Policy and Procedures for Flags Flown on Campus

Introduction

  1. Purpose

This policy outlines procedures for displaying flags in observance of applicable laws and traditions to ensure proper display of the U.S. flag, New Jersey state flag and other flags of international, national, state and institutional significance on NJIT owned and/or controlled properties.

  1. Applicability/Eligibility

This policy applies to all student organizations and NJIT departments seeking to display flags on NJIT owned and/or controlled property.

Definitions

“Union” refers to the blue field and fifty stars on the flag of the United States of America (U.S.).

Policy

NJIT displays the U.S. flag in a manner consistent with the United States Flag Code (4 U.S.C. § 1 et seq.) as well as 36 U.S.C. 10 et seq. NJIT will display the flags of the State of New Jersey and NJIT in a manner consistent with all applicable federal and/or state laws as well as university policy. Upon the request of NJIT student organizations or NJIT departments and approval by NJIT, NJIT will display certain other flags for training and ceremonial purposes.

Procedure

  1. Displaying Flags on University Flagpoles

The Department of Public Safety is responsible for raising and lowering flags on the Campus Green and in front of NJIT Public Safety Headquarters. On the Campus Green, NJIT maintains three flagpoles, of which the center pole will always be the tallest. Generally, when flags are displayed on the Campus Green:

  • The U.S. flag will be displayed on the highest flagpole, or when on a flagpole with multiple other flags, the U.S. flag will be the highest flag flying. Further, the U.S. flag will be displayed with the union at the flag pole’s peak, unless being flown half-staff.
  • The New Jersey state flag will be on the left and the NJIT flag will be on the right of the U.S. flag (as viewed when facing Mal Simon Stadium with Kupfrian at the observer’s back).

In raising flags, the flags should be hoisted to the peak as briskly as possible and/ when lowering, the flags should be brought down from the peak in a slow and dignified manner. When raising and lowering multiple flags, the U.S. flag should be raised first and the last flag lowered. All other flags should be raised and lowered either together or in order of importance identified below.

NJIT observes official periods of national and state mourning upon the death of a person honored by the President of the United States of America or the Governor of the State of New Jersey. (Flag status reports are available on the White House and State of New Jersey websites, respectively).  The Department of Public Safety will effectuate the official order to fly the flag at half-staff. When flags are displayed at half-staff:

  • No flag will be flown higher than the U.S. flag and, accordingly, all other flags must be brought to half-staff and slightly below the U.S. flag.
  • At the time of lowering flags to half-staff, the flags will first be hoisted to the peak for an instant (if applicable) and then lowered slowly and ceremoniously into to the half-staff position. When returning flags to the peak from the half-staff position, they shall be hoisted briskly.
  1. Displaying Flags at Events or on Platforms/Stages

When used on a speaker’s platform, the U.S. flag will be above and behind the speaker. If more than one flag is present, the U.S. flag should be placed at the left of the platform from the observer’s point of view, while all others will be placed at the right, in order of importance. The order of importance for flag display is as follows: U.S., foreign nations, states, local governments and others.

If the U.S. flag is displayed vertically or horizontally from a wall, window sill or balcony, the union should be uppermost and to the flag’s own right (or the in the canton corner shall be positioned to the upper left, from the observers’ perspective).

  1. Requesting Approval to Raise and Display Flags

Student organizations will submit all requests to raise/display a flag(s) on the Campus Green flagpoles to the Office of Student Life as part of registering their event in Highlander Hub (or other platform NJIT may subsequently utilize). Student Life staff will forward all requests to the Office of the Dean of Students and Campus Life for review and approval in consultation with the Department of Public Safety. As necessary, the Senior Vice President for Real Estate Development and Capital Operations, or designee, will determine the sufficiency of the quality of construction and hardware of the flag(s) proposed to be displayed; no damaged flags will be displayed. The student organization must provide the flag that the organization seeks to display at, or within one (1) business day of, the time of the request. Official flag-raising ceremonies must be approved through the university's procedure for student event requests through Highlander Hub (or other platform NJIT may subsequently utilize).

Student organizations interested in raising or displaying a flag or a banner in the Campus Center or Continuous Dining will generally be allowed to do so during tabling or a sponsored event, provided a request is made and approved through the above guidelines instituted by the Office of Student Life in consultation with the Office of the Dean of Students and Campus Life. As there is no permanent area within Campus Center designated for flag or banner display, no permanent requests will be approved except that fraternities and sororities are permitted to display their banners in the designated areas within Continuous Dining. 

