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Mid Michigan College respects the privacy of its students, staff, and faculty when capturing images, video, and multimedia assets. A comprehensive policy, form, and notice are available below.

Recording Policy

The question of course recordings lies at the intersection of technology, faculty discretion, and FERPA.

  • Faculty members can record face-to-face and online course sessions (using Zoom, for example) and post them to the specific Moodle course site.
  • Videos that include student voices or images should be deleted at the end of the semester.

Student Consent

Student consent scenarios for videos that include students’ images/voices are as follows.

  • Student consent (FERPA) is not necessary if those recordings are only available to students in the same course section. This includes course sections that are merged in Moodle due to cross-listing or for other pedagogical purposes.
  • Student consent is necessary if the recording is going to be shared with students in other course sections.
  • If the recording is instructor-only, then student consent is not necessary, and those recordings can be used in multiple course sections.

If students are part of any course-related recordings (voice and/or image), then a syllabus statement about the recording is required. Some examples of statements can be found at these websites.

Student Recordings

Students do not have the right to record classroom lectures and discussions without securing prior permission from the course instructor, but do have the right to take written notes (or typed notes on a computing device).

There may be some cases where students with documented learning or physical disabilities need such electronic assistance; in these cases, the student would have documentation from Student Accommodation Services, and communicate with the instructor well ahead of time to arrange appropriate accommodations. Student Accommodation Services can be contacted at midmich.edu/accommodation-services.

Faculty members are encouraged to use their syllabi to indicate whether or not they are giving students permission to record electronically during course sessions. If an instructor is faced with such a request, they can decide what is best for their students, course, and their own teaching preferences. Faculty may want to consider what will happen with a student’s recordings once they’re made, and whether additional policies or practices are appropriate—such as requesting that the student turn off the recording device during sensitive classroom discussions or if other students express concerns about being recorded.

To obtain consent to record course sessions, a Multimedia Release Form must be obtained for all individuals involved.

Ethical Use

If students are capturing recordings during course sessions, they must obtain multimedia releases from all individuals who appear in those recordings. Recordings may only be for personal use, and may not be used for monetary gain.

Release Policy

Mid Michigan College respects the privacy of its students, staff, and faculty when capturing images, videos, and multimedia assets. While the initial intended use may not be promotional, the College strongly advises completing a Multimedia Release Form and posting a Multimedia Release Notice whenever multimedia assets are being captured.

Depending on the situation, Mid requires a signed Multimedia Release Form and/or posted Multimedia Release Notice, to ensure individual privacy preferences are respected and compliance requirements are met. Upon signing, individuals agree to the following.

I hereby agree that the Board of Trustees of Mid Michigan College (the “College”), and those acting pursuant to its authority, shall have the right to record my participation, appearance, likeness and voice on videotape, audiotape, photograph, digital, electronic, or in any other medium and I hereby unconditionally and irrevocably consent to the College’s use of such materials for any legal purpose the College deems appropriate for the benefit of the College, including commercial and advertising purposes.

I also, hereby forever waive (i) any right to require payment or compensation from the College for the use of these materials by it or those acting pursuant to the College’s authority and (ii) the right to object to the use of such materials for any purpose permitted by this release, including, without limitation, the license or sale of such materials by the College and those acting pursuant to its authority who publish, print, display, exhibit, distribute, or otherwise publicly use any such materials for any legal purposes.

I understand that this release grants the College the right to edit, crop, retouch, or otherwise reasonably alter such materials, at its discretion, and, at its option, to reveal my name and identity in such materials or by descriptive text or commentary. I understand and agree that any intellectual property rights associated with such materials are the sole property of the College. Furthermore, I agree that this release shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Michigan and if any term or provision of this release shall be held illegal, unenforceable, or in conflict with any law governing this release, the validity or enforceability of the remaining portions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.

To revoke a multimedia release, an individual must write a letter requesting that their likeness no longer be used. The letter should be sent to the attention of Strategic Communications.

What is a Multimedia Release Form?

Once signed, Mid Michigan College’s Multimedia Release Form, gives Mid permission to use the likeness of the specified individual in promotional materials, including but not limited to, social media, posters, brochures, websites, newspaper advertisements, billboards, and television commercials, etc. without compensation.

Who needs to sign a Multimedia Release Form?

If an individual is the focus of a photo or footage, Mid's Multimedia Release Form is required. Event attendees are subject to different requirements, see below.

  • If the individual does not confirm that they are 18 years of age or older, they may not be featured, and/or the shoot will have to be rescheduled for a later date after a parent's signature can be obtained.
  • If individuals under 18 are on campus for an event, the following guidelines apply for photos/footage.
    • Mid Michigan College cannot take photos or post them directly.
    • If the K-12 school where the under-18 students attend posts content from the event to its social media accounts, Strategic Communications can share the content on Mid's social media accounts.
      • By sharing, the content remains tied to the K-12 school and that organization is responsible for having a release on file.
      • The College is not authorized to download or save the content and repost it directly on Mid's accounts, as the College would then be responsible for having a release on file.
  • Select student groups, such as student-athletes and students in specific programs, complete individual photo releases at the point of orientation or admittance to their program of study.
    • This may be difficult to ascertain at campus events. If a student is the sole focus, a Multimedia Release Form should be completed to ensure compliance.
  • Employees automatically agree to a release at the point of hire, but can request not to be featured. If they do so, the College will make a good faith effort not to include them in photos or footage.

Where can I find the Multimedia Release Form?

The Multimedia Release Form is available via an online form.

Once the form is completed, what do I do with it?

Once the form is submitted, no further action is needed.

How do I get permission from those attending on-campus or public events hosted on campus?

For on-campus or public events hosted on campus, include the following Multimedia Release Notice in the event program, if available, and post a Multimedia Release Notice prominently, noting that photography and filming may take place. This applies to event/room-wide shots where an individual is not the focus of the content.

  • Please be advised that by attending this public event, your likeness and the likeness of minor’s attending with you may be captured via videotape, audiotape, photograph, digital, electronic, or in other mediums by Mid Michigan College. Your likeness and the likeness of minor’s attending with you may be used in future promotional materials without compensation. Thank you. If you do not wish to appear in Mid Michigan College media and/or materials, please contact a College representative immediately so accommodations can be provided.

The Multimedia Release Notice must be posted before the event begins so everyone, including vendors, has the opportunity to read the notice.

Additionally, the emcee of the event may read the Multimedia Release Notice, so all attendees are aware.

We recommend that you include these tasks in your event planning checklist.

 

I work with high school students. May I take photos or videos of students under 18 for Mid’s marketing or promotional materials?

If an individual is the focus of a photo or footage, Mid's Multimedia Release Form is required. 

  • If the individual does not confirm that they are 18 years of age or older, they may not be featured, and/or the shoot will have to be rescheduled for a later date after a parent's signature can be obtained.
  • If individuals under 18 are on campus for an event, the following guidelines apply for photos/footage.
    • Mid Michigan College cannot take photos or post them directly.
    • If the K-12 school where the under-18 students attend posts content from the event to its social media accounts, Strategic Communications can share the content on Mid's social media accounts.
      • By sharing, the content remains tied to the K-12 school and that organization is responsible for having a release on file.
      • The College is not authorized to download or save the content and repost it directly on Mid's accounts, as the College would then be responsible for having a release on file.

What happens if someone declines signing the form?

If someone declines to sign the Multimedia Release Form, they may not appear in the content that was captured. If the person is inadvertently included, the event organizer must identify the footage that includes the person and request that the content be removed from the College’s archives.

Questions

Questions regarding this policy should be directed to Strategic Communications at stratcomm@midmich.edu.