• Trademark Licensing
• Freedom of Expression
• Concessions
• Posting Materials on Campus
• Student Organization Web Sites
• Marketing Resources

Trademark Licensing

Texas A&M University Student Rules require student organizations to have advance approval before using A&M trademarks and logos.  Licensed vendors (screen printers for apparel, for example) will handle the licensing work directly with the licensing office, and most vendors in the Bryan/College Station area meet this requirement.  If you are using a non-A&M licensed vendor or need other licensing assistance, please contact the Office of Trademark Licensing at (979) 845-4621 or visit room 213 in the Coke Building.  All products that are officially licensed must include a label or sticker featuring the Collegiate Licensed Product (CLP) logo. 

Word trademarks of the university include:
● Aggie
● Aggies
● Texas Aggies
● Texas A&M
● Texas A&M University
● TAMU
● Twelfth Man
● 12^th Man
● 12^th Mania
● Gig ‘Em
● Texas Aggie Bonfire
● Wrecking Crew
● Old Sarge
● Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band 

Design trademarks of the university include:
● Block ATM
● A&M (stylized)
● University Seal
● University Ring Crest
● Ring Design
● Corps Insignia
● Gun and Sword
● Bugle with Banner
● Star
● T Star (with design)
● Bonfire (with flames)
● Reveille
● Ol’ Sarge Head
● Gig ‘Em 

The Office of Trademark Licensing will also only approve art graphics which utilize the following Pantone Monitoring System (PMS) colors to depict the university trademarks: maroon (PMS 505), gray (PMS 422), and gold (PMS 873) and green (PMS 341) for the university seal.  Finally, the registered trademarks of Texas A&M University cannot be utilized in internet domain names purchased by a student organization.  For more information about Trademark Licensing associated with Texas A&M University, please visit http://trademarks.tamu.edu as well as http://brandguide.tamu.edu/  

Freedom of Expression 

Student Rule Appendix XI states that, “Texas A&M University is committed to providing an educational and work climate that is conducive to the personal and professional development of each individual.  In fulfilling its multiple missions as an institution of higher learning, it encourages the free exchange of ideas.  The university will protect the rights of freedom of speech, expression, petition and peaceful assembly as set forth in the U.S. Constitution.  Texas A&M University maintains its right to regulate reasonable time, place and manner restrictions concerning acts of expression and dissent.”  Ideas or expressions put forth in expressive activities are not necessarily the views of Texas A&M University, its officers, administrators, or leaders, unless otherwise noted. 

The properties of the university are designated as traditional public forums, designated public forums, limited public forums, or non-public forums.  Student organizations can access all of those areas except non-public forums for their expressive activity.  (Examples of non-public forums include classrooms, residence hall rooms, faculty and staff offices, academic buildings, administration buildings, medical treatment facilities, libraries, and research and computer laboratories.)  Availability of space for student organization use may also be limited by distance requirements, crowd placement restrictions, and security concerns.  Please see http://student-rules.tamu.edu/append11 for a more detailed explanation of the difference between these types of forums. 

Rudder Fountain Area, Lawrence Sullivan Ross Statue Area, and the West Mall Area are “reservable free speech areas” and can be reserved at the request of students and non-students for expressive activity.  The act of confirming a reservation will ensure the availability of space.  Please note that sound equipment is prohibited at the Lawrence Sullivan Ross Statue Area or West Mall Area, and the volume of any sound equipment used at the Rudder Fountain Area must be kept at a level that would not interfere with any academic or other program taking place in nearby buildings. 

