Public Records Policy

Members of the public may make requests for Public Records in any format. Providing a written request with contact information and enough detail for the University to clearly identify what records are being sought will help to ensure that a request is fulfilled accurately and efficiently. Persons who seek to access the public records of the University should direct a request to the University’s Public Records Officer (“PRO”) through the public records portal at https://uncgreensboro.nextrequest.com/. Requests can also be made to the custodians of the records being sought.

If a request is not made in writing, the Records Custodian should consult with the PRO to produce a written response to the requestor stating the University’s understanding of what records are being requested.

If the requestor cannot or will not reduce an oral request to writing, or they do not want to identify themselves, then the Records Custodian will reduce the request to writing and will obtain the requestor’s agreement to the accuracy of the writing before proceeding further.

After consultation with the PRO, the Records Custodian for each University unit must permit inspection of, or provide electronic versions of, the requested records as promptly as possible after receiving the public records request. The Records Custodian may also make copies of the requested documents, subject to the provisions on copying costs below. Access to public records may be limited to reasonable times during regular business hours and under reasonable supervision. The PRO must separate out or redact any confidential information from otherwise accessible public records prior to public inspection of requested records.

If responding to the request for public records will take an employee fewer than four hours, then the University will charge only for the actual costs of (i) making copies ($.05 per page), (ii) any materials used (e.g. DVD’s, flash drives, etc.) and (iii) mailing. Generally, the University will not charge for the costs of making copies, materials used, or mailing unless they total twenty-five dollars ($25.00) or more.

The University considers four (4) or more hours of information technology, clerical or supervisory employee time as constituting extensive assistance. If responding to the request will involve extensive assistance, the University may charge a special service fee (based upon the hourly rate of pay of the employee(s) who will respond to the request, rounded to the next whole dollar). The special service fee shall be based on the actual hours of labor required to respond to the request above and beyond the first four (4) hours (which remain free). In addition, the University may charge for actual copying ($.05 per page), actual cost of any materials used (such as DVD’s) and actual cost of mailing which costs total more than twenty-five dollars ($25.00).

The Public Records Officer shall estimate the total cost of responding to such extensive requests in writing prior to making the documents and/or information available for inspection and allow the requestor the option of either agreeing in writing to pay the total cost or revising the request to narrow its nature or scope. If the agreed upon estimate turns out to be higher than the actual labor, mailing, materials and copying costs, then the University shall thereafter reduce the charge to the requestor. If, part way into the document retrieval process, it becomes evident to the Public Records Officer that the original estimate was too low, the Public Records Officer will suspend the process and ask the requestor whether the process should continue at a new and higher agreed estimated total cost or whether the process should cease, in which case the requestor will pay for and receive only the documents and/or information that have been retrieved to that point. If the University, in reliance upon the requestor’s agreement to pay the total estimated cost, retrieves the requested documents and/or information, but the requestor thereafter refuses to pay the agreed upon amount, then the University may withhold the documents and/or information until payment is received.