UNC Admin Can Now, Officially, Secretly Record Faculty

"According to the policy, administrators may, with the provost and general counsel's written permission, record classes or access existing recordings without telling faculty in order to "gather evidence in connection with an investigation into alleged violations of university policy" and "for any other lawful purpose, when authorized in writing by the provost and the office of university counsel, who will consult with the chair of the faculty.""

"Mehdi Shadmehr, an associate professor of public policy at UNC, told Inside Higher Ed the policy is "completely outside any kind of norm." "This is something that governments in Iran and Syria and East Germany and maybe military regimes back in the day in Argentina and Brazil would do, but in the United States? That's just crazy," he said."

"Students are prohibited from recording in class without explicit permission from the instructor- a practice that has landed professors at other universities in political hot water in recent months. UNC students may seek an exemption to record through the accessibility resources office if needed, the policy states. Faculty members may record their own classes for "instructional purposes" but must notify students prior to recording."

UNC-Chapel Hill implemented a policy allowing administrators, with written authorization from the provost and the office of university counsel, to record classes or access existing recordings without notifying instructors for investigations and other lawful purposes. The policy formalizes prior administrative practices used to investigate faculty and has drawn strong faculty criticism. Students remain prohibited from recording without explicit instructor permission but may seek exemptions through accessibility resources. Faculty may record their own classes for instructional purposes with prior student notice. Recordings for tenure or promotion require at least seven calendar days' notice and coordination to select a representative class date.

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