A group of students at the University of Missouri at St. Louis is protesting the removal of a photo of Barack Obama from a classroom poster, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch . The poster is one of about six created for a “character education” project in an introduction-to-teaching class. The students who included Mr. Obama’s picture said they intended to highlight the Democratic presidential candidate as an example of a good role model and leader, not to make a political statement. Missouri officials, however, say displaying the photo violates a campus policy that prohibits using university resources and facilities for political advocacy. “The issue was that it could be perceived as being placed there permanently, so it could be seen as a form of advocacy by the university,” a spokesman, Bob Samples, told the Post-Dispatch. Academic freedom is not at issue, he said, because the policy allows display of the picture during class time. Rules regarding political advocacy have recently been called into question on other campuses as well. The University of Texas announced yesterday that it would suspend a policy banning signs from residence-hall windows, The University of Illinois concluded this week that a state law concerning political activities does not prohibit students and faculty members from donning partisan gear or participating in campaign rallies. —Caitlin Moran