Campus Signage Policies

The purpose of the SUNY Plattsburgh Signage and Wayfinding Policy is to support and maintain a welcoming campus image and improve the on-campus experiences for faculty, staff, students, visitors, and the community through a uniform signage and wayfinding system. Campus identifiers, building signage, as well as interior room signage are part of the SUNY Plattsburgh identity program. While consideration is given to such factors as special applications, architectural environment, and landscape; the university’s signage program is primarily for identification and wayfinding.

Specific goals and objectives of this policy include:

1. To provide simple, consistent, and clear vehicular and pedestrian directional information to the campus community and to visitors, and to create a welcoming campus environment
2. To promote campus safety and public health by regulating points of contact between pedestrians and motor vehicles, and by encouraging the use of campus paths and walkways for physical activity.
3. To provide a cohesive, aesthetically appropriate, comprehensive system to simplify the process of maintaining signage and wayfinding on campus.
4. To provide a clear set of regulations regarding authority and responsibility for the oversight and maintenance of the signage and wayfinding system.
5. To preserve and complement the built environment of the SUNY Plattsburgh campus, by using signage that is respectful of and not damaging to the existing architectural character.
6. To eliminate visual clutter and the proliferation of multiple, inconsistent signage systems that lead to users’ confusion and frustration.
7. To bring signage into compliance with building code, Americans with Disabilities Act and life-safety requirements.
8. To ensure that campus signage is consistent with the university’s Graphic Standards Guidelines created by the Department of Marketing.

 Review Process / Approval

All university departments, recognized student organizations, faculty, staff, students, volunteers, and visitors on university premises.

University Department: Refers to academic and administrative units of the university. For the purpose of this policy, the term also includes affiliates such as College Auxiliary Services, the Research Foundation, the Plattsburgh College Foundation, and the Plattsburgh Alumni Association.

Recognized Student Organizations: Any club or organization with student members that has been recognized in accordance with the university’s Recognition of Student Organizations Policy. For the purpose of this policy, the Student Association is considered a recognized student organization.

Third Parties: Refers to any organization or individual that is not (1) a University Department, (2) a Recognized Student Organization, (3) Faculty or Staff, and (4) a currently enrolled student.

Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing: Responsible for keeping the Graphic Communications Policy & Style Guide up to date for use by the Maintenance Department when ordering new signage. Marketing is responsible for providing high-resolution logos sized for specific projects and oversight when new items are ordered and approving requests for the use of logo and seals. The Department of Marketing does not provide funding for signage. All requests for usage of campus logos and seals must come to the Department of Marketing for approval.

Maintenance Department: Responsible for installing and maintaining all signage on campus. Responsible for ensuring that capital projects and upgrades to facilities that are managed by the Facilities Office comply with these policies and procedures and also with the Signage and Wayfinding Standards Manual. The Facilities Office will provide designers, architects and contractors the Signage & Wayfinding Program information along with the Signage and Wayfinding Standards Manual to consult in preparing designs for construction/rehabilitation of campus buildings and facilities. The university’s current capital improvement program through the Facilities Office provides funding for the replacement of interior and exterior signage in academic, administrative and other facilities. Other funding sources are utilized for non-academic (i.e., residence halls, dining halls) and/or non-owned university facilities, such as Valcour Educational Conference Center and Twin Valleys Outdoor Education Center.

