Student organizations seeking to recruit new members, run successful events, make connections to other groups, or otherwise contribute to the MIT community will be faced with the task of promoting or publicizing content or ideas.
In all promotional and publicity activities, student organization leaders and members should strive to represent the collective voice of their group with integrity and respect. It is also their responsibility to make sure that their organization’s advertising materials and methods are in compliance with Institute policies.
Advertising events
Organizations must have a confirmed space reservation before advertising any event with a specific date or location. The principle methods to advertise on-campus events include:
- Advertising spaces:
- Events calendars:
- Newsletters and publications:
Postering
There are various ways for groups to advertise themselves and their events at MIT. These include postering on bulletin boards, digital signage around the Institute, and advertising in some newsletters and calendars.
Public Postering Boards
The ASA manages a number of postering boards around campus, including in the Infinite Corridor, Stata Center, and other buildings. Student organizations may poster on these boards to publicize their events. When postering, student organizations must follow the MIT bulletin boards, postering, and display spaces policy and the ASA postering policy, the key points of which are:
- One poster per group per board.
- Up to 22″ x 17″ poster area per group per board.
- Poster only in designated spaces.
- You must include the sponsoring party and an MIT email address as contact information.
- You must date your posters:
- If you are postering for an event, use the data of the event.
- If you are providing general information about your group, use the date 2 weeks after you put up the poster.
- Facilities reserves the right to take down posters, especially if they have been up for multiple weeks.
Private Postering Boards
The ASA also manages postering boards that it allocates to individual organizations to use as a dedicated advertisement space. Applications for a private postering board are open annually.
Student organizations who are allocated a private postering board are responsible for the upkeep of that space. Their responsibilities are outlined here:
- Keep your board filled – if it is not in a covered case, you must use background paper or large poster(s) to cover the entire space.
- Include your group name and contact information.
- Include information about your group’s activities or issues.
- Keep your board updated.
- Maintain the condition of your poster materials.
- Remove other posters from your space. Facilities has been instructed not to deposter private boards even if they look like they have public postering on them. However, if the ASA bulletin boards become too cluttered, sometimes they are cleared by Facilities. You must remove and save the offending posters and then notify the ASA Executive Board.
- Postering on a group’s reserved space is considered a sanctionable offense as detailed on the Public Advertising Space page.
- Maintain your board when items fall off or are inadvertently removed.
- Notify the ASA Executive Board of any vandalism.
- Get permission from the ASA Executive Board if you intend to permanently modify your space (e.g. putting up display cases or plexiglass) or if you want to put up anything that will protrude from your board more than paper and poster boards.
Using Social Media
When using social media on behalf of a student organization, we recommend that you follow these best practices (adapted from Social Media Best Practices from the Institute Office of Communications):
- Be transparent. Don’t post anonymously or use pseudonyms or false screen names when posting or creating content on behalf of your organization.
- Think carefully when you “friend,” “like,” or “follow.” Is it an appropriate relationship? Is there a chance for misinterpretation by your audience?
- Slow down—think before you post. Consider the content carefully and be cautious about disclosing personal details or making statements that you may regret later.
- Respect the privacy of others. It is not okay to disclose personal, confidential, or proprietary information concerning the Institute, or that of students, faculty, or staff in any form of media.
- Respect the intellectual property of others. Remember that the patent, copyright, trademark, and fair use laws of the physical world still apply to the electronic world, as do MIT’s policies regarding the use and ownership of intellectual property.
- Respect your audience and the MIT community. MIT reflects a diverse range of customs, values. When speaking on behalf of your organization, be yourself, but respectfully and with good judgment.
- Be the first to respond to your own mistakes. If you make an error, be up front about your mistake and correct it quickly. If you choose to modify an earlier post, make it clear that you have done so.
- Use discretion when deleting comments. MIT’s policy for its main social media accounts is to only delete comments if they are off topic and include marketing spam or hate speech, or if they’re obscene, profane, or contain someone’s personal or private information. Feel free to adopt the same principles.
- Comply with the terms of service of third-party entities. Most social networking sites have their own rules, policies, and procedures, and you will likely be required to accept their terms of service before you can begin to use them.
Use of MIT Name and Brand
Any use of MIT’s name logos, and seal in advertising and other promotional material must be approved by the Institute Office of Communications in accordance with MIT’s use of name guidelines and the Institute’s use of name policy.
MIT has posted guidelines on how the community can use the MIT logo, including specific guidance for student organizations. In particular, the MIT logo can’t be altered or combined with other graphics or text, nor can it be used as your student organization’s social media icon.
- Contact mit-brand@mit.edu if you have questions about whether your student organization’s logo needs to be modified and/or to submit proposed updates for review and approval.
- Contact student-merch@mit.edu for questions on how to order merchandise for your student organization. This includes new or reordered items that will use the MIT logo, MIT seal, Tim the Beaver, or MIT acronym.