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UAS may be operated on University property for academic, research or public safety activities in accordance with federal, state and local laws and regulations and University policies. Operation of UAS on University property must be approved by the Department of Public Safety (DPS). Recreational or personal use of UAS on University property is prohibited, even if such use is a permitted “hobby” use under state or federal laws and regulations.
University departments or employees wishing to fly UAS for University-related purposes off University property must have appropriate permits and property owner permission for the location of the flight. They must also comply with any federal, state, and local laws and regulations of the jurisdiction where the UAS flight is conducted.
Requests for UAS operations on University property must be submitted to the DPS at least five business days prior to the date of anticipated flight. If approved, UAS operators are then required to confirm they will be flying as scheduled by notifying the DPS at (724) 357.2141 at least one hour before flight operations. Departments that are frequent users of UAS may acquire a standing authorization to fly from the DPS; however, the DPS must still de-conflict requests for flight operations with any other known event(s) or other issues and notification must still be made to DPS within one hour of flight time.
Users of UAS may be asked to stop the UAS flight or leave University property if they do not comply with this policy or are otherwise engaging in conduct that is considered harmful or dangerous to the University or persons on University property.
Indoor use of UAS in campus buildings is limited to locations and times where the use will not interfere with use of the facility. Operators may be held responsible for interfering with academics or other authorized activities if the UAS is flown indoors in an unsafe manner or in violation of this policy.
Any individual or organization found to be operating an UAS on University property or at a University-sponsored event in violation of approved status or any federal, state or local laws or regulations, or in violation of applicable University policies, may be directed by an authorized University official to immediately cease operation of the UAS. Violations may be referred to a University disciplinary process (student conduct or employee) and may be considered regarding future UAS authorization requests.
Use of UAS by the DPS will require compliance with this policy during normal operations; however, an emergency, DPS will follow internal Department protocols. NOTE: “Emergency,” in this context, will use the same definition as referenced under the “SCOPE” section of the IUP Emergency Operations Plan. Declaration of an emergency will be handled according to the IUP Emergency Operations Plan, Functional Annex A: Emergency or Disaster Declaration. As such, waiver of the UAS policy for a DPS operational exemption will be made by the President of IUP or designee.
Responsibilities:
A. The Department of Public Safety (DPS) will:
I. Publish University protocols specifically related to scheduling flights and acquiring authorization to operate UAS according to federal, state, and local laws and regulations on its website.
II. Evaluate requests for operation of UAS on University property in accordance with any public safety related concerns for specific flight requests and de-conflict special event operations.
III. Record flight notifications and all relevant flight information in the DPS records management system.
IV. Investigate reports of UAS-involved property damage, personal injury, privacy concerns or other matters with proper notification and/or deferral to outside agencies as appropriate.
V. Make referrals of violations of this policy and applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations, as appropriate.
VI. Make notification of UAS flights to Facilities Management or other public safety agencies or entities of UAS flights, as appropriate.
VII. Provide statements or letters of University self-insurance, as appropriate, for operation of UAS at off-campus venues.
B. UAS Operators will:
I. Comply with federal, state, and local laws and regulations for operation of a UAS.
II. Comply with University policy and flight protocols before operation of on University property.
III. Be responsible for all pre-flight safety checks, maintenance and upkeep of aircraft.
IV. Not use a UAS to monitor or record activities where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy. This includes but is not limited to: restrooms, locker rooms, residence halls, events involving minors, child care facilities and health/medical facilities.
V. Not use a UAS to observe or record campus events or performances (without authorization), or for any unlawful purpose.
VI. Not fly over people (Note: this severely limits UAS flights on University property)
VII. Not fly above 400 ft.
VIII. Not fly outside daytime hours, defined as 30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset
IX. Not fly in an unsafe manner
X. Not fly beyond the operator’s ability to see the UAS
XI. Not fly while under the influence of alcohol or drugs
XII. Not fly in a manner that interferes with air traffic
XIII. Not fly close to another UAS or other objects so as to create a collision hazard
Related Website:
Additional information regarding the FAA’s UAS program and links to the federal laws and regulations: http://www.faa.gov/uas/
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