Last year while riding the bus to East Campus, I could not help notice a list entitled "The Axis of Evil at Duke" and sure enough the newly enacted flyer policy was right up there. As a representative of the student body, I feel a tremendous disappointment for seeing this policy go through and cause such confusion. Undoubtedly, this frustration arises out of misinformation. With that said, let me try to clear this up.
The official flyer policy is nothing new. In actuality it has been around since 1997. It was only last year through a University-wide collaboration that we decided to enforce it. In the end, we wanted to bring about a cleaner campus for all. The clean-up and damage costs of flyering Duke stone became so tremendous that it was time to stop it.
I don't know about you, but not having to worry about tripping over flyers taped to the ground or not seeing bits and pieces of paper scattered everywhere is a welcomed relief. However, I greatly empathize with the publicity chairs of the multitude of clubs and student organizations we have out there. I want to emphasize that this is a learning process for everyone and that advertising on campus is a serious issue that needs to be completely re-assessed. Whether that means finding the funds to install digital displays on the Bryan Center walkway and on buses or just simply installing more flyer locations near bus stops, rest assured that we are paying close attention to the problems that are developing.
For more information regarding stipulations on removing your posters by 3 days after your event, locations approved for flyering and general rational refer to http://dsg.duke.edu/archive/forms/Posterpolicy.doc
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