Events with Political Candidates

Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. As such, Macalester, as a nonprofit entity, is prohibited from providing fiscal support to, or participating in political campaign activity on behalf of, politicians, campaigns, or political parties.  Underwriting any political event puts the college’s non-profit tax status in jeopardy.  Accordingly, the College cannot reduce or waive rental fees, provide services without charge, or otherwise provide aid or assistance that has a financial benefit without charging full price for the services.  

In addition, political event rentals cannot occur on campus without approval from the college’s administration. Once approved, the entity renting the space will be required to enter into a rental agreement with the college, provide proof of insurance, and pay full fees for space rental and any additional services they receive. 

Anytime a politician (local, state, federal, or foreign) is going to be a guest at an event on campus (rental or sponsored), the college will need to assess whether the event is considered a campaign event. These event requests should be referred to Sara Suelflow, Chief of Staff for the President ([email protected]), for assessment before anything is agreed to or planned. 

A student organization may invite a candidate for political office (or surrogate) to participate in event this fall if the following conditions are met:

1. You notify and and meet with a member of the CSLE staff BEFORE confirming or advertising the event.
2. The event is only open to current Macalester students. 
3. The event is not promoted in any way by the candidate (or surrogate).
4. The student organization does not promote the event externally in any way.
5. Internal promotion of the event includes a disclaimer stating that views of the candidate/speaker do not reflect the views or positions of Macalester College and do not indicate endorsement of the candidate/speaker.
6. These guidelines are in place for any candidate who has applied to run for elected office, regardless of timing of an upcoming election, as if a candidate is running, it’s reasonable to assume they would be speaking in the interest of campaigning for office.