'We’ll deal drastically with individuals who post at unapproved spots on campus' – UG Management warns

Management of the University of Ghana has served notice that it will begin cracking the whip on students and other organizations found to be in the habit of defacing campus with posters.

This comes on the back of Radio Univers’ campaign against indiscriminate postings on campus.

For years, student groups, external businesses and in some instances, university units have been flouting the school’s policy on posting advertisements. Whereas authorities have stressed that there are severe consequences for offenders, the culprits argue that the inadequate advertisement spaces on campus have left them with limited options.

But Director of Public Affairs at the University, Mrs. Stella Amoa, says that the University is committed to meting out sanctions to lawbreakers.

“Placing an advert or poster on a tree is not really what the students should be considering doing. And I’m not happy with what they are doing but it is not just them, you’ll find that religious groups, individual groups are also infringing the regulation of the policy. So it means that if people are aware of the policy and they still choose to go ahead then obviously, the appropriate sanctions will be meted out to them”, she stressed.

This is not the first time the University is warning against placing advertisements at unauthorized places.

In a policy document regulating the placement of advertisements on campus, lecture Halls (i.e. inside the hall), floors of buildings, pavements and roads, lamp posts trees, waste bins staff/faculty residential areas, directional signboards, and other signages.

SRC Interventions

Public Relations Officer of the University of Ghana Students Representative Council, Daniel Osei Wereko says the SRC has presented a proposal to the Advertisement committee has asked for additional spaces such as notice boards and approved venues to be created for publicity.

“One of our requests to management is asking them to create additional space; that is to say to give designated areas or places to aspirants. So if you read the preposition that we made to management, is very clear that we are asking that renovations should be made to all notice boards on campus”, he disclosed.

In the proposal sighted by Universnews, the SRC is requesting “one week of an advertisement on the LEAD screen of the University at no or reduced cost for all students candidates” in the run-up to the 2020 UGSRC Elections.

Speaking on Campus Exclusive earlier today, Daniel Wereko further hinted on plans to put together a bill before its legislative arm to regularize acts of indiscriminate postings on the university campus.

“What we [SRC] are working on is that the SRC is trying to come up with a bill. Now a bill regulating elections which will have all these issues in there. Having gotten the bill, it will go to SRC general assembly for approval of which the EC who will come to office will factor it into the CI [constitutional instrument] for the regulation of the election”, he highlighted.

According to him, the executive arm has considered ratifying a bill that will bar aspiring and incumbent student leaders alike who indulge in the act from holding office.

Background

In a fresh wave of breach of the university’s advertisement policy, Emmanuel Atobrah, Sampson Tagbor, Kwaku Afro, Adu-Boateng Samuel, George Prince Sarpei, and Nervisa Oteng-Ababio among others yet to be captured by #UniversNews, have sent the beauty of the university campus to the slaughter, hoping to get the nod to lead students in various capacities for the 2020/2021 academic year.

At almost every part of campus, the poster of a student aspiring for office can be seen.