Terms & Conditions

All equipment is due back to the cage on this date before 5pm.
We are NOT open during exam week

Have a valid UT ID (Spartan Card) for registration and all collections and returns.

Have received training, authorization and filed the necessary paperwork for lab spaces in order to check out keys to said lab spaces.

SiSo is UT’s online portal for equipment bookings. It serves as a catalog of available items that are available to you, and will allow you to place reservations for equipment in advance of collection.

In order to receive SiSo login credentials, you must first fill this clickable registration form. Incomplete forms will not be accepted. If the requirements of the form are met, you will receive login credentials soon after filing out the form. This will be in the form of a username and a randomly generated password. You may change the password at any time. If, after registration, you have any difficulties accessing the SiSo system, please come to the equipment cage for help.

To ensure timely access to the system, you must file the registration paperwork ahead of any equipment needs, giving at least two hours. Please be prepared to show an official class schedule to the equipment cage worker upon your first checkout.

You are expected to provide current and accurate contact information. In the event that the Cage needs to contact you, the phone number provided needs to be active and have a functional voicemail. The UT email address you provide needs to be monitored regularly. Emails sent from the Cage are expected to be responded to within two business days.

You are expected to respect the equipment as though it were your own, showing it the due care and attention that it deserves. Most items from the Cage are highly valuable, and you the user will be held accountable for any breakage of the equipment for which you are responsible. This may be the cost of repair or the cost of replacement. Please see the insurance section below.

Any attempt by a student to interfere with a Cage worker carrying out their duties will be considered a violation of Student Conduct and pursued through appropriate channels. Any Cage worker aiding in the abuse of Cage records or other subversion of policies will also be considered in violation of their employment obligations.

Under no circumstances are students to check out equipment for uses that are not directly connected to the class that is granting them access. The use of equipment for non-class activities, that may include work for hire, the recording of events (including campus events), productions by/for clubs and organizations, and coursework in outside departments or offices, is strictly prohibited.

All UT property lent to students is covered under FICURMA property coverage and would be subject to a $10K deductible. Please check your parents, your homeowner’s insurance policy, or your renters insurance. If you do not have either, we suggest that you research and obtain renters or homeowners insurance. Keep in mind that most homeowners and renters policies have sub-limits that may not cover the total amount of the loss. Each situation would need to be reviewed prior to submitting a claim, especially if the loss is under the $10k deductible. Many of these losses could be considered a cost of doing business. It is the borrower’s responsibility to obtain appropriate insurance for all borrowed equipment. If a student accrues a financial balance with the equipment cage, it could affect that student’s academic standing. The possible violations for missing, damaged, or unreturned gear includes academic penalties in the class itself, possible academic integrity violations, and financial holds that may prevent them from registering or completing their degrees at UT. Please be responsible and do not leave equipment of any kind in a parked car or any place outside of your secure residence when the equipment is not in your possession. You are responsible for any theft, damage, or loss of UT property while it is checked out to you. Please seek further guidance from your course instructor or department chair.

All reservations are to be made online using the SiSo system for personal use exclusively for the purpose of completing class activities and coursework. This video will walk you through the process.

Under no circumstances are students allowed to check out or reserve equipment for other students.

Students are only allowed to check out course specific equipment. The items that are available to the classes in which you are enrolled will appear as visible to you in SiSo. Requests for access to additional items should be directed to the class instructor, who in turn should make the request to the Media Production Coordinator should they deem it necessary for the class.

Some equipment requires additional training before it may be reserved or collected. This must be scheduled in advance with your instructor, who in turn must notify the Media Production Coordinator of the training and authorization before access can be granted.

If equipment is not reserved in advance, items may be checked out at the Cage desk, providing the item(s) do not have an existing reservation that would conflict.

Users reserving equipment online are able to specify both a collection time and a return time.

The collection time is the exact time at which the equipment may be collected by you (the patron). Items must be collected within 30 minutes of that time to avoid cancellation.

The return time is the latest time at which the equipment may be returned. Early return is permitted and encouraged. Return of items after the allotted return time will be considered a violation of Cage policies (see ‘Failure to Return’).

