A club that sold a T-shirt with the image of Hairy Dawg smoking marijuana and sitting by the Arch is in trouble because of the University’s logo policy.

A member of the Georgia chapter of the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws drew the picture of the University mascot during the fall 2008 semester. The group put the image, drawn by sophomore Greg Stone, on 50 t-shirts and its Web site.

NORML President Wojciech Kacowski said his organization was contacted via e-mail on Feb. 11 by Megan Janasiewicz, a program adviser for the Center for Student Organizations. Janasiewicz instructed NORML to remove the image from its Web site and to stop distributing T-shirts, according to a copy of the e-mail obtained by The Red & Black.

If NORML didn’t follow the University’s instructions, the group’s status as a student organization would be in question, the e-mail stated.

Later in the week, Janasiewicz sent Kacowski an e-mail to notify him that the club could continue selling theT-shirts.

“We understand that this fundraiser probably supports your organizations initiatives and are willing to acquiesce in this matter,” Janasiewicz wrote, according to a copy of the e-mail obtained by The Red & Black. “Please remember to have all future shirt designs approved by the University.”

But the matter was not resolved. On Monday, Kacowski received a contradictory e-mail from Joshua Podvin, assistant director of student activities and organizations.

Podvin wrote the Office of Legal Affairs asked the Center for Student Organizations to have NORML turn in all unsold T-shirts and to take the image off its Web site by today at 5 p.m., according to a copy of the e-mail obtained by The Red & Black.

In a phone interview Tuesday, Podvin said the three e-mails were directives from the Office of Legal Affairs. Since the Center for Student Organizations is the office that communicates with student groups, Podvin said his office was just “passing along information.”

He said he did not know why Legal Affairs officials twice changed their decision about NORML’s use of Hairy Dawg and the Arch.

In response to the University’s directive, Kacowski said NORML had sold all 50 of the T-shirts, so they won’t be able to turn any in to the University. He also said his group’s Web site is not working, so the image is not a problem right now.

Though the dispute between the University and NORML appears to be resolved, Kacowski and Stone said their club is confused about the logo policy.

Because Greg drew the image, the group did not think it was violating the policy.

“I thought that you could so long as you don’t use the exact UGA arch or UGA’s version of Uga [mascot], you can do whatever,” Kacowski said Monday in a phone interview.

Groups looking for clarification on the University’s logo policy can find its entire text online at http://uga.edu/identity.

Tom Jackson, the University’s vice president for Public Affairs, said a group selling an item that has a trademarked image on it must get permission first.

“There are some special provisions for student organizations, but if you’re manufacturing clothing for sale, it’s usually got to be licensed,” he said in a phone interview Monday.