Although any staff member, student, or student group may help host a CLP event, an official “faculty or staff sponsor” must submit the event proposal. Appropriate sponsors include all educators at Furman University (defined for the purpose of CLP submission as all members of the teaching faculty) and all event-coordinating educators who serve under the Vice President for Academic Affairs or Vice President for Student Life, as identified specifically by these university officials. A sponsor may not necessarily hold the viewpoints expressed in the event. He or she, however, is expected to hold the credentials necessary to judge the academic value of an event.
- The sponsor must review the Standards of Comportment prior to a CLP event.
- The sponsor must submit the proposal, oversee arrangements and logistics, and have a clear understanding of the nature of the event. The CLP Committee chair will use the sponsor as the primary contact for all inquiries regarding the event.
- The official sponsor must attend an event he or she proposes or designate another sponsor to attend in his or her absence. The official sponsor is required to moderate any panel discussion or question-and-answer period. Sponsors who do not feel qualified or comfortable fulfilling this responsibility may appoint another qualified individual (who meets the requirements of a CLP sponsor—see above) or may ask the CLP Committee to appoint a moderator from the Moderator Pool.
- The official sponsor ensures consistency between the proposal, marketing, and implementation of the event. Event advertising should include the exact title proposed to the Committee, the name of all participating university programs, and a “For More Information” line with a regularly monitored email address. Advertising materials must be reviewed by the official sponsor and conform to the standards of civil discourse at Furman University.
- The official sponsor should see that electoral candidate promotion and merchandise sales are not a central feature of the event.
- Official sponsors ensure that the conduct of the speaker(s) and audience at the event is appropriate. It is the duty of a sponsor to end an event if it deviates substantially from the guidelines of the Cultural Life Program. The sponsor can later decide, in conversation with the CLP Committee Chair and the Associate Dean and University Registrar, if credit should still be allocated for the event.
- The official sponsor—indeed, any member of the faculty, staff, and administration—has the duty and authority to withdraw CLP credit from students whose behavior is inappropriate (e.g., using electronic devices, studying, or heckling the speaker). Credit can be expunged in conversation with CLP staff or the appropriate administrative office.
- The sponsor shall promptly notify the appropriate administrative office if an event is canceled or if its time and/or location are changed. Failure to do so will result in revocation of the event’s credit.
