Title
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Policy on Media on Campus
Introduction
Purpose
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill welcomes news media representatives to campus. We encourage journalists who plan to visit to notify Media Relations so we can help connect you with sources, arrange logistics, and secure appropriate access to authorized locations.
As a public institution, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an open campus that provides the media with reasonable access to outdoor and indoor spaces. However, the University has a responsibility to regulate media access to certain parts of campus to ensure students and employees can carry out the teaching, research, and public service mission of the institution.
In working with the news media, the University also must balance its need to make sure teaching, research, and essential workplace activity is not disrupted; to protect the health and safety of students, employees, and campus visitors; and to protect the privacy rights of students, their families, and employees for whom the Carolina campus is the place where they live and work.
The University also must comply with federal and state laws on public records and student information, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which protects the confidentiality of student academic and education records.
Scope of Applicability
The following policy covers media access and restrictions for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and property or buildings owned or controlled by the campus. This policy applies to any individual or group conducting interviews, including students working as journalists in paid or non-paid roles, conducting interviews, recording audio or video, or taking photographs for news or public media purposes on any platform, including the Internet.
Policy
In working with the news media, the University also must balance its need to make sure teaching, research, and essential workplace activity is not disrupted; to protect the health and safety of students, employees, and campus visitors; and to protect the privacy rights of students, their families, and employees for whom the Carolina campus is the place where they live and work.
The University also must comply with federal and state laws on public records and student information, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which protects the confidentiality of student academic and education records.
General Guidelines
- Media must display appropriate credentials while on campus, and all media vehicles must be clearly marked as such.
- Media vehicles must be parked legally. Parking on brick walkways is expressly prohibited. See "Media Parking on Campus" for more information.
- Media equipment must not damage University property.
- Media equipment, vehicles, and personnel must not restrict traffic or access to buildings and fire lanes.
- Additional restrictions on the use of television cameras, still cameras, flash photography, and other special lighting and audio equipment may be implemented on a case-by-case basis to minimize disruption or protect safety or security. If security is an issue, these items may be subject to inspection or further review.
- For guidelines regarding commercial, non-news productions, view the procedure for filming on campus.
Media Parking on Campus
The University routinely enforces parking rules because of high demand and heavy traffic. It is also important that traffic flow, sidewalks, driveways, fire lanes, and access to disability accommodations and buildings are not blocked. Media vehicles must be parked legally.
Media parking is not allowed on the brick sidewalks due to safety concerns for pedestrians and long-term viability of the brick walkways that were not intended to support the weight of any vehicles, especially today’s mobile news trucks.
To assist you with your parking needs, the Media Relations office has identified parking locations that meet media access and technical needs. All sites have been used as live locations in the past, and a campus map with these locations is marked for your reference. These locations are subject to availability for any vehicle without permits or tags.
- Loading zone cut out between South Building and Gerrard Hall on Cameron Avenue - one news vehicle can park here.
- Hanes lot, between Memorial Hall and South Building, which allows a shot of the Old Well - two services spaces on Gerrard Hall side; five to seven service spaces on Hanes Hall side. No parking is permitted in the Memorial Hall loading dock.
- Morehead lot at Morehead Planetarium - both visitor spaces and permit spaces.
- All metered spaces on South Road between Raleigh Street and Country Club Road - the seven metered spaces on the cemetery side of the street closest to Winston Residence Hall provide the best satellite access.
- Carolina Inn lot - any of the spaces in the corner lot of McCauley and Pittsboro streets.
- Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History lot off South Road - 15 service spaces.
- Wilson Library parking lot on South Road - four service spaces (two behind Caudill Laboratory and two in the Wilson Library loading dock area.)
- Robert B. House Library lot off South Road - six service spaces.
Please remember that parking in or blocking fire lanes, travel lanes, or disability access areas is prohibited to maintain a safe and accessible campus. Additionally, no parking is allowed in spaces designated specifically for faculty, staff, or law enforcement.
Please contact Media Relations in advance when coming to campus for parking assistance. We greatly appreciate your strict adherence to these parking restrictions. If you have any questions about media parking on campus, contact Media Relations at (919) 445-8555.
Residence Halls
- Residence halls are the private living quarters for our students. To protect their privacy and safety, the residence halls are locked at all times and access for anyone other than the residents is limited.
- Prior approval through the Media Relations office is required for media to enter residence halls. To obtain permission to enter a residence hall, email Media Relations at mediarelations@unc.edu.
- If access is granted, a Media Relations representative will then escort media at all times while in University housing facilities. Unescorted media will be asked to leave.
- Escorted media may shoot video, record, photograph, or report from the lobby areas of resident halls with prior approval from the Media Relations office. Access to individual living quarters in residence halls also is prohibited without advance approval from the Media Relations office.
