On April 3, the Iowa State College Democrats and the Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) clubs went all out with their sidewalk chalking spree around campus. They were all hyped up about some upcoming events and wanted everyone to know about it. The chalking was on point, with the College Democrats promoting an upcoming protest called the Hands Off protest on April 5. Meanwhile, YAF was dropping some knowledge about the Death of DEI lecture. It was like a battle of the chalks out there.
But guess what happened the next day? All that hard work was washed away. Just like that, all the politically charged messages were gone, while a giant fashion show display got to chill on the sidewalk for two whole weeks. Talk about unfair treatment, right? Cole Lindaman, a senior in civil engineering and president of the College Democrats, couldn’t believe it. He was like, “What the heck, man?”
Apparently, the University Council has this “rotating schedule” for washing away all the chalk art, regardless of the content. But Caleb O’Gara, a junior studying meteorology and president and social media chair of YAF, was not having it. He pointed out how the university’s advertising policy is all over the place. Like, seriously, there’s no one-stop shop for all the rules. You gotta go on a treasure hunt on their website to find them. How inconvenient is that?
The Iowa State chalking policy website lays down the law, stating that any chalking violating federal or state law, the Iowa State University Student Code of Conduct, or any other university policy is a big no-no. But according to Lindaman, the application of these rules is totally inconsistent. It’s like they’re trying not to play favorites, but they’re failing big time.
The big question is, why was all the chalk washing necessary? Some say it might have been because of Admitted Students Day. O’Gara was cool with the idea, but he wished they had at least given the clubs a heads-up. Communication is key, people!
The University Council mentioned that any chalking that might break the rules gets reviewed by the Office of General Counsel. They even cited some law, IAC 681-13.15, which talks about where commercial activities are allowed on campus. It’s all about priorities, baby.
But here’s the kicker – if the university doesn’t want political stuff chalked up, they should just say so in their policy. Alexander Crites, a junior studying architecture and outreach chair of College Democrats, made a solid point. Like, if you don’t want something, just say it. Simple as that.
Overall, the chalk drama on campus goes to show that communication is key. Clubs want to get their message out there, and the university needs to be clear about what’s allowed and what’s not. Who knew sidewalk chalk could cause such a stir? It’s like a whole new world out there.
