Room Reservations
Reservation Procedure
MSA accepts reservations during the academic year. Reservations will open at the start of the Fall Quarter and will be processed on a first-come first-serve basis throughout the academic year.
- Please review our building policies and procedures. By submitting a request, you agree to follow policies and procedures when using MSA spaces for formal and informal purposes.
- Submitting a request does not serve as an official confirmation of a room request reservation.
- All requests are subject to review. Please allow MSA staff respond at least 1 week to respond to your request.
- MSA spaces are available to reserve throughout the Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters, while classes are in session. MSA will review Summer reservations requests on a case-by-case basis. Please email msa@northwestern.edu with your summer request.
Email msa@northwestern.edu with any questions you have.
Virtual EMS
Student Organizations, students, and on-campus departments must have an active Virtual EMS reservation account to reserve space in our three spaces.
- Virtual EMS must identify you as someone who can make reservations for a specific group(s)
- Virtual EMS requestor must be the same name as the contact name (i.e., you may not make reservations for someone else using your group’s name or your name)
- You must register with your Northwestern University email account.
- If you are a student that is unaffiliated with a student organization and want to reserve as space, please create an Virtual EMS account and use "MSA Student Client" as the department you are authorized to make a request on behalf of.
- Please note, MSA will purge all users registered a "MSA Student Client" during the summer. Unaffiliated students will need to make a new request to be added to the MSA Student Client list every Fall.
Requesting Access for Virtual EMS
- Existing Virtual EMS Users email austin.gardner@northwestern.edu or aaron.golding@northwestern.edu to request access for their current account.
- New Virtual EMS Users register for a Virtual EMS account here!
Alumni Request for Reservations
Alumni that are interested in reserving space in the MCC, Black House, or Gender and Sexuality Resource Center must submit their request through Alumni Relations and Development.
Our Spaces
MSA’s spaces were won through the courage and determination of student activists to honor the needs of the communities we serve. We ask you to be mindful of the unique legacy of each space when submitting your reservation request.
The Black House
Since the early 1970’s, the “Black House” has been a home away from home for Black students at Northwestern. The University created the space in fall 1968 as part of its agreement with students to end the Bursar’s Office takeover in April of that same year. In the “Black Student Statement and Petition to Northwestern University Administrators, April 22, 1968,” students wrote: “We demand a Black Student Union, a place to be used for social and recreational activities. ... Black students have nothing at Northwestern to call our own. We need a place where we will feel free to come and to go as we please.” Since 1968, and then when the Black House moved in 1972, the Black House has been and continues to be that place.
The Multicultural Center (MCC)
The Multicultural Center was established in 1999 as the result of advocacy from an increasingly diverse student body. Around this time, Latinx students began advocating for a space on campus, and in February 1998 the Associated Student Government unanimously passed the "Where's the Casa?" bill which called on the administration to create a Multicultural Center. A few years earlier, Asian American students advocated for an Asian American advisor position, and in 1995 initiated a 23-day hunger strike that led to the successful establishment of the Asian American Studies Program. The space was used by numerous cultural student groups, and in 2004, responsibility for the Multicultural Center was transferred to Multicultural Student Affairs.
The GSRC is currently under construction and not reservable at this time.
The Gender and Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC)
The LGBT Resource Center opened in 2003-04 on the third floor of the Norris Center. Students originally called for an entire building to be dedicated to the resource center. Today, the space now known as the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center remains on the third floor of the Norris Center, and is a part of Multicultural Student Affairs. The GSRC works to provide a safe and affirming space for all members of the Northwestern University campus and acts as a hub for organizations, resources, services, and programs of interest to the Queer, Trans*, and Asexual communities.
Room Details
Black House - 1914 Sheridan Road
- Quibbler's Club Family Room (101): Soft seating (couches and armchairs) for 10 to 12; table with 4 chairs; TV with HDMI input; access to front porch
- Gathering Room (103): Table with 14 chairs; access to back deck; kitchenette (fridge and sink); open space (no doors)
- B100 Student Lounge (201): Soft seating (couches, armchairs, and beanbags) for 10 to 12; TV with HDMI input
- Conference Room (202): Table with 6 chairs; TV with HDMI input
- Board Room (301): Table with 10 chairs; TV with HDMI input
- Group Study Room (304): Table with 4 chairs; TV with HDMI input
Multicultural Center (MCC) - 1936 Sheridan Road
- MCC Lobby (100) - Soft seating for 6
- Livingroom (101/102): Soft seating for 10
- Hotel Office/Study Room (104): Seating for 4 with table; available after 5:00 PM
- Multipurpose room (107): Table with 12 chairs; white board; TV with HDMI input
- Student Workroom (203/204): Table with 8 chairs; armchair; TV with HDMI input
- Student Group Meeting Room (306) Table with 6 chairs; whiteboard; TV with HDMI input (coming soon)
- Study Room (303): Table with 4 chairs; whiteboard
Gender and Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC) - Norris Univeristy Center, 3rd Floor
- TV Lounge/Library: Soft seating (couches) for 6 to 8; table with 4 chairs; TV with HDMI input
- Study Room: Table and 4 chairs
Hours of Availability
Please visit our Hours page for a complete listing of our hours of operations at our three spaces.
If you need special access to the buildings outside of these hours, please contact us at msa@northwestern.edu.