Riverside Equipment Loan Service

Loan Terms & Conditions

1. Outline

The Riverside Equipment Loan Service is a lending library of portable media production equipment that is available to all students at Gray’s School of Art at Robert Gordon University and Staff university-wide. The store provides free access to professional camera, sound recording and other associated media production equipment.

These operating procedures for the Service are for the safety and wellbeing of both students and staff. They are designed to ensure the provision of a professional equipment loan service to staff and students whilst outlining the procedure for booking, returns and damages whilst outlining the conduct expected of staff and students when utilising the service.

2. Definitions

Service Riverside Equipment Loan Service.

Smarthub A short name for Riverside Equipment Loan Service electronic booking system (Referred to as Smarthub by its developers, Siso).

Store The physical location where the equipment is stored, being collected from and returned to.

Riverside-Equip A short name for anything to do with the Service. This is also the email address for any communication regarding the Service (riverside-equip@rgu.ac.uk).

You/Your(s) The person reading and agreeing to these conditions upon signing up to The Riverside Equipment Loan Service.

3. Eligibility

• All loans will only be granted to staff of Robert Gordon University and currently enrolled students at Robert Gordon University.
• Loans will not be granted to students who have outstanding late fines or repair costs to pay.
• Loans will only be granted upon the successful completion of the Health & Safety training presentation and quiz.
• Loans will only be granted upon the successful submission of a Risk Assessment form or acknowledgement of trivial risk.
• Riverside-Equip reserves the right to refuse access to the store at any time.
• Riverside-Equip reserves the right to amend the eligibility criteria at any time.

4. Location

The Store is located within room 324 in Riverside Building, Garthdee. Collections, returns or access to this space will only be available during the opening times of the store and by pre-arrangement (see section 6. Booking Equipment Loans).

5. Opening Times

Riverside-Equip’s opening times will be published via Smarthub and on the Moodle Page for the Service. Please refer to these sources for an up-to-date listing of current opening times. Riverside-Equip reserve the right to amend the services opening times at any time.

6. Booking Equipment Loans

Booking equipment from Riverside-Equip is made via Smarthub which can be accessed from the Riverside-Equip Moodle page or via direct link https://ccbequip.siso.co/. Loan requests made outside of the Smarthub system will not be accepted. Full instructions on how to use the Smarthub System can be found on the Riverside-Equip Moodle page.

Please note, maximum booking duration for any equipment is 1 week from the collection time.

6.1. Risk Assessments

By accepting these terms and conditions, you agree to keep any work related to the equipment hire within the bounds of the risk assessment included under section 10

Any work planned which does not fit within the risk assessment should have a further risk assessment discussed and signed off by a relevant lecturer. This process is separate to the booking system. Riverside-Equip will not be responsible for any injury illness or death to persons involved, damage to or loss of buildings or property or damage or loss of Riverside-Equip stock under any circumstances.

6.2. Collecting Equipment Loans

Collection of loans will only be made from room 324 in Riverside Building, Garthdee. Loans can only be collected during the opening times of the store. As noted in section 5. Opening Times, the opening times are listed within Smarthub and a collection time will be selected in the process of booking a loan.

Collections can only be of loans that have been booked in advance of your collection via Smarthub.

Your booking will have a collection timeslot, please be prompt and endeavour to arrive at the specified time.

Please note, minimum booking notice is 12 hours prior to the set collection time slot.

6.3. Loan Renewals

Loans can be renewed only once allowing to keep equipment for a longer duration via the Smarthub. Riverside-Equip reserve the right to refuse loan extensions based on user demand. Instructions for how to extend your loan via Smarthub can be found on the Riverside-Equip Moodle page.

6.4. Loan Returns

Return of loans can only be made to room 324 in Riverside Building, Garthdee. Returns can only be made during the opening times of the store. As noted in section 5. Opening Times, the opening times are listed within Smarthub, and a return time will be selected in the process of booking a loan.

7. Late Returns & Damages

The Riverside-Equip late returns and damages policy is for the protection of the integrity of the services assets and the continued access to the equipment to the staff and student body. Damages remove and limit access to equipment to all students. The penalties listed below are to act as a deterrent and to address any reduction in material access caused to the student body by an infringement of the policy.

• Overdue loans will be fined at £20.00 per loan, per overdue loan day period.
• Overdue loans will result in a ban from the store, bans will be lifted when any outstanding fines have been paid.
• Fines will be capped at the accumulative replacement cost of the items.
• All losses and damages are the sole responsibility of the student named on the loan agreement form to meet the full repair or replacement costs.
• Any losses or damages will result in a permanent ban from the store until the repair or replacement costs are met.
• Riverside-Equip withholds the right to refuse access to, or enact permanent bans from the store.
• Riverside-Equip withholds the right to amend these terms and conditions at any time.
• Continued failure to repair, replace or recognise a fault may result in uptake of the Student Misconduct Procedure, and may impact your graduation. This Policy is in line with the University’s Academic Regulation A3-2 Student Misconduct Procedure, which states:

“It is the obligation of each student to pay by the due dates all University or partner institution fees, loans, fines, rent and such other sums and return any property as may be due to the University or partner institution, and to acknowledge that, in the event of failure to do so, the University or partner institution is entitled to take appropriate action, which may include, but need not be limited to, one or more of the following:

1. suspension or discontinuation of enrolment;
2. withholding a University or partner institution award, only where this relates to tuition fees;
3. referral to a debt collection agency;
4. where relevant, eviction from the University’s student accommodation.

“Students are required to treat University property and equipment with respect. Breaches of the above will be deemed to constitute misconduct, and will be dealt with as specified in paragraph 4.3.”

“Non-academic misconduct may involve conduct relating to damage to the property of the University, student(s) or member(s) of staff of the University.”

8. Student Conduct

Riverside-Equip will not tolerate harassment and abuse of the staff operating the service. Any harassment or abuse, physical, verbal or psychological will lead to a permanent ban from the store and may lead to further action being taken in line with the Universities policies regarding student misconduct.

9. Loanee Ill Health

Students who are unable to return due to ill health, are requested to inform Riverside-Equip so that arrangements can put in place regarding outstanding loans.

All correspondence regarding late returns due to ill health should be made via email to the services email (riverside-equip@rgu.ac.uk).

10. Standard Risk Assessment

The below Risk Assessment is agreed to upon accepting these terms and conditions, and it is your responsibility that other risks are be submitted to lecturing staff.

DATE:               See Associated Booking For Dates

LOCATION:     RGU Garthdee Campus

TASK/ACTIVITY/PROCESS: Use of media production or AV equipment on RGU campus

STUDENT(S) SUBMITTING THIS RISK ASSESSMENT:       See associated booking for named student.

I AGREE THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT HAZARDS (TRIVIAL RISK ONLY)