The maximum duration for the loan of Cage items is set at 28 hours that the Cage is open. Given that the Cage operates for *14 hours/day Monday-Thursday, 10 hours/day on Friday and 5 hours/day Saturdays and Sundays, some examples of maximum checkout durations would be:

An item checked out on Tuesday at 2pm would be due back no later than Thursday at 2pm.

An item checked out on Friday at 10am would be due back no later than Monday at 4pm.

This 28 Cage-hours maximum can be calculated during the reservation process to give to your latest possible return time. However, this is the maximum, and students are encouraged to reserve and retain equipment only as long as it is needed to best allow other students access to the same equipment. There is no minimum time for which equipment may be reserved.

Reservations may be made up to 3 weeks in advance. Making a reservation and not either keeping or canceling that reservation will result in the suspension of your checkout privileges. The suspension will be lifted at the discretion of the Media Production Coordinator.

Providing that no reservation is scheduled that would present a conflict, a single instance of renewal of an item is permitted, to extend your loan period by one day. If available, this “renewal” option will display under ‘My Bookings’ in SiSo. Use your check out privileges wisely and plan carefully. Demand for equipment can be high and items should not be returned with the expectation that your loan period may be extended nor that equivalent items will be available.

Students encountering problems with their reservation or with the SiSo system must notify the Media Production Coordinator immediately to seek redress.

Lack of equipment access is unlikely to be honored as an excuse for late work. Transaction records are archived, and serve as a document of student usage. This may be reviewed by faculty members upon request to the Media Production Coordinator.

You must have your Spartan Card with you in order to collect any equipment from the Cage. Students are only allowed to collect equipment that they themselves have reserved.

At the time of collection, it is the responsibility of the user to verify that the items are complete and undamaged before they leave the Cage area. Users should power on any devices and make sure that they are fully functioning. Cage staffers should notify the Media Production Coordinator immediately, by email, if an item appears malfunctioning or damaged in any way. Users may be given a replacement item if one is available, or may opt to take any functioning damaged item once the damage has been documented in writing via the aforementioned email.

You must have your Spartan Card with you in order to return any equipment to the Cage. Users are only to return equipment that has been reserved/checked out in their name.

All equipment will be subject to inspection upon return and users must wait at the Cage desk while the Cage staff inspect the items and scan them back into the system. Any damage or malfunction that occurred during equipment use must be declared when equipment is returned. Undeclared damage that impinges on the subsequent use of equipment may result in suspension of Cage access. Students bear sole responsibility for damage caused to equipment while in their possession, and may be held accountable for subsequent costs of repair or replacement.

Every rechargeable item from the Cage is provided with a charger unit or power cable. Users are expected to recharge all batteries prior to returning equipment.

All equipment must be returned to the Cage on time. Failure of any user to return equipment prior to the stated return time, without written evidence of an unavoidable delay, may result in the suspension or revocation of equipment access. For any items returned more than a day late, users may be held responsible for the cost of replacing the equipment.

Failure to return equipment or initiate the process of replacement within one week past the due return date will be considered a violation of the Student Code of Conduct and will be pursued as such through the Office of Student Conduct.

Any and all students possessing equipment past their assigned return time will be liable for any other student not being able to collect equipment at their reservation collection time. That is, if Student A arrives to collect equipment at their assigned reservation time only to find that Student B has retained the equipment beyond the timeframe of their reservation, thereby depriving Student A of their rightful reservation, Student B will be considered in violation of the Student Code of Conduct.

In cases of unavoidable delays, written evidence will be considered and subject to Media Production Coordinator review.

Advance reservations must be altered or canceled online using SiSo. Amendments cannot be made at the Cage.

Any violation of these policies will remain on the student producer’s record throughout their UT career, with relevant penalties being applied for cumulative offenses.

smarthub terms and conditions of use
As a user of this system registered or otherwise you agree that if for any reason you are unable to use smarthub for the intended purpose then you will contact your store via telephone, email or in person to resolve the problem. SiSo Software Limited are not responsible or liable in any way for any errors, damages or any other loss caused by your usage of this system. For the avoidance of doubt this includes any loss howsoever suffered including negligence or fraud except where such negligence causes death or personal injury.