Office of Student Life
Recreational Sports

Facility Rental Procedures

The primary purpose of Department of Recreational Sports’ facilities is to provide recreational and physical activity opportunities to Ohio State University students, and faculty/staff who purchase memberships. The Department of Recreational Sports shares several facilities with the Department of Athletics, the Department of Human Sciences (DHS), and the School of Music, whose primary uses are to conduct intercollegiate athletics, DHS academic activity courses, and marching band practices.  After these primary uses have been met, the Department of Recreational Sports may make the remaining time and space available to outside groups on a rental basis, using the following priority list:

  1. Recognized Student Groups of The Ohio State University
  2. Ohio State University Departments/Academic Units
  3. General Public

This policy applies to all indoor and outdoor facilities managed by the Department of Recreational Sports including, but not limited to, the Recreation and Physical Activity Center (RPAC) and Aquatic Center, the Adventure Recreation Center (ARC), the Jesse Owens Recreation Centers, Fred Beekman Park, Lincoln Tower Park, Coffey Road Park, North Recreation Center.

Group Definitions

Recognized Ohio State Student Group:  To be considered for group rentals student groups must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a registered and active student organization or residence hall floor. All other student groups may require the review and approval of the University Recreational Sports Committee (URSC).
  • Be free of unresolved issues related to prior use of the Department of Recreational Sports’ and all other Student Life facilities.

University Department/Academic Unit: Any official Ohio State University office or department with a university account.  University departments/academic units must pay with a Non-Catalog Requisition.  To rent space, a university department must be free of unresolved issues related to prior use of Recreational Sports facilities.

General Public:  Any group not included in the above two categories.

General Rental Guidelines

Any event considered by the Department of Recreational Sports to be potentially harmful to the public image of The Ohio State University will not be allocated space.

  • The Department of Recreational Sports reserves the right to determine the potential harm to facilities and may reject said request.
  • The scheduling of events will be based on facility availability and approval by the Department of Recreational Sports.
  • All final event details will be assessed by the Department of Recreational Sports, which will determine the extent of Ohio State personnel required to safeguard the university’s interest.
  • The Department of Recreational Sports is not responsible for any lost, stolen, or damaged property belonging to the members of rental groups utilizing the facilities.
  • Filming and photography in the facilities must be approved in advance. Filming of materials for personal gain including YouTube channels is not allowed in the recreation facilities. For other requests email recsports@osu.edu at 10 business days in advance to secure approval.
  • The Department of Recreational Sports must have the fully executed documentation required for each request as it is deemed necessary.  See Facility Request Process
  • No signage or decorations are permitted without the prior approval of the Department of Recreational Sports.
  • No unauthorized petitioning or soliciting may be conducted in or around the recreational facilities. See Tabling, Solicitation  
  • Groups renting a facility will be held financially responsible for any special cleaning, maintenance, or repair resulting from the event or activity.
  • Groups renting a facility are required to observe all applicable policies of the Department of Recreational Sports and The Ohio State University, as well as all local, state, and federal laws.