Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs

On this page, you'll find a number of questions (and their answers!) that participants in our programs frequently ask. They are grouped by topic and then presented in a list. Click/tap any of the questions below to see that question's answer. Click/tap the question again to hide the answer.
If you have a question that is not addressed here, feel free to contact us. Contact information is provided for each event on the event's Contact Us page, or if you have a general question, just use the information at the bottom of this page. 

Payment of Fees

What payment methods are available?

Payment by credit/debit card is accepted for all events. Some events accept payment by wire transfer or check. The first page of the online registration form for an event shows the payment methods that are accepted for that event. Look in the section titled 'Register' (the second section on the page).

Which payment method is best?

Payment by credit/debit card is the best method, since your registration becomes effective immediately. Payment by other means is less desirable because of the period of time that elapses between completion of the online registration form and receipt of your payment in the CPES office.

Remember: your registration is not effective until full payment is received. It is possible for all space available for an event to be taken before your payment reaches the CPES office, in which case your registration cannot be honored.

How can payment be made by credit/debit card?
Payment by credit/debit card is made online as part of completing the online registration form. Before the end of the online registration process, you will be asked to choose your payment method. If you choose to pay by credit/debit card, you will be taken to our online credit card processor's secure website. There you will provide your credit/debit card information.

Your interaction with the online card processor is strictly confidential; neither CPES nor Colorado School of Mines will be given any of the information you provide to the card processor except the type of card you used.

When your transaction is approved by the card processor, you are returned to the CPES website to conclude the registration process.

Other payments that might result from adding an option after completing registration or from modifying an existing registration, can also be made online using a credit/debit card. In such cases, you will ultimately be routed to the card processor's secure website and will complete the transaction there.

Which credit cards are accepted?
Currently, the following credit cards are accepted: Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and JCB.
What information is required in order to pay by wire transfer?

To complete a wire transfer of your registration payment, you will need the following information (the information below also appears on the invoice that will be sent to you upon completion of the online registration process):

Bank name JP Morgan Chase
Bank address JPMorgan Chase New York, NY 10017 USA
Routing number 021000021 (Wire) 102001017 (ACH)
Account number 602922723
Account name Colorado School of Mines
SWIFT code CHASUS33
School of Mines contact Bursar 303.273.3410
CPES account 370176-46266-4225-0100
Program *** - CPES

*** in the 'Program' line is a number unique for your registration that will be shown on the invoice you receive by email.

IMPORTANT: All bank fees associated with a wire transfer must be paid by the sender.

To whom should a check be made payable (who is the payee)?

Make your check for your registration fee payable to: Colorado School of Mines

Where should checks be sent?
Send your check for payment of your registration fee to:

Continuing and Professional Education Services
Colorado School of Mines
924 16th Street, Suite 221
Golden, CO 80401 USA

Be sure to include a copy of the invoice that was sent to you.

How can a copy of the CPES/Mines W-9 be obtained?

To obtain a copy of the CPES/Colorado School of Mines W-9 Form, point your Internet browser to:
https://learn.mines.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/355/2021/03/W9-CSM_Signed_20140113.pdf

About Registrations

When is a registration effective?
A registration becomes effective immediately upon receipt in the CPES office of full payment for all registration fees.
When and how is a registration confirmed?

A registration is confirmed via an email sent to the registrant. The confirmation email is sent according to the following schedule:

  • For registrations paid by credit/debit card: within 1 hour of completion of the online registration process
  • For registrations paid by wire transfer or check by mail: immediately upon receipt in the CPES office of full payment for all registration fees

The confirmation email contains an attachment with detailed information about the event for which the registration applies.

Immediately upon a registration becoming effective (see the FAQ "When is a registration effective?"), a receipt for the registration payment is sent by email to the person/address designated during the registration process to receive the receipt.

How can the banquet/field trip/other extra be added to a registration after payment has been made?

A banquet, field trip, or other extra that requires payment of an additional fee can be added to your existing registration. If you intend to pay the additional fee by credit/debit card, point your Internet browser to:

https://purchase.csmspace.com

On the first page, click the 'Go' button on the left (under 'Additional Event Options or Fees') or the large 'Options' icon. Follow the instructions on the page that appears next.

If you intend to pay the additional fee by wire transfer or check, you must contact the Continuing and Professional Education Services (CPES) office by email or by telephone. Contact information can be obtained here.

If you want to remove an item from your registration, you must contact the CPES office.

