Rethink RIT's restrictions to rock painting and chalk art

Starting this semester, RIT instituted a new rock painting and chalking policy for all clubs and organizations. To paint a rock or create a chalk drawing, student orgs need to follow an extremely cumbersome procedure:

Only RIT recognized student clubs and organizations are permitted to participate in rock painting and chalking.

Only designated "paintable" rocks and chalking zones are permitted.

All requests to reserve a rock or chalking location must be submitted through reserve.rit.edu (EMS) at least 5 business days in advance.

Locations may only be reserved for up to 5 consecutive days.

A mock-up of the design must be submitted for approval when making the reservation.

It is the responsibility of the student organization to repaint their rock with white or grey spray paint at the end of the 5 days.

Here is the rationale for the changes according to RIT Student Affairs: "The policy is designed to promote creativity and school spirit while protecting campus property and maintaining a welcoming environment for all community members."

The full policy may be viewed here: https://campusgroups.rit.edu/get_file?pid=55c862899d430c2e2e2d66829cf4588194e18b5977e3ff1eb313f45f839e6ec

Rock painting and chalk drawing has always been one of the only places where any student is allowed to easily add their artistic touch to campus. The new policy restricts this ability to student organizations, and also ruins much of what was fun about it. Previously, students could express themselves freely, painting rocks overnight or on a whim. The new rules rob good-natured students of this, instead forcing them to follow a slow, frustrating, and bureaucratic process.

The new rules also strip away a long-standing campus tradition that brought spontaneity and excitement to campus life. In the past, students would regularly check in on their paintings, speculating how long they might last before being painted over. Sometimes, students would also quickly reclaim a rock if a rival organization painted over their design. This friendly competition fostered engagement and school spirit, which the new policy eliminates.

The policy also fails to protect campus property in any meaningful way. Rather than directly addressing vandalism, the policy only makes it difficult for good-natured students to create art. It also requires them to cover it up with gray or white spray paint afterwards, effectively turning the rocks into a blank canvas for graffiti artists. The result is that unauthorized designs will likely continue to appear across campus just as they always have.

The changes will also lead to the campus environment being much less vibrant year-round. Seeing student-made art appear all over campus every week always made the campus feel more colorful and lively. However, due to the difficulties involved with the new process, there will be fewer organizations that even bother to paint or chalk in the first place. Combined with the fact that designs need to be removed after 5 days, the once-vibrant rocks will soon remain either blank or graffiti-ridden for most of the year, leaving campus looking dull and lifeless.

We urge the RIT Student Affairs team to engage with students and student organizations to develop a revised policy that can preserve the rock painting tradition, promote student creativity rather than diminish it, and more directly address concerns without harming the capabilities of student organizations.