Mysterious clipboards and sign-up sheets which prompted warnings from security officials at several universities in southern Ontario and dramatic rumours about their purpose appear to have a rather mundane explanation.

Most descriptions of the clipboards are similar, containing what claim to be sign-up sheets for unspecified summer jobs. They are often passed around lecture halls and classrooms.

Several universities have alerted students that the offer may not be what it appears. Carleton University in Ottawa recommended that any student handed a clipboard while in class notify their instructor.

Rumours about the clipboards’ origins and purpose have spread on social media since the new school year began, with some people suggesting they may be part of a phishing scam or human trafficking ring.

In reality, the clipboards are being circulated by the Summer Managment Program (SMP), a company which recruits students for a management program as well as painting and window cleaning services.

SMP vice-president Patrick Lalonde said Thursday that passing sign-up sheets around campuses has been a standard recruiting practice for SMP and similar companies for decades.

“The industry practice seems to have turned into a little bit of an issue,” he told CTVNews.ca

“We weren’t expecting anything like that to happen. We’re calling this our most unusual season on campus so far.”

Lalonde identified two factors for the confusion and apprehension created by this year’s recruitment program, including a “growing concern around privacy” and distrust of anonymous forms seeking strangers’ personal information.

“We also made a mistake this year by not including a company logo on the board, which I think fuelled the fire a bit,” he said.

Lalonde said SMP had been recruiting at “every major campus in Ontario” this month. He said the company has reached out to all schools since realizing how much attention the clipboards were drawing.

Some schools have said the on-campus recruiting would not be allowed under any circumstances, Lalonde said, while others have said SMP can circulate its sign-up sheets as long as they clearly identify what the solicited information will be used for.