Can a registration be changed/canceled/postponed?

n many cases, a registration can be modified. You should read carefully the 'Cancellation and Attendee Substitution Policy' for your event that can be found on the 'Fees and Registration' page of the event's website, as well as in the document sent to you by email when your registration was confirmed.

In general, cancellations are possible until a specified date, and the amount of refund available is determined by how far in advance of the event the cancellation is made.

Changes in a registration to, say, add participation in a field trip, can also be made. Please see the FAQ that particularly addresses that issue for more information.

If you want to remove something from your registration or if you must change the basic registration level, you must contact the CPES office (contact information is available here).

If you are making a change in your registration that requires the involvement of the CPES office and that results in an increase in the registration's cost, you will be given instructions for remitting the additional amount. If your change results in a decrease in the registration's cost, a refund of the amount will be credited to your credit/debit card if you paid using a card, or will be sent to you by mailed check if you paid by wire transfer or check.

A registration can be postponed to, for example, attend a different session of an event at a different date/time. Please contact the CPES office (here) for more information. If the session you ultimately attend has a registration fee different from the fee you originally paid, you will be charged or refunded, as appropriate, the fee difference. If your postponement is made after a cancellation deadline for the original event, you may be charged a cancellation fee.

You should also look at the FAQ "Can a registration fee be applied to a different event?" for more information about postponing or changing a registration.

Can someone other than the original registrant attend the event instead?

Attendee substitution is allowed for all events; however, the CPES office must be notified of the substitution no later than 3:00 PM Mountain time on the day before the first day of the event. The CPES office can be contacted using the information available here.

You must provide at least the following information:

  • The name and dates of the event
  • The name of the original attendee
  • The name, affiliation, position (job title), address, telephone number, and email address of the person who will be attending (the substitute)

Notification to the CPES office is imperative so that a proper name badge can be prepared for the actual attendee, so that important information about the event can be sent by email to the attendee, and so that the attendee will be recognized at check-in on the first day of the event.

Can a registration fee be applied to a different event?

A registration fee paid for one event can be applied to a different event; however, the following considerations will apply:

  • Moving from one event to another necessarily means cancelling the registration for the first event; therefore, the cancellation policy for the first event will apply, possibly resulting in the assessment of a cancellation service fee.
  • The net difference between the registration fee for the first event and the fee for the second event, including applicable service fees, will be charged or refunded as appropriate.
  • A registration can be transferred from one event to another or one session to another only one time without incurring costs other than the fee differential. Registrations being transferred after the first transfer will be charged a service fee.

If you wish to apply a registration fee to a different event, you must contact the CPES office. Contact information can be found here.

How can an "invitation letter" be obtained for a prospective attendee from outside the United States?

An invitation letter can be obtained through a special CPES website. To begin the process, point your Internet browser to:

https://csmspace.com/visa

Instructions for obtaining the letter are provided on the website.

Attending the Event

How does one get to Golden, Colorado?

Unless you are already in the general vicinity of Golden, your first objective will be to travel to Denver, Colorado, since Golden is part of the larger Denver Metropolitan Area. Travel to and from Denver can be accomplished by air and rail.

Airlines fly into and out of Denver International Airport, abbreviated locally as 'DIA', but whose official designation is 'DEN'. The airport is located northeast of Denver and is about 40 miles by road from Golden.

Rail service is available through the national passenger rail service known as Amtrak. The train arrives at and departs from Union Station in downtown Denver, which is about 15 miles by road from Golden. Denver is served by two trains daily.

Upon arrival in Denver, most registrants seek immediate transportation to Golden. Such transportation is available through shuttle services, private limousines, Uber, Lyft, taxicabs, rental cars, bus service, and light rail.

You can find detailed information, including contact numbers and web addresses, on the Transportation page of the CPES website.

Where does one stay while attending an event?
For all events, lodging is each individual registrant's responsibility. No event includes lodging, and, except for attendees of certain events, no lodging is available on the campus of Colorado School of Mines.

On the CPES website, you'll find an 'Accommodations' page with a list of hotels, motels, and bed-and-breakfasts near the event venue, Colorado School of Mines.

Some events have arranged blocks of rooms at specific lodgings that are available at special rates. You should check the 'Accommodations' page of your event's website for full information. All of the event websites can be accessed here.

Also, please see the other FAQ relating to lodging: "Are special rates available for lodging?"

Are special rates available for lodging?
Some events have arranged blocks of rooms at specific lodgings that are available at special rates. You should check the 'Accommodations' page of your event's website for full information. All of the event websites can be accessed here.

Some lodgings near the event venue offer special rates to attendees of events at Colorado School of Mines. When making your lodging reservations, you should always inquire if such a special rate is available. ("I'm attending an event at Colorado School of Mines. Are any special rates available for me?")

