With the political campaign season of 2008 now in full swing, college and university campuses have already been affected by one of the most closely watched presidential campaigns in a generation. That impact will continue through election day in November and will be magnified by the multitude of state and local primary and election campaigns occurring across the country.
The combination of an engaged faculty, idealistic and galvanized students, and passionately contested issues and elections can transform normally quiet campuses into hotbeds of political activity. But as tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations or as public institutions, colleges and universities need to carefully abide by specific rules concerning the political activity they permit on campus and the political activity engaged in by administrators, faculty and staff. Complaints of inappropriate political activity can lead to IRS investigations; while public institutions seeking to regulate political activity may risk allegations of First Amendment violations. This program will review the key issues and risks institutions should be alert to in this election season, including:

· Campus sponsored events and political activity
· Campus communications and political activity
· Use of campus facilities for political activity
· Political activity by campus organizations
· Political activity by institutional officers or employees
· IRS compliance and enforcement efforts

Please join us for this systematic review of the issues and rules surrounding political activity on campus in this election year. Panelists include NACUA members Jonathan Alger, Vice President and General Counsel, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; and Celia Roady of the Washington D.C. offices of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.