University of Iowa officials re-evaluate chalking policy

The Iowa City Press-Citizen (http://icp-c.com/1XLanUM ) reports that the messages were power-washed away after university officials received complaints, raising questions about why those messages were removed but memos by other groups were left untouched.

Bill Nelson, director of the Iowa Memorial Union and the UI Center for Student Involvement and Leadership, said the messages were removed because they didn't comply with a policy requiring chalked messages to advertise upcoming public events hosted by a recognized student organization.

The policy also allows university employees to remove messages that include obscenities, profanity, hate speech or "any message threatening individuals or groups of people to incite physical or psychological harm."