Are meals provided at the event?
All events provide a continental breakfast at the beginning of each day on which the first event activity begins at 9:00 AM or earlier. A continental breakfast consists of coffee, tea, and juice along with rolls, pastry, or other baked goods. Refreshments at breaks are also provided, consisting of coffee, tea, and soft drinks along with pastry, cookies, or other sweet and/or savory snacks. The continental breakfast and break refreshments are included in your registration and are provided at no additional cost.

Some events include lunch (a mid-day meal) and some host a dinner or banquet. In some cases, the dinner/banquet may be included with your registration, while in other cases the meal is an option with additional cost.

Some events host a reception that may include cocktails and/or hor d'oeuvres, and, again, the reception may or may not be included in the basic registration fee.

Given the variety of options associated with meals, you should check the 'Fees and Registration' page of your event's website, the document attached to your confirmation email, and the receipt for your registration payment to see specifically what is and is not included in your registration.

A number of dining options are available on the Colorado School of Mines campus (information here), and a wide variety of restaurants, coffee shops, and delicatessens can be found in downtown Golden — just a couple of blocks away from the campus.

What is the weather like in Golden, Colorado?

Weather in Golden is generally what one would expect depending upon the season: cold in the winter, hot in the summer, wet in the spring, and mild in the fall. However, due to the proximity of Golden to the Rocky Mountains and the city's altitude, significant variations from the norm are always to be expected! Golden's elevation is about 5,800 feet (1,768 meters) above sea level.

Denver/Golden is a generally arid location, with only about 15 inches (38 centimeters) of equivalent rainfall annually. Precipitation comes as snow in the winter and as rain in the other seasons. Snowfall can be significant, with accumulations of greater than 6 inches (15 centimeters) being common.

More information about Golden's weather, along with links to weather-related websites, can be found on the CPES website here.

What should event attendees wear?
For most events, no particular attire is required or expected. You should wear something that is comfortable and appropriate for the weather. Often such attire is referred to as "business casual", although jeans and a tee shirt are fine, too.

Some events, particularly those that include field trips or activities at the Explosive Research Laboratory, will require all participants to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and will require that participants' clothing meet minimum requirements, such as long pants with no tears, steel toe safety shoes, etc. For events with special clothing requirements, the requirements will be specified in the document you receive with your confirmation email. The document will also specify what PPE is provided by the event and what must be provided by the participants.

What provisions are made for nursing mothers attending an event?

Colorado School of Mines provides several "Mother's Rooms" to support the wellness and parenting needs of visitors, faculty, staff, and students. These are private spaces dedicated for the purposes of expressing breast milk, nursing a child, administering medicine, and/or other medically necessary activities. Privacy is of utmost importance to the users of these spaces. More information is available for download here.

How can I find information about accommodations for those with disabilities?

The Colorado School of Mines is committed to ensuring the full participation of all students in its programs, including students with disabilities. Please contact the Continuing and Professional Education Services office (contact information at the bottom of this webpage) at your earliest convenience to discuss your needs while at Mines. For questions or other inquiries regarding disabilities, you are encouraged to visit https://disabilities.mines.edu for more information.

What do event attendees need to know about parking at the event?

Parking regulations are strictly enforced on the Colorado School of Mines campus. All visitors to campus are required to pay for parking in all locations. Additional important information about parking on campus is available on the CPES website on the Parking page.

Some events provide a discount of parking fees. Full information about the availability of the parking discount can be found in the document sent to you in your confirmation email.

Some events take place away from the campus in locations such as the CPES Training Room or the Explosive Research Laboratory. Parking at some of the off-campus locations is free. Check your confirmation email for more information about the location of your event and about the availability of free parking.

Where must attendees go and what must they do on the first day of the event?
On the first day of the event, attendees should arrive at the location of the event at least 30 minutes before the start of the first activity of the day. The document included with the confirmation email contains information about the specific location of the event and a condensed schedule for the event's activities.

Upon arriving at the event location, attendees should go to the Registration Desk, which is generally located outside of the room or rooms in which the event's activities will take place — look for signs pointing the way. At the Registration Desk, attendees will check in and will receive their name badge and other event-related materials.

Check-in is necessary only on the first day of the event (or on the first day of attendance if attending only part of the event). Once you have checked in and received your name badge, you can enter the event venue at any time.

What language is used for oral and written presentations at the event?
English is used for all oral presentations and for all presentation materials, as well as for all signage and printed material associated with all events.

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