Ohio State has officially banned chalking on campus.
The university released a statement on Thursday saying that students could be disciplined if they were found chalking on university grounds and would be charged for the cost of repairs or cleanup.
University spokesperson Ben Johnson said, “In light of continued complaints regarding chalking on campus and the significant amount of administrative time spent evaluating chalking, we have revised the university signage standards.”
According to the statement issued on Thursday, the chalking ban is also meant to help with campus navigation and wayfinding for people and cars.
University faculty were officially notified Monday morning via email.
Ohio State's chapter of the American Association of University Professors, or AAUP, wrote on Bluesky that “President Carter & OSU admin continue the assault on free speech by banning the time honored tradition of chalking on campus. Whether governments or administrators, once they start rolling back free speech, they don’t stop.”
“We understand this as being a restriction of people's right to air their opinions freely, particularly on a college campus, which is supposed to be a place of dialogue and interchange,” said Katey Borland, president of AAUP’s Ohio State chapter.
“That would be my greatest fear, that students would learn that anytime they try to assert themselves, they will be punished and therefore they will stop interacting,” Borland said.