The guidelines for expressive activity of student organizations are listed below:

1. Disruptive Activity:  Obstruction, disruption or interference with classes, research, administrative functions or other university activities is not permitted. Likewise, infringement on the rights of others is prohibited.
2. Reasonable Access:  It is important to provide reasonable access to, and exit from, any office, classroom, laboratory or building. Likewise, vehicular and pedestrian traffic should not be obstructed.
3. Picketing:  Picketing in an orderly manner outside of university buildings may be permitted.  Such activities should not become disruptive nor should they impede access.  Picketing is not permitted inside campus buildings.
4. Literature:  Literature may be distributed in traditional and designated free speech areas. Such activities should not become disruptive nor should they impede access.
5. Symbolic Protest:  Displaying a sign, gesturing, wearing symbolic clothing or otherwise protesting silently is permissible unless it is a disruptive activity or impedes access.  In addition, such acts should not block the audience’s view or prevent the audience from being able to pay attention.
6. Noise:  Making sustained or repeated noise in a manner that substantially interferes with a speaker’s ability to communicate his/her message is not permitted.  Noise levels should not interfere with classes, meetings or activities in progress or the privacy of residence hall students.
7. Force or Violence:  Any attempt to prevent a university activity or other lawful assembly by the threat or use of force or violence is not permissible.
8. Presenting Identification:  In accordance with the Texas Education Code, it is unlawful for any person on any property either owned or controlled by the university to refuse to identify him/herself to a university official in response to a request.  For the purpose of these rules a person identifies him/herself by presenting student or faculty/staff ID card or state issued ID card.
9. Damage to Property:  Any damage to university or personal property in the course of, or as a result of, an expressive activity is prohibited.  Care should be taken to ensure that university and personal property is not damaged or destroyed.  This includes the campus lawns, shrubs and trees.

Guiding Boundaries:  All individuals participating in expressive activity are expected to comply with state and federal law, municipal ordinances, Texas A&M University Student Rules and the above guidelines.  Failure to do so may result in immediate removal from the campus and any other appropriate action by university officials and/or University Police

 Concessions

The Concessions Guidelines were established to protect students and sponsoring student organizations from the possible problems and ramifications that arise from dealing with unrestricted outside vendors.  The guidelines are set up to assist in creating an educational environment that promotes the freedom of association and the exchange of ideas while maintaining an atmosphere conducive to classroom instruction and campus access.

Concessions are defined as any public sales on the Texas A&M University Campus. "Concessions" are defined as any public sales on the Texas A&M University campus, including the exchange of goods or services for financial consideration and the acceptance of donations.  The Texas A&M campus is defined as all university-owned property in Brazos County, TX, including the main campus, Hensel Park, the University Apartments, Research Park, and the Riverside campus.  Although solicitation activities in public areas of campus (i.e. advertising, distribution of flyers, etc.) do not fall under the purview of the concessions procedures, it is important to note that facility proctors may require a completed Concessions Form in order to reserve a space to conduct these activities. 

Only recognized student organizations or university departments may conduct concessions on campus. There are very limited exceptions to this rule, including vendors with explicit sales contracts with the university and groups with a TAMU affiliation (e.g. Aggie Moms Clubs or The Association of Former Students).  The main guidelines for successful concessions permit requests are: 

1. The concessions request must relate to the mission and purpose of the sponsoring organization.
2. An organization’s requests for concessions permits are limited to five days in a 30-day period, to provide equal access to all organizations.  If your request exceeds this parameter, you will need permission from the appropriate facility proctors and the concessions administrators well in advance of your activity.
3. A request for a concessions permit must be made at least two (2) business days prior to the event.

All money that is collected must be deposited into the organization's SOFC account by the end of the business day on which the concession money was collected.  The student organization must retain a copy of the deposit slip for record keeping purposes.  A night deposit box outside the SOFC will allow safe keeping of money over the weekend or holiday periods.  Failure to deposit all money in a timely manner could result in a suspension of your SOFC and Concessions privileges. 

More detailed information found on the concessions web site includes:

1. Policies and procedures for the sale or distribution of items for commercial purposes 
2. Policies and procedures for the sale of items by non-profit, non-student organizations
3. Situations involving sale or distribution of items that do not require a concessions permit
4. A list of reasons your concessions permit request may be rejected or denied
5. Guidelines for conducting concessions once you are granted a permit
6. A link to download the concessions request form and food distribution forms.

