Campus Life Policies, Forms & Resources
Campus Demonstrations
Publicizing and Promoting on Campus
Only college departments and official student organizations/clubs may publicize and promote events, issues, and internship/employment/ministry opportunities. A college department or official student organization/club that is considering an issue forum or inviting a guest speaker to campus, including political candidates, must plan in accordance with the Guidelines for Inviting Outside Speakers policy.
Posting on Campus
- To begin the poster approval process, please complete this form
- You will be required to review and sign the Westmont Posting Policy which guides where, when and how posters can be displayed.
- You will be notified within 2 business days (Mon-Fri) whether or not your poster is approved
- If approved, Campus Life will apply an electronic stamp and date on the document and return it to you electronically for printing.
Westmont Posting Policy
- Any flier or sign must represent an activity or event sponsored, facilitated or approved by an official Westmont College Department, Student Organization, or Club.
- The sponsoring group must be clearly printed on the sign.
- All fliers and signs sponsored by student organizations or clubs must be approved, stamped, and dated by the Campus Life office before posting. This includes but is not limited to: all advertisement in public spaces, campus buildings, and residence halls.
- The college will not allow the posting of any materials that advocate or encourage conduct that is contrary to the Community Life Statement.
- Posters, fliers and signs may only be placed in the appropriate locations. These locations include residence hall bulletin boards, the kiosk above the DC, the Mail Center posting area, the Kerr Student Center posting board, Winter Hall bulletin boards, and other clearly marked bulletin boards on campus. Posting on the exterior of any campus structures such as buildings, bridges, posts or walls including painted, metal, or glass surfaces is not permitted.
- Posters and fliers may not be stapled or taped to trees or other natural features on campus. Any property damage that occurs as a result of posting may result in a fine to the responsible individual or group.
- Posters, flyers and signs may be adhered to surfaces with sticky tac, blue painter's tape, or scotch tape. Masking tape, packing tape, or duct tape are never to be used on any surfaces as they leave residue.
- The maximum size for posters is 18" x 24"
- Posters, fliers and signs must be taken down by the date indicated on the "Westmont Approved" stamp. If signs and posters are not removed by that date the responsible individual or group may be charged a fine.
- All approved signage for the Dining Commons must be freestanding. No tape may be used on any surface inside or outside the building, EXCEPT blue painters tape may be taped to the front hardwood table edges.
- The Director of Library and Information Services must approve any postings in the library.
Guidelines
- Posts to the student email newsletter may be submitted by Westmont departments, offices, and official Westmont student organizations.
- The student email newsletter will be sent twice weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays and is managed by the Campus Life Office.
- Submissions must be received by Tuesday at 9AM to be included in Tuesday's newsletter and by Thursday at Noon to be included in Friday's newsletter.
- Newsletter submissions can be made by faculty and staff on the “Events and Communication Planning” page on the Westmont portal (my.westmont.edu) by clicking on Request Community Announcement and by student organization leaders on the "Student Organization Leader Resource" page on the Westmont portal (my.westmont.edu) by clicking on "Request an Announcement."
- Announcements can be simultaneously posted on the email newsletter and the student portal home page announcement carousel.
- Newsletter announcements are to be brief. Detailed information should be posted to official department/student organization websites or social media and linked in the newsletter.
- For each campus event or program a maximum of two newsletter announcements are permitted.
Student organizations and campus departments can utilize the digital displays located in the Dining Commons.
Submission requirements are as follows:
- Must submit at least three working days in advance of the request posting
- Accepted formats: .jpg, .png, .ppt(x)
- Resolution should be 1920p x 1080p
- Image must be "ready to post" when submitted
- Student slides can be in rotation for a maximum of two weeks
- Screens are intended for communication to the student body. Slides directed at individuals or small groups of people will not be displayed.
- Events may have no more than two slides in the rotation.
The two recruiter tables (used to highlight ministry/internship/job opportunities during lunch) outside of the entrance to the Dining Commons are available during the dinner hours. College departments and official student organizations that wish to reserve these tables during dinner may do so by contacting the COVE Career Center (x6833 or careerdev@westmont.edu). Tables located inside the Dining Commons to the right after the welcome kiosk are available for department and official student organizations anytime during dining common hours on a first-come, first-served basis. These tables are not to be moved from their original locations and should not impede the flow of traffic.
