Otterbein continues to permit chalking after OSU ban

Otterbein does not have plans to change its policy on sidewalk chalk despite concern about The Ohio State University’s recent policy change that bans chalking on its property.

In a statement provided by Rowan Ratvasky, president of Otterbein University Student Government, he said that he has confidence that there will not be any restrictions imposed by Otterbein on student expression including chalking.

Several schools around the nation have felt the impact of federal and state legislation that limits student engagement and expression. In Ohio, Senate Bill 1 has required the removal of all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at public universities.

Private universities like Otterbein are not fully immune from the effects of SB1 and similar legislation either. The most recent Ohio House budget requires private universities to comply with parts of SB1 to continue receiving funding for the Governor’s Merit Scholarship program.

OSU has been accused of taking this direction from SB1 a step further and limiting expression by banning all uses of chalk on campus property. Their policy, which was updated on Aug. 14, states that students who use chalk “would be subject to potential conduct referral” as well as charges for the cost of chalk removal or necessary repair.

Otterbein’s chalking policy allows for “common sense artistic expression” and advertising for campus-wide events but does require that all chalking must be legibly signed. Many other schools, such as Ohio University, Yale, and Cornell, have similar policies or make no restrictions other than prohibiting materials other than sidewalk chalk and chalking on vertical surfaces like buildings or trees.

“This is a tangible example of how expression is being repressed at OSU because of these bills," said Sabrina Estevez, the OSU chapter co-president of the Ohio Students Association.

Estevez said that while it is obvious that SB1 “has its claws” on OSU, the actions they have taken have caused many students to wake up to what is happening around them. “It is disheartening but not immobilizing.”

OSU is not the first school to ban or limit chalking. Iowa State University limited chalking to seven-word event advertisements by registered student organizations in late 2019. They were promptly sued by national advocacy group Speech First and had to repeal three policies. Harvard fully banned chalking without prior written permission last year.

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