Overview

The following policy applies to and sets forth the guidelines for all postings on campus by Wheaton students or Wheaton student organizations (recognized and unrecognized). “Postings” include but are not limited to: posters, flyers, table tents, signs, banners, chalked messages, lawn displays, and all other methods of mass distribution of written information. This policy will help distinguish information distributed by non-Wheaton community members to ensure the safety of our community. Postings from individuals outside Wheaton are prohibited.

The College supports posting for campus-related events and to allow students to express themselves freely. The College must ensure, however, that no member of the community is directly intimidated, harassed, or subjected to a hostile learning, living, or work environment. All postings must therefore adhere to the College’s policies, including but not limited to:

The College does not seek to limit or change the content of postings; the College seeks to ensure that postings comply with the above policies.

Locations for Postings

Postings may only be put up on designated bulletin boards or in designated areas on the campus. Postings on bulletin boards may only be affixed with thumbtacks, push pins, staples, painter’s tape, or magnets. Postings made on hard surfaces may only be affixed with painter’s tape.

Postings may not be displayed on walls, windows, interior or exterior doors, glass, poles, painted surfaces (doors), chalkboards, furnishings, the exterior of any residential building, or emergency items (for example, fire extinguisher, fire alarm pull station, etc.). Students may display postings on their personal residential room door and room window with the permission of all residents of the room.

Due to space limitations, an individual or student organization may put up only one copy of a posting on each designated bulletin board or designated area. Placing postings over the postings of other sponsoring individuals or student organizations is not permitted. If space is not available on a particular bulletin board or designated area, space must become available before an additional posting is made.

Registration Process

All postings must receive approval from the Dean of Students Office, Residential Life, or the Student Activities, Involvement & Leadership Office (SAIL) before they are posted.

All student-sponsored and student organization-sponsored postings must receive approval through Wheaton’s Engage platform prior to posting. The Dean of Students Office, Residential Life, and SAIL are responsible for the review and initial decision regarding a posting’s approval or denial.

  1. Students affiliated with a recognized student organization  must submit their posting through their Engage pages.
  2. For any students not affiliated with a recognized student organization, office or department at Wheaton, they must submit their posting image through the Posting Request Form, found on the Engage homepage.

Postings must be submitted five (5) business days in advance of the event/desired date of posting. All postings must clearly demonstrate the individual or student organization sponsor and include the sponsor’s Wheaton College email address. Postings that do not identify the sponsor and/or do not include the sponsor’s contact information will not receive approval from the Dean of Students Office, Residential Life, or SAIL. Postings that are not posters or flyers, such as chalking or A-Frame Boards, must have their event approved prior to implementation.

In addition to abiding by the policies noted above, postings may not:

  1. Include an individual’s likeness without their written consent;
  2. Be in violation of copyright law;
  3. Be more than one, 11×18” page in length.

Additionally, we recommend that flyers not contain personal contact information such as home address, phone number, or personal social media accounts.

Within three (3) business days of receipt of a proposed posting, the Dean of Students Office, Residential Life, or SAIL will review the posting in line with the above and will either approve or deny the posting on Engage. If revisions/alterations are made to a posting after it has received approval, the revised/altered posting must be submitted again through Engage. If the Dean of Students Office, Residential Life, or SAIL does not provide approval, the individual or student organization sponsor may submit an appeal by email to [email protected]. A committee, consisting of one representative from the Dean of Students Office, SAIL, and Residential Life, will issue a decision within three (3) business days of receipt of the written appeal; the committee’s decision will be final.

Only postings that have received approval from the Dean of Students Office, Residential Life, or SAIL may be posted on campus. Approval does not imply College endorsement of the posting or its content.

Chalking

All chalking must be respectful and abide by the Free Expression Policy, the Honor Code, the Bias Incident Policy, and the Student Community Standards. Chalking may be done on any paved walkway on campus.  Chalking is not permitted on walls, stairways, or under awnings and entrances to buildings. The use of paint, chalk paint, or liquid chalk of any kind is not permitted for such messages.

Removal of Postings

The College retains the discretion to remove any posting that does not comply with this policy. Such postings will be reported to the Dean of Students Office and the sponsor may be invited for discussion regarding the posting and/or referred to the student conduct process. All Wheaton staff share the responsibility to remove non-compliant postings.

Postings must be removed by their sponsor(s) within 48 hours after the date of their event, or three weeks after your posting has received approval – whichever comes first. The College will remove postings that are not removed by the sponsor in a timely manner. Continuous failure by sponsors to remove postings may result in a restriction of posting privileges.

All postings, regardless of content, will be removed in order to make room for new content at the close of each semester (December, May, and August). 

Removing and/or defacing postings without authorization may constitute vandalism or censorship and those involved may be referred to the student conduct process.

Violations of this Policy

Violations of this policy may result in an individual or student organization being referred to the student conduct process or a restriction in posting privileges.