As The Terrapin Times reported in its April 2003 edition, groups acting in violation of university policy regarding advertising cost students and taxpayers approximately $30,000 annually according to Harry Teabout, Director of Building and Landscape Services. Taping or pasting flyers and chalking on vertical surfaces, including brick walls and light posts, is prohibited by university regulations.

Students and Workers Unite (SAWU) and the Operation S.I.C.K (Stop Inciting Children to Kill) campaign are the latest student organizations to join in the policy breaking. “Op S.I.C.K” has been using signs and masking tape through various methods to break the rules in their campaign to bring www.opsick.com’s message to campus. The Students and Workers Unite organization continues in the tradition of their sisters at the Peace Forum by using glue to attach flyers to light posts. Numerous other student organizations continuously violate regulations by taping flyers to sidewalks or other prohibited surfaces, and by chalking on surfaces other than sidewalks, many violating regulations unknowingly.

According to Teabout, Building and Landscape Services is continuing its efforts to stop the violations. He told The Terrapin Times, “[Building and Landscape Services] removes all flyers that are not on kiosks. We turn them in (one copy) to Kathy Broady of Campus Reservations who attempts to contact the group and change the behavior.” He reminded The Times that they, “seldom receive funding” from groups in violation. Ms. Broady, however, informed The Terrapin Times that Building and Landscape Services “hasn’t sent me flyers in years.”

According to Ms. Broady, the Office of Campus Reservations sends each organization’s president a letter outlining the policy regarding advertising in addition to the office’s handbook on the subject. Aside from the fact that no outside organizations are permitted to post information, the letter states that, “Approved locations for posting materials include kiosks, public bulletin boards, display and showcases, banners and print media bins. Posting of materials on buildings, walls, trees, sidewalks, utility poles, etc. is prohibited. Removal of materials from these locations may result in student organizations being billed by the Facilities Department and/or referred to the Office of Judicial Programs.”

The problem, according to Broady, is that, “[violators have] never been punished.” Obviously frustrated she added, “if someone would fine the heck out of these groups...they might learn. If I [had the power], I’d be billing them.” She recognized that, “they won’t discontinue doing it until someone holds them accountable.” Other punishments Broady recommended include revoking organization status and assigning community service, “including taking down flyers and cleaning up chalk.”

Steve Adams, Assistant Director of Operations for the Office of Campus Reservations, called the flyering epidemic, “[as] big a problem as the campus has [right now.]” He concurred with Broady the fact that a main cause of continued violation is the lack of enforcement. He added that, “it’s always the blame game.” He told The Terrapin Times that a large problem in enforcing the regulations is finding out just who is responsible. His office gets frustrated by student groups denying involvement when accused of violating regulations. But he conceded that, “if we don’t know who did it,” and was too frustrated to finish his statement. What is even more frustrating to Adams is that he realizes that the president of each organization should be held responsible for their group’s actions, no matter the specific culprit, but again there is no one enforcing the policies.

Adams and Broady agreed that manpower is a big hassle when trying to clean up after groups who disregard policy. Current budget problems at the university find more and more workers being released, when more and more workers are needed to keep the campus presentable. Broady asks for students’ help in solving this problem: “It’s the students’ right and responsibility to remove policy breaking signs.” Adams added, “it’s their campus,” and it’s about time students get fed up with the garbage.

My Take: If groups claim to be working to make this campus better, fight for workers’ rights, love the environment, or be supporters of any other cause, they should start by being responsible for themselves and following the university policies demanded of them. Follow the rules, post flyers on kiosks and bulletin board, chalk on the sidewalks; don’t create a mess that you don’t want to clean up. It’s not the administration’s job to clean up after you, but it should come down hard when you break its rules.

It may seem a little silly to only be allowed to post flyers on bulletin boards and kiosks. But look around and you’ll see why. Duct tape dried to the sidewalk, chalk stains left on building faces, months old flyers still on light posts, and quarter sheets littering the mall make the campus ugly, and it’s the fault of groups who just don’t care.

Ms. Broady informed The Terrapin Times that the idea of re-installing numerous kiosks has been brought up time and time again. Let your SGA legislators know your groups want more space for advertising. According to Adams, there are, “so many other way than flyers,” but groups don’t bother to find out. Websites through the InforM Network, the University Events Calendar, and purchasing ads in The Terrapin Times are all legitimate ways of getting your message out.

From my discussion with Ms. Broady and Mr. Adams, it seems as though they are both incredibly upset by this problem, and do everything in their power to fight it. Building and Landscape Service’s Director Harry Teabout, on the other hand, seems to place the cutting of grass behind CSPAC above overall campus appearance. When presented with the idea that groups continue disrespectful behavior due to lack of university priority, Teabout responded, “This is probably true…” Mr. Teabout brings in a salary of $93,801 annually (which places him in the top 10% of earners in the nation, according to IRS statistics from FY2000); Broady’s and Adam’s combined income tops Teabouts by $14,299. Who is being paid to make this issue a priority?

The Terrapin Times is dedicated to pressing this issue until the administration starts enforcing its policies. In addition to posting the “Regulations for Advertising at the University of Maryland,” the “Policy on Chalking,” and the letter each group president receives on the newspaper website (www.theterrapintimes.com), The Terrapin Times will keep an up-to-date list available to its readers, including the administration, of groups currently in violation of campus policy. This list is not intended to pick out any specific groups or target certain causes; it will exist to present an unbiased, factual representation of campus organizations that ignore, knowingly or unknowingly, university policies that are meant to benefit the student body.

Currently, the following groups can be found in various forms of violations. Whether it be flyers taped to sidewalks or buildings, chalk on walls or stairs, or other illegal practices, the College Democrats, Dancin’ Divas, Delta Gamma Sorority, “DiamondCrap,” Erasable Inc., International Socialist Organization, International Solidarity Movement (sponsored by Students for Justice in Palestine), Jewish Social Action Committee, Korean Campus Ministry, Operation S.I.C.K., Pandemonium, Peace Forum, Pre-Med Society, Senior Council, Sketchup, Skydive, Students and Workers Unite, and WMUC are in violation of university policies regarding advertising on campus.

If you notice other groups in blatant violation of campus policy, please inform The Terrapin Times by e-mailing news@theterrapintimes.com.