NJIT departments will submit all flag requests directly to the Office of the Dean of Students and Campus Life for review and approval in consultation with the Department of Public Safety. As necessary, the Senior Vice President for Real Estate Development and Capital Operations, or designee, will determine the sufficiency of the quality of construction and hardware of the flag(s) proposed to be displayed; no damaged flags will be displayed. The department must provide the flag that the department seeks to display at, or within one (1) business day of, the time of the request.

In granting requests, NJIT will do so in a content-neutral manner and, thus, retains the right to prohibit content that violates federal, state or local law, or any university policy.

Flag requests should include:

  • Contact Name/Sponsor and email
  • Sponsoring group, organization or department
  • Brief rationale or purpose for flying the flag
  • Picture of the flag
  • Dates requested (generally not to exceed one (1) month)

Members of the NJIT community, including students, alumni, faculty and staff members, are not permitted to submit requests to display flags on campus on an individual basis except as part of a NJIT organization/department’s request. Additionally, organizations that are not affiliated with NJIT may neither submit requests to display flags on campus nor display flags on NJIT owned and/or controlled property.

Requests for flag displays may be made on a temporary or long-term basis. Temporary displays are limited to a one-month period only and must occur in conjunction with (i) an approved university event or celebration or (ii) in response to state, national or international events. If the location of the request for temporary display is the Campus Green, then the flag will generally be flown on the largest pole. Notwithstanding the one-month time limit, the requestor(s) may submit a request for an extension of the time period for temporary display to the Office of Student Life/Dean of Students and Campus Life. A long-term display, which recognizes an affiliated organization, is one which exceeds one-month and will only be permitted as needed and if poles are available to accommodate such displays. For training, ceremonial purposes and long-term display NJIT student organizations and university departments may use the two flag poles on the Campus Green that flank the flagpole on which the U.S. flag is displayed. If the number of approved requests for long-term flag display exceeds the number of flagpoles available, then approved requests for long-term displays will be rotated. If a long-term flag display is subsequently approved for a temporary display of a one-month period or less, it will be moved from a smaller pole to the largest pole. Each organization/department is permitted only one (1) flag request at a time.

The Office of the Dean of Students and Campus Life will determine the arrangement of all approved flag displays. Flag displays may be moved at any time for grouping purposes and/or for content-neutral, aesthetic reasons (such as eliminating gaps or balancing the flag display). 

The Department of Public Safety must be provided the flag no less than one (1) business day in advance of the day the display commences. At conclusion of the period of display, the Department of Public Safety will provide the flag to the Office of Student Life (for Student Organizations) or the Office of the Dean of Students and Campus Life (in the case of university offices/departments) and thereafter the requestor(s) may pick up the flag from the appropriate office. Any flag not collected by the requestor(s) in five business days will afterwards become NJIT’s property. NJIT is not responsible for the theft of and/or damage to flag(s) displayed on university property.

Unless approved by the NJIT Dean of Students Office, the NJIT Police Department and/or other designated university officials shall be responsible for all flag raising, lowering, flag care and the condition assessment.

Inclement weather or other emergencies may require temporary removal of flags. Additionally,

all displays may be revoked at any time: at the request of the affiliated organization that submitted the display request, by the Dean of Students Office, or the affiliated organization sponsoring the flag display is not currently in good standing, is suspended or becomes inactive.

  1. Miscellaneous

At no point in time should a flag be allowed to touch the ground. All flags flown on NJIT flagpoles will be all-weather flags and will be illuminated after dark. Additionally, all flags displayed on NJIT property must be of professional quality and materials, including connecting hardware that will not damage university grounds, facilities or equipment or cause undue risk of harm to community members. Damaged flags will not be flown or displayed; a replacement, which is at the cost of the requester, must be provided to the Department of Public Safety before the flag may be flown or displayed again. Public Safety will be responsible for the proper conditions of flags flown on campus and will determine when flags need to be replaced. When flags are not in use, they shall be folded and stored to prevent them from being soiled or damaged. With respect to the U.S. flag, it should be folded with four horizontal and thirteen triangular folds.

The following are specifications for the size of the flags displayed on NJIT property:

  • Campus Green:
    • S. flag - 6’x10’
    • Foreign Nation flags - 6’x10’
    • New Jersey state flag - 4’x6’
    • NJIT flag - 4’x6’
    • Organization Flag - 4’x6’
  • Public Safety Headquarters: U.S. flag - 4’x6’

Flags that are no longer in usable condition should be disposed of in a respectful way, such as by burning in an appropriate manner. (The Department of Defense outlines appropriate methods on its website.)

Administration

This policy will be administered by Real Estate Development & Capital Operations & the Office of the Dean of Students and Campus Life.

  1. Policy Owner

Andrew Christ Sr. VP, REDCO

  1. Supporting Departments

Real Estate Development & Capital Operations (REDCO)
The Office of the Dean of Students and Campus Life