Campus Crusade for Christ will be charged for the cost of cleaning up its chalk displays that advertised last week’s AFTERdark ministry series, but the amount of the fine was not available Monday, TCU officials said. Most semesters, students see colorful displays of sidewalk-chalk advertisements for organizations and events happening on campus. According to the student handbook, chalking, putting flyers on trees or on sidewalks are all against university policy.

Susan Adams, dean of Campus Life, said the policy is important because if all 180 student organizations on campus used those methods, the campus would become too cluttered.

“It would start to look like a circus rather than a campus,” Adams said.

Cameron Sparks, the student representative for AFTERdark, said he tried to clean up the chalk before a fine was given.

“I spent an hour and a half with a squirt bottle and a scrub brush cleaning up chalk,” Sparks said.

He said it still left a little residue and Campus Crusade will be fined for whatever remaining cleanup had to be done.

Larry Markley, director of the Student Center, said the University charges $25 per hour for any necessary cleanup.

Sparks said he understands the policy, especially after he had to scrub the ground in front of the Student Center to remove the chalk, but said he still has mixed feelings about the policy.

“I understand TCU’s reasoning, but at the same time, it’s a college campus, not a business building,” Sparks said.

Sparks said he would not have gotten as many people to come to the event if he had put up only a few flyers on selected bulletin boards.

Mike Russell, associate dean of Campus Life, said he urges students to use only a few well-designed flyers, because it makes the campus look better.

“I see signs in the trees and it just rips my heart out,” Russell said.

The chalking is usually reported by an administrator to facilities services in the Physical Plant to clean up, Russell said.

He said it is not a big problem around campus, but TCU will charge a specific organization if the chalk can be traced back to the group.

The cost of cleanup is assessed by the Physical Plant based on how much time it took plant workers to remove the sidewalk chalk, he said.

Markley, said the university recently bought a power sprayer, which may be a better cleanup solution for chalking around the Student Center.

TCU used to have chalk design contests for homecoming, but someone would come afterward and clean it up so it was not a problem like the advertisements are, Markley said.