As a public institution, South Dakota State University is an open and public place that provides the news media reasonable access to campus. However, the university may regulate media access so as not to disrupt teaching or research, to protect the health and safety of students and staff, to protect the privacy of students and others who live on campus and to comply with state and federal laws on student and personnel data.
The media is generally permitted to film or take digital images or otherwise have access to spaces on campus that are open to the public, subject to reasonable time, place and manner restrictions. This includes access during normal operating hours to any building or portion of a building that is open to the public. Examples of these areas include:
- All campus outdoor sidewalks, green spaces and parking lots are open to the media;
- Campus events to which admission is free and open to the public are open to the media. Restrictions may be placed on cameras, lights, flashes and other equipment to minimize disruption. Advance notice may be required;
- Corridors and common areas within SDSU laboratory and classroom buildings are open to the media;
- Common areas within the University Student Union are open to the media; and
- Classrooms are open to the media if they are not occupied.
Media are only allowed in the following locations with express permission from an administrative authority. Certain areas may also only be accessed with an officially designated university escort. These include, but are not limited to:
- Residential areas;
- Classrooms in session;
- Private offices of faculty, staff or students;
- Any secured area or laboratory;
- Intercollegiate athletics venues during workouts or practice;
- Miller Wellness Center;
- Areas where quiet study is enforced, including Hilton M. Briggs Library;
- Venues charging admission;
- Private functions that are not open to the public;
- Inside any facility that is not open to the public, including utility operation facilities, waste facilities, maintenance and repair facilities and public safety facilities; and
- Any marked construction area, areas controlled by law enforcement or other emergency responders, or hazardous or unsafe locations.
