Issue date: 3/5/09 Section: Features

Media Credit: Jordan Bryan [Click to enlarge]

With student body elections looming, recruitment for student organizations, and the philanthropies that come with this time of year, there are a multitude of opportunities for students to get involved on campus.

Sidewalk chalk and spray chalk, however, are not University-approved ways to advertise an organization's cause on campus.

Texas A&M allows for approved ways for an organization to advertise on campus. With permission, any organization is free to customize an efficient campaign in a way the organization and the University agree is appropriate.

One way to advertise that is not approved, however, is using sidewalks, buildings and walls of closed passageways as a way to raise awareness about a club or event.

"There have become more events, and people want to notice," said Les Swick, the Physical Plant's director for facilities. "One of the ways to advertise is people use chalk."

The Physical Plant cleans chalk graffiti, which costs time and money.

"Everything strains our budget. You don't want to do anything you don't have to do," Swick said. "It does distract us from our normal routine, and any time you do that, there is an associated cost."

A campus resembling a playground does not necessarily reflect a respectable college, and Swick said it could turn away prospective students.

"I certainly think that the appearance of the campus, both buildings and landscape, have a significant impact on recruiting both students and faculty," he said.

A study conducted by the Society for College and University Planning concluded that 62 percent of high school seniors based their college choice on the campus' appearance. Most of these decisions were made within the first 15 minutes of arriving on campus.

"The landscape is continually sending messages to students, faculty and staff," the study stated.

With the appearance of the physical landscape of the campus having such an impact on recruitment, a campus littered with chalk graffiti may not accurately portray the message A&M intends to send.

"We try to respect the campus because it's a great and beautiful campus," said Cayla Netherland, a senior marketing major and chairwoman of MSC Hospitality. "There are so many people that work hard on the campus every day to keep it beautiful and we try to respect what they do."

Continued...

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