JagBytes

Issue date: 10/17/07 Section: College News

Media Credit: Marcos Dominguez Chalking around campus has been an issue this year; which is why a new chalking regulation was established by the university.

The rush for fraternity Phi Kappa Psi may be over, but you can still read about it in front of the LD building, Business building and other sidewalks on campus thanks to a more permanent than expected can of spray chalk. The fraternity's sidewalk advertisements jumpstarted a change to IUPUI's Campus and Community Life's chalking policy, affecting the more than 200 student groups on campus who advertise through the colorful chalk writings on campus sidewalks.

Late Sunday, August 26, members of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity were spraying announcements around campus for a rush meeting when IUPUI police officers Matthew Heinz and James Vastag approached them.

The police report said none of the members were arrested, but the materials used-the spray chalk and stencils-were confiscated. The matter was passed on to the Dean of Students, said IUPUI police Captain Bill Abston.

The fraternity didn't have to meet with the Dean of Students since it was an "honest mistake due to the [vague] previous IUPUI chalking policy" said Tralicia Lewis, director of the Office of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct in an e-mail.

The fraternity met with Campus Community and Life, the university office that student organizations work through.

Campus and Community and Life took no disciplinary action. Phi Kappa Psi was quick to make amends to try to clean the sidewalk when asked, said Tina Samuel, assistant director for Civic Leadership and Development.

"They were compliant with it," Samuel said. "They scrubbed the sidewalk."

"I don't think we felt like there needed to be disciplinary action," Samuel said. "I think that there was stuff lacking on our part."

The incident spurred a reappraisal of the chalking policy, resulting in the updated version that went into effect Sept.19.

The new rules require a request by student groups before any chalking is done. The exact requirements of what kind of chalk can be used and how is on the request form, available at Chalking Request Form.

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