A: MSU has many renowned experts on many issues, and the Department of University Relations has assembled a list of faculty willing to share with the media and general public their expertise on election-related topics. See the Election Experts Directory to search for specific experts. Please contact these faculty members directly using the contact information provided in the directory. Members of the media also may contact Media Communications at (517) 355-2281.
A: University facilities may be used for education conferences sponsored by a political party; county, state or national committee meetings of a political party; meetings or rallies with or on behalf of candidates for political office and voter registration and/or polling places, all in accordance with specific criteria outlined in MSU Board of Trustee policy University Facilities—Use for Political Activities. MSU student groups should register for use of facilities by contacting Student Life. Non-university groups should contact the Office of the Vice President of Governmental Affairs.
Access to university facilities is provided on a nonpartisan basis, in accordance with the university’s mission to educate the public. As part of that mission, the university encourages informed participation in the political process.
A: Voter education materials prepared by candidates, political parties, PACs and groups supporting or opposing ballot measures may generally be distributed in public spaces on campus on an evenhanded and nonpartisan basis. The university may place certain restrictions on the time, place and manner of distribution of leaflets and handbills, so that the distribution does not interfere with scheduled university activities, impair ingress to or egress from buildings, or block sidewalks or streets.
Distribution of material in residence halls is the subject of a student group regulation (Spartan Life, pp. 97-98). Campaign literature delivered through the U.S. mail will be placed in student mailboxes, as will written material provided by a registered student organization when addressed with the student’s name and residence hall room number. Residence halls also have designated spaces where campus organizations may leave materials for interested students to pick up. Such materials are discarded periodically.
A university ordinance prohibits attaching signs or posters to university property other than bulletin boards provided by the university. Departmental bulletins boards are reserved for university business. Specific rules available through the Department of Residence Life govern the placement of posters and signs on bulletin boards in residence halls.
University ordinances prohibit the use of sound trucks and public address equipment on campus unless a permit has been obtained from the Office of the Secretary of the Board of Trustees. Students who wish to use public address equipment should contact the Department of Student Life for assistance in making arrangements through the Office of the Secretary.
Posters on sticks and yard signs are not permitted on university property because they damage property, impede the maintenance of campus grounds, and/or pose a danger to pedestrians. Placing banners, posters, and signs on the exterior of university buildings is also prohibited.
A: Michigan State University and the city of East Lansing created the YouVote Campaign after the 2000 presidential election to address campus voter registration issues. YouVote and other activities sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Governmental Affairs and the Division of Student Affairs are designed to reach out to all students in an effort to register voters on campus.
Students who have been sworn in as deputy registrars may register voters in a residence hall after coordinating the time, place, and manner of the registration activities with the residence hall manager, resident director, and student government of the hall.
Non-university groups that wish to conduct voter registration activities on campus should contact the Office of the Vice President for Governmental Affairs and consult the University Facilities – Use for Political Activities policy.
A: Use of MSU identities, including the use of images incorporating logos, logotypes, marks, iconic symbols or MSU-specific music, in partisan political ads in any form must not imply or allow others to infer any endorsement by Michigan State University and may not be used for any purpose without permission. Contact University Relations regarding permission.
Use of generic exterior campus scenes as backdrops in ads is generally permitted, as is use of interior space not including offices, labs or classrooms. All interior shooting must be cleared in advance with relevant departments and must not interfere with university activities. No ads should include endorsements by titled employees who could be perceived, through the use of the title, to be providing endorsement on behalf of the university or any part of the university.
The university does not provide production assistance for use of its facilities in political advertisements; for that reason, university employees may not participate in on-campus ad production during their work hours, even as “faces in the crowd” or work-site “props.”
Political ad production crews working at open, official university activities must abide by the same guidelines and professional standards expected of media covering those activities, including meeting credentialing requirements when necessary. It is strongly recommended that political campaigns wishing to shoot ads on campus or in university buildings contact University Relations (517) 355-2281 for facilitation.
A: As an open marketplace of ideas, MSU encourages full, fair, and vibrant debate and discussion on “all sides” of an issue, ballot initiative, or campaigns for public office. The presence of a partisan event or a certain candidate on campus is part of MSU’s educational role, not an endorsement of a party, a ballot initiative, or an individual candidate and his or her positions on issues.
© 2008 Michigan State University Board of Trustees. East Lansing, MI 48824.
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