SORC = The Student Organization Resource Center

Basic information about the lotteries and other SORC advertising services:

The use of Diag boards, Diag banners, Table Tents, and the Michigan Union banner is determined by lottery.
For Diag boards and Diag banners, groups that apply are randomly assigned an appointment time during "Lottery Week." A representative from the group must go to The SORC at the designated time to reserve spaces.
For Table Tents and the Michigan Union banner, groups that apply will either win a space, or not. An appointment during Lottery Week is not necessary, but you must come to SORC that week to complete a contract and pay for the space rental. Four table tent spaces are available each week; just one Michigan Union banner space is available each week.

Very important things to know:

If you enter the Union banner lottery and/or the Table Tent lottery, there is no appointment. You will either win a space, or you won't. You'll be instructed how and when to accept the space and complete a contract to make it official.
If you enter both the Diag board and Diag Banner Pole lotteries, you will have two separate appointments. Plan to arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled appointment time.
At your appointment, a SORC reservationist will guide you through the available spaces. Please consult Diag board maps and Diag banner maps in advance and prepare a list of your preferred locations. It is a struggle to fit all 300+ appointments into 3 days and stay on schedule, so it helps if you make a list of preferred locations ahead of time.
Each group is granted a 10-minute grace period, after which the appointment is forfeited. SORC staff members enforce this grace period very strictly. If you come 11 minutes late, do not expect that an exception will be made for you. You are not just 11 minutes late; you are 21 minutes late.
Missing an appointment because you were in class is not an acceptable excuse. When you learn what your lottery appointment time is, you must arrange for another group member to attend your appointment if it falls during a class. To minimize the likelihood of this, all appointments are scheduled between 2PM-10PM.
Availability of spaces after the appointments is very limited.
In other words... DON'T MISS YOUR APPOINTMENT!!
Full payment is due by 4:45 PM on the Thursday of lottery week, after all lottery appointments are finished. If you fail to pay for your reserved spaces by this deadline, they will be canceled and later offered to groups who did not get spaces. The SORC will grant extensions to the deadline under extenuating circumstances, by request only. To request an extension, call The SORC at least one hour before the payment deadline.
If your organization wins one of the four available Table Tent spaces each week, you must simply accept them and pay for the weekly space rental by stopping in at SORC during lottery week, anytime before the Thursday 4:45 deadline. Hint: if you're coming for a Diag board or Diag banner appointment, the charge for Table Tents can easily be added to your contract then. This would not only save you a trip, but you may be eligible for a 10% discount!
In order to speed up the process and provide the best possible service, the sale of materials, use of computers, cash-payment use of the copy machine, use of the fax machine, and reservation of other SORC services is suspended during lottery appointments. All of these services will resume the day after lottery appointments are finished.
Your group is responsible for awareness of and adherence to SORC eligibility requirements and University of Michigan trademark and identity guidelines.

Things to note for next time:

The fall semester Lottery Week is typically the second week of classes and encompasses mid-September through the second week of winter classes.
The winter semester Lottery Week is typically the second week of January and encompasses the third week of classes through the end of the Winter semester.
Spaces for the Summer and the first two weeks of September typically being in early April on a first-come first-serve basis.
An announcement of the exact dates each semester is sent several weeks in advance to The SORC e-mail list. To subscribe to that list, click here.

The Lottery in 3 steps

Step 1: Decide which lotteries to enter

You may enter one, two, three, or all four lotteries.
Each drawing is random and independent of the others.
Some groups vie for all four services; some just one.

Step 2: Submit the online application(s)

The deadline for all applications is usually the week before the lottery appointments.
When you submit your application online, please be sure that after you click "Submit" you see a page that says "Thank you! Your input has been received!".
If you do not get directed to this page, it is possible that your application was not received.
We make extensive efforts to ensure that no applications are omitted, but the wonders of technology are not flawless.
To be absolutely certain, email The SORC on or before the deadline to get indisputable verification (an e-mail from the clerk) that your application was received.

Step 3: Find out the lottery results to see if you won

Lottery results will be posted online at least 48 hours before appointments begin.
We send an e-mail announcement a couple days before the lottery, but the list of recipients is large, and spam filters sometimes block messages; you might not receive an e-mail.
Ultimately it is your responsibility to find out your appointment time.
You will not be notified by telephone.
Diag board appointments will be scheduled over a 2-day period, typically 2PM-10PM so as not to conflict with class times.
Banner appointments will be the day after Diag board appointments, all completed in one day.
For Table Tents and the Michigan Union banner, there's no appointment. Simply accept and pay for the space rental as instructed (there is a timeline).

Lottery links

Winter 2010 Diag board lottery results

Winter 2010 Diag banner pole lottery results

Winter 2010 Table Tent lottery results

Winter 2010 Michigan Union banner lottery results

Lottery FAQs