UCCS Campus Digital Signage Procedures

The Digital Signage system is run on software provided by Reach Media. Reach Media provides UCCS-approved templates that show marketing content, a social media feed, an RSS feed, a news ticker, information such as the date/time/weather, and UCCS branding. An exemption request must be granted in order to remove the marketing content and branding.

Digital Signage is a partnership among campus units, UCCS Office of Information Technology (OIT), University Marketing & Communications, Facility Services and Auxiliary Services Marketing (ASM). There are shared costs and shared responsibilities, as outlined below: 

• UCCS Office of Information Technology
  • Assist units in equipment purchase, installation and configuration of equipment in conjunction with Facility Services
  • Staff for installation of boxes, support and maintenance of hardware
  • Upgrades to software with support from vendor
  • Managing software licenses for non-auxiliary organizations
• Individual Unit Responsibility
  • Decision to install a screen; cost of all needed equipment and hardware
  • Installation of displays, with assistance and approval by Facility Services and OIT
  • Cost of electrical and physical construction as needed
  • Content development, posting, and management of screen (e.g., slides, photos, videos, text, TV, etc.)
  • Contact to ASM regarding slides to run campus-wide
• UCCS Facility Services
  • Assist units in location assessment for all devices with the following in mind:
    • Accessibility
    • Building standards
  • Appropriate physical installation of all devices that need to be wall mounted or oversight of third-party installation. 
• University Marketing & Communications and Auxiliary Services Marketing
  • Purchase of displays and media players
  • Annual software license cost (per media player). This cost is covered by a general fund pool for all academic units. Auxiliary units are responsible for their own license costs.
  • Policies, best practices and usage guidelines
  • Creation and management of UCCS branded templates
  • Oversight of cross-campus content sharing process
  • Management of Emergency Notification System alerts in conjunction with Public Safety
  • User training and support
  • Creation and maintenance of user accounts
  • Contact with vendor
• Digital Signage Committee
  • The committee consists of representatives from every division of campus and from the student population. 
  • The committee will be responsible for evaluating and responding to exemption requests, complaints and appeals.

Gaining Access - For units interested in joining the digital signage project, please reach out to asm@uccs.edu. Roughly, the steps include: 

• Getting permission from your dean / director to join. 
• If your screen is going to be a public / shared space (i.e. the lobby of Columbine, where multiple units share traffic), please reach out to other involved parties and negotiate costs and screen time before installation. An MOU should be in place before launching the screen.
• Purchasing and installing a screen. 
• Purchasing a box to connect the screen to the vendor. 
• Work with ASM to get training on the system and receive access for your point(s) of contact. Please note: all accounts must be tied directly to a person. There should be no generic accounts. Students must use an exception account rather than their personal UCCS account. Access will be granted after users have received training. 
• Create content and launch your screen.

• Auxiliary Services Marketing is responsible for the funding of equipment, and each unit is responsible for installation costs. 
• Department’s digital signage requests must include their academic dean’s or director’s approval for digital signage location and funding.
• Equipment purchases should by coordinated with OIT to maintain consistent technological and installation requirements.
• Equipment must be installed by Facility Services, or if they are unable, oversight of a third-party installation. Additionally, Facility Services or will approve digital signage locations within buildings to comply with fire code, ADA requirements, and building and structural standards.
• Equipment that is in use upon the original implementation of the third-party contract will be grandfathered in, provided the system is compatible and can incorporate displayed content, and was installed in a manner that complies with all applicable building codes.

• Implementation of the campus solution will be funded by Auxiliary Administration and OIT. This includes the purchase of boxes for existing screens, licenses for all boxes for the first year, integration with RAVE and other identified systems, and training.
• Any costs for modifications to existing screens during implementation—placement, installation, running of power or Internet—are the responsibility of individual units.
• Auxiliary Services Marketing will be responsible for ongoing costs of hardware replacement and upkeep.

For units interested in installing a screen and joining the digital signage program, these are the estimated costs:

* This is the recommended screen wall mount.
** This is the recommended commercial-grade screen. If you have differing needs, please reach out to OIT to consult on the proper screen to fill your needs and meet the requirements of the technology.

Automatic exclusions to the digital signage policy include: 

• Food Service retail menu boards
• Ent Center Box Office screens
• North Nevada billboard / Ent Monument Sign
• Campus directory kiosks
• Classroom or lab instructional screens
• Conference room displays
• Select monitors streaming television, identified by the Digital Signage Committee
• Fitness equipment screens

Additional exclusions may be requested. To petition for an exemption to the policy, please submit the form at https://auxmarketing.uccs.edu/exemption-request-form. To be considered for exemption, you must meet one or more of these conditions:

• The primary audience viewing your screen consists of the non-campus community public, or otherwise does not include UCCS students, staff, or faculty.
• Your screen is in a private / secluded spot, not generally visible to the public eye.
• You have two or more screens grouped together and want one screen to broadcast television or cable TV.
• You can successfully demonstrate a pressing case to be exempted from the University Digital Signage policy.

Exemptions will be reviewed and decided by the Digital Signage Committee.

Hardware:

• In the case of installation of a screen in an unapproved location, the unit or organization will be responsible for all costs associated with immediate removal and re-installation to an approved location.
• When installing screens, units should work with Planning, Design & Construction (PD&C) to ensure locations and installation adhere to ADA standards. 

