Michigan Technological University encourages civic engagement, political awareness, and active citizenship. However, as a public institution in the State of Michigan, the University is legally prohibited from utilizing public resources to support, oppose, or influence candidate campaigns for public office or ballot questions. As such, Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) that benefit from privileged access to certain university resources are prohibited from using those resources to engage in political campaign activity, candidate electioneering, or ballot initiative advocacy.
This policy ensures compliance with Section 57 of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act (MCFA), (MCL § 169.257) which prohibits a public body, or an individual acting on its behalf, from using public funds, personnel, office space, computer hardware or software, property, stationery, postage, vehicles, equipment, supplies, or other public resources to make a contribution or expenditure, or to provide volunteer personal services, to influence the nomination or election of a candidate or the qualification, passage, or defeat of a ballot question.
Prohibited Use of Institutional Resources
Student organizations may not use any of the following institutional resources for campaign advocacy, candidate endorsement, fundraising for candidates or PACs, or ballot initiative action:
- Financial Resources: Student Activity Fee allocations, departmental funding, Michigan Tech Fund donations, or any funds maintained in university-administered accounts.
- Digital & IT Infrastructure: MTU-hosted email addresses, university mailing lists/listservs, official RSO web pages hosted on MTU servers, campus digital signboards, or university-managed platforms (e.g., Involvement Link, GivePulse).
- Physical Facilities & Property: Campus room usage, promotional tables, or university grounds for candidate or ballot related campaign operations or events.
- Supplies & Equipment: University computers, printers, paper, office supplies, signage materials, AV equipment, or university-owned vehicles.
- Institutional Branding: Use of Michigan Tech logos, trademarks, wordmarks, or official mascot imagery.
Allowable Facilities Usage & Non-Partisan Activities
- Fair-Market Rentals: RSOs or external political campaigns may reserve campus physical facilities or equipment only through standard external-rental procedures at fair market value, subject to equal-access rules available to the general public. All rental fees and related costs must be paid using private, non-university funds.
- Non-Partisan Civic Engagement: RSOs may use university facilities and digital platforms in accordance with standard scheduling procedures to conduct non-partisan voter registration drives, neutral candidate forums/debates (where all qualified candidates are invited), or get-out-the-vote efforts, provided no candidate, political party, or ballot position is endorsed or favored.
This policy does not restrict individual First Amendment rights or non-partisan educational initiatives. Students and student leaders may engage in campaign activity in their individual capacities, provided they do so on their own personal time, using personal funds, personal non-mtu.edu email, and private equipment, without using University names/titles or claiming to represent Michigan Tech.