Chevy Chase Bank's advertisements spray-painted onto city and AU sidewalks violated university policy, according to JoDe Nowland, director of Auxiliary Services.
The advertisements were painted on Thursday, Aug. 20 and removed the following Monday, Nowland said. The red-colored ads told students how they could win a Nintendo Wii in a contest sponsored by the bank.
Chevy Chase Bank hired a contractor to do the painting. The university gave the contractor AU's rules and regulations regarding advertising. The rules mention chalking but not spray paint.
"They did not have permission to do the paint," Nowland said. "They are saying that they had permission --� but they were given the rules and regulations."
The ads were also painted on city sidewalks around Ward Circle. Such a marking could be considered graffiti under D.C. code, which is a criminal offense.
Multiple attempts to reach public relations personnel from Chevy Chase Bank and its parent company, Capital One Bank, were unsuccessful.
Nowland said the bank did not go through the appropriate channel --� Auxiliary Services --� to obtain permission to do the advertising.
"I think the biggest error was not going to Auxiliary Services," she said. "They went to Student Activities and University Center."
However, Nowland believes the whole situation was merely an accident on the bank's part.
"I don't feel they were trying to� get around rules and regulations," she said. "I feel they were horrified [about what had happened]."
By Monday, a contractor was brought in at the bank's expense to remove the spray painted advertisements, Nowland said.
Alex Abbott, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, said the bank should have been careful about the rules.
"I would hope that if they're going to be a presence on the campus they would abide by the rules of the campus community," he said.
It was appropriate the bank had the paint removed at their expense, he said.
"That's a positive step," he said.
You can reach this staff writer at eklapper@theeagleonline.com.
