Student Organization Event Publicity

There are several ways to promote an event or fundraiser on the Geneseo campus. First and foremost, publicity requests for fundraisers WILL NOT be approved until the Fundraising Permission Application Request Form is approved. Once that is approved, you may reserve publicity in the Union.

All publicity reservations, except for lobby tables, may be made for one week only unless special approval has been obtained from the Department of Student Life. Reservations can be made through the EMS System. Only designated people from the organization can make reservations or reserve publicity on behalf of the organization.

Student Organizations Logo

By default, the designated person form the organization is the president. In order to become a designated point person, please have the president of your organization contact scheduling and events in Erwin 23 or at events@geneseo.edu and provide them with the individuals name and Geneseo email and they will add the individual for the calendar/academic year to make reservations on line (including requesting lobby tables) to EMS. This is access limited to two additional people per group.

*Special reminder: You may only reserve 3 types of publicity for each event for 1 week*

Link to the Event Management System
Publicity Request Tutorial
View Today's Publicity Reservations

Publicity in the College Union

Poster Tower

Student organizations are permitted to reserve and utilize the poster towers for publicity purposes. Located in the MacVittie College Union, main entrance by the Concierge Desk and East Lounge, the poster towers consist of one or two vertical frames on either side of a post. Student organizations can only reserve one frame per event or program. Poster frames must be reserved for a week at a time (Sunday-Friday, 11:00am-5:00pm) through the EMS system. When reserving the poster frame through EMS, you will need to be specific in your selection. Each individual poster frame is labeled by dimension and letter. Therefore it is extremely important to know which frame you would like to use. Posters must be dropped off the Thursday before the start of your reservation for approval by Student Life and installation by a College Union Manager. At the conclusion of your reservation, posters will be removed and the student organization can retrieve their poster from CU 321. All posters not picked up by the Tuesday after removal will be recycled.

Lobby Tables

Organizations may schedule and reserve lobby tables for up to one week online through the EMS system. Daily hours for the use of the tables are from 11am-5pm. When reserving lobby tables in the EMS System, you must ALWAYS select 11am-5pm for the "Start" and "End" time. If you do not, you will be contacted by one of the College Union Managers. Organizations are expected to clean up their reserved area when leaving. Organizations are also required to sign in for their lobby table at Manager Assistant Desk in the Lobby each day the table is reserved. Organizations not adhering to these policies may lose future privileges in reserving tables or lobby space and pay a fine. Lobby Table Diagram

               *  Departments are required to sign in every day in which they have reserved a lobby table. Sign ins are located Manager Assistant Desk in the Lobby. If a department cannot staff the lobby table, please contact the MCU Manager at least 24 hours in advance. With a limited number of tables, this cancellation allows Student Life to offer the table to another organization.

Bulletin Boards

General Posting Board

Located in the Student Organization Resource Room and on the1st and 3rd floors of the College Union.

  • Posters or flyers may not be placed on these bulletin boards in the College Union without approval of the Department of Student Life or a Union Manager. In order to receive approval, please submit ONLY 3 flyers or posters to the Department of Student Life in College Union Room 321. Flyers and posters must receive a stamp indicating approval. Once approved, the College Union Manager will post the flyer or poster in the building. Please do not attempt to hang your flyer or poster without receiving approval: it will be removed.
  • Posting time is up to 2 weeks.
  • Materials may not be posted on College Union doors, walls, or windows.

Chalkboard/Bulletin Boards

All of the chalkboards are located on the 3rd floor of the College Union.

  • Each chalkboard is labeled with a letter (L,M,N) and each colored panel is labeled with a number. When reserving the chalkboards/bulletin boards through EMS, you will need to be specific in your selection. Therefore it is extremely important to know which panel you would like to use.
  • The College Union will provide you with the appropriate chalks. Please DO NOT use anything but the College Union chalk. You can obtain the chalk from the Concierge Desk on the 1st floor, Room 102.

Sandwich Board

Sandwich boards are placed right in the College Union Lobby.

