Sponsorship of Events by Departments and Recognized Organizations

Policy Statement

In furtherance of its educational purpose, the College is committed to the open expression on campus of the widest possible range of views. The policies regarding sponsorship of events and other activities on campus by College departments and affiliated organizations are designed to achieve this goal. They are not intended, and should not have the effect, of restricting departments and organizations from conducting activities that involve the expression and debate of any point of view, and no department or organization should be denied permission for an event because of the points of view to be expressed by the participants.

Conduct of Sponsored Events

Any College department, program, or recognized organization sponsoring an event or activity shall control, and be fully responsible for, all aspects of such event or activity, including compliance with rules and procedures regarding scheduling and use of facilities. All funding of costs associated with the event shall be paid through the College accounts of such department, program or organization.

Costs of Sponsored Events

No College department, program or recognized organization shall schedule an event or activity unless available College funds to cover the anticipated costs have been identified. No contribution from an outside organization or individual to cover the cost of an event or activity may be applied for such purpose unless the solicitation and acceptance of such a gift is approved in advance by the office of the Vice President of Development, receipt of the gift has been processed by the College's Gift Recording Office, and the expenditure for such purpose is approved by the responsible vice president or dean.

Co-sponsorship of Events

Departments, programs and recognized organizations of Dartmouth College may co-sponsor events, projects or other activities, whether on or off campus, with other departments, programs or recognized organizations of the College. No event may be co-sponsored with an outside organization or individual unless such co-sponsorship is approved in advance, and College organizations and departments may not, in the absence of such approval, use their on-campus privileges for the purpose of enabling organizations or individuals to hold an event on campus or otherwise make use of the College's name, facilities or other resources (including phones and mail privileges). When a co-sponsored event occurs, one department, program or organization must be designated the primary sponsor, and all facilities, reservations, expenditures, and other arrangements must be made through that primary sponsor.

College Co-sponsorship or Other Affiliation With Outside Organizations

Any proposed co-sponsorship or other joint activity with any outside organization or individual must be approved in advance by the Provost, a Vice President, the Dean or an Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences or one of the associated schools, the Dean or an Associate Dean of the College, the Dean of the Tucker Foundation, the Director of Athletics and Recreation, or the Director of Outdoor Programs. Any request or inquiry by a department, program or recognized organization regarding affiliation should be directed in writing to the respective vice president, dean, or director. Violation of this policy may subject an individual or recognized organization to disciplinary action.

Sponsored Visits of/by Political Candidates

Dartmouth as an institution cannot support individual candidates for political office or political parties. Consequently, visits by political candidates at the invitation of College departments, programs, or recognized organizations are subject to rules established to ensure that such sponsored visits are consistent with applicable legal restrictions and the College's academic mission.

College departments, programs, and recognized organizations wishing to sponsor appearances by political candidates are obligated to follow these rules. The failure of an organization to abide by such rules will jeopardize the organization's privilege to sponsor future appearances and possibly its own good standing. Political candidates who do not wish to appear in accordance with these guidelines may, like other outside groups, rent certain College facilities in accordance with established rules and charges.

The following rules apply to appearances by political candidates at Dartmouth College when sponsored by a department, program, or recognized organization. Sponsors are expected to provide these rules to candidates and their campaign organizations.

1. The purpose of any appearance by a candidate on campus should be to bring together the candidate and Dartmouth students, faculty, administrators, and other employees. It is not necessary to exclude from such meetings other people from the local area unless their attendance would substantially change the character of the event and deny members of the community an opportunity to hear and question the candidate. However, departments, programs, and recognized organizations may not sponsor or promote public campaign appearances on the Dartmouth campus by candidates for political office.
2. Publicity must be limited to the Dartmouth community and must emphasize that the appearance is for the benefit of Dartmouth students, faculty, administrators, and other employees. Posters may appear only on campus. The only media publicity should be non-paid announcements made only in the Daily Dartmouth, the VOX, and over the Dartmouth Broadcasting stations. Neither sponsors nor campaign organizations may advertise such appearances in non-Dartmouth media. Members of the media present at an appearance are free to ask questions along with other members of the audience, and press conferences organized in conjunction with the appearance are permissible.
3. The arrangements for the meeting and the control of the format shall be under the complete control of the department or the officers of the sponsoring College organizations. At no time should any aspect of the meeting or its format be dictated by, or put under the control of, the candidate, their representatives, or any outside organization.
4. Ample opportunity must be provided for Dartmouth students, faculty, administrators, and other employees in the audience to question the candidate. Such question-and-answer periods must be at least 50% as long as the candidate's speech and in no event less than twenty minutes in length.
5. No fund-raising for the candidate may take place in connection with the speaking event.
6. No College funds (including funds raised by an organization) should go to the candidate personally or to support their campaign. College funds may be expended for items such as posters which may be reasonably required and are traditionally used on campus to bring campus events to the attention of the College community. Limited refreshments (such as coffee, cider, cookies, etc.) may be provided at the event for consumption by the Dartmouth students and others during any informal portion of the program which may follow the speaking and question-and-answer time. Any announcement of the availability of refreshments at the meeting should make clear that such are being provided by the sponsoring organization and not by the candidate.
7. Selection and utilization of a room for such meeting shall be governed by existing College rules and procedures. For information concerning scheduling or to reserve College facilities, contact the Conferences and Events office at 646-2923.
8. Any College department, program, or recognized organization sponsoring an appearance by a political candidate is responsible for insuring that the candidate and their organization are furnished with a copy of these rules and that they abide by them. If a candidate or campaign organization is unwilling to abide by these rules, they should not be brought to the campus.
9. Because of specific government regulations concerning debates between candidates, arrangements and formats for any debates on campus will be subject to the approval of the Director of the Rockefeller Center, who will consult as appropriate with the Office of the General Counsel and other College officers.
10. No College department, program, or recognized organization may lend its or the College's name or support to any off-campus political campaign activity. This is not intended to prevent individual students, faculty members, or employees from engaging in political campaign activities off campus so long as the College's name is not used in connection with such support.

It should be emphasized that, while individuals at the College may support the candidacy of a speaker who is to appear on campus, the purpose of sessions arranged pursuant to this format is not to bring any institutional support behind a particular candidate but instead to bring to the Dartmouth community the valuable educational experience of hearing and questioning candidates for political office.

The College reserves the right to cancel any appearance by a political candidate if it is determined that such appearance is not to be held within the specific rules set forth above or is inconsistent with the above-mentioned purpose for such events.