Guidelines

Submission Terms

Metrosphere welcomes submissions from MSU Denver students and alumni, amateur or professional, from any field of study. All creative works are welcome, provided that they meet standards of etiquette and required technical specifications.

Technical specifications

• All visual submissions must have a resolution of 300 dpi or better. High-resolution .PDF files are preferred with any and all fonts embedded. Metrosphere also accepts .eps, .jpg or .tif formats, provided that they are high-resolution (300 dpi+).
• Metrosphere accepts correctly packaged InDesign CS3+ files.
• All fonts or text should be outlined in vector artwork.
• Video submissions must be in .mov format.
• No printer’s marks.
• No graphics or text that are not part of the image.
• Literary submissions must be posted to the Metrosphere website or emailed as an attachment ending with the format designation .doc, .docx, .txt, .rtf or .pdf.
• Literary submissions should be submitted in 10 to 12 point font and exceed no more than four pages in length.

Any submissions that exceed the file size limitations of www.metrosphere.org or email servers may be submitted on compact disc or portable memory device to the Metrosphere department in Tivoli 313. Submitter should detail provisions for the return of these materials or devices, if needed.

Prohibited Content

Metrosphere contributors are free to express themselves within reason with as few restrictions as possible. In the case that a submission is deemed offensive or otherwise unacceptable by conventional ethics, Metrosphere reserves the right to decline publication consideration, online or in print, from the contributor in question, regardless of position or affiliation, without warning and without explanation. This is to support our commitment to democratic practices and cultivating an open environment of constructive dialogue and creativity for MSU Denver students and alumni. Creative work may be rejected and removed, without prior notice or explanation, if it:

• Contains themes or imagery that offensively targets individuals and/or groups on the basis of race, color, national origin or ancestry, creed, religion, disability, veteran status, political view, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, marital status or age.
• Contains visual imagery deemed pornographic in nature, in bad taste or exploitative. In specific cases, the submitter may be contacted by Metrosphere staff for an explanation of intent or other information regarding a submission.

Prohibited or Discouraged Commentary and Behaviors

As the facilitating body of Metrosphere’s online archive and contributor database, and in representing MSU Denver in a public capacity, Metrosphere insists that contributors refrain from posting comments that offensively target individuals and/or groups on the basis of race, color, national origin or ancestry, creed, religion, disability, veteran status, political view, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, marital status or age. Hate propaganda is met with zero tolerance.

Harassment is met with zero tolerance. Comments that are overly aggressive, directly insulting or abusive are also prohibited. In some cases, a contributor may be banned from using the Metrosphere website, and any previous submissions may be automatically removed and/or rejected. If you feel that you have been the target of harassment, personal insults or other severe/abusive behavior, please notify the staff by emailing the editor at metrosphere.submission@gmail.com. Be aware that the staff will only directly intervene in cases that are considered severe; minor situations may be dealt with using tools made available to all registered users.

While not strictly prohibited, all personal arguments, disagreements and other volatile “personal” issues within should be confined to private communication. Likewise, we discourage public accusations and other similar situations; please bring all issues of this nature to the attention of the staff by notifying the editor.

Exploitative use of the Metrosphere website, such as “spamming” or comment “flooding,” is prohibited. A user may be removed or blocked from using the Metrosphere website for participating in such behaviors.

Creative Work Release

Through the act of submitting work for publication in Metrosphere or on www.metrosphere.org, the submitter agrees to the following creative release, which is also presented in full prior to final submission:

A. Metrosphere is not obligated to include submission in the final publication, nor offer information regarding any conclusions drawn from its evaluation. In the event work is selected for production, submitter understands that Metrosphere will contact him/her via email to discuss potential next steps.
B. If submitter chooses not to agree to the Terms of Release and all of its provisions, Metrosphere reserves the right to refuse to accept or otherwise evaluate said work.
C. Submitter hereby attests that he/she is the originator, author or one of the authors, of the work being submitted. Submitter maintains that he/she has the exclusive unconditional right and authority to submit said creative work to Metrosphere for review and publication consideration. Submitter will indemnify and save Metrosphere harmless from any and all claims, expenses, losses or liabilities that may be asserted against or incurred by Metrosphere at any time in connection with the said work.
D. Submitter acknowledges that no fiduciary or confidential relationship presently exists between the submitter and Metrosphere, and further acknowledges that no such relationships are established between submitter and Metrosphere by reason of this release or by any reason of submission to Metrosphere of said work.
E. Submitter acknowledges that Metrosphere receives numerous submissions of creative works that may be similar to or identical to this submission. Submitter understands that he/she will not be entitled to any compensation because of the use by Metrosphere of any such similar or identical material. Submitter acknowledges that the presentation of the work to Metrosphere will expose the work to others and is fully aware of any risks in sharing ideas with anyone when soliciting a creative work. Submitter holds Metrosphere harmless of any wrongdoing should Metrosphere receive a work submission similar to submitter’s that which Metrosphere chooses to publish.
F. This release extends to Metrosphere staff, employees, volunteers, and other entities or offices, including those associated with Metrosphere, the Office of Student Media and Metropolitan State University of Denver.
G. Submitter acknowledges and agrees that no prior or contemporaneous agreements exist, oral or otherwise, between Metrosphere and submitter pertaining to said work including, but not limited to, agreements pertaining to the submissions of any ideas, formats, plots, characters or the like. Submitter further agrees that no other obligations exist or shall exist or be deemed to exist unless and until a formal written agreement has been prepared and entered into by Metrosphere and the submitter.
H. Submitter agrees to allow Metrosphere to display, reproduce or generally use his/her creative work, in whole or in part, for promotional or show reasons or publication.
I. This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Colorado applicable to agreements executed and to be fully performed therein.
J. Submitter hereby states that he/she has read, understood and agrees to all terms of this release.