How many copies to make?
In 1998 Ron We counted that if you poster starting at the E25 lobby, work down to 66, 56, 16, over to the infinite corridor (picking up boards on spurs in 6, 2, 1, 4, 3, 7), and the Student Center, this requires just over 70 flyers. In W20 there are boards on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd (1 obscure board outside the bathrooms) and 4th floors. You'll also want more copies for postering dorms, and for Tech Squares members to give to friends. And to reposter each time the posters are cleared.
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Postering rules
The official ASA postering rules are here.
Finding space to poster
Bulletin boards at the Institute are cleared on Monday and Thursday nights. People are inconsiderate. My heuristics for "making space" on bulletin boards are:
- Get there early in the day. The boards are cleared after 10PM and students tend to get up later (after their first 9AM class) so being early means you don't have to work as hard to find a spot. It does mean you have to work harder to keep from getting covered over (see maintenance below).
- MIT stuff takes precedence over any commercial posters. I have no qualms tearing down postering over ads. If they're offers to employ students, I leave them for a second pass.
- Outdated flyers also go without a second thought.
- Any postering in violation of the rules (multiples for a single event/purpose) are toasted.
- You can poster over outdated or rule-breaking posters (and often should, in order to get a better spot), but don't tear them down.
Maintaining the posters
This isn't a passive business; our presence needs to be maintained. Other groups are much more cut-throat and you
have to keep things up. If I'm walking and find someone has covered one of our flyers, I don't think twice about tearing theirs off and tossing it in the trash. GET HELP. Other MIT-frequenting members should be recruited to police the postering.
Table-top cards in the dining halls now require a reservation to be made at the ARA office, W20-5th floor. By my last count, Lobdell has about 90 tables and Walker has 55 tables. I haven't done Baker and I think there is another dorm-based dining hall in a west campus dorm.
Postering Blackout
At the beginning of the school year, during rush/orientation up until the activities midway, the ASA limits how student groups may recruit new students. This may interact with early postering you want to do. Check the official ASA rules or ask them for clarification to be sure.