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NEWS / WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
ROCK CHALK RESTRICTION
New policy limits sidewalk chalking
BY LUYAN WANG
lwang@kansan.com
Businesses and others outside the University community will no longer be allowed to write on campus sidewalks to advertise events. A new University policy that takes effect Aug.1 will ban anyone who isn't registered with the Student Involvement and Leadership Center from chalking without permission from the University Events Committee.
Senior Vice Provost Don Steeples said sidewalks were used to transport people from place to place and said people should put their advertisements on bulletin boards if they wanted publicity.
Student Union Activities President Rachel Anderson said the new policy would help reduce confusion among students and keep the bulliten boards and campus more organized. Anderson said the new policy would help to better promote SUA.
"From an SUA perspective, it's hard to get the word out when there is so much clutter on the bulletin boards and on the streets of campus," Anderson said.
Anyone who chalks in violation of this policy can be charged with violation of a criminal offense under state law for criminal damage to state property, according to the new policy. Chalking by unauthorized individuals or groups will be removed immediately. The people involved will be subject to University disciplinary proceedings and may be charged for the cost of cleanup.
"If they want to test us in court, we will be glad to run the test in court." Steeples said.
Steeples said the policy, which has taken more than two years to develop, was meant to make the sidewalks more available to registered student groups. Steeples said the provost's office had discussed the policy with Student Success, Facilities Operations,
and more than a dozen administrators, faculty members and students. Chalking is only permitted on horizontal campus sidewalks with water-soluble, dry stick sidewalk chalk by registered University groups and student and campus organizations.
"If we had billboards, we wouldn't allow someone to use our billboard for free," Steeples said. "Why should we allow people to do advertising on our sidewalks for free?"
Jessie Plotkin, manager at Envy clothing store, 911 Massachusetts St., said chalking on sidewalks was a way to get the store's name out, and the new policy was silly.
"We have to change our marketing strategy" Plotkin said.
Ryan Lantz, general manager at Abe and Jake's Landing, 8 E. Sixth St., said the bar would turn its advertising focus toward social media.
Attorney and journalism professor Mark Johnson said other universities had chalking policies, but most only
specified what type of chalks could be used and where it was allowed. Some universities require organizations to give advance notice and make sure signs are removed within a week after the event.
Steeples said the outside individuals and groups basically couldn't get permission to chalk on campus, but Johnson said the new policy didn't clearly state that.
The new chalking policy has two separate categories: registered campus groups and everyone else. Johnson said a policy that only allows one category to advertise on sidewalks raised some legal questions.
"I will be curious to find out what their legal reason of this for saying this policy is consistent with free speech," Johnson said.
Steeples said the policy especially wanted to address the use of materials other than water-soluble sidewalk chalk — such as paint or aerosol spray chalk — and chalking on surfaces that
were difficult to clean - such as walls and stair risers, covered sidewalks and brick surfaces - because such practices placed increased demands on the University's maintenance budget.
Facilities Operations landscape maintenance project manager Michael Lang said he and his employees only cleaned up chalking done with non-water-soluble products, and that most chalking was washed away by rain.
Facilities Operations director Douglas Riat said the University spent between $3,000 and $4,000 to remove graffiti and chalk every year.
Students have opposing opinions on this issue. Lauren Hopper, a senior from Kansas City, Kan., said the new policy didn't really matter as long as state property was protected.
But Andrew Farmers, a graduate student from Spring Hill, said anyone who wanted to chalk on campus should be able to.
"It sucks," Farmers said.