Student Involvement Policies

Table of Contents

• Program Planning
• Outdoor Displays and Chalking
• Posting, Selling and Distribution of Written Material
• Great Hall Policy
• Raffles/Small Lotteries
• Video Copyright

Program planning

Program planning and registration is a REQUIRED process that student organizations must complete before any event with the professional staff in the Center for Student Involvement.

By registering your events, your organization will receive:

• Inclusion on the weekly Monday email to all students
• Staff assistance with planning the event and eliminating red tape in the process
• Some liability coverage which is dependent upon the type of event that is being planned Recognized student organizations or honoraries need to register their events and meetings when any of the following conditions exist:
• Money is exchanged and/or donations are solicited; all fundraising events 64
• Insurance is needed (the activity is open to the public and NWU or city buildings/grounds are used). Please note that if additional insurance coverage is needed, your organization may incur the cost of insurance
• Any special permits are necessary
• The event is a field trip
• Food is prepared or sold (if event is on campus, groups must use Sodexo)
• Event requires a contract from any outside source, i.e. band, vendor, etc.
• Reservations for campus facilities are required • Raffles must follow specific procedures as governed by Nebraska state law
• The event is co-sponsored with a commercial or contract service Registration of Fraternity & Sorority Events

All events and philanthropies sponsored by NWU fraternities and sororities, as well as those sponsored by Panhellenic Council, Inter Fraternity Council and Order of Omega must be registered with the assistant director of Student Involvement at least one full week prior to the event. Registration ensures compliance with all federal, state and university policies as well as best practices. Failure to complete the registration process can result in the event not being approved and the organization not being able to sponsor the event.

Outdoor displays and chalking by recognized student organizations

Recognized student organizations have a right to express themselves and their opinions at Nebraska Wesleyan University without disciplinary recourse unless the expression adversely affects the University’s educational mission or violates the Code of Student Conduct. Only recognized student organizations will be granted permission to place displays or chalk on campus grounds. Certain obligations must be upheld by those who seek to use outdoor space on campus for displays or chalking purposes.

• Reservations must be made with the Center for Student Involvement. Chalking will only be allowed August 14-December 1 and March 12-April 30 due to weather restrictions.
• Student organizations must register outdoor displays or chalking with the Center for Student Involvement. The Center for Student Involvement staff must receive a full description or drawing of the display before it is approved.
• The student organization will work with the Physical Plant staff to determine an appropriate outdoor space for the display. Taylor Commons will not be used for public displays without permission from the director of the Recreation and Athletic Facilities and the Physical Plant.
• The display or chalking must clearly indicate the sponsoring student organization’s name and must include dates the outdoor display will be viewed.
• The display may not infringe on the rights of other members of the University community through intentional obstruction, which may interfere with the freedom of safe pedestrian or vehicle traffic in the area of the display.
• The display or chalking must not be lewd, indecent and/or obscene nor disrupt the academic activities or other normal operations of the University.
• The display must be removed within two days by the sponsoring student organization immediately following the end of the approved date for it to be approved.
• Chalking is only allowed on sidewalk areas exposed to the weather so that it can be easily washed away by rain. In the event that rain does not wash away the chalking at the end of the event or display, the student organization must work with Grounds to clean up the display.
• Chalking and/or marking walls, brick, outdoor fixtures or the exterior on any building is prohibited.
• Chalk will be provided by the Center for Student Involvement. No other chalk is to be used.

Posting, selling and distribution of written material

Nebraska Wesleyan University defines “posting” as publicly placing any written materials including posters, flyers, banners and signs for display on any campus property. In order to post any materials on the Nebraska Wesleyan campus these guidelines must be followed:

