CNI Scheduling Proposal

November 17th, 2023

November 17th, 2023

CNI Scheduling Proposal

The CNI is experiencing unprecedented demand for scan time. In addition, user needs are becoming more varied and with a number of labs asking to reserve time outside of the current scheduling window (8 weeks).

There is no perfect solution apart from acquiring more scanners and offering our users more time. We are doing our best on that front, but that will take some time. In the near term, we are considering changes to the current scheduling policy that we hope will work better for most people.

The key features of the new scheduling policy we are considering are as follows:

Calendar access will open for booking in 3 tranches (see Fig. 1)
- Certain days/times will be made available for long-term access opening 16 weeks in advance
- Certain days/times will be made available for medium-term access opening 8 weeks in advance
- Certain days/times will be made available for short-term access opening 2 weeks in advance
Scan time quotas will be applied on a per-project basis
There will be two types of quotas
- Daily: The maximum amount of time that can be booked on a business day (6am-6pm)
- Weekly: The maximum amount of time booked in a given week
- Quotas will not apply to time during weekends, holidays or outside of 6am-6pm
Quota limits will vary depending on the access time
- 8 – 16 weeks out: daily – 3h / weekly – 6h
- 2 – 8 weeks out: daily – 6h / weekly – 9h
- 0 – 2 weeks out: no quota limits

Other features of the CNI scheduling policy will remain unchanged. This includes the requirement that schedulers must have specific subjects in mind when booking slots, the restrictions on protocol development time, and the cancellation fee rules.

Very rare exceptions to this scheduling policy will be considered on request but are not guaranteed to be granted.

Please remember that our goal is to better meet user needs and ensure equitable access. This scheduling policy is not yet in place, rather it is a policy we are proposing. Below, we list various times when we will meet with users to discuss and evaluate the proposal.

Scheduling Proposal Discussions

We invite all groups to join a Zoom discussion of this proposal on the following dates/times:

Monday, Nov. 20 12-1pm
Monday, Nov. 27 12-1pm
Tuesday, Nov. 28 12-1pm

Zoom links are being sent separately through the cni-mrusers@lists.stanford.edu mailing list, and the CNI Slack channel. You are also welcome to send email feedback on this policy to Adam and Laima but Zoom attendance is preferred for interactive discussion.