University-wide Procedures

1. ADA Compliance Requirements for Interior Signage:
   1. All room signs must have the assigned room number and occupancy title in the proper font, letter size and Braille.
   2. Signs that designate the identification of permanent rooms and spaces must comply with current Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
2. Bulletin Boards
   1. The Maintenance Department is responsible for maintenance and repair of all bulletin boards on campus.
   2. All academic and administrative buildings have bulletin boards for display of posters and advertisements. Some bulletin boards are assigned to specific departments. These bulletin boards may have restrictions on access/posting of materials.
   3. Location: The Office of Student Leadership and Engagement in the Angell College Center will provide a listing of the proper locations of bulletin boards inside the academic and administrative building where student groups and organizations can post posters/ advertisements for on- and off-campus events. The Office of Student Leadership and Engagement will also evaluate and mark the poster or advertisement with an approval stamp, which will include the date that the poster should be removed.
   4. No posters or advertisements can be attached to any fire door or located within a stairwell in accordance with National Fire Protection Association NFPA) Codes and Standards.
3. Campus Maps
   1. The official SUNY Plattsburgh campus map is available online (See Appendix). Any print, online, or other media publication that includes maps should use the official campus map found on the website. Google maps may also be used.
   2. Updating official campus maps is the responsibility of the Department of Marketing. Any major changes to campus buildings and grounds shall be reported to the Department of Marketing so that maps may be updated accordingly.
4. Posters and Advertisements by Student Groups and Organizations (Not including the Angell College Center, residence halls or Feinberg Library, which have an existing policies in sections 6-8)
   1. “Posters and advertisements” means any printed material or display that announces activities or events, conveys information about clubs or other organizations, or serves a similar purpose.
   2. Only posters and advertisements announcing activities to be held at the university or that are of special interest to the campus community and are sponsored by a recognized student organization should be displayed. Posters by any other group – whether internal or external – should not be displayed and are subject to removal without notice.
   3. Posters or other forms of printed communications such as advertisements shall not be permitted unless the external organization is sponsored by a campus group or organization and an event is the primary focus of the poster.
   4. All signs or posters must reference sponsor, contact person and phone number of contact person and date of event. The Office of Student Leadership and Engagement in the Angell College Center will stamp the date for removal of all posters and advertisements to be displayed across campus.
   5. Posters will not be attached to non-masonry walls, entrances, exits, artwork, glass surfaces, fire doors, stair wells and exteriors of any building. Any posters found on these surfaces will be removed.
      1. * No posters or advertisements can be attached to any fire door or located within a stairwell in accordance with National Fire Protection Association NFPA) Codes and Standards.
   6. It is the responsibility of the sponsoring organization or individual to remove their posters after the end of the event. If the sign or poster is not removed by the day following the event, a janitorial staff person, faculty or administrative staff will have the sign or poster removed and will not be saved.
   7. No sign or poster may emphasize alcohol and/or tobacco. Specifically prohibited from general posting are those off-campus events that reference alcohol, an alcohol euphemism or occur at an off-campus drinking establishment.
   8. If a poster is deemed not to be in compliance, any janitorial staff person, faculty, or administrative staff can remove the poster.
   9. Posters should not exceed a size limit of 15” by 20”.
   10. Under no circumstances will stickers, decals, glue or any other such permanent adhesive be affixed to wall postering material. In all cases, costs associated with the removal of this material may be passed on to the concerned individual, group, or association.
5. Permanent Signage Updates and Removals:
   1. Departments wanting to replace, upgrade or remove signage in their area(s) must complete a Maintenance and Operations Work Order.
   2. Permanently affixed signs and postings inconsistent with the university’s Signage and Wayfinding Standards Manual and these policies and procedures, shall be removed with notification to the impacted department.
6. Temporary Signage by Campus Departments
   1. Examples of temporary signage include notices, flyers, banners that serve as wayfinding signage for events such as: open houses, conferences, public presentations and alumni events.
   2. Individual departments will handle temporary signage needs.
   3. Temporary signage should be placed no more than 14 days in advance of the event and should be removed by the end of the event.
   4. All temporary signage shall be mounted on appropriate display boards, kiosks or specifically designated and approved locations.
   5. Temporary signs can be printed by departments or the Feinberg Library Computer Lab.
   6. Temporary signage should observe appropriate guidelines for writing. Please see Appendix, Use of State University of New York College at Plattsburgh Seal, Logo on Page 2.
7. Partnership Signage (internal and external)
   1. A third-party entity with offices at SUNY Plattsburgh requiring signage on campus should contact the VP of Administration and Finance (701 Kehoe Administration Building, 518-564-2538) and discuss permanent signage needs with Marketing, which is responsible for reviewing and approving all signage requests.
      1. The signage request may be included in the contract with SUNY Plattsburgh. These drafts and proposed design should be submitted to Management Services and Marketing.
   2. All temporary sign postings on campus, including banners, shall conform to the display sizes of existing interior and exterior temporary sign holders.
8. Use of the SUNY Plattsburgh logo and seal:
   a. All third parties wishing to use the Plattsburgh logo and seal must contact the Department of Marketing, 815 Kehoe Administration Building or by phone 518-564-3624.
9. Implementation
   1. During the transition to the new system, interior signage changes will occur in the following fashion:
      1. In-kind replacements for existing signage that have not yet been updated may be ordered through the Maintenance and Operations Work Order system; payment for such upgrades to be provided through centrally budgeted capital funds, as available.
      2. Major building renovations and rehabilitations shall include plans for updated signage, which will be funded through these specific projects.