• All materials must be stamped and approved by an authorized staff member in the Center for Student Involvement (including materials to be distributed at booths reserved in the Great Hall and to students through their student mail boxes). Materials that are not stamped will be removed by custodial staff or facility managers. The only exception is professionally-produced posters for Nebraska Wesleyan events, which do not need to be stamped.
• If there are questions or concerns about the appropriateness of material, a decision will be made by the Dean of Students or his representative. Either individual has the authority to revoke an approval inadvertently made, a fraudulently stamped posting, or an approval that constitutes an error in judgment.
• All materials must identify the sponsoring Wesleyan group or organization. These may include a recognized student organization or a University department or organization. Any other group must receive special approval to post or distribute materials. That organization is responsible for removing posted materials according to the date stamped.
• Materials may be posted only on designated bulletin boards. Materials may not be posted on glass surfaces, waxed floor surfaces, painted walls, brick or tile surfaces or wood surfaces including banisters. Approved materials may be posted on the wood surface above the student mailboxes outside the Mail Center in Smith Curtis.
• All table tents, with the exception of those commercially produced, must fit in the table tent holders in the Prairie Point Dining Hall and Archway Café and must be approved by the Center for Student Involvement.
• Table tents are reserved on a first come, first serve basis. Reservations for placement of table tents will be made through the Center for Student Involvement. The table tent holders will accommodate a 5" x 7" card of information to publicize an event. The Graphics Center can assist with making these cards. Table tents may only be posted for one week.
• Materials must not contain obscenities of any kind, racist, sexist, or homophobic implications, and must not have alcohol, drugs or smoking as the focus of the posting (educational materials about alcohol, drugs, or smoking may be approved for posting). Materials (with the exception of those approved for posting on the Sales and Services board) must not contain any advertisements for private companies or individuals (materials relating to approved co-sponsored activities may be allowed with prior approval by the Center for Student Involvement).
• Any materials that do not follow these guidelines will be removed. Persons defacing or removing approved, unexpired materials are subject to disciplinary action.
• A student, group, or organization may hand-distribute materials on the campus grounds outdoors without prior approval only if the authors and publisher are clearly identified, and such distribution does not disrupt any operations of the institution. Distributed materials must not contain any obscenities or lewd implications.
• Advertising from off-campus vendors and individual for-sale or service postings must be approved and stamped and must be posted only on the board designated for this purpose, which is located in the Mail Center. Any off-campus vendor soliciting members of the Nebraska Wesleyan University community is referred to the Vice President for Finance and Administration prior to any selling or solicitation (unless a co-sponsorship agreement has been executed with the Center for Student Involvement).
• All materials to be distributed through the Mail Center must be no smaller than one-fourth sheet of paper or they will not be inserted in boxes. Any mass distribution by student organizations must be approved by the Center for Student Involvement. In the case of materials to be distributed for classes (for example, surveys) the class name and professor’s name must be visible on all materials. In addition, all mail must include a return address and the name of the individual or sponsoring organization distributing the material. Mass mailings will be distributed by Mail Center staff, or by student organization members under the supervision of Mail Center staff. Persons should allow two complete business days for on-campus mail to be delivered. Advertising from off-campus vendors must be approved by the Office of Student Life prior to distribution through mailboxes.
• Booths in Great Hall may be reserved through the Center for Student Involvement by recognized student organizations or University departments or by organizations of particular interest to our community for distribution of information, approved fundraising activity, elections, or related activities. Display tables in the Student Center may be reserved through the Center for Student Involvement for these same purposes.
• Banners may be displayed in Great Hall in such a way that they assist in campus promotion in an attractive and effective format. Banners must be created so that they are aesthetically pleasing and grammatically correct. The Center for Student Involvement will approve banners that are deemed to be attractive and correctly presented (no misspellings, for example). Up to two banners may be displayed at any one time on the east, south, and west banisters of Great Hall. The north lower stairway railing may be reserved only for professionally-produced banners for major events (for example, Wesleyan Weekend). No banners will be hung across the Great Hall. Exceptions for non-banner materials to be hung in this location (for example flags) must be approved by the director of Center for Student Involvement. Banners may be hung for a maximum of two weeks.
• Any off-campus employer soliciting employees must be approved by the Director of the Career Center.
• Materials cannot be distributed on the top of tables in the Student Center or other campus buildings. Any materials distributed in this manner will be removed. Only materials displayed in the table tent holders will be allowed.

Great Hall policy

The principal purposes of the Great Hall are to provide a passageway into and out of the offices and classrooms located in the Smith-Curtis Classroom-Administration Building and to serve as a gathering space for students and others and as a place for approved information distribution.

Events may be scheduled in the Great Hall, especially when an alternate facility cannot accommodate the unique needs of a particular event. A proposal for use of the Great Hall for a special event must include a complete description of the event; set-up information; and how the event will be scheduled to avoid disruption of teaching and administrative functions. The proposal will require a minimum of two weeks for consideration.

The Office of Admissions has responsibility to administer this policy. Any appeal to a decision by this office may be made to the Provost.

Raffles/small lotteries

Any student organization must receive approval from the Center for Student Involvement for any fundraiser, including small lotteries and raffles before any printing or distribution of tickets. The organization is responsible for complying with Nebraska State law when engaging in these activities. Detailed procedures are available in the Center for Student Involvement and includes these steps:

1. Register your raffle with Center for Student Involvement and the Business Office.
2. Make sure that the proceeds will not exceed $5,000 and will be used for charitable or community betterment purposes.
3. Determine that sales tax on the prizes has been or will be paid.
4. Print tickets that are validated; sequentially numbered; and the same size, shape, and weight.
5. Bring raffle tickets to the Business Office for an audit before you begin to sell the tickets.
6. Bring raffle ticket stubs, any remaining tickets, and all money collected to the Business Office for an audit after you have finished selling the tickets, but before the drawing.
7. If proceeds are expected to exceed $5,000, please contact the Business Office regarding the appropriate procedure.

Video copyright

Federal copyright law restricts the use of video to private showings and prohibits their public performances. A public performance is one at a place open to the public or any place where a substantial number of persons gathered outside of a normal circle of a family or its social acquaintances is gathered. The performance of a video by students in a residence hall, common area, or lounge is considered by Nebraska Wesleyan to be violation of copyright law and such performances are prohibited. They are likewise prohibited in the Story Student Center unless performance rights have been purchased from the copyright holder. For information about purchasing performance rights, contact the Center for Student Involvement (402) 465-2412.