DeKALB | Students walking into Barsema Hall won’t notice any general bulletin boards on which to post flyers. Instead, several monitors display information previously put on flyers.

Though the Holmes Student Center also uses monitors to display student announcements, Barsema Hall is the only building on campus where no general bulletin boards are available.

Process for posting

Students and student organizations interested in posting announcements in Barsema first need to fill out an online form complete with sponsor or adviser contact information. Then they need to get a stamp of approval from the University Programming and Activities Board, said Jeanette Biava from technology resources. The online form, plus any images to be added to the announcements, are forwarded to technology services’ COBTech line and posted 48 hours later.

The consequences

According to the University Programming and Activities, “failure to obtain approval for posters or flyers or the posting of materials on objects other than appropriate bulletin boards and kiosks or indiscriminately leaving approved posters on tables, floors, etc., may result in the loss of an individual’s/organization’s privilege of poster or flyer approval… Repeated violations of this policy may result in the loss of the organization’s status and the adjudication of individuals.”

Before losing privileges to post flyers, students will usually get a warning and their sponsor or adviser will be notified, Biava said. Those unaware of the policy will be informed without a warning issued, she said.

Biava said she can not recall ever having to revoke privileges from any students or student organizations.

Angela Dreessen, director of Student Involvement and Leadership Development, also said no students or student organizations have complained about or violated the policy in Barsema Hall since she became director in July.

A cleaner environment?

The screens are used in an attempt to maintain a clutter-free, corporate environment in Barsema, Biava said.

“They just want the building to have a clean look,” she said. “When you go out into the corporate world, it’s [that type] of environment where there are no postings on the walls.”

Dreessen said she feels the monitors in Barsema have to do with the technological design of the building.

Jamie Martin, a senior journalism major and contact director of the Public Relations Student Society of America, said she thinks there are no bulletin boards to keep Barsema Hall clutter-free. Martin said she does not completely agree with the policy.

“There should be [some] regulations, but if you’re just trying to get recognition for your group or event, we shouldn’t have to get approval from the university,” she said.

For more information on posting flyers in Barsema Hall, call the Help Line at 815-752-TECH, or UP&A Office at 815-753-1421. To post an announcement, go to www.cob.niu.edu/barsema/announcements or send an e-mail to [email protected].