Poster Policy

Posting Notices in Outdoor Areas

  1. Groups should restrict posters to kiosks.
  2. Each activity will be limited to two posters per kiosk per event.
  3. No poster or notice may be larger than 14” x 17”.
  4. All activities found in violation of these policies will pay a fine of at least $1.00 per poster.
  5. Mounting of posters or use of paint on walls, sidewalks, trees, benches, or other surfaces not intended for posting is prohibited. Posting of notices with adhesives which damage surfaces also is prohibited. The cost of removal of this type of publicity will automatically be charged to the group and/or individuals who posted said publicity.

Posting Notices in Indoor Areas

  1. Posters may only be placed in those areas designated for posting.
  2. Groups wishing to mount posters in University buildings should contact the appropriate building administrator’s office to ascertain the proper locations for posters.

Sanctions

Groups failing to adhere to the poster policy may be denied use of funds allocated to them by the Activities Council and/or be denied further use of University facilities until such time as corrective action is taken and payment for damages, if any, is received.

All fines will go into the budget of the Student Activities Council.

Policy for Locust Walk Banners

Any registered organization may reserve one of 16 locations and sets of poles for banner display along Locust Walk between 36th & 37th Streets.

Reservations may be made via the online reservation portal. Poles and locations may be reserved for a maximum of one week after which the reservation must be made again for the next week.

Reserved poles may be picked up in the OSA, as early as 9:00am on the first day of a reservation (a group must have received an APPROVED reservation email from the OSA in order to have a confirmed reservation).

At the time the poles are picked up, a cash deposit of $25.00 must be made. This deposit will be returned to the reserving group when the poles are returned to the OSA at the end of the reservation period.

FAILURE TO RETURN RESERVED POLES BY THE END OF THE RESERVATION PERIOD (FRIDAY AFTERNOON AT 4:00 PM OF THE WEEK FOR WHICH THE RESERVATION WAS MADE), RETURN OF DAMAGED POLES, AND/OR FAILURE TO RETURN POLES BECAUSE THEY WERE LOST OR STOLEN WILL RESULT IN FORFEITURE OF THE $25.00 SECURITY DEPOSIT AND AN AUTOMATIC $100 FINE TAKEN FROM THE ORGANIZATION'S UNIVERSITY ACCOUNT. Poles still need to be returned even if the deposit is forfeited.

Any poles found in sleeves that have not been reserved ahead of time, or for which there is no deposit on record, will be removed. The deposit will not be returned.

If a group fails to return its poles ONCE in one year, it forfeits all rights to use the poles for four academic months from the day the poles were due.

Poles and the spaces in which to place them are the only things obtainable through the OSA. Neither twine, string, rope, tape, scissors, ladders nor any other materials will be provided. Such items must be provided by the reserving groups.

Facilities Services personnel have been authorized to remove any banners hung in unauthorized locations, i.e. any location unmarked on the schematic diagram mentioned previously in this document and/or the absence of the use of University provided poles.

Failure to abide by any of the guidelines listed in this policy may result in the loss of a group's permission to reserve poles and locations on Locust Walk for the balance of the academic year.

Office of College Houses and Academic Services Postering and Flyering Policies

Instructions for Residential Posting:

This policy covers posting within the Penn College Houses. Posting elsewhere in the University is covered by the University Poster Policy. Posting on floors or in lobbies requires the approval of each House Office. Postings and notices in these areas are reserved for the College House, CHAS, Residential Services and Facilities. Any exceptions to this may only be granted by College House staff.  

If interested in posting on floors or in lobbies, you have three options:

Option #1: Bring the following number of flyers or posters to the appropriate House Office for posting by staff:

  • Du Bois: 8
  • Fisher-Hassenfeld: 24
  • Gregory: 12
  • Harrison: 24
  • Harnwell: 24
  • Hill: 17
  • Kings Court Eng: 16
  • New: 10
  • Riepe: 22
  • Rodin: 24
  • Sansom West: 15
  • Stouffer: 13
  • Ware: 25

Option #2: Bring 234 posters to the CHAS Central Office in Stouffer Commons for dissemination to all House Offices. The front desk will pass on the items.

Option #3: Open posting by students and groups is available only in certain locations and on designated public boards:

  • Du Bois: upper lobby bulletin board
  • Gregory: no open posting at this time
  • Hill: no open posting at this time
  • Kings Court English: boards facing mailboxes on first floor; board near bike rack; boards on ground floors facing elevators
  • High Rises (Harnwell, Harrison, Rodin, and Sansom West): residential floors including roof top lounge on the designated side of the elevator bays
  • New: dining center bulletin board
  • Quad (Fisher-Hassenfeld, Riepe and Ware): all exterior (courtyard) bulletin boards
  • Stouffer: no open posting at this time

A few general guidelines:

  • Leafleting under doors and soliciting are prohibited within all residences.
  • No more than one or two copies of a poster may be placed on an open board and should be promptly removed when information is outdated.
  • Posters should not exceed the size of 11 x 17 inches.
  • Posters may not be placed on top of existing posters.
  • Posting is not allowed in stairwells and elevators.

* Think before you post. College Houses defend the right of free speech and expression on campus and actively promotes the civil exchange of ideas. In the spirit of the latter aim, students are urged to reconsider creating and distributing posters or flyers containing material or language that could be construed as malicious toward or dangerous to other responsible members of the University community.

** Unauthorized posters may, at the discretion of residential staff, be removed. In all cases, the above policy will be implemented within the framework and spirit of the Code of Student Conduct, which defines the general rights and responsibilities of student citizenship in the Penn community, and where appropriate, the Charter of the University of Pennsylvania Student Disciplinary System, which sets forth the processes for disciplinary action against students and organizations. Pursuant to the Code of Student Conduct (Sec. III.d), "the content of student speech or expression is not by itself a basis for disciplinary action," and no posters shall be prohibited or restricted solely on the basis of their content, except when they may violate other applicable laws or regulations.

(Source: College Houses & Academic Services; Office of Student Affairs Manual)

(updated December 2016)