Political Activity Policy & Procedure

I. Purpose & Scope

This policy underscores OCC’s need to maintain its tax-exempt status and to comply with state and federal lobbying and campaign finance laws. These laws prohibit the college and its employees who are acting in their official capacity from participating in any political campaign and/or using college resources that could appear to endorse or support a political candidate.

This policy does not apply to activities that individuals engage in on their own personal time apart from the College.

Any individual who wishes to engage in or sponsor political activities on campus must adhere to this policy. This policy also applies to any student or employee running for political office.

 

II. Policy Statement

OCC encourages respectful dialogue regarding a wide variety of political views. The freedom to speak and listen are central to the effective operation of a collegiate institution which also values important aspects of academic freedom. This policy does not compromise or impede an individual or group’s right to free speech under the First Amendment (see OCC’s Freedom of Speech and Expression Policy).

 

III. Definitions

1. Campaign Finance Law: MCL 169.201 et seq.
2. College Resources: include but are not limited to the college’s name, logo, or other identifying mark; funds, facilities, office supplies, photo equipment, letterhead, telephones, fax machines, computers, electronic hardware, information technology resources such as email, websites, or social media; employee work time.
3. College Sponsor: College campus, school, department, or unit.
4. External Entity: candidates, campaign or political parties or organizations, not-for-profits, and all other outside groups.
5. Lobbying: any attempt to influence the action of any legislative body (e.g., Congress, state legislatures, county boards, city councils, township boards, and their staffs) or any federal, state, or local government agency.
6. Non-Partisan Campus Activity: focuses on civic educational engagement activities that inform, engage, or encourages participation in the democratic process toward all political parties and candidates while remaining neutral; e.g. League of Women Voters; The Foundation for Independent Voter Education.
7. OCC Community Member: any individual who wants to participate in or sponsor political activities on campus, including any student or employee who wishes to run for political office or work/volunteer for a partisan political campaign.
8. Political Activity: activity directed toward the success or failure of a political party, candidate for partisan political office, or partisan political group. Political activities do not include issued-based events or causes that are not explicitly affiliated with a partisan political group.
9. Registered Student Organization (RSO): a student group that is registered with the Office of Student Engagement.

 

IV. Tax-Exempt Status of OCC

As a public institution, OCC holds tax-exempt status. To maintain this status, the college must not participate or intervene in any political campaign and must prevent its resources from being used in any way that could appear to support a political candidate. OCC cannot endorse any candidate for public office.

 

V. Individual Capacity

OCC supports the right of community members to personally engage in partisan political activities, participate in public policy debates, and voice their opinions. Although all OCC community members are free to express their political opinions and engage in political activities as they choose, they must do so in their individual capacity and avoid any appearance that they are speaking or acting in these activities on behalf of the college. 

 

VI. Direct Participation in Political Activities by Individual OCC Community Members

OCC community members are free to participate in political activities at the national, state, or local level. This includes running for political office, managing political campaigns, and taking on leadership roles in political organizations, as long as such participation does not interfere with their work or academic obligations to the college. If such participation conflicts with their obligations to the college, individuals will be required to request a leave of absence for the period of the activity. 

If directly participating in political activities, all OCC community members must distinguish between when they speak, write, or act in their personal capacity (including when they speak, write, or act on behalf of professional societies and other organizations) and when they speak, write or act on behalf of the college’s interests. 

Personal political activities must be clearly identified by OCC community members as personal views and not those of the college.

 

VII. Non-Partisan Voter Education Activities and Events

OCC community members are permitted to conduct certain voter education activities on campus or in college-controlled spaces, provided these activities are carried out in a non-partisan manner and in compliance with applicable laws and Michigan’s Campaign Finance Act. For example, conducting public forums, non-partisan get-out-the-vote drives, and publishing voter education guides that address a variety of issues are allowed, as long as the activities do not favor or oppose any single candidate or political party.

 

VIII. Impermissible Use of College Resources for Political Activities

OCC resources must not be used when engaging in personal political activity. The following examples, without limitation, illustrate prohibited uses of college resources:

• Political fundraising on any college property, including through the use of the college’s technology resources.
• Use of the college’s name, any trademark, logo or image depicting college landmarks in connection with political activities.
• Utilizing the college’s electronic resources (including email and social media) for advocacy on behalf of a candidate or political party.
• The use of hyperlinks to the websites of candidates or political parties on any college website or in an electronic signature on college email in any manner that favors one candidate or political party over another, except in the course of the legitimate teaching, research, or service activities of an academic appointee (e.g., a political science class on third-party candidates; a media class research project).
• Use of college email, campus mail, or social media accounts to forward or otherwise distribute messages, invitations, solicitations, or campaign literature from or on behalf of a candidate or political party.
• Consistent with federal law, 52 U.S.C. § 10307(c), no employee, student, student organization, contractor, volunteer or representative from the college may offer, provide, or accept monetary compensation, gifts, prizes, academic benefits or items of value for registering to vote, or agreeing to register in any political election.

Individual titles, such as an academic title, can be used as identifiers or to lend personal credibility. However, special care must be taken to clarify that any such communication is made in the individual’s personal capacity and that the individual is not speaking on behalf of the college. This clarification is particularly important for public oral statements, written or electronic communications, and publication bylines.

 

IX. Communication and Contact with Government Officials

The Office of Government & Community Relations is the sole office charged and empowered to lead OCC’s advocacy and lobbying activities. Coordination with the Office of Government & Community Relations is essential in maintaining professional working relationships with public officials, keeping the college’s messaging coherent and effective, and ensuring compliance with all relevant and applicable laws.

Unless coordinated with the Office of Government & Community Relations, any contact with government officials or government agencies may only be done in an individual, personal capacity.

