ASUSU not censoring, only cleaning up wall
Despite some concerns that the flyers on the temporary wall surrounding Widtsoe Hall are being censored, Associated Students of Utah State University said it only intends to clean up campus by pulling down flyers that advertise events already past, said Marni Jenkins, ASUSU vice president of Public Relations.
“We don’t want to offend anyone. We just want to keep campus clean,” Jenkins said.
But someone has hung signs on the wall calling for an end to “censorship of this wall.”
At the beginning of Spring Semester, ASUSU discussed concerns about advertisers leaving information up after events had past, to the point where posters and flyers were ending up on the ground in the rain or in spaces so cluttered no one could read them, Jenkins said.
One of the solutions the council agreed on was for each committee to take turns cleaning old information off the wall on Monday mornings.
Jenkins said she wants to make sure “everyone knows we’re not trying to censor.” She said she supports student advertising and believes the wall has been a good place to display information.
“As long as it’s cleaned up after and done in good taste,” ASUSU supports advertising on the wall, Jenkins said.
Darrell Hart, director of Physical Plant, agrees cleanup is the only issue with wall advertising, but he does not go as far as supporting student use of the wall.
“It’s not a major issue for us, except when papers blow down and lay all over campus,” Hart said. “I’m not encouraging [advertising on the wall], but I’m not sure it looks any better or worse with colored paper on a drab wall in the middle of campus.”
Hart said it is a temporary issue because, while the wall is necessary during construction on the Widtsoe building, it will be coming down this summer.
Physical Plant does not approve of people attaching flyers to permanent structures like lighting poles. Instead, it encourages advertising in designated areas.
“We do have a kiosk in the middle of campus for that purpose. That’s the place we would prefer folks to post information,” Hart said.
Event information can also be posted on wires in the Taggart Student Center, displayed on an A-frame, and listed The Statesman Backburner and F.Y.I. sections. Jenkins said she also supports alternative advertising like sidewalk chalking.