Be polite with kiosk space

Kiosks are a major part of spreading information on campus regarding student group activities. For many, it's the primary, and sometimes the only, method of advertising they have at their disposal. Bands, theater troupes, lectures, greek announcements, Union Board programs -- everybody has an opportunity to promote themselves on the five wooden stations positioned around the University grounds. \nYet, it's been observed that certain organizations are having a bit more influence on those boards than others, namely those with the money to purchase enough fliers to soak the space in their announcements.\nWe have all seen the large glossy posters that travel companies or recruitment offices use to advertise spring break opportunities or programs abroad. Not only do they fill the space of several standard fliers, but their professional quality make the traditional Kinko's copy pale in comparison.\nA group with longer standing here at IU and more money at their disposal for advertisement, as has been the case with the recent Straight No Chaser audition announcements on the Ballantine kiosk, will occasionally wallpaper the space with their information. \nWhile the underfunded "emo" band or independent filmmaker is forced to pray that their three fliers can compete, the overexposed and established names enjoy little competition. Should fledgling groups have to fight twice as hard to become a common name in the University's cultural landscape, or should the University, a bastion of cultural evolution and new birth, strive to put the innovative in the front lines and not the old-hat?\nAccording to the Student Activities Office's handbook, entitled the Policies and Guidelines for Indiana University, "Student organizations are limited to one poster per event in any single display area."\nWe disagree with such stringent regulation. Yet the existence of this policy and the blatant disregard for its demands reveals that the enforcement of policies regarding fliers is lax, at best.\nWe suggest the way of Union Board -- at least their policy in the Indiana Memorial Union's halls. On the large display area located by the bowling alley and Mac computer station, a rule states that no more than five fliers may be posted at once. It's enforced, said Scott Wilson, Union Board advertising director.\n"Yesterday I saw six of our (Union Board) fliers hanging, and I took one down," he said. "It's hard to do, take down your own work, but it's the rule, and we stick by it."\nA similar rule for the kiosks would ensure equality in the amount of coverage student groups receive. Admittedly, Wilson said that Union Board has no such policy with regards to kiosks, and this too we ask to change. \nThe solution is two-fold. Not only should the University regulate the amount of fliers groups are permitted to post -- four to five per each side of a kiosk feels appropriate -- but each group should take it upon themselves to limit their posting as well, showing respect for their colleagues' efforts and maintaining an environment of cultural diversity, not dominance.\n- JP Benitez for the Editorial Board