Removed from Campus For Passing out Tracts
On the Evening of January 17, 2012, I was removed from the SMSU campus, specifically the Student Center, because I was distributing small business sized cards that had a Gospel message on them. The distribution of said tracts does not violate any MNSCU, SMSU, or Student center policy (see below) but Matthew Paulson, a student body representative and avowed athiest, apparently stated that we were disturbing the flow of the campus- whatever that means. We have been meeting with students on the campus for five years informally having Bible Studies with them. We have always abided by stated rules of the campus, and have never disturbed a class or campus event in line with the policies that are in place. There is no policy in place that does not allow us to distribute material of a religious nature, or speak one to one or to groups of willing students. Tonight, as on other nights, Matthew Paulson has followed us around and has removed gospel tracts that we have left around. The following are policies that are specifically for advertising and posting notices for events. Though neither apply to the free distribution of tracts, they were used tonight to tell us to stop illegally. We complied and did not leave any more out and were still forced to leave the student center and were told that we would be under a trespass order for one year.
Policies
The following policies shall govern all usage of The Centers @ SMSU (Student Center and Conference Center). The Administration of The Centers and/or the Student Center Governing Board (SCGB) reserves the
right to change these policies with notice and to grant exceptions upon appeal. Any individual or organization unwilling to operate within these policies will forego the privilege of using the
facilities and/or services.I. Advertising Policy
A. Student and campus organizations registered with the Student
Activities Office and non-academic university departments are free to
advertise in The Centers.
B. The name and/or logo of the sponsoring organization must be
included on all materials displayed in The Centers.
Revised and Approved by The Student Center Governing Board on 3/17/2010
C. Corporations are not allowed to advertise unless they are
sponsoring a student organization.
D. Corporate logos must be incorporated into an advertisement produced
in association with the student organization (e.g. on a flier or
poster, rather than standing alone).
E. Corporate logos must be at least 50% smaller than the student
organization’s logo or header.
F. No advertising of alcohol, tobacco, credit cards, or commercial
gambling is allowed.
G. Fundraising events must return a minimum of 50% of the income to
the sponsoring student organization.
H. All political advertising must comply with election laws. Political
campaigns are responsible for ensuring compliance with these laws.
I. Political campaign logos must be incorporated into an advertisement
produced in association with a student organization.
J. Campaign logos must be smaller than 50% of the size of the student
organization’s logo or header, and may not exceed 25% of the student
organization’s total display.
K. Non-partisan voter registration is allowed.
L. Advertising on the exterior of any entrance to The Centers for any
reason is not allowed.II. Banners, Posters, Displays and Promotional Materials
A. All materials posted or displayed in the Student Center must
receive approval from The Centers’ administrative office in SC225.
Materials shall be stamped to signify approval. **We never posted
anything without approval (we have had approval in the past when we
have posted items)**
B. Posters, banners and publicity materials placed in violation of The
Centers’ policy will be removed and will not be saved or returned.
C. Materials posted in the Student Center shall be no larger than 14” x 22”.
D. No more than three (3) posters for any one event or philosophy can
be hung*** in the building. ***we did not hang anything in the
building
E. The name of the sponsoring organization should be clearly written
on the poster.
F. Posters will be placed on cork board kiosks only. No postings are
allowed on walls, windows or entry doors, nor are poster stands
permitted.
G. Publicity by individuals shall be limited to those activities open
to the student body and for those events that bear some direct
relationship to the educational purpose of SMSU and/or which provide
an exceptional or beneficial service to students/faculty not normally
available. Determination of above shall be made by The Centers’
Administration and/or the Student Center Governing Board, if
necessary.
H. Publicity or displays that result in personal financial gain are
not permissible.
I. Space is not available for commercial advertising by off-campus
firms or organizations unless permission is granted by The Centers’
Administration.
J. Unauthorized persons shall not remove or damage posters. The
Centers shall not be held responsible or accountable for theft and/or
vandalism of posters.
Revised and Approved by The Student Center Governing Board on 3/17/2010
K. Posters, banners and publicity materials shall be displayed no
longer than two (2) weeks, except “house” signs, unless special
permission is granted by The Centers’ Administration.
L. Space is set aside for individuals to post “For Sale,” “For Rent,”
“Roommates Wanted,” and other requests of this kind which are not
permitted on other bulletin boards in the building.
1. all requests must be on 3” x 5” cards obtained at the Information Desk
2. all cards must be approved at the Information Desk
3. cards may hang for two weeks only
4. Any exceptions to the above policies shall be requested at least
seven (7) days prior to when the material is to be posted. Exceptions
will be limited to unusual meritorious situations that can be
interpreted to have such significance that it is to the benefit of the
students and the institution to make an exception. Posting and
publicizing exceptions will not be made simply because it is a
different way to advertise. Exceptions may be made by The Centers’
Administration and/or the Student Center Governing Board.
5. Special informational and directional signs may be posted the day
of event with permission from The Centers’ administration.
Nowhere in this policy does it say that posting anything will cause removal from the campus. This is why, I believe, the student manager refused to produce the policy when he was asked. No where does it state
that a tax-paying citizen will be removed for arbitrary reason, or because student representatives do not agree with what he is stating or the distribution of leaflets.
As Christians, we are more than willing to stand up for the right to preach the Gospel and to do so in a manner that is in accord with the laws of the United States and the reasonable policies of her federally funded and state-funded institutions. When the laws of the state and federal government are such that our free religious speech is taken away, we will still do the same thing because we must obey God rather than men. We will continue to preach the Gospel at SMSU and distribute Gospel literature because we love the students, faculty, and staff at SMSU more than we love our freedom. And we love God above all.
While I applaud your efforts to spread the gospel, I believe you were removed from campus as your fliers violated part C of the Advertising Policy. While they haven’t stopped you before, meeting informally with students for the past few years does not qualify as a student organization, and those are the only groups allowed to freely distribute fliers/materials.
While I appreciate your comment, handing out Gospel literature is not advertising, nor is leaving a tract in a telephone booth or on a keyboard. It is not covered in any part of this policy which is why it is bad policy it is subjective and allows the whims of a student manager and/or a overzealous student leader to dictate the actions of campus security. Regardless, removal from the campus without due process is the result here and is a clear attempt supported by administration to silence the Gospel.
Actually, Section II (A) is what applies, notice how it says “displayed”. It refers to promotional material, which tracts would count as. Looks like the school acted appropriately