Displays and Posting on Campus

In pursuit of a Christ-honoring community experience, the university will not allow the posting, display or distribution of any materials (images, films, photographs, flyers, posters, etc.) that are contrary, in appearance or content, to the below guidelines, to Biola’s Theological Positions or the Community Standards of the university.

Displaying and posting images, films, notices, signs, etc., on Biola’s campus is a privilege, not a right. The Office of University Communications will determine whether to approve, deny or delay any displays or postings based on timing, location, content, community appropriateness and posting policy requirements. The decision of the Senior Director of University Communications (or his/her designee) on these issues will be based on the approval processes outlined below, and will be final. Biola University acknowledges that a policy of this nature may not anticipate every possible issue that may arise with respect to on-campus posting. As a result, the university reserves the right to impose reasonable restrictions and/or requirements with respect to time, place, content, and manner of display or posting activities. These restrictions may be in addition to, or in lieu of, those set forth in this policy.

In addition, the displaying or posting of visual images, content or materials must not be obscene or defamatory and must not violate university policy or federal, state or local laws. Messages or images that are determined by Office of University Communications to be threatening, derogatory, disruptive, offensive, inflammatory, intimidating or in poor taste will not be approved.

Since Biola regularly welcomes visitors throughout the year, all displays or postings not suitable for viewing by guests of all ages will be subject to restrictions of time, manner and location.

Note: The Biola University Campus Aesthetics Committee oversees the university’s art collection, and they have jurisdiction over all permanent public art displays, and all works of art that are part of the University Art Collection. Please refer to the Campus Art policy for its guidelines.

On a college campus, one effective method of introducing people to new ideas and points of view is to communicate those ideas through the visual artistic mediums of film, open art gallery exhibitions, and publicly displayed images and photographs. These may also include paintings, prints, drawings, small-scale statues or sculptures physically located on campus. We affirm that these visual artistic mediums and displays may play a role in deepening the Christian life.

Visual media like works of art or graphic images can enhance the educational experience, deepening a sense of place and the experience of space, stimulating diverse viewer responses, encouraging questioning and creating lively gathering spots. Films, art exhibitions, images and photographs and the increased use of online social media sites within the formal classroom can be especially helpful in explaining current and historical events or communicating an important idea. While the university encourages using a variety of appropriate tools for educational growth, there is also a need for careful consideration in showing provocative and potentially disturbing images on campus. We seek to balance intellectual, spiritual and visual provocation with a respect for the diverse activities that take place in such spaces around campus.

We are committed to finding ways and appointing times and public places on campus where information, including depictions of victims of injustice, can be disseminated. We also respect the rights of those who do not wish to view such materials and we will ensure that clear warning signs are posted concerning public displays that may be disturbing. If students, as well as other viewers, are not prepared for such content, it could disrupt a safe learning environment and inappropriately evoke unsettling and/or disturbing emotions.

In seeking to create safe learning environments, while not diminishing the power of the visual mediums, the university encourages the following questions be asked by those seeking to display or post graphic images:

• What is the purpose of this imagery or display?
• Is the primary purpose to provoke an emotional response or to educate about a particular topic?
• Is showing disturbing images or film the most educational effective way to communicate a message about this topic?
• What is the message that viewers should receive by seeing these images?
• Will the viewers be provided with adequate context to understand the message accurately?
• Is this imagery appropriate for the audience that will see it?
• Are these images useful in making inferences, deductions or generalizations about the topic?
• Do people have the choice to view or avoid the images?
• If viewers choose to see the images, do they have the appropriate resources to process their response(s) to the images?

With the above understandings and the expressed prior approval of the Senior Director of University Communications, graphic images, such as those portraying victims of injustice, may be displayed in the following publicly accessible area of campus:

• Sutherland Way (between the small fountain and the Bell Tower)

Students or student groups posting graphic images on campus will be asked to submit a public expression and forum permit (available at forms.biola.edu) upon request through campus coordination.

The term "posters" shall refer to any and all temporary informational or promotional communication items, such as posters, flyers, placards, banners, etc. This policy also covers banners, flyers, posters and/or materials visible at approved information tables and display or retail booths.

Neither the contents of this policy nor the receipt of an approval for posting should in any way be understood as an endorsement of support by Biola University of the materials being posted or the products or services being advertised.

For posting purposes, advertisers are divided into either commercial or non-commercial categories:

• Commercial ventures may only advertise in the Chimes, on Biola radio and/or in the Biolan, at the discretion of those organizations. This includes banks, restaurants and coffeehouses, theaters or other entertainment establishments, housing rentals and merchants. Such for-profit endeavors may not post material on campus.
• Non-commercial ventures may advertise through campus flyers and posters. This includes Biola club-, hall- or team-sponsored functions; university-based/sponsored events or Biola-official partnerships with churches and charitable organizations.

1. All posters (as defined above) must be submitted to the Office of University Communications for approval. University Communications has the discretion to review and approve the content of the poster, the quality and timing of the message.
2. One copy of the poster (digital file or hard copy), along with the name and phone number of the person/agency requesting approval, will be retained by the Office of University Communications.\
3. Posters advertising student run and/or student serving events and programs will receive approval from professional staff in the Office of Campus Engagement, located in the office in the Upper Student Union Building. All posting policies below still apply.
4. Upon receiving approval, each copy of the poster must be stamped with both an “Approved” stamp and an expiration date before posting. Any poster found posted without official University Communications or Student Development approval will be removed and discarded. Only official Biola departmental postings are exempt from this requirement.
5. A maximum of 25 copies of any one flyer may be posted; a maximum of 5 posters (larger than 24” x 36”) may be posted; a maximum of 6 placards (posters staked into the ground) may be posted (see "Placard Policy" below).