College departments and official student organizations/clubs may use sidewalk chalk to advertise an approved event. The organizing group must provide a sketch of the advertising/announcement to the Campus Life Office for approval. Only water-soluble materials may be used to create sidewalk announcements. The only approved locations for chalk promotions include the pathways immediately in front of the Dining Commons, the patio area in front of Murchison Gym and the patio area in front of the Library. Advertising may appear on sidewalks four days prior to the event, and can remain three days afterwards. A cleanup fee will assessed if the chalk was not water-soluble or if the announcement remains after three days.
Guidelines for Campus Events
Only campus departments, organizations, and student clubs are eligible to plan campus events. Individual students with event ideas may submit them to the Westmont Activities Council for consideration (wac@westmont.edu).
Campus Departments
Campus departments may sponsor events that flow from the scope of their focus and they oversee these events. Students wishing to propose events connected with a campus department may approach the respective area for consideration.
Student Organizations
Student organizations will work with their organizational advisor for event approval and implementation.
Student Clubs
Student clubs must work with their advisors and the Associate Director of Campus Life to submit an event proposal form through the club management website.
For student clubs, a campus event meets one or more of the following criteria:
- expects attendance of 50 or more people
- invites people outside the scope of the club's membership (as indicated in the membership portion of the club database)
- invites a non-Westmont speaker or organization (see policy on inviting outside speakers)
School-Wide Dances
All school-wide dances must be sponsored and implemented by the Westmont Activities Council (WAC). WAC will sponsor up to four school-wide dances each year. Students, departments, or campus organizations wishing to propose an idea for a school-wide dance can submit ideas through the event idea form located on the WAC website. As in all college activities, the expectation for on- and off-campus dances is that they will be God-honoring. WAC will oversee event logistics such as security, and music, and will ensure that students comply with Westmont behavioral standards in accordance with the college’s community life statement, mission, and purpose. Dances are open to persons from the college community who are directly associated with Westmont College (e.g., students or employees). Dates or friends of students or employees are welcome by invitation only. No non-Westmont or off-campus groups are to be invited (e.g., groups of friends, youth groups).
Background
Westmont College is an undergraduate, residential, Christian, liberal arts community serving God's kingdom by cultivating thoughtful scholars, grateful servants and faithful leaders for global engagement with the academy, church and world. We encourage our community to engage and grapple with diverse ideas in order to more fully appreciate and pursue what is true and good and beautiful. Our goal is to engage in stimulating community dialogue about a diverse range of issues and concerns in a manner that enhances the intellectual, social, and spiritual development of our students.
Official student groups* may request to invite external speakers to campus to support the college’s mission. Inviting speakers facilitates opportunities to engage different ideas, deepen an understanding of truth, respectfully disagree, and develop discernment. The following policy and procedures provide guidance to official Westmont student groups who desire to invite external speakers to campus; the following policy and procedures do not apply to faculty or staff in campus departments, programs, or offices. The college has separate processes for reviewing speakers proposed by faculty and staff.
* Official student groups at Westmont include chartered clubs and college recognized department sponsored student groups with designated staff or faculty advisors (e.g. WCSA, Student Alumni Association, Intercultural Organizations).
Policy
1. Only official Westmont student groups can invite external speakers to campus.
2. The invitation to an external speaker must originate with the student group.
3. External speakers should be considered for their potential to enhance the intellectual, social, and spiritual development of the Westmont community while also advancing the respective group’s mission, which ultimately should contribute to the mission of the college.
4. Student groups are to carefully consider the intended outcome for the proposed program involving the external speaker and to assess how the campus context might impact the proposed event.
Procedures
Students from the official student group are to complete the External Speaker Request Form available on the Student Organization Leader Resource Page in the student portal. Please review the following procedures which will guide the completion of the online form and the review process.
Part 1 -External Speaker Request Form
1. State the mission of the student group and how the potential visiting speaker could advance this mission and the College mission.