  • The Sandwich Board is reserved through the EMS System.
  • When it is your week to sign out the board, please visit the Concierge Desk to obtain the board and markers. Please only use the markers that are provided. Return the markers and board to the Concierge Desk for manager approval.
  • Once approved, the manager will place the board in the lobby.

Painted Wall

The painted wall is located outside the east exit of the MacVittie College Union towards Sturges.

  • The wall is to be reserved for up to one week.
  • For the painted wall, wall space is 1/2 of the wall with reserved side marked as A and B.
  • Only the water-based paint supplied by the Department of Student Life may be used. You may obtain these paints from a College Union Manager in CU 321. The organization is required to clean up any paint spills and drips. Brushes and the equipment may be cleaned in the maintenance closet in the College Union, Room 318, not the restrooms.
  • From Thanksgiving to Spring Break, the painted wall WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BE RESERVED. However, organizations are allowed to display any advertisements on a sheet, which is to be supplied by the organization itself. You may use the KnightSpot kitchen for the making of your banner. See the College Union Manager in CU 321 for access. All sheets must be submitted to CU 321 for installation.

Painted Windows

The painted windows are located outside the east exit of the MacVittie College Union towards Sturges.

  • There are 3 separate window panes labeled A, B or C. When reserving the window through EMS, make sure you specify which window pane you would like.
  • Paints for the painted windows must also be obtained from the Concierge Desk on the 1st floor of the College Union. You must paint on the outside of the window.

Painted Tree (Please consider the effect of painting a living being)

  • Are Trees Sentient Being? Certainly, Say German Forster

  • Paint and other coverings can clog the tiny openings on trees called lenticels, which allow trees to release CO2, and take in oxygen, for respiration. Also, paint may interfere with photoreceptors embedded in the stem. When these sensors are covered, it interferes with a tree's ability to sense changes in light quality, intensity and duration, which can disrupt normal plant processes. In addition, the bark and cambium layers can be damaged if a tree absorbs paint chemicals. These chemicals, especially those found in oil-based paints, can cause severe damage - even death - to thin-barked trees. www.fnr.purdue.edu

  • Reservations by registered student organizations of the Painted Tree are required. 
  • Reservations are for one week.
  • One reservation per student organization per semester.
  • Painting is limited to the eight feet above the base of the tree.
  • The painting student organization must completely paint over the previous painting.
  • The painting student organization’s name along with the date/time must be included in the painting.
  • It is recommended that all paints used be environmentally friendly.
  • Approval of reservations DOES NOT imply college endorsement of the positions and views of any student organization.  While the tree is a site for free expression it is a Limited Public Forum. 
  • Embracing free speech entails at times seeing and hearing arguments, ideas, and statements that one might find offensive, disturbing, provocative, and infuriating.
  • With freedom comes responsibility.  Speech that incites violence or that targets an individual or a group of individuals is never acceptable and will not be permitted.
  • The SUNY Geneseo community should recognize the pains that words can cause.
  • Students have a right to freedom of expression. SUNY Geneseo recognizes and supports students’ rights to self-expression. 
  • Students who paint the tree should recognize that their artwork will be covered up by another student or group of students after their reservation has expired.
  • The First Amendment protects the right to say hateful things, but as a campus, SUNY Geneseo strives to be a community where no one chooses to express hate.
  • Dispose of all paint, brushes and other materials properly
    • Individuals and groups must provide their own garbage bags to place all brushes, paper towels, and other equipment, EXCEPT PAINT, in and bring to the trash room in the Fraser Archway. DO NOT pour paint down sinks or toilets!
    • Paint cans should be left open (paint must dry to be disposed of according to law) and bring cans to the trash room in Fraser Archway. DO NOT pour paint down sinks or toilets!
    • DO NOT use College restrooms to clean paint brushes. Please use the utility sink in College Union room 318.

Publicity in Academic Buildings

If you are looking to hang a flyer or poster in an academic building, please attach it to one of the general bulletin boards in the building.

Publicity in Residence Halls

For advertising in the Residence Halls, please see your RA or Area Coordinator

Publicity in Dining Halls

If you would like to advertise in the dining halls, please seek CAS approval via the dining hall manager.