The purposes of this policy are to:

• Provide a process for House comment on decorations which residents regard as offensive, but which are protected by the First Amendment (in such cases, the house does not have the power to require removal of the decoration);
• Provide a process for removal of offensive decorations that are not protected by the First Amendment; and
• Assure that no person's First Amendment Rights are violated with respect to door decorations;

All door decorations will be allowed except where they:

1. by the Department of Residence
2. are of an illegal nature;
3. violate the election codes of the GSB, IRHA, or the respective association;
4. violate the university’s policies on harassment;
5. contain information which violates a person's right to privacy; and
6. contain information which is defamatory.

The procedures below provide an appropriate means for a healthy debate by members of the community on posted material that is found by some to be offensive.

1. Any resident or staff member questioning the appropriateness of material(s) displayed on a resident’s door may request that the issue be brought up for discussion at either a regular or special house meeting by contacting the House President in writing.
2. The House President will hold a meeting of the house within seven class days to discuss the material(s) in question. Notification of the meeting and the topic for discussion must be prominently posted on the house no less than three class days prior to the meeting.
3. At the meeting, any parties involved will be given a chance to explain themselves. (Attendance of the resident whose material is in question is voluntary.) If the parties involved are not at the meeting, the House President will read a written statement from the absent parties. All house residents present at the meeting will then be given an opportunity to ask questions or share their perspective on the issue.
4. Following the discussion period, house residents will be given the opportunity to vote on whether or not they agree that the material is offensive. The House President will notify the person bringing the complaint and the person who posted the information in question of the results of the vote in writing. Results of the vote will also be posted on the house bulletin board. The vote is not binding on the individual who posted the materials, however the house can vote to recommend removal of materials to the Department of Residence if the house finds that the material falls into one of the six exceptions provided above.
5. If the Department of Residence finds that the material is within any of the six exceptions, it may order that the resident posting the material make a choice between removing the material or removing him/her from the residence hall system. Any decision to order removal of such material may be appealed to the Vice President for Student Affairs.