media

Media Contact

Ruthie Counter, Director
Marketing and Public Relations
217/351-2537 •  marketing@parkland.edu

 

Media Guidelines

Parkland College welcomes the media to our campus. We ask that members of the media notify our Marketing and Public Relations office of your plans to arrive, so we can help facilitate your visit. Contact us by phone at 217/351-2537 or email us at marketing@parkland.edu.

Although Parkland College is a public institution that provides reasonable media access to campus, not all locations on our campus are available to the public at all times. We may therefore regulate media access so as not to disrupt instruction; to protect the health, safety, and privacy of our students and staff; or to comply with student and personnel data privacy laws.

Please consult the following guidelines for media access on all property owned or controlled by Parkland College. These guidelines apply to any and all individuals conducting interviews or making video and/or audio recordings of our students and facilities for commercial or noncommercial news dissemination (including print, online/social, and broadcast platforms).

Parking and Equipment Use

  • Media vehicles must be parked legally.
  • Media equipment must not damage college property or restrict traffic or access to buildings.
  • Regulations on the use of audiovisual equipment, including flash photography, may be implemented on a case-by-case basis to minimize disruption or to protect campus safety.

Non-restricted and Restricted Areas

  • The media are generally permitted access to campus spaces that are open to the public during regular operating hours, including parking lots, outdoor sidewalks, green spaces, and ramps.
  • Faculty/staff and student offices and campus laboratories are not public; media must receive permission to enter from the person(s) who work in that office or laboratory.
  • Classrooms are open to the media if unoccupied. If a class is in session, the media should ask the Marketing and Public Relations staff to request permission from the instructor, to minimize disruption.
  • Media are allowed inside the following locations only with permission from a Parkland College administrator or Marketing and Public Relations staff member and only with an officially designated college escort:
    • any venue charging admission, unless the individual has paid admission
    • any secured area or laboratory
    • private offices of faculty, staff, or student employees
    • any marked construction area
    • private functions hosted at the campus
    • library quiet study areas

Release of Student Information

Under federal and state law and Parkland College policy, some access to student records may be restricted. In addition, “private information” is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. All requests for such information from media representatives must be directed to the college through a FOIA request.