Political Activity by University Employees

Effective Date: 05/01/08

Policy Statement 1: Political Activity by University Employees

I. Political Activity by University Employees

  1. No East Carolina University employee shall use the authority of his/her position, implicate the name of the University, or utilize State resources to support or oppose any candidate, party, or issue in an election involving candidates for office or party nomination. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:

    1. No employee may take an active part in managing a campaign, or campaign for political office or otherwise engage in political activity during working hours. N.C.G.S. §126-13; State Personnel Manual (Section 3, page 35); UNC Policy 300.5.1.

    2. No employee may use his or her position, State or University funds, services (including mail service), supplies (including letterhead), equipment (including telephone and computers), vehicles or other university property to support or oppose a candidate. N.C.G.S. §126-13; UNC Policy 300.5.1.

    3. No employee may coerce an employee to support or contribute to a political candidate or party or to change voter registration. N.C.G.S. §126-14.

    4. No EPA employee (including Faculty and EPA Professionals) may promise preferential treatment or threaten detrimental treatment of an employee to induce support or opposition to a candidate. UNC Policy 300.5.1.

    5. If running for or holding office, all EPA employees (Faculty and EPA Professionals) must comply with UNC Policies 300.5.1 through 300.5.4 and 300.5.6. For many types of office, the policies require that before becoming a candidate or holding political office, the University employee must make certain disclosures and receive various approvals on a prescribed schedule. Prospective candidates or office holders for some political office must petition the chancellor for approval months in advance, and failure to do so may result in loss of university employment.

    The UNC System Policy Manual can be found online at: http://www.northcarolina.edu/content.php/legal/policymanual/contents.htm