A new UNC policy on recording in the classroom has received considerable attention in recent days, and with alarming headlines like “UNC Administrators Can Now Secretly Record Faculty,” we wanted to be sure to share the facts.
First discussion of a policy of this kind was a direct response to a recording incident on UNC’s campus in 2024. Per The Daily Tar Heel:
The policy was created with the “purpose of providing procedural clarity for situations outlined in the policy, when and how classes may be recorded, and to protect both instructors and students,” UNC Media Relations wrote in a statement to The Daily Tar Heel.
Faculty Chair and health behavior professor Beth Moracco said the need for the policy came after the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School recorded former professor Larry Chavis’s classes without his knowledge in the spring of 2024. Subsequently, Chavis’s contract was not renewed.
The News & Observer outlined the specifics in the policy, saying:
UNC’s new policy establishes binding requirements and enforcement mechanisms, replacing a vague, “best practices” policy. Under the new policy, students are still barred from recording classes without their instructor’s knowledge. Faculty see that as a key protection. The most controversial line in the policy is this:
“The University may record a class or access existing classroom recordings without the permission or knowledge of the instructor being recorded for the following purposes: To gather evidence in connection with an investigation into alleged violations of University policy, when authorized in writing by the Provost and the Chief Human Resources Officer; 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.”
At The Coalition for Carolina, we have been the first to criticize unilateral action taken by the administration that does not follow standard process or include faculty input. In this case, we are encouraged by reports of faculty involvement in the policy drafting process.
As reported by the News & Observer:
An earlier draft of the policy didn’t require the provost and the Office of University Counsel to consult with the chair of the faculty, but after hearing the concerns of Faculty Council chair Beth Moracco, that requirement was added.
Moracco told The Assembly faculty involvement is certainly a step in the right direction, but she still has some concerns about the policy:
“My preference would be that it was a bit more specific,” Moracco said … referring to the role the faculty chair has in the process. “I’m glad that faculty governance is included, but my guess would be that we don’t have the final authority on the decision. But I have seen, even in some of these really contentious issues lately, that providing our perspective as faculty has been helpful. It has had an impact.”
And as Moracco told The Daily Tar Heel:
“Because in the version that was published, the conditions that are listed are pretty vague, and there’s concern that they could be misused or misapplied, and that that could also have a chilling effect on discussion and content in the classroom, which would be to the detriment of both the students and the instructors.”
As Moracco asserts, what will be important to monitor now is how the policy is implemented and applied. A policy like this can protect faculty and staff – but it can also be misused and abused and become a threat to academic freedom.
We have received feedback from several experienced and well-respected professors regarding their concerns with the new policy. They worry about being watched and feel it will change the tenor of the classroom and make it less spontaneous and collegial.
UNC’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors also expressed this concern, stating that students “will self-censor if they know that their words in class can be recorded by administrators.”
To help provide some transparency into how frequently the new policy is used, the University will compile and publish an annual report that includes the number of requests to record without notice, the number of those that get approved and the number of recordings actually made.
At the Coalition for Carolina, we will be sure to keep our eye on how the policy is implemented and report back on any concerns that arise.