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

Rules for Students

Rules for University Staff

Use of University Facilities

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.