This week we are reminding everyone about two items: shared space usage and scheduling policies.  We need your help in maintaining a safe and productive environment at CNI.

First, we need everyone to help keep the CNI shared space clean and orderly. Some of the important guidelines are below.

Second, the facility is being heavily used.  We ask all of you to follow the spirit of scheduling rules. We depend on our community to be respectful of the schedule, which importantly also means starting and ending scan sessions and testing room usage per the scheduled time. It is not acceptable to run into the next user’s booked time in any shared space. The CNI scheduling policies have worked well in the past because we have a respectful and community-minded group of users. We thank you for that and look forward to continuing that culture.  The recent demand for time is forcing us to review current policies, and we will be reaching out for discussions about scheduling policies this month.

1. Shared Spaces Usage

CNI has many shared spaces that you can reserve using the CNI calendar.

• Please be respectful of other users by being aware which areas have been reserved. A reserved space, even the CNI lobby, can be used only by the group that has reserved the space, or if  you are granted explicit permission by the group that reserved the space.
• Please note that the front rest room is shared by all staff and visitors.  If you use it as a changing space for your subject or for urine collection, it is your responsibility to leave it pristine for the next person.  Do not use it to store clothes or samples.
• Shared spaces are to be used only in conjunction with MRI scanning sessions with participants.  Please book only the minimum time required for your study. Do not keep a shared space reserved while using the scanner — please make it available for other users.
• Please be respectful to the “In Use” signs next to the door for the mock scanner room and other testing rooms at CNI. Please do not walk into these rooms while testing sessions are in progress. If you cannot wait, please knock first.
• If you have booked and are using any testing room, please make sure that the “In Use” is up. When you have finished using the room please make sure that the “Vacant” sign is up.
• When you have finished using the CNI Conference Room, please leave the door open. This requires a very strong push of the door into its open door locking mechanism. This is of great help to our janitorial staff to maintain that room to high cleaning standards.
• Please remember to cancel shared space reservations when you have a coupled scan cancellation.

2. Scheduling Policies

We ask users to all commit together to only scheduling scan time when they have a confirmed need.

• Advance Booking Policy: The CNI scheduler opens up for slots 8 weeks in advance. The scanner can be booked in increments of 30-minute slots beginning on the hour or 30 minutes into the hour. When booking time, please avoid leaving single ½-hour slots idle between your time and any immediate neighbors.
• Protocol Development Booking Policy: The CNI provides PIs the option to book a short amount of uncharged scan time for each new project under “Protocol Development”. The purpose of this scan time is to establish and test protocol settings and to ensure any stimulus presentation and scan synchronization are working. The protocol development time used by a PI, or their research team should be on the order or 2-5 hours with a maximum of 10 hours for each new project.  Please note – Protocol development time has lower scheduling priority than funded research time. Protocol development time during peak hours (business days 8am-6pm) may not be booked more than 48 hours in advance (all hours – not just business days). Protocol development time during others hours may not be booked more than 5 days (120 hours) in advance. Incorrectly booked protocol development bookings will be automatically deleted from the CNI calendar.
• Cancellation Deadline: The late cancellation deadline is 2 weeks before the scheduled time.
• Late Cancellation Policy: A late cancellation fee (10% of the cancelled time) will be charged unless the cancelled time is (a) replaced by a funded study. There are no exceptions unless there is a failure of CNI equipment.
• Short-term reserve time: We reserve bookings on Tuesdays 8AM to 12Noon labeled CNI_Short_Term_Reserve. These times will be manually released once they move fully within the two-week cancellation window. The intent of opening this time up within the two-week window is to address the needs of researchers who have only limited advance notice of acceptable subjects. If your research project has a more flexible subject population, we ask you to be considerate and leave these time blocks open to those whom are less fortunate.

We are always open to suggestions for any improvements to our operations and happy to help users anytime. Please contact us if you have any conflicts over space with other users. 

Thanks,

The CNI Team