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Introduction
The North and South Houses enjoy valued traditions of self‐expression through the creation of murals. Caltech seeks to promote students’ creativity while also protecting members of the Caltech community from offensive material ad maintaining an attractive environment within the Houses. To this end, Caltech Housing, in consultation with the Student Housing Committee, is establishing this Mural Policy to clarify the guidelines for creating murals and to inform students about the procedures of dealing with offensive or otherwise unacceptable murals. It is expected that individual Houses will follow their own processes if a resident wishes to paint a mural or to request the removal of a mural. However, these processes cannot supersede the guidelines presented here or other Caltech policies and procedures.
Mural Policy
It is the Institute’s policy that murals or anything that goes on the walls or ceilings in the shared spaces of Caltech’s resident Houses do not have offensive material, which includes images or language that reasonable persons would find offensive, that would reasonably interfere with other residents’ enjoyment of the facility, and/or that violate Caltech’s Non Discrimination or Unlawful Harassment policies or other Caltech policies. Examples of offensive material include images or language that are racist or sexist, or that are derogatory on the basis of national origin, disability, age, religion, or sexual orientation. Graffiti or anything else that makes the Houses look deteriorated or degraded is also not acceptable.
Putting Up a Mural
Students must notify the Housing Office in advance (housing@caltech.edu) of the intention to put up a mural and of its proposed location, be it a room, hallway, etc. The Housing Office will make paint available to students who wish to put up or cover up a mural. We ask students not to use spray paint because it can damage the walls. Students are encouraged to consult with the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, Campus Life (henceforth AVPCS), Thomas Mannion, to discuss the mural content before putting it up. This consultation ensures that students don't devote their time to projects that will not be allowed to remain. Neither the Housing Office nor Campus Life will bear the cost of removal if a mural is put up without consultation or differs room the submitted design in ways that make it inappropriate in Institute housing. Murals may be put up in any room. Houses shall give special consideration to the design of murals that go into dining halls, lounges, and entryways.
Complaints to Housing regarding Murals
These practices will apply to all murals in the student houses without regard to when or how they were created. Complaints about a mural may be made to any of the following: AVPCS, the Master of Student Houses (MOSH), the Chair of the Student Housing Committee, the Chair of the Interhouse Committee (IHC), or the President of the House in question. When any of the above receives a complaint, he or she will notify all the others by email. If a student or guest is allocated a room that has a mural that is not wanted, that student should notify either the House government or Housing so that appropriate action can be taken to rectify the situation.
For complaints
requiring immediate attention (offensive material)
If the AVPCS determines that a mural or part of a mural is offensive, the Institute has the obligation to remove or cover it as soon as possible. Except in exceptional circumstances, the AVPCS will contact the House President, RA, and IHC Chair in advance of taking action. At the discretion of the AVPCS and the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, Housing and Dining (henceforth AVPHD), Peter Daily, the House may be given the opportunity to remedy the problem immediately on its own under the supervision of the AVPHD or his personnel using appropriate materials
For complaints which
the AVP determines do not require immediate attention
The House will be given 48 hours from the time it is contacted by the AVPCS to remedy any problems. If the House disagrees with the request, the President of the House in question and the AVPCS will meet and attempt to reach an agreement on appropriate action. If they are unable to reach an agreement, the House President, AVPHD, and AVPCS will meet with the Vice President for Student Affairs. Together they will make the final decision. No work will be done to remove the mural until a decision has been reached according to this process. This process also applies for murals whose initial design was not approved by the AVPCS.
Remedying the Problem
In all cases where a mural or part(s) of a mural must be removed, the problem will be considered remedied when the wall and all other surfaces have been restored to their prior condition, whether the work is done by students or by the Housing Office. No modifications to murals will be made except in accordance with these procedures, including the requirement that the House President receive advanced notice of planned work.
Following action taken
to remedy a problem:
The Chairman of the Stewardship Committee will be notified of the problem and the steps taken to fix it, and the committee will then discuss the issue as soon as possible. If appropriate, the Committee will determine whether an individual, individuals, or the House in question will be financially responsible for action taken to remedy the problem. If there is a possible honor code violation, this may result in cases being brought before the Routing Committee. Violations of other Institute policies such as Unlawful Harassment or Non Discrimination will be addressed as provided in those policies. |