Questions related to the above process may be sent to student.comm@biola.edu.

All images, photographs, flyers and posters, etc., shall be displayed no longer than 14 days or until the date of the event being advertised, whichever comes first. It is the responsibility of the person or organization posting to remove the material(s) before the expiration date or two days after the event, whichever comes first. The posting mechanism (tacks/pushpins/stakes, etc.) must also be removed.

Organizations that do not remove their signs by the deadline will be subject to disciplinary process, which may include paying restitution to Facilities Services for the cost of sign removal, or the removal of future posting privileges.

Poster putty, tape, or staples are not to be used. Use tacks/pushpins only. Organizations causing damage to University property, facilities, equipment, furnishings, or landscaping will be billed for repairs and/or repainting.

Additional information regarding placards (posters staked into the ground) is below (see "Placard Policy").

Posting of flyers/posters is allowed on bulletin boards or other designated areas. Posting is not permitted in restrooms, on windows, glass, pillars, light or sign poles, bollards, signage, and/or on the outside of buildings. For safety reasons, posting horizontally on sidewalks, roads or other walking surfaces is not allowed. Use tacks/pushpins to post the flyers. Staples, poster putty, duct tape/packing tape/shipping tape are not to be used. Organizations causing damage to university property, facilities, equipment, furnishings or landscaping will be billed for repairs and/or repainting.

• Bell Tower
• Bookstore
• Chase Gymnasium
• Street signs or directional signs
• The Library

• Outside Café: Bulletin boards are located to the left of doors.
• Rose Hall: Posting is allowed on the bulletin boards located on the two pillars outside the front door.
• Metzger: Bulletin boards are located near the stairwell, ground floor.
• Sutherland Hall: Bulletin boards are located on exterior pillars. Interior bulletin boards are for official department postings only.

The following locations require additional approval following approval from University Communications:

• Rosemead Office: See the school’s dean for approval.
• Inside Café: Cafe management must approve posting of materials inside the dining hall. Student Development may approve posting in the lobby but “No Posting” areas must be observed.
• Student Services: See receptionist for additional approval. Limited posting.
• Residence Halls: Resident Directors must approve the location of posting (see below).
• Myers & Feinberg Halls: Posting must be approved in advance and stamped "Approved" by the Talbot receptionist, ext. 5500. Posting on official bulletin boards only. No materials of any kind may be posted on interior or exterior walls or windows.
• Student Union Building (SUB): Approval from the Office of SGA required for posting on or in the SUB.
• Crowell Hall: See Music Department secretary for additional approval, ext. 4892. Limited posting.

Exceptions to these restrictions must be approved in advance by the Office of University Communications.

Posting is allowed in Residence Halls with the permission and oversight of the Resident Director, with the following instructions:

• Adhesives: postings may be hung only by poster putty, masking tape, or painter’s tape.
• Locations: postings may not be hung on fire doors or building entrance/exit doors.

Chalking on sidewalks is permitted under limited circumstances, and is subject to removal at the discretion of the Office of University Communications:

• Only ‘sidewalk chalk’ or other temporary, washable chalk may be used.
• Only cement sidewalks may be chalked. Blacktop or pavers may not be chalked.
• Only exterior sidewalks in ‘residential’ and ‘recreational’ areas may be chalked, such as areas around residence halls or near the SUB. Sidewalks surrounding academic or administrative buildings are not eligible. In cases of uncertainty, contact the Communications Manager at ext. 5382 or at student.comm@biola.edu. Interior surfaces are to never be chalked.

Removal: Correctly applied chalkings will either wear off or be removed after a few days during regular maintenance by Biola staff. If chalking is incorrectly applied, the student(s) or organization involved will bear the responsibility and cost of having the chalk removed.

Placards (laminated signs mounted to stakes and inserted in the ground) may be posted only in the six approved placard areas around campus:

• Outside the Café (two areas in the walkway)
• Outside Mayers Auditorium
• Outside the Rose of Sharon Prayer Chapel, next to the crosswalk on University Drive
• Outside Hope Hall, across from the baseball field
• By the walkway between Horton Hall and Emerson

Below is a map showing the locations of these posting areas, circled in red:

Only one placard per group or event may be posted in each approved posting area. The placard must be inserted into the ground within one (1) foot from the adjacent sidewalk containing the "APPROVED POSTING AREA" sign. Placards must not protrude into sidewalks or be higher than 36 inches off the ground at their top edge.

Placards placed in areas other than the approved posting areas will be removed by university staff. Additional placards for the same group/event will be removed by university staff. Placards that are not laminated will be removed by university staff.

Biola encourages our students to follow Christ wholeheartedly, to speak up boldly for those who cannot speak for themselves and to speak the truth with grace. We will not silence students who believe God is leading them to speak up for victims of injustice.

As a community abiding in truth, abounding with grace, and compelled by Christ’s love to be a relevant and redemptive voice in a changing world, Biola University aspires to lead a more meaningful Christian commitment to the visual arts and to enrich the university’s intellectual environment by placing thought-provoking images and works of art in strategic locations across the campus, and to give expression in visual form to the educational, cultural, historical, social and spiritual dimensions of the university environment.