 Please visit http://studentactivities.tamu.edu/concessionsto read about these topics in depth.

 Posting Materials on Campus 

At Texas A&M University, designated areas for posting include several public kiosks located throughout buildings on campus as well as kiosks controlled by a designated proctor for that area. Personal one-of-a-kind notices from students, faculty, or staff are limited to authorized areas marked for “personal notices,” including public, open posting areas.  If your student organization is sponsoring an outside group or agency, be mindful that sponsorship implies participation in the organization, promotion, scheduling, and production of the event by members of the sponsoring organization.  Recognized student organizations will be held accountable for activities sponsored by the organization.  

 The general posting guidelines are as follows:  

1. Recognized student organizations shall include the following statement on all postings:  “The opinions and views expressed do not represent those of Texas A&M University."
2. When interested in posting materials in controlled bulletin boards, student organizations are responsible for working with the individual responsible for the space and will abide by all of the space specific guidelines related to size, duration, etc.
3. It is strongly recommended that all postings contain the name of the responsible student organization or individual and a clearly visible expiration date.
4. Persons or organizations that post materials are responsible for removal of material when the posting date has expired.  An expiration date will be considered one day following the date of the event.
5. Artwork will be in compliance with applicable guidelines for the use of University marks, names, or logos.
6. Materials should not overlap or conceal other postings.
7. Materials must be attached to bulletin boards so as not to deface or destroy the surface.  Signs, posters, or flyers will be attached to cork boards with tacks, and kiosks with tacks or masking tape.  No scotch tape or staples are to be used.
8. Materials must not be attached to glass surfaces, restroom stalls, indoor or outdoor walls/doors, vending machines, trashcans, trees, light posts, sidewalks, or other similarly unauthorized locations.
9. Chalking of sidewalks is strongly discouraged.
10. Additional authorizations and/or restrictions that may be required by building or area proctors, residence hall councils, or departmental units in specified public areas and buildings on campus will be posted.
11. All postings not adhering to these or other applicable University guidelines and regulations will be removed, and any sponsoring campus organization may be subject to additional actions.

 Student Organization Web Sites 

Use of computing services at Texas A&M University is governed by the Standard Administrative Procedure for Acceptable Use of Information Resources, which can be located at http://rules-saps.tamu.edu/PDFs/01.01.01.M0.01.pdfStudent organizations must be familiar with these guidelines before requesting an account. 

The privileges of student organization recognition include 20 MB of web space, a 40 MB email account, and a mailing list account through the Department of Student Activities.  Additional space may be granted at the discretion of the department.  The email accounts of recognized student organizations are not to be used for spamming or commercial gain.  Please see http://studentactivities.tamu.edu/files/stuorgguidelines.pdffor a complete list of the Hosting Guidelines for student organization email and web sites.

Student Activities now offers an easy and instant way to get your organization's web site off the ground: the Drupal Content Management System (see http://drupal.org/).  With Drupal, your organization's web site is built, installed, and set up automatically by our team.  All you have to do is log into your new web site and start creating content.  This service is available free of charge to any actively recognized student organization listed in our StuAct Online system.

If your organization wishes to consult the Information Technology (IT) staff members for web sites, training, or other projects, you will need to fill out a Project Planning Form.  This form can be obtained in the Department of Student Activities.  Forms for unchanged existing projects must be submitted 2 months in advance of the “go-live” date, and forms for new or modified projects must be submitted 4 months in advance of the “go-live” date.

Marketing Resources

** For updated information about placement of banners, kiosks, and other MSCC resources, please visit the MSCC Relocation Guide at http://msclivingtradition.tamu.edu/Minutes/relocationguide.pdf. ** 

Sandwich Boards

A sandwich board is defined as any outdoor free-standing advertisement of any kind.  Recognized student organizations are eligible to advertise with sandwich boards up to two (2) weeks in a calendar month.  Sandwich boards may not be used to advertise off-campus businesses or organizations, and must comply with all university policies regarding publicity and posting.  Sandwich board permit applications can be obtained at http://studentactivities.tamu.edu/files/oap8.pdf.  They are only permitted on certain locations on campus and have specifications for what can be displayed; see http://studentactivities.tamu.edu/sandwichboards for a complete list of these limitations.