 Location-Specific Guidelines and Procedures

1. Angell College Center
   1. Signs and posters may only be posted by Student Association-recognized clubs and organizations (e.g., Marketing Club), campus offices (e.g., Admissions) or university organizations (e.g., College Auxiliary Services).
   2. Events advertised must be campus events or events off-campus directly sponsored by a Student Association-recognized club or organization, campus office or a university organization. Posters may not advertise illegal events or events of questionable legality.
   3. Before any sign or poster is up, the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement must be consulted as to proper location (posters may only be placed on bulletin boards, building columns, and wood stripping along with the corridor walls inside the building. Posters may not be placed on the outside of the building, or in the Flynt Commons). At that time the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement will evaluate and mark the sign or poster with an approval stamp using the following criteria:
      1. Size — Sign or poster should be no larger than 15" by 20".
      2. Quantity — Number of signs or posters approved for one event is limited to six (6). Individual event posters, where the event is already included on combined-event posters currently displayed in the ACC, will be limited to four (4).
      3. Material — Approval will depend on material used.
      4. Respectability — Approval will depend on whether the sign or poster is in keeping with good taste as judged by the Supervisor.
      5. Neatness — Approval will depend on how neatly the poster or sign is done.
      6. Basic information — Approval will depend on sponsor, contact person and phone number being referenced.
   4. No sign or poster may emphasize alcohol. For on-campus events alcohol may be referenced but it cannot be the focus of the advertisement. Specifically prohibited from general posting are those off-campus events that reference alcohol, an alcohol euphemism or occur at an off-campus drinking establishment.
   5. No sign or poster may use a bed sheet or the equivalent of a bed sheet.
   6. All signs or posters must reference sponsor, contact person, and phone number of contact person.
   7. Any given poster or sign may only be posted for up to thirty days.
   8. All signs or posters may only be posted with tape provided by the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement. Items such as double sided mounting tape, adhesives, duct tape and staplers are not to be used. Also prohibited are self-adhesive posters or stickers e.g. bumper stickers.
   9. Responsibility for removing the signs or posters lies with the person(s) putting up the sign or poster. However, if the sign or poster is not removed on the day following the event, the management of the facility will have the sign or poster removed. Signs or posters removed by the management will not be saved.
   10. Exceptions to the above will be decided on an individual basis. For more information, contact the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement, 106 Angell College Center, 518-564-4830, email [email protected].
2. Feinberg Library
   1. Feinberg Library signage is intended to convey important information to its visitors, helping them to find the people and services they seek. The signage is designed to be professional, clear, consistent, well-placed, and in accord with SUNY Plattsburgh’s official standards for graphic design. All signage posted in Feinberg Library must conform to the Feinberg Library Signage Guidelines. For more information on the guidelines, see the Appendix.
3. Residence Hall:
   1. A club or organization may not hang posters in the residence halls without permission of the Housing and Residence Life Office. In general, one poster may be displayed per building. Exceptions to the rule of one poster per building may be requested.
   2. For more information contact the Campus Housing and Community Living Office, 103 Algonquin Hall, 518-564-3824 or [email protected].

None

• Signage and Wayfinding Standards Manual
• Use of State University of New York at Plattsburgh, Use of Logo, Seal
• Campus Map
• SUNY Plattsburgh Policy #9013.1 – Recognition of Student Organizations Policy
• National Fire Protection Association, Codes and Standards