Institutional Communication

Bethany’s Institutional Communication Department oversees all official campus communications, media relations, and publications. It publishes Bethany News, the Bethany Magazine, and other publications.

News media access to the campus

Bethany welcomes news media to the campus for a variety of reasons, however; and Bethany believes that restrictions on news media personnel should be limited. However, education and respect for the privacy of students, faculty, staff and visitors remain our top priorities. All reporters visiting the campus must follow these guidelines: 

General rules for members of the media visiting campus

Bethany Lutheran  College is private property. Members of the media planning to conduct interviews, capture images, or record audio on campus must request permission from the Office of Institutional Communication before arriving. Journalists who have not obtained permission from the Office of Institutional Communication to work on campus may be asked to leave College property.

Our goal is to ensure that faculty, students, staff and visitors on campus can carry out their activities with a reasonable expectation of privacy and normalcy. Members of the media may not interview, capture images, or record audio of faculty, students, staff or visitors without specific permission of the individuals involved. Members of the news media are not permitted to enter buildings without permission of the Office of Institutional Communication, and may not enter classrooms without also securing advance permission from the instructor. Members of the media are not permitted to enter residential living areas at any time.

To protect the safety, privacy, and proprietary work of faculty, students or staff, a representative from the Office of Institutional Communication may escort members of the media at all times while on College property. Permission to conduct interviews, capture images, or record audio on College property may be revoked at any time by the Office of Institutional Communication if those actions are deemed disruptive to faculty, students, staff or visitors.

Photography and videography

The College may grant members of the media general access to outdoor spaces on campus to photograph or record video of environmental campus shots and building exteriors. Faculty, students, staff, and visitors who appear in images of campus may not be easily identifiable without specific permission of the individuals involved. Staff members from the Office of Institutional Communication are generally available to assist crews with shooting photo and video, including setting up locations and gaining access to restricted areas on campus when permission to shoot has been granted.

Still images captured by the Office of Institutional Communication may also be available to the media for select events. For more information, contact the Office of Institutional  Communication.

Bethany Lutheran College reserves the right to refuse permission to photograph or video record on Bethany-owned property for any reason.

Note: This policy does not cover access to campus for commercial, non-news-related photography or audio/video recording. All such activities require special permission from the Office of Communications and will be subject to different requirements, including certification of insurance coverage acceptable to the College. Request for permission for commercial audio or visual recording access should be directed to the Chief Communication Officer in the Office of Institutional Communication. A minimum of five business days notice is required. 

Scheduling interviews

In order to facilitate timely and appropriate access, on-campus faculty, student, or staff interviews should be scheduled through the Office of Institutional Communication. Faculty, students, or staff members who schedule on-campus interviews directly with members of the media are asked to inform the Office of Institutional Communication of the visit prior to their arrival.