Of the multitude of colorful advertisements that litter campus walkways, few drew any criticism yesterday except those that read “There’s a new Dean on campus.”

When Northwestern Students for Dean, a group of NU students who support Howard Dean for president, taped and hung about 40 flyers Tuesday, they were met with dissent from university officials and Associated Student Government officers.

ASG Executive Vice President Bryan Tolles yesterday removed a Dean flyer that hung from the College Democrats door on the third floor of Norris University Center, leaving in its place a note explaining that the endorsements must stop until he and Helen Wood, NU’s associate director of the Center for Student Involvement, have a chance to discuss policy with political groups.

It is the university’s policy — both for itself and the student groups it funds — not to endorse candidates.

“The university doesn’t want to make a statement in support of or against a candidate,” Wood said. “We can’t publicize for any candidate.”

As the 2004 presidential election draws nearer and students begin mobilizing in support of one candidate or another, Tolles and Wood said they want students to know what kind of publicity is allowed.

University policy states that no student group receiving university funding can use university facilities or funds to raise money for, endorse or plan endorsement of a candidate.

Tolles, a Weinberg junior, initially thought College Democrats posted the sign endorsing Dean. Upon speaking with C.J. Willey, an organizing member of Students for Dean, Tolles learned that Willey’s group posted the flier.

Students for Dean is an off-campus group that acts independently of the university and currently is in the process of establishing its presence. Willey said the group is not affiliated with College Democrats.

Of the endorsement posted on the College Democrats’ door, “We were just saying hello,” said Willey, a Weinberg senior.

Although Willey acknowledged the error in posting a candidate’s endorsement on the door of a university-sanctioned student group, he said members of Students for Dean got all of the approval necessary to post signs on the ground floor of Norris and on campus grounds.

“All of our signs were stamped (for approval),” Willey said. “The only ones that were not are the ones in public areas.”

In addition to posting flyers at Norris, Willey said he and several other Students for Dean members taped advertisements near The Rock, outside Allison Hall and elsewhere.

Tolles said that he did not remove additional flyers from campus because of his busy schedule.

“I don’t have any fucking time to touch any sign,” Tolles said in a phone interview yesterday. “I spent 13 hours in the fucking ASG office yesterday. I have no time to take down any signs.”

Until the meeting, slated to take place within the next couple weeks, Students for Dean can poster, Tolles said. But he added that the group should be “cautious of what they do.”

Students for Dean may not be the only off-campus student political group to publicly support a candidate.

As the 2004 presidential election draws nearer, several groups are in the process of being formed.

A group supporting John Kerry exists already, said Ted Haller, vice president of College Democrats. Haller, a Medill junior, also said students are in the process of forming a group that endorses Gen. Wesley Clark, the former NATO general who entered the race last week.

Haller said university policy often comes with a “gray area, and it’s difficult to know exactly what kind of procedures to follow.” Still, he said he thinks the regulations make sense and that groups should follow the rules.

The Daily’s Alison Knezevich and Ben Figa contributed to this report.