Banners 

There are 7 banner locations available between the building columns on the north side of the Koldus building.

Guidelines:

• Only vinyl banners will be allowed.
• Horizontal length of banner must be 10-25 feet long.
• Vertical height of banner cannot exceed 4 feet.
• Banner must have metal grommets at each corner, and spaced every 2 feet along the top

Content of banner: 

• Complete name of sponsoring organization/department is required.
• Banner must advertise on-campus events or functions sponsored by recognized student organizations or academic/administrative departments.  Banners may also advertise departmental resources available to the campus community.
• All banner material must be in compliance with University and Student rules.

 Reservations & Cancellations: 

• Recognized student organizations or campus departments will need to submit a completed Koldus Banner Reservation Form to the Hospitality & Events office on the second floor of Rudder Tower. The form can be found at http://uc.tamu.edu/banner
• Recognized student organizations and campus departments may initially reserve a Koldus banner location twice a semester. If extra reservations are needed, the organization may submit an additional request (pending availability) to the HES office one week prior to the requested reservation date.
• Reservations will be made in one-week blocks, beginning and ending on Sunday, and the banner must be displayed the entire week.   There will be one banner location (between the columns closest to the main entrance of Koldus) that may be an exception - this will only be for special campus-wide events (i.e. Silver Taps) where the banner is not appropriate to be displayed for the entire week. 
• Reservation requests will be accepted beginning April 15 for the fall semester and November 15 for the spring semester, and will be accepted (pending availability) through noon on the Friday prior to the requested week. Reservations are assigned based on a priority system, including the date of the request, size and longevity of the advertised event, and space availability. Banner reservations may be moved to accommodate official university functions.
• Reservations are non-transferrable and that space cannot be given to another group.
• Failure to cancel banner space one week prior to the reservation start date will result in loss of future privileges to make banner reservations.

 Set-Up & Removal: 

• HES Staff will set up and remove all banners. Any organization who attempts to hang their own banner will lose the privilege if making future banner reservations.
• HES will not assume liability for any lost, damaged, or unclaimed banners.
• Banners must be dropped off at the HES office by 2pm on the Friday prior to the week of the reservation.
• Banners will be available to be picked up from the HES office beginning at noon on the Monday following the end of the reservation.
• Banners must be picked up by the end of business hours the following Thursday; any banners left in the HES office will be removed and thrown away.

Get Involved! Newsletter

Student organizations can advertise their events through the Get Involved! newsletter produced bi-weekly by the Department of Student Activities.  These stories will be listed on http://studentactivities.tamu.edu/getinvolved and the home page of the department.  They will also be sent out to every student who has signed up for the involvement newsletter to hear about new opportunities on campus as well as Chief Student Leaders of organizations. The newsletter will also incorporate events and programs sponsored by the Department of Student Activities and across the University.  Submissions can be sent to the Extended Orientation and Involvement team.

Calendars

The Department of Student Activities maintains several calendars for public use, which are available at http://studentactivities.tamu.edu/events and include the All-University Calendar, Semester Calendar, and lists of Sponsored/Authorized Activities.  All items submitted for the semester calendars and for the annual All-University Calendar date book will be posted on a first-come, first-serve basis.  Submission of this information implies permission for the Department of Student Activities to distribute any of the data (phone numbers, names of contact persons, etc.) to other publications requesting the information.

Division of Marketing and Communications

The Division of Marketing and Communications offers services in building marketing plans, news and external relations, and university business relationships.  Staff members from Marketing and Communications are available to assist student organizations with print, video, and photo needs, press releases, and general marketing consultation.  More information about this office’s services and location can be found at http://marcomm.tamu.edu/.