They adorn the sidewalks and walls between dormitories and classroom buildings.

In shades of pastel pinks, blues and greens, these chalky messages stand out against the red brick and grey concrete.

And often, the same messages have been there for weeks.

While rain is usually relied upon to clean the chalked-up surfaces, the lack of it has posed a bit of a problem this year. And while normally the leftover messages can be washed away by Facilities personnel, due to extreme water restrictions, that is no longer an option.

According to Kenneth Webb, a senior in computer science as well as a Student Senator, he and the rest of Student Government plan to do something about the chalky eye-sores.

Webb is one of the primary sponsors for a resolution to voluntarily stop chalking on campus. He said that after Chancellor Oblinger came out to a Student Senate meeting and discussed the costs associated with chalking and painting outside the Free Expression Tunnel, he and some other senators became concerned. Following an e-mail from Evelyn Reiman, associate vice-chancellor for student affairs, addressing the same issues, he and a few other Senators decided it was time to do something.

That group of Senators will be presenting Resolution 84, the Campus Chalking Cessation Act, for first reading at tonight’s Student Senate meeting. Because it is a “fast track” bill, meaning it will go from first to second reading in the same night, Webb said it is possible that the Senate could also be voting on whether or not to pass the resolution during the meeting.

But Webb said he wanted to emphasize the voluntary aspect of this resolution. Students will not be forced to stop, only asked to do so.

“I personally think that it would be kind of hard to force a moratorium on that,” Webb said. “A voluntary one, I think, would work better.”

Reiman said there are two aspects of chalking that concern her, one of those being that students don’t always adhere to the University policies regarding it.

In the University’s Policies, Rules and Regulations, Regulation 11.55.4 states that sidewalk chalking is permitted for the purpose of advertising and may be done on any horizontal surface that is exposed to rain where it can be naturally washed away. These surfaces cannot be under overhangs or other areas that would prevent the surface from being naturally washed away.

The regulation also states “Chalking is strictly prohibited on vertical surfaces such as building walls, vertical steps, columns, etc.”

Reiman said this seems to be something students are not aware of.

“There shouldn’t be chalking on a ceiling, or on a wall of a building or a door of a building,” Reiman said.

The same regulation also states that any individual or organization who chalks to advertise is responsible for removing any outdated materials that have not washed away within three days after the event is over.

The use of water to clean up this chalking during severe water regulations is the other of Reiman’s concerns about the method of advertisement.

“The University really isn’t in a position to use its limited water to do clean-up of chalking,” Reiman said.

According to Tom Stafford, vice chancellor for student affairs, the primary discussion for this moratorium on chalking came up at the last chancellor’s liason meeting.

“It was based primarly on the fact that there is a drought,” he said. “It doesn’t look good for N.C. State to be using water to clean off the sidewalks in this drought.”

And while Stafford said he is in support of suspending the chalking policy for some length of time, he said he feels like the University should try to find an alternate means of advertisement for those students and organizations who use chalking to get their words out.

“That is a way a lot of students get out information about their activities, so we should try to find a way to allow these groups to do that if we remove the opportunity to do that on the sidewalks,” Stafford said.

But Reiman said she doesn’t feel it is taking any venue or informational outlet from students and groups.

“It doesn’t seem that it really compromises students ability to communicate with one another about their events in that there are other no-cost means, like Facebook, like E-vites, where students can get the word out about their programs,” Reiman said.

According to Reiman, the University collective community cares that we are in a period of drought, and she said she thinks the Student Senate is a great place for a change to start taking place.

“The great thing about something like a Senate resolution is that it does get the dialogue going,” Reiman said.

Sen. Webb will propose a bill to halt chalking on campus surfaces in light of the drought

Laura WhiteManaging Editor

They adorn the sidewalks and walls between dormitories and classroom buildings.

In shades of pastel pinks, blues and greens, these chalky messages stand out against the red brick and grey concrete.

And often, the same messages have been there for weeks.

While rain is usually relied upon to clean the chalked-up surfaces, the lack of it has posed a bit of a problem this year. And while normally the leftover messages can be washed away by Facilities personnel, due to extreme water restrictions, that is no longer an option.

According to Kenneth Webb, a senior in computer science as well as a Student Senator, he and the rest of Student Government plan to do something about the chalky eye-sores.

Webb is one of the primary sponsors for a resolution to voluntarily stop chalking on campus. He said that after Chancellor Oblinger came out to a Student Senate meeting and discussed the costs associated with chalking and painting outside the Free Expression Tunnel, he and some other senators became concerned. Following an e-mail from Evelyn Reiman, associate vice-chancellor for student affairs, addressing the same issues, he and a few other Senators decided it was time to do something.

That group of Senators will be presenting Resolution 84, the Campus Chalking Cessation Act, for first reading at tonight’s Student Senate meeting. Because it is a “fast track” bill, meaning it will go from first to second reading in the same night, Webb said it is possible that the Senate could also be voting on whether or not to pass the resolution during the meeting.

But Webb said he wanted to emphasize the voluntary aspect of this resolution. Students will not be forced to stop, only asked to do so.

“I personally think that it would be kind of hard to force a moratorium on that,” Webb said. “A voluntary one, I think, would work better.”

Reiman said there are two aspects of chalking that concern her, one of those being that students don’t always adhere to the University policies regarding it.

In the University’s Policies, Rules and Regulations, Regulation 11.55.4 states that sidewalk chalking is permitted for the purpose of advertising and may be done on any horizontal surface that is exposed to rain where it can be naturally washed away. These surfaces cannot be under overhangs or other areas that would prevent the surface from being naturally washed away.

The regulation also states “Chalking is strictly prohibited on vertical surfaces such as building walls, vertical steps, columns, etc.”

Reiman said this seems to be something students are not aware of.

“There shouldn’t be chalking on a ceiling, or on a wall of a building or a door of a building,” Reiman said.

The same regulation also states that any individual or organization who chalks to advertise is responsible for removing any outdated materials that have not washed away within three days after the event is over.

The use of water to clean up this chalking during severe water regulations is the other of Reiman’s concerns about the method of advertisement.

“The University really isn’t in a position to use its limited water to do clean-up of chalking,” Reiman said.

According to Tom Stafford, vice chancellor for student affairs, the primary discussion for this moratorium on chalking came up at the last chancellor’s liason meeting.

“It was based primarly on the fact that there is a drought,” he said. “It doesn’t look good for N.C. State to be using water to clean off the sidewalks in this drought.”

And while Stafford said he is in support of suspending the chalking policy for some length of time, he said he feels like the University should try to find an alternate means of advertisement for those students and organizations who use chalking to get their words out.

“That is a way a lot of students get out information about their activities, so we should try to find a way to allow these groups to do that if we remove the opportunity to do that on the sidewalks,” Stafford said.

But Reiman said she doesn’t feel it is taking any venue or informational outlet from students and groups.

“It doesn’t seem that it really compromises students ability to communicate with one another about their events in that there are other no-cost means, like Facebook, like E-vites, where students can get the word out about their programs,” Reiman said.

According to Reiman, the University collective community cares that we are in a period of drought, and she said she thinks the Student Senate is a great place for a change to start taking place.

“The great thing about something like a Senate resolution is that it does get the dialogue going,” Reiman said.