Reservation policy:

• Users must be trained by CHANL staff prior to being authorized to use instruments and make instrument reservations.
• All reservations are made through the iLab system.
• Walk-up sessions for immediate usage are allowed on most instruments if the instrument is not already booked
• Reservations can be changed or cancelled up to 30 minutes prior to the start of the reservation time.
• Users have 30 min after their reservation start time to begin a Kiosk session. After this time, you will be considered a “no-show”. (see the no-show policy)
• Reservations must be made in fair consideration of other CHANL users. Abuse of the reservation system (e.g. frequent cancellation of reservations or booking of large blocks of time that are then unused) will result in limitations on the users’ ability to book reservations within the iLab system.
• All payments of invoices for instrument usage are due within 30 days of the invoice date. CHANL reserves the right to suspend access to the facility if invoices are outstanding after 60 days.
  

Starting and stopping instrument sessions:

• Users are responsible for starting and ending their sessions in Kiosk for all instruments regardless of whether the instrument does or does not have an interlock.
• If users forget to either start or end a session, they must email the relevant CHANL staff member within 24 hours of the reservation start time. Failure to start and end sessions or to promptly inform staff can lead to limitations to or revocation of CHANL access.
• If the instrument is available, instrument reservations can be started up to 60 minutes before the start time of the reservation.
• If you encounter an instrument error after starting the Kiosk session, inform staff within 24 hours and your reservation will be deleted.

No-show policy:

• No-shows occurs when a user does not begin the reserved instrument time through Kiosk.
• Users have a 30-minute grace period from the start time of their reservation to begin their session in Kiosk. If you arrive after your grace period has ended, you must create a new reservation or a walk-up session.
• A “no-show” will be charged for 15 minutes of instrument usage for the first three no shows on an instrument in a calendar month. After three no shows, users will be charged for the full instrument reservation time.
• Note that usage of an instrument directly after the end of the grace period is not considered grounds for deletion of a no show.
• If a user wishes to dispute their “no show”, they must email or contact the relevant CHANL staff within 24 hours of the reservation start time to explain the situation. No adjustments to no-shows will be made after 24 hours.

Walk-out policy:

• “Walk-outs” occur when a user does not stop their kiosk session by the end of the reserved instrument time.
• If you need more time for your session, you can extend your reservation by clicking “Extend” in the active kiosk session. Extending time in a Kiosk session is only allowed if there is not a scheduling conflict.
• If users do not manually end their Kiosk session, their session will automatically end 30 minutes past their reservation end time, and users will be billed for that time.
• If a user wishes to dispute their walk-out, they must email the relevant CHANL staff within 24 hours of the reservation end time to explain the situation. No adjustments to walk-outs will be made after 24 hours.

Lab use policy:

• User samples left unattended in CHANL will be disposed of by CHANL staff regularly.
• User samples must come in and out with the user unless specific storage spaces have been designated for samples for specific instruments by CHANL staff.
• Lab spaces and benches must always be kept tidy.
• Common use items (tweezers, scissors, tape, sample holders, etc) must be returned to their appropriate space directly after usage.
• Users may not repurpose any drawer or space within CHANL for their own samples.

Misuse and abuse leading to revocation of CHANL access:

The following actions will lead to the consequences of (a) discussion with the principle investigator
on the first infraction and (b) revocation of CHANL access for a minimum of two weeks (possibly
more depending the severity) on the second infraction:

• Tampering or deliberate circumvention of CHANL interlock systems.
• Repeated failure to start and end Kiosk sessions.
• Usage of instrumentation without reserving time in the iLab system or starting sessions in Kiosk.
• Deliberate misrepresentation of instrument usage time (e.g. booking for 1 hour and using for 2 hours).

FAQs:

• Q: The session will be automatically terminated and usually it’s according with my usage time, so I just let it run automatically instead of click ‘finish’.
  A: This is a walk-out. CHANL does not know if the end of the session truly corresponds to the reserved time, and an additional 30 minutes of usage time will be added to the reservation.
• Q: My samples didn’t work out, so I couldn’t use my time. Can you delete my No Show time?
  A: In this case, you should have deleted your instrument time at least 30 minutes in advance of the reservation start time. Failure to do this will result in the No Show charge.
• Q: I arrived 35 minutes after my reservation started, and the grace period had ended. I couldn’t start my time in Kiosk. What happens if I just use the instrument without logging in.
  A: You will be billed the No Show charge for the original reservation because no one else could use the instrument during that time. In addition, you will be in violation of CHANL policies: you should instead start a walk-up session or a new reservation and Kiosk session for the time you actually use. Repeated failure to do so could result in revocation of CHANL access.
• Q: I forgot to log into Kiosk when I started, and only remembered when it was time to leave. What should I do?
  A: You should e-mail CHANL staff within 24 hours of your reservation to let them know what time you actually used. They can log this time in iLabs for you, and you’ll avoid the No Show.