Many University staff members carefully plan the image and character of Auburn, but students often add personal touches that don't fit the bill.
Drawings and birthday wishes are frequently chalked on the Concourse and in other areas around campus, but Tom Tillman, director of University planning, said he does not approve of the student additions.
"We have some guidelines that we use when we do anything on campus," Tillman said. "Anything you can see, whether it's a sign or a building or landscaping or anything like that we take a quick check and ask ourselves, 'Does this action reinforce the image and character of the University?'"
This rule of thumb was adopted during the 1990s as the architecture of the University began to change. Tillman said chalk markings by students do not adhere to the standard.
"I'm not supportive of the idea of chalk markings on the sidewalks or especially on the buildings," Tillman said. "That's getting to be close to vandalism. Sometimes you can't get the entire image off.
"It just doesn't seem to add to the campus, and I would hope that people would have more respect for the environment there that they wouldn't create any visual clutter or visual pollution."
The campus group Nerds N' Geeks recently wrote movie quotes and drew pictures with chalk on the exterior of several buildings on campus. According to the group's blog, au-nerds-n-geeks.tumblr.com, the Office of Student Conduct requested a meeting after a complaint was filed by Facilities Management, which claimed it had difficulties removing the chalk.
Katherine Hettinger, coordinator of student advocacy and case management in the OSC, said anyone can submit a complaint, and it is the office's duty to address the underlying problem.
"We address complaints as they come to our office," Hettinger said. "Any time a complaint is brought to us we look into it and meet with the students to find out what was going on."
According to the blog, the OSC assured the group that the meeting "is not punitive in nature and will be focused on how the OSC can aid you in developing a skill set to minimize the chances of placing yourself in a position for having this type of concern raised again."
"These complaints are coming from specific buildings, i.e., the Student Center and Foy most likely," a Nerds N' Geeks member posted on the blog. "Haley (Center) is also perhaps one of them. Again, it should be brought to (the University's) attention that the sororities are using the same methods to advance their own purposes, where we simply aim to make people smile."
Aileen Perez, doctoral assistant in the OSC, said there is no policy against chalk drawings, but when a complaint is filed the office must take action.
"There is a policy for advertising," Horez said. "It does not state that chalking is not allowed specifically, but it will fall under the advertising rule. A complaint was submitted to our office by facilities saying that they wanted to address the chalk issue with these specific students, but they didn't want these students to get in trouble. That's the reason for us addressing the chalking policy."
The chalk drawings by Nerds N' Geeks were not an explicit violation of the advertising policy, Perez said, which is why the OSC didn't pursue disciplinary action. Instead, the office had an "educational conversation" with members of the group regarding the complaint, and added that future complaints will result in harsher action.
"We don't care about the content; it's the fact that it was there," Perez said. "Our concern was just the fact that facilities has to have manpower to wash that stuff off."
"(The advertising policy) is the best policy we can stick it under because there is no chalking policy for campus. We're not necessarily saying that this policy is against chalking ... If we're going to address it because facilities submitted a complaint, our best umbrella would be to put it under there."
In other words, while the advertising policy was not intended to address chalk drawings, the policy's lack of language regarding the matter was part of the reason it was chosen to address the complaint.
"From my understanding of reading that, there are certain places where you're allowed to advertise on campus and certain mediums you're allowed to use, and they're specifically listed in there," Hettinger said. "Chalking is not listed in the policy as appropriate forms of advertisement."
Nerds N' Geeks stated in its blog that the University's reaction to its drawings was too harsh, and that chalk drawings are a safe and appropriate way to have fun.
"College and classes are not easy, and students need to let off steam," the blog states. "This is a harmless, geeky, fandom way of doing it. No one is being hurt by it, and the chalk being used is water-soluble, so the use of brushes, soap or power washers is overkill on the University's part, if that (is) part of their 'complaint.'"
Perez said students interested in the issue could petition the Student Government Association for a policy specifically regulating chalk drawings.
Tillman also said the University would be happy to make accommodations for students who enjoy the activity, or for art students who use the medium to practice.
"If that's something you feel you have to do, there are certain colleges that have a rock or something where you can paint a message, and it's really gross-looking most of the time because it's really not even good graffiti," Tillman said. "I would hate to see something like that in a public place, but if something like that has to be put on campus there are processes students can go through to have something like that approved."
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