A photo of the U.S. Capitol Building and the Colorado Capitol Building side by side

Guidelines for Inviting Government Officials to Campuses

Please follow these basic guidelines for inviting government officials to events or tours associated with the University of Colorado. To ensure compliance with state and federal rules governing lobbying activities and to maintain critical relationships with elected officials, please follow these guidelines:


Contacting Officials
If you would like to invite a federal or state official to an event or tour, please contact the Office of Government Relations (OGR) at the University of Colorado. The OGR will facilitate contacting the official on behalf of your department or unit.

Compliance
It is critical that we comply with state and federal rules governing lobbying activities. The staff within the Office of Government Relations is knowledgeable about these rules and will ensure our compliance.

Maintaining Relationships
Working through the Office of Government Relations ensures that critical relationships with elected officials are maintained, followed up on, and leveraged to fulfill the budget and legislative goals of the University.

Communication
Please share these guidelines with all departments and units on your respective campus to ensure everyone is aware of the process for inviting government officials.

Contact Information:

For state officials: Angela Rennick, Senior Director of State Relations, angela.rennick@cu.edu, 303-246-7040
For federal officials: Natalie Barry, Director of Federal Relations and Operations, natalie.barry@cu.edu, 303-495-9624
For general questions: Office of Government Relations - 303-246-7040

Guidelines on Campaign-Related Activities by Members of the University Community

IN GENERAL, UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEES MAY NOT:

  • Engage in any activity during working hours designed to urge electors to vote for or against any campaign issues, which include campaigns for public office, state-wide campaign issues or referred measures, and local campaign issues or levies.
  • Employees wishing to participate in a campaign activity should take personal leave.
  • Use office supplies or equipment, including computers, telephones, printers or facsimile machines to create materials urging electors to vote for or against a campaign issue.
  • Use their university email accounts to urge electors to vote for or against a campaign issue, or to forward materials that urge electors to vote for or against a campaign issue.
  • Use university-hosted Web sites to urge electors to vote for or against a campaign issue.

Rules for Faculty

  • Most faculty members do not have personal leave. Additionally, many faculty members are not on contract during the summer. Accordingly, faculty members may engage in advocacy activities related to a campaign issue during months in which they are not on contract, or during the school year in accordance with applicable department or campus policies on use of personal time.
  • However, faculty members should avoid the appearance of impropriety by clarifying wherever possible that such activities are being conducted on personal time and not on behalf of or at the request of the university.
  • Faculty members remain subject to other limitations on the use of state resources, including university email, even if using personal time.

Rules for Students

  • Students may engage in political expression without limitation, except that they may not use university resources in advocating for or against a campaign issue.
  • Money generated through student fees and equipment or materials purchased with student fees are considered university resources.
  • Student groups are free to organize for advocacy purposes. If an advocacy group raises monies other than student fees for the purposes of campaign advocacy, they may not commingle such monies—they must maintain separate accounts. 

Rules for University Staff

  • University employees may provide information in response to questions posed in the ordinary course of their duties, even if the information provided relates to a ballot issue, so long as the question was not solicited by a State employee.
  • The Board of Regents may pass a resolution adopting an advocacy position related to a ballot issue. The resolution may be distributed by any normal and customary means and in response to a question.
  • Policy-makers such as the President and Chancellors may adopt an opinion related to a ballot issue and spend up to $50.00 publicizing that opinion. If such an opinion is adopted, it may be communicated in response to a question.
  • Employees may use personal time to engage in any advocacy activities, provided that they do not use State resources. As a general rule, employees should always make it clear that they are taking personal time and that they are not speaking on behalf of the university

Use of University Facilities

  • The university may allow access to its meeting facilities for political expression as public forums or limited public forums. So long as access is not restricted based on viewpoint—i.e., so long as there is equal access to advocates on all sides of an issue—the resource is not being used for advocacy.
  • The university may allow a meeting room to be used by an advocacy group, so long as the same or similar space is available to any opposing advocacy group. Forums offered to provide information about a ballot issue should include both sides of the ballot issue. However, student advocacy groups may invite a candidate to speak without inviting opposing candidates, so long as other student advocacy groups are afforded the same opportunities to invite opposing candidates to speak.
  • The university may set additional reasonable time, place and manner restrictions on these activities. Included, the following rules are advisable:
    • Attendance must be open to the public or to all students.
    • A disclaimer must be made on any printed materials and/or at the event that the university does not endorse the candidate, and that any opposing candidate or advocacy group will be offered a similar opportunity to speak.
  • The university may allow access to its facilities or grounds to be used by a political candidate, advocacy group, or issue campaign for use for media purposes, so long as the opposing candidates, or advocacy groups are afforded the same opportunity, if requested.
    • A disclaimer must be made on any printed materials and/or at the event that the university does not endorse the candidate, measure, or issue in question

Resources

Guidelines on Campaign-Related Activities by Members of the University Community

Election Resources for Students, Faculty, Staff, Journalists, and the Community from CU Denver

Election and Civic Engagement Resources from CU Boulder

Important!

THESE GUIDELINES ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR UNDERSTANDING AND COMPLYING WITH APPLICABLE LAW OR UNIVERSITY POLICY AND ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE GUIDELINES OR POLITICAL ACTIVITIES IN GENERAL SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO THE OFFICE OF STATE AND FEDERAL RELATIONS OR THE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COUNSEL.