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UPPS 07.04.02 - Posting/Distribution of Literature, Informational Booths & Banners on Campus

Posting/Distribution of Literature, Informational Booths & Banners on Campus

UPPS No. 07.04.02
Issue No. 6
Effective Date: 5/06/2020
Next Review Date: 12/01/2025 (E5Y)
Sr. Reviewer: Associate Vice President for Student Success and Dean of Students

  1. POLICY STATEMENTS

    1. The purpose of this policy is to set forth Texas State University’s rules and regulations regarding distributing literature, posting signs and banners, and maintaining informational booths on the San Marcos and Round Rock campuses.

    2. This policy does not apply to solicitation. UPPS No. 07.04.03, Solicitation on Campus, Section 01.02, defines solicitation as:

      1. the sale or offer for sale of any property, goods, products, or services, including the distribution of literature to promote a commercial message; or

      2. the receipt of or request for any gift or contribution.

    3. Sometimes posting of literature may apply to campus expression. When necessary, please reference UPPS No. 07.04.05, Assembly Activities Involving Amplified Sound, Exhibits, and Erecting Symbolic Structures, and UPPS No. 07.04.07, Demonstrations on University Property.

  2. DEFINITIONS

    1. A-Frames or Easels – any upright, rigid supporting frames in the form of a triangle or an inverted V.

    2. Banners – larger signs, up to six feet in length and three feet in width.

    3. Commercial Messages – messages that encourage participation in a commercial activity, including, but not limited to, offering, advertising, or promoting a product, a service, employment, or a person.

    4. Digital Signage – signs that use technologies to display content, including but not limited to, digital images, information, video, way-finding, and streaming media for such purposes of marketing and advertising.

    5. Exhibits – displays that are intended to convey a particular message, which may include posters and signs, or furniture and furnishings, such as desks, tables, boxes, or other objects.

    6. Flyers – handbills that have advertisements or announcements for distribution.

    7. Hand-Held Signs – signs that are held by or otherwise carried, attached, or mounted on a person.

    8. Informational Booth – a table temporarily used to distribute literature.

    9. Literature – any printed material, including any newspaper, magazine, or other publication, and any leaflet, flyer, or other informal matter.

    10. Petitions – formal written requests, typically signed by many people, appealing to a particular cause.

    11. Posters – placards or bills posted or intended for posting in a public space, as for advertising, usually decorative or pictorial.

    12. Promotional Materials – any combination of media that provide participants with descriptive information on behalf of a product, cause, idea, person, or institution.

    13. Stake Signs – temporary signs that are affixed to the ground with stakes or poles and intended to be displayed for a limited period of time.

    14. Symbolic Structures – physical objects that are intended to convey a particular message. Symbolic structures may be props and displays, such as coffins, crates, crosses, cases and statues; furniture and furnishings, such as desks, tables, bookcases, and cabinets; shelters, such as tents, boxes, shanties, and other enclosures; and other objects. For more information see UPPS No. 07.04.05, Assembly Activities Involving Amplified Sound, Exhibits, and Erecting Symbolic Structures.

    15. Table-Tents – self-standing promotional units created from printed and folded cardstock and designed to be placed on any horizontal surface.

  3. PROCEDURES FOR DISTRIBUTING LITERATURE

    1. Any person may distribute literature outdoors on grounds owned or controlled by Texas State with the exception of literature that contains a commercial message. For commercial messages, please see UPPS No. 07.04.03, Solicitation on Campus. For employment messages, see Section 03.04.

    2. Permissible distribution of literature must be conducted in a manner that will not:

      1. interfere with academic or other institutional programs that are being conducted in campus facilities;

      2. interfere with the free and unimpeded flow of vehicular or pedestrian traffic on sidewalks and streets and at places of ingress and egress to and from campus buildings;

      3. use obscene or libelous language, images, or materials;

      4. harass or intimidate individuals;

      5. promote the violation of local, state, or federal law or published university policy or Texas State University System (TSUS) Rules and Regulations;

      6. constitute disorderly conduct, disrupt classroom discussion, impede maintenance of public order, or constitute a danger to the person distributing or receiving literature;

      7. litter or deface the campus grounds, such as chalking, graffiti, flyers in unapproved locations, etc.;

      8. place literature on vehicles; or

      9. share a commercial message.

    3. Although not required, it is recommended that persons schedule space for an informational booth to ensure adequate accommodations. Persons wishing to schedule space for informational booths should submit the request to Student Involvement @ LBJSC, fourth floor, LBJ Student Center.