Software:

• Newly installed screens must use the current vendor solution, or apply for and receive an exemption from the Digital Signage Committee.
• Units must use an approved template for digital signage; units not using a template will be unable to display digital signage until their template is approved.
• All screens will be subject to a periodic audit of content to insure content and brand standards are in compliance with policy and procedures. 
• Content must maintain user readability standards across buildings and monitors.
• ADA Standards must be met by all content. Videos on monitors must be captioned to meet ADA standards.

1. Emergency information, as needed—initiated by Public Safety or University Marketing & Communications
2. Campus and/or building utility outages, drills, etc. as initiated via Facility Services or DPS
3. Organization / department information and activities
4. Campus-wide events and student org activities

Content should be in line with the UCCS Campus Policy regarding Responsible Computing (Policy Number 700-002). The following messages are prohibited:

• Any use for commercial purposes or personal financial gain. 
• Any use for political advocacy, such as supporting or opposing political campaigns, candidates, legislation, or ballot issues. 
  Please note: When a candidate for political office comes to campus, neither the campus nor the hosting facility is taking a political position for or against a candidate. Their presence on campus is strictly educational and similar opportunities are to be offered to all candidates. 
• Any use that violates University or third-party copyright, patent protections, or intellectual property. 
• Any use that is abusive, threatening, discriminatory, defamatory, or harassing towards others. 
• Any use that violates any University policy, or local, state, or federal law, including any student activity that is prohibited pursuant to the Student Code of Conduct.
• Messages that promote or condone behavior that violates UCCS policies, or local, state or federal law.
• Personal messages

If content is inappropriate or found to be in conflict with policy, ASM retains the right to remove the content from rotation. If organizations or departments feel their content has been edited or suppressed unjustly, they may appeal the decision by contacting the Digital Signage Committee. The form to appeal is located at https://www.uccs.edu/auxmarketing/appeal-complain.

Owners are in control of the content of their own screens. We recommend the following guidelines when creating content:  

• Content should be generated by official UCCS departments, schools, or organizations, or by student organizations recognized by UCCS. 
• The digital signage plan does not currently allow for sound, and screens across campus should be muted. Please plan your content accordingly. Videos are acceptable but content should be appropriate and videos must be close-captioned to meet ADA standards.
• Messages should be brief and concise. We recommend about twelve words on the screen. We also recommend shortening URLS when possible, and including on each slide some form of contact for viewers who want more information.  

If you have content you would like to appear on the on the campus-wide playlist, please keep the following in mind: 

• Content must abide by the UCCS visual guidelines located at https://www.uccs.edu/brand/visual-guidelines. Read the visual identity standards to be sure that the artwork you submit does not violate any rules. 
• Submitted content connected to an event can be posted any time prior to the event date for up to two weeks and is removed automatically at midnight the day the event concludes.
• Informal postings not directly associated with an event may be posted for up to three weeks (i.e. scholarship opportunities, priority registration, student deadlines, etc.).
• Requests will be on a first come, first served basis. ASM has discretion over all content submitted and reserves the right to edit any submitted material, determine what is appropriate for posting and choose when a posting will appear in the announcement rotation.
• ASM makes every effort to fulfill requests but provides no guarantee that digital materials submitted will be posted and reserves the right to limit or exclude submissions.
• Signage must adhere to UCCS digital signage policy and the UCCS Campus Policy regarding Responsible Computing. 

Below are a few best practices to keep in mind when creating content for digital signage. 

• Keep your message succinct—slides appear for roughly 8-10 seconds at a time.
• Provide the basics: date, time, event title, location, and sponsoring organization and contact information. We recommend including a clear call to action to help your viewer know what you want them to do.
• Use provided templates to stay on brand with UCCS look and feel.
• Use basic elements of design (color, composition, readability, and typography). If you are unsure how to use these principles, review visual guidelines at https://www.uccs.edu/brand/visual-guidelines or reach out to University Communications or Auxiliary Services Marketing for help or review. 
• Be aware of your audience, traffic flow, sign size, etc. Be sure to curate your message specifically for the best experience on signage, don't just re-purpose media from other mediums. 
• Avoid using words that make the date of your event ambiguous. For instance, if your message runs for 12 days, the words "tomorrow" or "this weekend" could be confusing to the user. 
• Your message should include the logo or name of the department, group, organization, or sponsor presenting the message.

• When you join the digital signage network, you agree to use one of the provided UCCS templates. Visitors across campus will see a consistent and cohesive brand presence, while still seeing some unique content at each location of digital signage screens. Templates are available inside the Reach Media system. If none of the provided templates suits your need, please contact Auxiliary Services Marketing or University Marketing & Communications to discuss the possible creation of a specific template. 
• All users are responsible for adhering to UCCS Brand Standards, which can be found at https://www.uccs.edu/brand/ 
• UCCS uses AP style as part of our editorial style guide. You can access that guide here: https://www.uccs.edu/brand/editorial-style-guide 
• Questions or concerns with visual branding should be addressed to University Communications & Marketing. 

• We are currently working on a solution to make our digital signage ADA compliant. Please reach out to Auxiliary Services Marketing at asm@uccs.edu with any concerns in the meantime. 

• Auxiliary Services Marketing – asm@uccs.edu