This page is dedicated to providing University employees with information and policies about political and legislative activities. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a constituent institution within the State of North Carolina’s public university system as well as a federal 501(c)(3) nonprofit. As such, the political and legislative activities of employees are governed by multiple regulations including: the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (LDA), as amended by the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, Article 5 of Chapter 126 of the North Carolina General Statues, and the UNC Policy Manual.
The UNC Policy Manual
The Board of Governors maintains The Code and the UNC Policy Manual. The Code incorporates the requirements of the North Carolina constitution and General Statutes, as well as Board of Governors bylaws and other high-level policies. The UNC Policy Manual provides more specific direction and policies on university matters.
300.5 – Political Activities of Employees – This policy provides guidance with regard to permissible and prohibited activities.
University employees retain the rights and obligations of citizenship provided in the Constitution and laws of the State of North Carolina and the Constitution and laws of the United States of America. Employees are encouraged to exercise fully and freely their right to participate or refrain from participating in political processes without fear of penalty or reprisal, consistent with the University’s commitment to encouraging the full freedom, within the law, of inquiry, discourse, teaching, research, service, and publication. Certain types of activities by University employees related to political processes, however, may be incompatible with the general responsibilities of employment or with the particular responsibilities of University employment…
300.1.7 – Regulation on Contacts with Covered Federal Government Officials
Each Chancellor shall designate a campus officer to carry out the function of Federal Relations Officer (FRO).
Prior approval from the Chancellor or his/her designee is required before any campus employee may initiate contact with covered federal government officials on behalf of the University.
The following scenarios specifically require advance approval by the Chancellor or the Federal Relations Officer:
- Appearances on behalf of the University before federal bodies, including testimony before Congressional Committees or participation in meetings with White House personnel. Note: When University employees appear before such bodies as representatives of other agencies, such as professional societies, it is requested that they notify the campus Federal Relations Officer prior to the appearance.
- Any request on behalf of the University to a covered federal government official, particularly requests for Congressionally-directed funding, support of grant proposals or nominations to federal advisory councils.
- The delivery of materials, University publications, and periodicals to covered federal government officials.
- Any verbal or written statement made on behalf of the University that concerns federal policies, legislation or regulations.
- Invitations to covered federal government officials to visit campus in an official capacity. Note: The visit should be coordinated by the FRO.
- Responses to requests for information, reports, and statistics from covered federal government officials and their staffs, including responses to inquiries from investigative congressional committees.
- Participation in press events with covered federal government officials intended to promote federal policy or funding priorities.
- Any planned University event to honor a covered federal government official including but not limited to, the naming of a building or endowed chair, conferral of an honorary degree, or hosting of a meeting, retreat, conference or other similar event in the name of the official.
After contacts or visits have been made with covered federal government officials by a person on behalf of the University, a short report on the contact should be made to the campus Federal Relations Officer.