2. Describe the desired outcome(s) for the potential external speaker.
3. Conduct research about the potential visiting speaker(s) (e.g., personal websites, books/articles written by/about them, social media platforms such as blogs, vlogs, podcasts, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, etc.). Include the search word “controversy” along with the potential visiting speaker’s name and note past controversies as well as the context surrounding such controversies.
4. Please consider how the external speaker’s topic and content might impact the variety of Westmont College community members and how to promote a respectful dialogue that promotes a deeper understanding of God’s Kingdom.
5. What expertise, authority, or insight does the potential speaker have about the topic at hand? Are there members of the Westmont community with similar expertise that could address the same topic?
6. Share all information and research on the speaker with the student group’s faculty or staff advisor in order to identify if any concerns rule out the person under consideration for not being able to advance the mission of the student group, accomplish the intended outcome, contribute to the College’s mission, and/or because the speaker will likely be insensitive to the Westmont College context. The group’s faculty or staff advisor must sign off on the request on the external speaker request form for it to be considered by the External Speaker Board.
7. Once pre-approved by the advisor in the External Speaker Request form, the student will receive an email notification. The student may then contact the speaker to inquire about interest, availability, honorarium expenses, and other estimated expenses (i.e. travel, food), however no invitation is to be extended until the External Speaker Board has granted approval. The student may then complete part two of the external speaker request form.
Part 2 -External Speaker Request Form
1. Secure a Westmont College faculty or staff member to moderate the lecture/presentation if followed by a Q&A time. The moderator may co-moderate the lecture/presentation Q&A with a student. Planning audience engagement with the visiting speaker through a moderated question and answer format following the speaker’s lecture/presentation is strongly encouraged. If Q&A time is not part of the program, list how the event will promote thoughtful discussion, engagement and inquiry.
2. Draft marketing content (e.g. poster, email newsletter announcement, etc.) must be designed by the student group, not the potential external speaker, and must be sensitive to the Westmont context.
3. Determine how the potential visiting speaker’s honorarium and expenses will be paid (i.e. through co-sponsorship with campus departments, programs and/or offices, through fundraising, etc.). If any non-Westmont funds are requested to sponsor the speaker, refer to the Student Fundraising Policy in the mywestmont portal for more information and for a link to the student fundraising application.
4. Generally, external speaker events are not permitted to be recorded in order to maximize student engagement. Student groups that wish to have an external speaker event recorded must state in the external speaker request form the rationale for their recording request, including details on how the recording would be used, and where it would be posted.
5. External speaker events will be reviewed for approval for current Westmont faculty, staff, and student audiences only. Any non-Westmont audience guests must be identified in advance and approved.
6. Submit the External Speaker Request Form for consideration at least 30 days prior to the proposed event.
7. If approved, students must follow the event planning and publicizing guidelines on the Student Organization Leader Resource page in the portal.
*NOTE: Student groups are strongly encouraged to start planning at least one semester in advance in order to allow ample time for completion.
Once received, the form will be reviewed by the External Speaker Board consisting of one student appointed by Student Government, the Provost (or their designee), the Vice President for Student Life (or their designee), and the Dean of Student Engagement. Westmont’s Executive Team (E-Team) will serve as the final decision maker on all events approved by the External Speaker Board. E-Team approval is required before the student group is permitted to invite the external speaker, reserve campus space for the lecture/presentation and finalize the marketing material (with the speaker’s approval where expected).
The External Speaker Board reserves the right to refuse requests from student groups that it determines are outside its mission, are insensitive to the campus context, will likely not meet the desired outcome(s), and/or do not contribute to the College mission.
Student groups that invite a visiting speaker to campus without following the policy and procedures outlined in this document risk their student group forfeiting being able to invite external speakers to campus for a period of time. Multiple violations place the student group’s recognition at risk of being revoked by the college.
WCSA will publish and uphold its own election policies, which includes campaigning for student offices. The college welcomes political candidates that have been invited by a college department (with approval through the Provost's Office) or official student organization (students refer to the external speaker policy for student groups). Candidates without a department or official student organization as a sponsor may purchase advertising space in the student newspaper, The HORIZON. Westmont College reserves the right to ask candidates and/or campaign workers to leave campus for good cause.