deployed as the scheduling platform for the College 25 years ago, but until this latest update, reservation for rooms was done via Google Docs.

In the new system, individuals can log directly into EMS themselves, see what spaces are available in real time, and instantly make a request — certain meeting rooms receive approval automatically.

For performance spaces, outdoor areas, and large lecture halls, reservations take longer because they need to be reviewed before being confirmed. When reserving these spaces, users will get email updates on the status of their request.

The software also lists the amenities available in each space, such as whiteboards, audio-visual equipment, and Zoom capabilities, as well as the style of each space, such as lecture-style seating or stage.

Students can reserve study rooms and classrooms in King Building, Mary Church Terrell Main Library, Adam J. Lewis Center for Environmental Studies, Peters Hall, Rice Hall, the Science Center, and Wilder Hall. Additionally, the Carnegie Root Room, Finney Chapel, Hales Gym, and the Bowling Lanes can be reserved. Outdoor spaces including North and South Quad, Science Center Bowl, and Stevenson Green are also available.

Director of Student Involvement Tina Zwegat highlighted the efficiency of the software in an email to the Review.

“The ultimate goal of EMS is to better serve our community by providing a platform that quickly and efficiently allows the scheduling of spaces, so that Obies can turn their attention to other pursuits,” Zwegat wrote.