UW Tacoma is required by state law to charge for any non-UW Tacoma use of campus facilities (WAC 478-136).

Unit-Supported Event: A conference, event, meeting, or program that is directly and substantially related to UW Tacoma's mission and co-hosted between a UW Tacoma school/department and an external organization/client. Events & Conferences staff will work with the supporting unit to provide planning assistance to the external organization. 

Unit-Supported Events are:

  • Co-managed by Events & Conferences and UW Tacoma school or department
  • Booking fee waived
  • 50% reduction of room rental fee
  • Direct pass-through costs like Media Services, Facilities/Custodial, Transportation Services, and/or Campus Security will be billed by the department(s) using the supporting unit's worktag(s)
  • External organization must provide certificate of liability insurance

Refer to this flowchart for more clarification: https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/uuf/hosting-conference 

All unit-supported events must submit this form and be approved in writing with a breakdown of cost-coverage by the Dean/Director or Vice Chancellor of the supporting unit. At form submittal, the approval letter must be emailed to ecsuwt@uw.edu. 

A unit has two options when partnering with an external organization to host an event at UW Tacoma:

  1. Provide unit staff to be the Responsible Event Manager and On-Site Point of Contact for the duration of the event.
  2. Pay the Office of Events & Conferences to staff the event. This must be arranged at least 15 business days prior to the first day of the event.

 

Please review the flowchart below to ensure your event meets the policies and criteria for classification as a UWT Unit-Supported event. 

 

Below is a clearer in-depth explanation of how UW Tacoma treats events when an external organization is unit‑supported but charges admission, with citations to the Use of University Facilities (UUF) policies and WAC 478‑136.

Short Answer:
If an external organization is partnering with UW Tacoma and qualifies as a unit‑supported event, but the event charges admission, the event still qualifies as unit‑supported—unless the fee structure or purpose violates UUF rules (e.g., fundraising for a non‑UW entity).
Charging admission does not automatically revert the event to “external.”
However, charging admission triggers UUF oversight and may require the event to be classified as a conference or special event and routed through Events & Conferences.

Why Charging Admission Does Not Automatically Remove Unit‑Supported Status

  1. UW Tacoma’s definition of a Unit‑Supported Event
    From the UW Tacoma Office of Events & Conferences:
    A unit‑supported event is one that is:
    •     Directly and substantially related to UW Tacoma’s mission, and
    •     Co‑hosted between a UW Tacoma unit and an external organization, and
    •     Co‑managed by Events & Conferences and the UW Tacoma unit.
    Nothing in the definition prohibits charging admission.
     
  2. What triggers UUF oversight?UW Tacoma’s “Hosting a Conference” page states that an activity must be coordinated through Events & Conferences if ANY of the following are true:
    •     The event charges a registration fee
    •     The event involves fundraising for an external organization
    •     The event does not directly fulfill UW Tacoma’s mission
    This means:
    ✔ Charging admission = triggers UUF review
    ✘ Charging admission ≠ automatically classified as an external event
    The event may still be unit‑supported, but it must be processed through Events & Conferences and meet UUF requirements.
     
  3. Relevant WAC: WAC 478‑136 (Use of University Facilities)
    WAC 478‑136 governs all UW facility use.
    Key provisions relevant to your question:
    WAC 478‑136‑015 – University facilities must be used for UW’s mission
    Facilities may be used only for activities that are:
    •     Directly related to the educational, research, or public service mission of the University, or
    •     Co-hosted by a UWT unit

    If the UW Tacoma unit is a true co‑host and the event substantially aligns with UW Tacoma's mission, the event remains eligible for unit‑supported status.
    WAC 478‑136‑030 – Fees must be charged for non‑UW use.
    UW is required to charge for any non‑UW use of facilities.
    This is why unit‑supported events receive a discounted rate, not "free" use.
    WAC 478‑136‑060 – Fundraising restrictions
    Fundraising for non‑UW entities is restricted and may require special approval or may be prohibited.
    Thus:
    •     If the admission fee is simply cost‑recovery* or event participation, the event can remain unit‑supported.
    •     If the admission fee is fundraising** for the external organization, the event will be classified as an external event. The external client will be contracted accordingly. Otherwise, the event may be disallowed.

*Cost-recovery — The admission/registration fees are supporting the cost of the event (meals, room rental, event services, etc.) and NOT the ongoing operations of the organization.

**Fundraising — The admission/registration fees are supporting the ongoing operations of the external organization. 
 

Putting It All Together:
✔ The event remains unit‑supported if:
       •      A UW Tacoma unit is a genuine co‑host
       •     The event supports UW Tacoma’s mission
       •     The admission fee is for participation or cost‑recovery
       •     The external organization is not fundraising for itself
✘ The event may be reclassified as “external” or disallowed if:
       •     The UW Tacoma unit is only a nominal co-host (“fronting”)
       •     The event’s primary purpose is fundraising for the external organization
       •     The event does not support UW Tacoma’s mission
       •     The external partner is using UW facilities primarily for commercial gain

Practical Rule of Thumb:
Charging admission does not disqualify unit‑supported status.
Fundraising for an external organization does.