Contacts requiring coordination with this office may include, without limitation:

1. Campus events that include government officials, candidates for office, and state and federal political appointees;
2. Responses to requests for information from political candidates, state, city, and federal offices;
3. Contact with state, city, and federal entities;
4. Invitations to visit campuses from political candidates, state, city, and federal offices;
5. Individual or group meetings with political candidates, state, city, and federal officials;
6. Testimony before executive or legislative bodies;
7. Special considerations for contact with federal officials.

 

X. Events and Invitations/Approval Process/Decorum

1. Notify Office of Government & Community Relations (CommEd@oaklandcc.edu) - If a college-sponsored event includes an appearance by, or an invitation to a government official, candidate, or political party, the sponsor of the event must notify the Office of Government & Community Relations to ensure that the requirements of this policy are strictly observed.
   
   No invitations on behalf of the college to a government official, candidate, or political party can be issued by an individual, department, or unit, without prior notification and coordination with the Office of Government & Community Relations.
   
   
2. Speakers & Classrooms – Elected officials, state and federal government appointees, and political candidates may be invited to speak on campus, including classroom visits. These events must be educational and aligned with the college’s public education mission. These events must be coordinated through the Office of Government & Community Relations.
   
   
3. Equal Time – For candidate events, if one candidate is invited to speak at an event, the college must provide all legally qualified candidates or their representatives an opportunity to appear either at the same event or at a comparable event within a reasonable time period. Evidence of invitations and responses must be kept on file. If an invited candidate fails to respond after multiple invitations to the event, such should be noted in the file along with the invitations issued.
   
   
4. Elected Official Educating Students and/or the Public – An exception can be made for an elected official who is simultaneously a candidate for office, so long as the remarks are limited to official business related to the duties of the currently held elected office. However, if the government official uses their visit to promote a political campaign or political party beyond the duties of the official’s current elected office during the event, then all legally qualified candidates or their representatives must be offered an opportunity to appear at a comparable event within a reasonable time period.
   
   
5. The Introduction of a Candidate, Government Official, or Political Party – When introducing a candidate, government official, or political party at a college-sponsored event, this introduction must be neutral and shall not include any language that suggests, or could be interpreted as suggesting, that the college endorses or opposes any candidate, party, or organization in connection with any political campaign or election. In cases where the individual candidates will appear in a conversational dialogue about issues, each candidate must have the same question format or topic presentation; same topics in both substance and number of questions; same amount of time for discussion; same moderator for the event; and same physical setting or staging.
   
   
6. No Co-Sponsorship or Cost-Sharing of a Political Campaign Event – The college is not permitted to co-sponsor or share the cost of a campaign event with an external entity.

 

XI. RSO-Sponsored Invitations and Events

1. An RSO can conduct a single-candidate or single-party event pursuant to this section; however, if any funding used to pay for the event originated from the college, the student organization must invite all legally-qualified candidates to participate in the event.
   
   
2. Invitations to any event that is open to the general public and conducted on college property must be extended to all legally qualified candidates.
   
   
3. RSOs must take appropriate steps to avoid the appearance of the college’s endorsement of or opposition to any candidate or party.
   
   
4. RSO groups must not use any funding that originated from OCC to lobby for, support, or host an event on behalf of a candidate.

 

XII. External Entity-Sponsored Invitations and Events

Consistent with the college’s Use of College Facilities and Services Policy, external entities can reserve or rent space on college property for political activities, which may include events for either a limited audience or the general public.

Any event sponsored by an external entity will incur the standard fees and charges that apply to external groups renting space. There will be no discounts, preferential scheduling, or other benefits such as gratuities, free services, or reduced rates for related services, including security, sound systems, parking, broadcasting, or web services, if applicable.

No exceptions to facility rental or reservation practices will be made for political activities. External entities can rent or reserve only those facilities that are regularly available for rent or reservation.

If facilities are used by one candidate or political party, the same or similar facilities must also be made available to all other legally qualified candidates or political parties on equal terms and conditions. This is subject to any limitations on availability due to the scheduling of other events at the time a candidate or party makes a request. 

External entities that conduct political activities under this section must take appropriate steps to avoid the appearance of the college’s endorsement of or opposition to any candidate. 

 

Accountability

Failure to follow this policy and any associated procedures may subject employees to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from employment by the college, consistent with applicable procedures and collective bargaining agreements or subject students to student conduct disciplinary proceedings.

A knowing violation of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act is a misdemeanor. If a violation is committed by an individual, the offense is punishable by up to one (1) year in prison or a $1,000 fine or both. If a violation is committed by OCC, the college could be fined up to $20,000 or the value of the resources for the improper contribution or expenditure, whichever is greater.

 

Related Policies, Procedures and Guidelines

• RSO Handbook
• Facility Use Agreement
• Facility Use Requests
• HR Handbook re: Requesting Leave of Absence
• Freedom of Speech and Expression Policy

 

Additional Questions?

• Visit the FAQ page to this policy
• Contact the Office of Government & Community Relations and/or the Legal Affairs office. 

 

References and Resources

• Michigan Campaign Finance Act - MCL 169.201 et seq.; MCL 169.251; 5wa2 U.S.C. § 10307(c)
• ACE Issue Brief, Political Campaign – Student Voting and College Political Campaign – Related Activities in 2024 (PDF) 
• University of Michigan, Guidelines for Political Campaigns & Ballot Initiatives, September 2024
• Western Michigan University, Political Activities Policy, November 2020
• Case Western Reserve University, Office of the General Counsel Guidelines for Conducting Political Activity on Campus

 

Change Log:

• 08/24/2026 — New Policy: Approved by Executive Council

 

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