- Media may shoot video, record, photograph, or report from or solicit interviews on the public sidewalks or common areas outside of residence halls. In some special situations, media access to these areas may be limited to protect privacy, health, or safety.
Smoke Free Policy
The University of North Carolina is a smoke-free environment. Smoking is therefore prohibited in all indoor and outdoor facilities on University owned and leased property with no exception, including within vehicles parked on those properties. This policy also applies to any fraternity or sorority officially recognized by the university.
Restricted and Non-Restricted Areas
Media representatives are generally permitted to shoot video, record, photograph, and report or otherwise have access to spaces on campus that are open to the public, subject to reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions. School groups often visit our campus, and identifiable minors cannot be filmed without parental permission.
Academic Instruction Areas/Classrooms
- Classroom and academic buildings are not public. Permission to enter must be coordinated through Media Relations.
- This restriction includes other academic advising facilities for students including the Academic Advising Program in Steele Building and the Academic Support Program for Student-Athletes (ASPSA) in the Loudermilk Center for Academic Excellence.
- The University must comply with federal and state laws on public records and student information, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which protects the confidentiality of student academic and education records.
- Filming in a classroom requires notice and express written permission from all students in class. An area must be provided for students wishing to attend class and not be filmed. An area must be provided for students wishing to attend class and not be filmed.
Faculty/Employee Work Areas
- Faculty, staff, or student offices or laboratories are not public. Permission to enter must be coordinated through the Media Relations office.
- Common areas within administrative buildings and the Frank Porter Graham Student Union are open to the media, but individual offices in administrative buildings and the union are not public. Reporters or photojournalists must contact Media Relations to request entry to private offices. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. If granted entry into a private office, a Media Relations representative or an appointed designee will be on hand to ensure that disruptions are kept to a minimum.
- University facilities including the Cogeneration Plant, other utility operations, waste facilities, maintenance and repair buildings, and UNC Police facilities are not open to the public.
Athletics Venues
- Prior approval through the Media Relations office is required for media to access Department of Athletics venues including the Dean E. Smith Center, Kenan Memorial Stadium, and Carmichael Arena. Please email mediarelations@unc.edu.
Performance Venues
- In general, audio recording, filming, or photography of any kind is prohibited at Carolina Performing Arts (CPA), Playmakers Repertory Company, Hill Hall/Moeser Auditorium, and Memorial Hall unless prior permission is granted.
- Media should contact CPA Marketing and Communications Director directly to request access to record or photograph performances. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis and permission will ultimately be at the discretion of the particular performance or artist.
- For Playmakers’ performances, media should contact PlayMakers Sales and Marketing Director.
- For performances in Hill Hall, media should contact venue manager.
- Memorial Hall also hosts campus and community events, from concerts to commencements, which will have varied rules on recording, filming, and photography and recording per the discretion of the organization hosting the event.
Campus Exteriors
- All campus outdoor sidewalks, green spaces, parking lots, and ramps are open to the media.
Campus Events
- Events where media are specifically invited do not require special permissions but may require RSVP to ensure proper set up. Other campus events, such as lectures and forums that are free and open to the public are also open to the media, however, restrictions may be placed on cameras, lights, flash photography, and other equipment to minimize disruption. Advance notice with Media Relations is encouraged, and credentials are required.
Other Campus Locations Requiring Prior Approval
Media are allowed in the following locations ONLY after receiving permission from the Media Relations office. These locations require a designated University escort:
- Recreational sports facilities, including student recreational facilities.
- Inside libraries, museums, or other areas where quiet study rules are enforced or where collections may be endangered by media activity or equipment.
- Inside private functions that are not open to the public.
- Any marked construction area, crime scene, or hazardous or unsafe locations.
- Public Safety Building, which houses the UNC Police and the Department of Transportation and Parking.
Hospitals and Clinics
Access to UNC Hospitals, associated clinics, and School of Medicine patient facilities are the responsibility of the UNC Health Care Communications and News Team, or call (984) 974-1140.
Drones
The use of drones for shooting video, photographing, and reporting will be decided on a case-by-case basis and subject to approval by the UNC Police and the Office for Campus Safety and Risk Management. In addition to the regulations issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the University has a policy outlining the use of drones during filming on campus.
Public Records
As a public institution, the University is subject to the laws and policies of the federal government, the State of North Carolina, and the University of North Carolina system. UNC-Chapel Hill responds as promptly as possible to public records requests while protecting the privacy rights of students and employees, as well as other information that is confidential under federal and state laws. Examples of protected information include but are not limited to a students’ academic work or personnel records about an employee’s work performance. For additional information, please refer to the Office of Public Records.
Related Requirements
External Regulations and Consequences
University Policies, Standards, and Procedures
Contact Information
Policy Contact
Unit: Media Relations
Email: mediarelations@unc.edu
Phone: (919) 445-8555 (24/7)