Public Affairs Procedures

Please see: UNMC Policy No. 6001, [Public Affairs]

Advertising

1. Purpose of advertising

1. Advertising, in terms of this policy, shall refer to the following:

• Paid advertising, including display ads in newspapers
• Billboards
• Recruitment notices
• Radio and TV ads
• Classified ads in telephone directories (display ads in yellow pages)
• Any other forms of paid advertising

1. In keeping with advertising guidelines developed by the American Association of Medical Colleges, UNMC may advertise for the following purposes:

• Public education about available services
• Public education about health education classes, health promotion, wellness or illness prevention
• Public accountability regarding UNMC’s use of community and state resources
• Maintaining or increasing market share
• Enhancing fund raising or public opinion campaigns
• Recruiting employees or students
• Medical staff support
• Recruiting research project participants

1. Acceptable content of advertising and comparisons

1. The content of UNMC advertising must be measured primarily by the criteria of truth and accuracy. False or misleading statements or statements that would lead an uniformed individual to draw false conclusions about UNMC are unacceptable and unethical. Truthfulness and accuracy must be beyond question.
2. Because comparative advertising typically involves the greatest risk of legal exposure, it may be appropriate to have such advertising reviewed by legal counsel. Direct comparisons between UNMC and other institutions should not be made unless they can be measured and substantiated.
3. Advertising should:

1. Show strengths such as a research base
2. Describe unique programs
3. Target specific groups without making exaggerated claims or creating unjustified expectations

1. In keeping with a more responsible mission, our standard of advertising should not be strident or divisive but informative, credible and positive

1. Approval process

1. At least five working days are required to get approval
2. The advertisement and information concerning where it will appear should be sent to the director of UNMC Department of Public Affairs. The ad will be reviewed for proper use of institutional names and logotypes, readability, consistency with institutional image, etc.
3. In addition, the ad may need to be reviewed by legal counsel, the institutional review board (in instances of advertising for research study participants), University Medical Associates or the chancellor’s office. In instances where it is felt review beyond the department is warranted, the staff will notify the requestor and forward the ad to the next approval step.
4. Ads done in conjunction with non-UNMC organizations need to be reviewed if the ad contains the UNMC name or logo or makes reference to any campus unit.
5. Ads which contain inaccurate or misleading information that do not reflect professionalism, that do not reflect strategic goals and objectives or contain information offensive to a race, ethnicity, age, physically-challenged, sex or religion will be withheld until the information is appropriately revised.
6. After approval by the UNMC Department of Public Affairs, a purchase requisition will be forwarded to the purchasing department for processing.

Distribution of Newspapers and Periodicals on Campus

1. Written approval from the UNMC Department of Public Affairs is required before newspapers and periodicals are distributed on campus.
2. Distribution

• Distribution of vended and non-vended newspapers and periodicals will be limited to areas identified by the vice-chancellor for business and finance or a designee.
• Newspapers and periodicals must be placed in containers suited to surroundings and must be regularly restocked and maintained by the publisher. Containers also must be approved by the UNMC Department of Public Affairs and the business and finance office.

University of Nebraska Logo and Seal

Anyone involved in the production of materials with the official logo should follow the guidelines set forth in the University of Nebraska University Identification Handbook. Questions should be directed to the UNMC Department of Public Affairs.

News Media

1. Initial contact made with news media
   
   

All contact made with news media will be initiated by the UNMC Department of Public Affairs media relations staff. Faculty, staff or students with story ideas shall relay them to media relations staff in the department who will, if appropriate, proceed to coordinate the story between the individual who initiated it and the media. Should a UNMC Department of Public Affairs media relations representative need to be reached after business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) due to emergency or routine nature, contact shall be made through the university operator at 559-4000. A media relations representative can be paged.

1. Audiovisual, photographic recording or interviews by news media

See UNMC Policy No. 6030, Informed Consent for UNMC Media Production and Distribution and related procedures.

Permission to videotape, photograph or interview UNMC faculty, staff, students or patients should be coordinated through UNMC Department of Public Affairs media relations staff. In accordance with HIPPA, media requests to interview patients will first require a physician’s or health care professionals’ approval and initiation in order to find an appropriate patient for the interview. When the physician/health care professional receives a verbal consent from the patient for an interview, the patient will be asked to sign a UNMC/The Nebraska Medical Center Media Authorization Form before conducting the interview. The interview shall not proceed unless the patient has signed the form. The patient shall receive a copy of the form and UNMC also shall file the form.

1. Media visits on campus

• UNMC Department of Public Affairs media relations staff shall escort media on campus. Media who arrive on campus unannounced shall contact a member of the UNMC Department of Public Affairs media relations staff and await escort.
• UNMC Department of Public Affairs media relations staff shall notify campus security of known media campus visits during and after business hours.

