ARRIVAL

When arriving at the conference, attendees should head first to the lower level of the Campus Center, which will be open for registered presenters and faculty members to pick up badges and check their bags and posters starting at 9 am. Attendees can then have the option to head to the Cape Cod Lounge (Student Union Building) for the keynote speech or to stay in the auditorium and explore the posters being presented. The first poster session will begin at 10:30 am following the end of the Keynote. Lines can get long in the morning before the keynote as well as before and after lunch, so it’s best to plan in advance and arrive with plenty of time to get checked in before you present.

The address for the Campus Center that can be entered into a GPS is: 1 Campus Center Way, Amherst, MA 01003-9243. An accessibility map of UMass can be found here.

BY CAR:

Parking is available at the Campus Center Parking Garage at a rate of $1.85/hr or $6.50 for the whole day. You must request a parking voucher at the MassURC Registration Table in order to obtain the discounted daily parking rate. Directions to the parking garage can be found here. More information about parking can be found here. Due to the large number of people arriving on the UMass campus on the day of the conference, we encourage participants/attendees to carpool because finding parking spaces close to the Campus Center might be difficult. For those needing accessible parking, there are spaces in the garage near the entrance to the Campus Center.

BY CHARTER BUS:

Take Campus Center Way to Flint Circle. Students can walk from here to the Campus Center (1 - 2 minute walk).

The recommended parking location for buses (and any vehicles that can’t park in the garage) is Lot 12 on Forestry Way. The bus can proceed down Campus Center Way, take a right onto Commonwealth Ave., and then take the first left at the traffic lights onto Forestry Way into the parking area. See the Campus Parking Map for details.

Directions - Campus Center

If parking in the parking garage:

• As you enter the Parking Garage proceed down the ramp and park on Level 2. An enclosed entranceway leads directly from Level 2 onto the Campus Center Concourse (Level 2).
• As you enter the Campus Center Concourse, enter the building and take the escalators on the left down to the registration area.
• See the Directions and Maps page for maps and more information

Poster Sessions & Keynote

The poster sessions, along with registration and coat check, will be taking place in the Campus Center Auditorium.The keynote speech will take place in the Cape Cod Lounge (Rm 405/415) in the Student Union building, which is the building adjacent to the Campus Center, and all presenters are encouraged to attend! The Cape Cod Lounge can be found by entering the Student Union Building and going up to the 2nd floor. Directions to the Campus Center can be found above.

Be on Time

Be on time to your poster session! Arrive at least 30 minutes before your assigned time. This will ensure that you can register, check any items that you don’t want to carry with you, find your presentation location and begin setting up. Planning ahead the day of the conference helps ensure that you and everyone else has the best experience possible!

You will have a 15-minute window before your scheduled presentation time to set up your presentation. Each presentation slot is 45 minutes long.

Dress Code

We highly encourage all presenters to dress professionally for the day of the conference. Given that legislators, university leadership, and alumni recruiters frequently attend, it’s essential to present yourself in a manner akin to what you might wear for an interview.

For those unsure of what constitutes professional attire, we recommend adhering to an office/business casual dress code. This typically includes well-fitted slacks or skirts, button-down shirts, blouses, or tops, and closed-toe shoes. It’s advisable to avoid overly casual items such as jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers.

For further guidance on office casual attire and tips on putting together a polished look, you can refer to resources like this one: Office Casual Attire Guide.