The mission of the Watson Trading Floor is to provide students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in financial and commodity trading systems, risk management, and financial analysis.

The Floor may be reserved for a class session. When used for a class session, the instructor of record is required to be present in the room. Assigning a grad assistant to monitor the class while on the Floor is not permitted.

The Floor must be reserved at least two weeks in advance through the Department of Finance office (405-744-5199, finance@okstate.edu).The instructor of record will be notified whether or not the request has been granted. The lab monitors will be notified one week in advance of the class meeting.

The Floor will have lab hours each week. The hours will change each semester to accommodate the schedule of the lab monitors. Access will be limited to classes that require the lab’s unique software for class projects, Spears School faculty, and approved Spears School graduate assistants. Through the reservation process (see above), the lab monitors will have a list of approved students and faculty that may enter the Floor.

Spears School faculty may use the Floor for research during scheduled lab hours. They will be asked to present proper identification. However, they may also access the Floor at any other time by contacting the Department of Finance office. Spears School graduate assistants may only enter the Floor during scheduled lab hours. They will also be asked for identification.

All students’ names, including undergraduate, graduate, and the graduate assistants, must appear on an approval list for monitors in order to be admitted. This is how the monitors know you’re approved to enter the Floor. This is accomplished by properly following the reservation procedure.

There are to be absolutely no food and no drinks allowed on the Floor. If, for example, a drink is discovered, the person with the drink will be asked to take it out of the room. If he/she does not cooperate, they will run the risk of losing their Floor privileges.

The Trading Floor will not be used for casual use or for any other use that can be accomplished in the regular computer lab in the basement. For example, there will be no “chatting” or writing of a simple Word document. These can be done in the basement. Use of the Trading Floor is reserved for those that need the software that only the Floor can provide.

While working, try and familiarize yourselves as best you can with the unique software on the Trading Floor. This is so that you can help faculty or students that might be having any trouble with any of the programs.

Make sure that you have a proper sign-in sheet displayed for people entering the Trading Floor. Make sure that each person entering the Floor signs-in.

Be sure to fill out, sign, and turn in an appropriate time sheet every two weeks. These time sheets will be available from Laura Lewis in the Finance department. (time sheets only applicable during summer)

• Pick up trash.

• Lower chairs to their lowest position and push them underneath the desks.

• At least once per week, set trash containers outside the door to be picked up.

• If any diskettes are left behind, place them in one of the main desk’s drawers. This drawer will serve as a “Lost and Found” area for diskettes.

• Turn off the lights and make sure the Floor is properly locked before you leave.