Publicity, Outside Organizations and Solicitation on Campus

Postering

All posters, banners, photo displays, and other installations—referred to below collectively as “posters”—are subject to the following guidelines regardless of their content.

All posters must be sponsored by a registered student group, a registered faculty or staff group, a department, administrative unit, or an individual who is an enrolled student or current employee of the College. All posters must include the date of posting and the name of the individual or sponsoring organization, department, or unit, and all posters will be removed two weeks after they are placed or the day following an event/activity, whichever is sooner.

Any individual, group, department, or unit must:

Use official Bowdoin logos and wordmarks (e.g., the Bowdoin seal) only with express permission of the Office of Communications.
Hang posters only in the designated area(s) for the campus building (as indicated by corkboard or signage on the wall).
Obtain express advance permission from the area’s poster manager before hanging any items that are larger than standard poster size (11x17), like banners, or are outside any of the other parameters laid out here.

The following postering activities are not permitted:

Monopolizing or dominating any one designated area or the designated areas generally – spaces for postering should be available to all;
Covering or moving other posters;
Damaging building surfaces, including using duct tape or other posting methods that have the potential for such damage;
Posting on the outside of buildings, outside spaces (such as Hyde Plaza or quads), or the surfaces of campus monuments; and
For the safety of those exiting and entering buildings, posting on glass doors. Posting on interior solid doors and glass sidelights is permitted if it is a designated poster area in the applicable building and posting on many but not all solid exterior doors is permitted; check with the area’s poster manager before proceeding.

Departments, halls, and any buildings with poster display spaces should:

Designate “poster managers” so that there is one such manager for every qualifying building and/or floor on campus who will coordinate with the Associate Dean for Academic Administration on this policy. Poster managers are responsible for monitoring adherence to the policy in consultation with the Associate Dean for Academic Administration. Responsibilities include removing noncompliant posters and/or relocating posters to allow the designated spaces to be available for other groups’ use.
Remove compliant posters after they have remained up for two weeks or until the event has passed, whichever comes first. Periodic clearing of the posters will happen at breaks in the academic calendar.
Notify groups, departments, or units—when possible and practicable—to modify posters that do not meet the requirements of this policy to allow them an opportunity to address the concerns (for instance, by adding attribution, correcting misuse of a logo, or rehanging a poster in a designated area). Groups will not be notified about routine maintenance (such as out-of-date posters or other periodic cleaning).
Reserve space (if desired) for academic departments to post their own announcements adjacent to their office space (via any size material, for any length of time).

Joint responsibilities and enforcement:

The individual, group, department, or unit that hangs a poster, the area’s poster manager, or facilities personnel acting at the request of the poster manager are responsible for removing the poster after the designated period.
Any individual may contact the applicable College office with concerns that a poster violates College policy. For example, an individual may contact the Office of Inclusion and Diversity (OID) with a concern that a poster has violated Bowdoin policies pertaining to harassment or discrimination.

Installations (banners, photos, or artwork, etc.) in Smith Union

All installations in Smith Union will be in Lamarche Gallery and require the space to be reserved through the Director of Student Activities and the David Saul Smith Union, or designee. Before installing, such installations must receive approval from the Director of Student Activities and the David Saul Smith Union.

Installations in Lamarche can be up for one week unless the Director of Student Activities and the David Saul Smith Union, or designee, provides written permission for additional weeks.

Outdoor Posters, Flags, Banners or Chalk

Bowdoin prohibits the use of its property in community spaces, including buildings, facilities, and grounds, to display flags, signage, banners, or objects without permission.

Using chalk, paint, or any permanent or semi-permanent medium on college buildings and/or other structures including trees is strictly prohibited. Use of soluble chalk is permitted on outside paved walkways only. The prior approval of Bowdoin’s Facilities Management is required to mark or use any college structures to support or display signs, messages, materials, or equipment.

Violations

Violations of the policy may result in posters being removed and, in some cases, disciplinary actions in accordance with the Code of Community Standards (for students) and the Faculty and Employee Handbooks. Posters that violate other College policies, including, without limitation, the College’s policies against discrimination and harassment are not permitted.

Solicitation on Campus

Bowdoin College prohibits the unsponsored proselytization, distribution, or sale of products of students, faculty, and staff anywhere on College property. These activities often disrupt campus routine, offend segments of the College community, and imply endorsement by the College of particular products, ideas, or positions.

Sponsorship of Outside Organizations

In limited circumstances, a student group or a College department or office may sponsor an outside organization to fulfill particular campus objectives, such as summer job fairs, volunteer opportunities, or blood drives. When an exception is granted (see below), the activity is required to take place in the David Saul Smith Union.

“Sponsorship” means that the student group or College department has initiated the contact with the group, has agreed to represent the group on campus, and agrees to submit the application to the Office of Student Activities for approval under the sponsoring organization’s name. The sponsoring group or department will be accountable for the actions on campus of the group it sponsors. The group or department seeking to sponsor an outside organization must receive prior written permission from the Director of Student Activities and the David Saul Smith Union. as an exception to solicitation policies.

Sale of Products

If an recognized student group sponsors a vendor, the sponsoring group must guarantee the availability of the products that their sponsored vendors sell. These sales must be cleared in writing in advance with the Director of Student Activities and the David Saul Smith Union, and when an athletic team is involved, with the Director of Athletics. Student organizations may not invite commercial enterprises to sell their products on campus in return for a share in the profits from those sales.

Students and College Employees as individuals interested in selling products on campus can rent tables in the David Saul Smith Union, but may not use campus rooms, mailings, or any other College facilities to promote or sell their products. These individuals will be treated as outside vendors and will need to reserve tables through the Director of Student Activities and the David Saul Smith Union and agree to terms outlined in the Vendor Contract. Students are not permitted to engage in fundraising through the sale of products under this section.

Last Updated: January 20, 2026