Endorsements

Any employee or student who wishes to endorse a product or organization should:

1. Do so only as a private citizen
2. Do so on personal time
3. Conform with the bylaws of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents on outside employment,section 3.4.5 , and UNMC Policy No. 1049, Outside Employment, if compensation for doing the endorsement is involved.
4. Consult with supervisor if such an endorsement might create a conflict of interest related to the employee’s or student’s position on campus or type of work at UNMC. If necessary, the university’s general counsel should be consulted. See UNMC Policy No. 6040, Conflict of Interest.

Publications

1. Standards

   Publications of UNMC shall:

   Conform to University of Nebraska and UNMC editorial, photographic, graphic and production standards as established in the UNMC University of Nebraska Statement on Publications and the UNMC Standards Manual.

   Meet all policy, statutory and affirmative action/equal opportunity requirements of the university, federal and state governments as appropriate. Consideration will be given to newspapers and periodicals that are informative in nature. Those that promote a single product, company or organization will not be considered for campus distribution.

   Be distributed internally and externally using appropriate means in order to make efficient use of funds.

   Conform to policy & procedures for “Guidelines for Use of University of Nebraska Logo and Seal.”

   The Standards Manual for UNMC publications, developed by the UNMC Department of Public Affairs, is available on request.

   Adherence to Standards

   Consultation and assistance in producing publications that conform to UNMC publications policies and standards will be provided by the UNMC Department of Public Affairs, with additional consultation from Information Technology Services and/or Printing Services as appropriate.

   A UNMC Quality Assurance Committee shall monitor compliance with UNMC publication policies and standards, periodically review such policies and standards, and plan and conduct campus-wide informational and training sessions to users. The committee shall be chaired by the UNMC Department of Public Affairs coordinator of publications and internal communications and composed of representatives from Printing Services and Information Technology Services.

   Publications that do not meet standards will be returned to the source for review with the UNMC Department of Public Affairs coordinator of publications and internal communications.

   Proposed publications or other communications by an outside organization or company that intend to contain the UNMC name, logo or makes reference to a campus unit must be reviewed by the UNMC Department of Public Affairs.

   Any form of communication proposed by an outside entity that uses the name of a UNMC faculty, staff or student shall identify the individual by their UNMC title.

   Five copies of all publications produced with state funds must be submitted to the UNMC Department of Public Affairs to assure compliance with State Statute R.R.S. 51-411. Four copies will be forwarded to the Nebraska Library Commission and one will remain on file in UNMC Department of Public Affairs.

Animal Research and the Laboratory Animal Medicine Facility Public Relations

Interviews will be granted upon request by appropriate officials according to the following UNMC institutional policy on animal research and the LAM facility:

1. Requests by the media for interviews which focus on animal research in general and/or laboratory animal welfare, or seek to describe or show the use of animals in research must be coordinated through the Department of Public Affairs.
2. The vice-chancellor for academic affairs and the associate dean for research of the graduate college are the designated institutional spokespersons who will respond to requests by the media for interviews on UNMC animal research in general and/or laboratory animal welfare. Other UNMC faculty may be interviewed about the aforementioned topics upon specific request by the media, but the interview must be coordinated in advance through the Department of Public Affairs with notification of the institutional spokesperson.
3. The media, with approval of the institutional spokesperson, may tour designated areas of the LAM facility if such a tour is specifically requested, and the tour will not adversely affect the well being of the animals or interfere with on-going research. Areas which would typically not be available for tours would include special rooms where there may be an infectious disease risk (to experimental animals or humans), rooms used for housing of genetically or experimentally immunodeficient animals, postoperative recovery areas, rooms which are restricted by federal agencies because of the presence of radioactive or chemical agents, or the presence of non-human primates.
4. The media may photograph animal(s) within the LAM facility with approval of the institutional spokesperson, providing the photography is based upon justifiable need and will not adversely affect the well being of the animal(s). Photographs are restricted to species which are considered non-sensitive from a public relations standpoint, i.e., rats, mice, swine, guinea pigs, hamsters.
5. An organized tour group (e.g. elementary school, high school, college) may tour designated areas of the LAM facility with approval of the institutional spokes-person.
6. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) will identify any protocols that may be considered controversial. The Department of Public Affairs, in consultation with the investigator, may be asked to prepare a media strategy. A copy of the media strategy will be maintained by the IACUC and the Department of Public Affairs for use as necessary.
7. Correspondence addressed to the institution with regard to laboratory animal welfare or animal research in general should be referred to the institutional spokesperson.