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Solicitation and Vendor Policy

Solicitation and Vendor Policy

Policy Title Solicitation and Vendor Policy
Type or category of Policy:  
Approval Authority:  
Responsible Executive:  
Responsible Office: Student Life
Owner Contact:  
Reviewed By:  
Reviewed Date:  
Last Revised and Effective Date of Revision:  
A. Commercial solicitation

(any solicitation involving an exchange of goods and/or money) is permitted on campus as outlined in this policy. Siena College permits commercial solicitation on campus by the following, provided the appropriate approval process, as outlined below, has been completed:

  1. clubs and organizations that are recognized by the Student Senate
  2. authorized representatives of College offices and departments (e.g., Admissions, Development and External Affairs, Community Living, Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy, Chaplain’s Office, Sr. Thea Bowman Center for Women, Damietta Cross-Cultural Center, athletic teams, and academic departments including class project groups, honor societies, and other academic organizations)
  3. student-owned businesses recognized by the Stack Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and/or that are registered in New York State and have a Certificate of Authority.
  4. outside vendors
B. General Guidelines:
  1. No door-to-door sales may take place within the residence halls. The only exception can be Community Living sponsored activities within the respective hall, as approved by the Residence Hall Director or designee.
  2. No sales are to occur out of one’s residence hall room/suite or townhouse or living area.
  3. No soliciting or sale of items generally prohibited on campus or prohibited in residential facilities.
  4. Soliciting or canvassing, political or otherwise by outside agencies other than those approved by the Director of Student Activities and Leadership Development or designee is prohibited. Siena College does not permit credit-card companies to market on campus, nor are any student groups or organizations permitted to utilize credit-card offers for fundraising purposes.
  5. If the sale of merchandise is in competition with a contracted campus services (i.e. AVI Dining Services, Bookstore, Athletics, etc.), approval must be obtained from the impacted area.
  6. Applicable New York State sales tax must be collected in all sales on campus.
  7. In accordance with Siena Life, and the Catholic and Franciscan values inherent in the mission of the institutions, goods sold on campus should uphold the respect and dignity of the self, property, and others. In addition:
    • a. Merchandise and/or services may not be sexually explicit.
    • b. Merchandise and/or services may not contain derogatory statements or images about gender, race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.
    • c. Merchandise and/or services may not contain negative statements about the Catholic Church, its institutions and/or parishioners.
    • d. Merchandise and/or services may not contain profanity.
    • e. Merchandise and/or services may not violate any existing trademark, trade name, brand or copyrights (i.e. clothing, purses, copied CD’s, DVD’s, etc.).
    • f. Merchandise and/or services may not contain Siena College logos and images, unless approval is granted by the Siena College Office of Marketing and Communications.
    • g. Preference is given to Fair Trade merchandise.
C. Guidelines for Clubs and Organizations Recognized by the Student Senate:
  1. All sales of items and services must be approved by the Student Senate, prior to the start of any sales or advertising pertaining to the sale.
  2. A club or organization wishing to hold a sale in a residence hall must receive approval from the Director of Community Living or designee, prior to going to the Student Senate for approval.
  3. Sales taking place in lobbies of college buildings, other than residence halls, must reserve the space through the Campus Scheduler. Fundraisers must be approved by the Student Senate before a space reservation can be made.
  4. An organization wishing to sponsor a sale or fundraising event must submit a request to hold a fundraiser through SAINTS CONNECT on an event request form. This includes all fundraising efforts (on and off campus, virtual or otherwise.) Approval of the Event Form for the fundraiser must be acquired prior to starting advertising or sales. The Event Form should include the following:
    • a. Description of what is being sold
    • b. Prices of the merchandise
    • c. Where the fundraising event will be held
    • d. If the sale of merchandise will be in competition with contracted services (e.g. AVI Dining Services, Bookstore, Athletics, etc.). If it is, approval must be obtained from the impacted area.
    • e. All proceeds from fundraisers must be deposited into the club account as outlined in the Club Finance Manual in Saints Connect. Generally, electronic payment is prohibited for fundraisers and sales. For exceptions to this, permission must be granted by the Director of Student Activities and Leadership Development in advance of any fundraiser or sale wishing to gather payments electronically. This includes those clubs and organizations which may be affiliated with outside organizations.
  5. All t-shirt and merchandise designs must be approved by both the club advisor/coach and the Director of Student Activities and Leadership Development.
  6. Use of all College logos and images must be approved by the Director of Student Activities and Leadership Development, or designee, under the advisement of the Office of Marketing and Communications.
D. Guidelines for Authorized Representatives of College Offices and Departments

(i.e. Admissions, Development and External Affairs, Community Living, Office of Mission, Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy, Chaplain’s Office. Sr. Thea Bowman Center for Women, Damietta Cross-Cultural Center, athletic teams, and academic departments including class project groups, honor societies and other academic organizations).

  1. Authorized representatives of College Offices and Departments are required to submit a written request to the Director of Student Activities and Leadership Development (activities@siena.edu) for any fundraising effort on campus aimed at students involving the sale of goods or services or requests for donations. Representatives are requested to comply with this process for the purpose of coordinating campus events.
  2. All sales initiatives must be reviewed and approved by the administrator, faculty, or staff member responsible for the student representative(s).
  3. Groups must reserve campus spaces through the Campus Scheduler.
  4. Authorized Student Representatives wishing to hold a sale in a residence hall lobby must receive approval from the Director of Community Living, or designee.
E. Guidelines for Student-Owned Businesses:

Must be recognized by the Stack Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and/or that are registered in New York State and have a Certificate of Authority. Students wishing to sell products or services of their student-owned business on campus must receive approval from the Director of Student Activities and Leadership Development, or designee.

Guidelines for Outside Vendors:

Outside vendors must be sponsored by a College department, office or recognized student club or organization. The department, office, club or organization must follow the appropriate process as outlined above to receive approval.