Elected Official Events

These events may be political/non-official or official government activities.

A political/non-official event involves the presence and participation of a political candidate, or the candidate’s surrogate, with the objective of promoting the candidate’s campaign, political agenda, or a ballot initiative.

An official government event involves the presence and participation of a sitting elected official with the objective of promoting or conducting official government business.

Political/Non-Official Events

The following are required for all proposals to host political campaign events for candidates promoting their candidacy for elected office or for ballot initiatives.

1. All political campaign event requests must be directed to the Chief of Staff of the Senior Vice President for Finance and Operations. Requests made directly to campus venues will not be honored.
2. The campaign contact is expected to provide:
   1. Type and purpose of event (candidate or candidate’s surrogate to speak about their candidacy for elected office; supporting or opposing issue on an upcoming election day ballot)
   2. Requested date and time
   3. Requested size of venue
   4. Anticipated security needs
3. As needed, the major events committee will be convened to discuss the request, assess needed campus resources (security, custodial, venue availability, etc) and the campus’ capacity to support the event. The committee will then provide a decision to the campaign contact. If approved, the committee will refer the campaign contact to the appropriate venue contact and UMPD for coordination.

Minimum Requirements for Political/Non-Official Events

1. Campaigns will pay all expenses incurred for a political/non-official event, including security. University resources cannot, without exception, be used for political/non-official events. This includes expenses related to use of space, security, technology, food, or other items. All costs associated with political/non-official events must be charged to the organizing entity or candidate’s campaign. University personnel in their official capacity are prohibited from participating in political/non-official events unless expressly authorized by the Office of Government and Community Relations. Use of University logos, banners, or other branded items at political/non-official events is prohibited.
2. Registered student groups may serve as a host of a campaign event, but all expenses associated with the event (venue rental, security, custodial, etc.) will be paid by the campaign and charged at the non-University entity rate.

Official Government Events

The University may be asked to host official government related events or activities, including but not limited to:

Tour of property and facilities - Tour of University activities, projects, or other events taken at the invitation of University personnel, or at the request of the elected official and hosted by University personnel, including work underway by students and/or faculty and staff.

Town Hall/Listening Session - Forum convened by the elected official to hear from constituents on a variety of issues or to discuss and promote a specific issue.

Policy Roundtable Discussion - Conversation hosted by the elected official to engage with University subject-matter experts on a specific issue for which legislation has been or may be introduced.

Rally - Event to promote a specific non-political agenda and gather support for official government action.

Committee Hearings - Official committee hearings on financial or policy issues under consideration by the elected body. This applies to hearings at the local, state, and federal levels. Hearings provide a forum where facts and opinions can be presented from witnesses with varied backgrounds, including government officials, interest groups, subject matter experts, and members of the public. 

Press Conference - Staged event with journalists as the main audience, hosted with the purpose of raising awareness or stating opinions about a particular issue or development of public interest. Initiated by the elected official, or at the invitation of University personnel.

Units hosting official government events as defined above should refer to the Major Events policy to determine if the event should go through the Major Event process and procedure.

See examples of costs and treatment of costs in Appendix: Cost Coverage Recommendations for Official Government Events.