    4. All activities related to on-campus recruiting, including posting, distributing literature, and tabling for employment opportunities are managed through Career Services. Career Services can assist an organization to devise the best outreach strategy to help meet recruiting goals, while also maintaining compliance with university policies and Career Services recruiting guidelines.

  4. PROCEDURES FOR POSTING LITERATURE

    1. Texas State maintains public bulletin boards and kiosks designated for posting literature. Each administrative unit can provide the location of each such bulletin board and kiosk in their respective building. Posting in residence halls must be approved by the director of the Department of Housing and Residential Life (DHRL), or designee.

    2. The bulletin boards and kiosks designated for posting literature are designed as limited public forums for use by Texas State students, faculty, and staff. Literature cannot include commercial messages. Texas State does not control the content of the literature placed on these boards.

    3. The following time, place, and manner regulations of literature posted include:

      1. Time:

        1. Literature may be posted for a period of 10 university days or until the day following the event, whichever comes first. A date stamp must be received from Student Involvement @ LBJSC prior to posting. Texas State may remove any sign not containing a current date stamp.

        2. The person posting literature must remove it when the posting period has expired.

      2. Place:

        1. A person may post only one item of literature on each bulletin board.

        2. A person may not place literature in a manner that obstructs other items previously posted.

      3. Manner:

        1. Literature may not exceed 22 x 28 inches in size.

        2. Persons may only post literature on paper or other material that is affixed to the bulletin board in a manner in which it can be easily removed.

        3. When posting literature on university structures such as bulletin boards, material must be dated and include contact information. This is not applicable to flyers or literature distributed by individuals.

    4. On campus, a person may not post literature on or in:

      1. a tree, shrub, or plant;

      2. a permanent sign or another sign that has been properly posted;

      3. a fence, a chain, or a fence’s support structure;

      4. a brick, concrete, or masonry structure (e.g., Alkek Library columns);

      5. a statue, monument, or similar structure;

      6. a utility pole or traffic light control junction box;

      7. a fire hydrant or any object within 25 feet of a fire hydrant;

      8. a curb or sidewalk, or the area between a curb and a sidewalk;

      9. a building or wall, except on a bulletin board attached to a building or wall;

      10. a bench or bus stop;

      11. a trash can or dumpster;

      12. a vending machine;

      13. automobiles, without the owner’s prior consent;

      14. windows;

      15. restrooms;

      16. elevators;

      17. walls, floors, stairs, and stairwells both inside and outside of structures, unless approved; or

      18. handrails throughout the Texas State campuses.

  5. PROCEDURE FOR POSTING BANNERS

    1. Banners are larger signs, up to six feet in length and three feet in width. Although the policies for literature apply in general to banners, some special provisions also apply.

      1. In the LBJ Student Center, banners may be displayed via reservation in Conference Services. Banners may also be placed on the catwalks in the Academic Services Building (ASB). These areas are non-public forums, are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and require a confirmed reservation request through the department chair for Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education, and School Psychology.

      2. Departments on campus control the walls inside their buildings and may place banners on these walls. The walls of all campus buildings are non-public forums, subject to the exclusive control of the departments occupying those buildings.

      3. Texas State may remove a banner before the reservation expires if it is damaged by weather, becomes a safety hazard, or becomes unreadable.

  6. Compliance

    1. The dean of Students, or designee, may approve reasonable exceptions to these policies in order to appropriately address special circumstances.

    2. Failure to comply with this policy may result in the removal of access to posting and distribution of literature, informational booths, and banners on campus. Individuals or organizations violating this policy could also be subject to Student Justice or Organization Conduct Procedures (OCR).

  7. PROCEDURES FOR Publicizing This Policy

    1. Publication of the policy and related procedures will be made available annually:

      1. by the dean of Students, through the Texas State Student Handbook;

      2. by a memorandum from the director of the LBJ Student Center to the university community; and

      3. by a letter from the director of the LBJ Student Center to all registered student organizations.

  8. REVIEWERS OF THIS UPPS

    1. Reviewers of this UPPS include the following:

      PositionDate
      Associate Vice President for Student Success and Dean of StudentsDecember 1 E5Y
      Director, LBJ Student CenterDecember 1 E5Y
      Associate Director, Student InvolvementDecember 1 E5Y
  9. CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

    This UPPS has been approved by the following individuals in their official capacities and represents Texas State policy and procedure from the date of this document until superseded.

    Associate Vice President for Student Success and Dean of Students; senior reviewer of this UPPS

    Vice President for Student Success

    President