8.13 After-Hours Building Access
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to provide faculty, staff and students with convenient and safe after-hours access to university buildings, in support of academic and student programs and activities. It also seeks to insure that university property is safeguarded.
Policy Statement
Faculty and staff (including graduate assistants) who are issued keys or electronic access may enter facilities at their discretion. Others (i.e. student employees, assistants, etc.) issued keys may enter facilities based on the parameters of their identified responsibilities. Individuals in buildings after hours may be asked to show their university identification.
The University takes seriously its responsibility to provide students and university employees with safe facilities, and well maintained equipment and materials. Individuals accessing University buildings after-hours also take responsibility for their own safety and shall follow any policies and procedures established for access and usage. Individuals should also follow all site-specific requirements (i.e. for specific labs or work spaces) that have been developed.
This policy applies to all exterior doors of UNI administrative and academic buildings on campus. Programs or auxiliary units given responsibility for managing specific facilities must have their own set of written guidelines for building access which meet the minimum requirements of this policy and which have been approved by their respective department head.
Points of contact will be identified for each building and will be responsible for processing all requests for after-hours access. For purposes of scheduling the University Registrar is also authorized to grant exceptions.
University buildings covered in this policy will have established, standard operating hours. These hours will be listed at http://www.uni.edu/resources/university-hours. Special events, weekend classes or other such events that occur outside these hours are allowed, provided they have been approved by the building point of contact or the University Registrar and communicated in advance to Physical Plant and University Police (to ensure proper heating, cooling ventilation and the appropriate schedule for locking/unlocking the facility). Building hours may be adjusted based on unexpected university closure or cancellation of classes (e.g., weather related changes.)
Requests for permanent changes to standard operating hours should be submitted to the appropriate dean or vice president. Requests for temporary exceptions to standard operating hours should be submitted to the point of contact identified for the specific building.
Students (both undergraduate and graduate) may not be in a building after hours unless they have been approved or are under the direct supervision of a faculty or staff member who is actively monitoring the student’s work or activities. Procedures and guidelines can be found at https://fm.uni.edu/building-access-guidelines.
As a general practice University Police will not provide after-hours access.
Any person in University buildings after hours may not prop open doors or allow unauthorized persons into the facility. Individuals authorized to be in University buildings after hours are authorized only for specifically designated areas and are not allowed free access to all areas of the building.
Students who are allowed access to specialized areas in UNI buildings must follow established safety guidelines for those areas. Specialized areas are understood to include science labs (research and teaching), art and theatre production areas, machine shops, studios, practice rooms/rehearsal spaces and other areas where specialized equipment or materials are kept. Department heads are responsible for making sure that faculty, staff and students are aware of the safety guidelines for the specialized areas in their building(s).
Additional Resources:
1. Safety website: https://safety.uni.edu/
2. UNI Public Safety: http://www.vpaf.uni.edu/pubsaf/
3. Environmental Health and Safety: https://risk.uni.edu/
4. Key Policy and Procedures: https://fm.uni.edu/procedures-process
5. Building hours: http://www.uni.edu/resources/university-hours
Vice President for Administration and Financial Services, approved April 23, 2013
President’s Cabinet, approved May 13, 2013