Organization receives informal strike for chalking

University Information invoked a warning strike on the creators of Underdog Books.com, for their unauthorized chalk drawing on the commons. Ammar Shallal, Jack Kahan and Karl Belka drew their Underdog Books.com logo on the cement in front of Gibbons Hall before winter break during the rush of textbook buyback.

“We have been careful to make sure and follow all of the rules the University publishes as far as advertising is concerned,” Shallal said. “We were sent an abbreviated version of university posting policies which did not say anything about chalk drawings.”

Jeremy Hawkins, who works with University Information and who sent the strike to Underdog Books.com said, “We send out the abbreviated versions of the rules because it highlights the most common types of violations which are actual postings, not chalk drawings.” Hawkins said the university information Web site has a complete listing of all the rules and that JMU Policy J36-107 in the Student Handbook, “Using chalk to display messages or advertise events on campus sidewalks is prohibited.”

The strike Underdog Books.com received is not a formal student strike administrated by Judicial Affairs.

Hawkins stressed this particular strike system is “informal” and is “an educational system to help make people aware of the posting policies.”

Shallal said he was, “reassured that there would be no negative ramifications as a result of the strike” and that it was “more of a warning.” Shallal reiterated that Underdog Books.com respects school policy and does “not intend to violate it in the future.”

Last February, the three business majors created a company to compete with the JMU Bookstore and online textbook clearinghouses. To test the marketability of a new Web site, the three stood outside of the JMU Bookstore, asking students about buyback prices. In less than a year, the sales capacity of the site has passed 1,500 books.

“College is the best place in the world to start a business,” Shallal said. “We have put a lot of time, energy and money in to this company, but no matter what happens this has been an experience of a lifetime.”