Dear Media Production and Journalism Students: 

All equipment signed out must be returned by 12:00 PM on your scheduled return date. If you’re going to be late for any reason, please e-mail dmjequipment@newpaltz.edu as soon as possible.

The default rental period for all equipment is 3 academic days.  For most equipment, you can request to keep it for up to 7 days.  At the end of your rental period, you must return the equipment or bring it in and extend it for up to an additional 7 days.  You may not keep any equipment beyond that 14-day window.  You may return the equipment and create a new order, but the original order must be returned by the 14th day.  High demand items such as cinema cameras and DJI lavaliers are limited to a 3-day rental.  As long as these items are in stock, you may continue to extend them for up to 14 days total.

If equipment is not returned on time, the student and the student’s professor will be emailed about the lateness. 

There is also a late fee system in place. The late fee is $5 per item per day until the equipment is returned, with a maximum charge of $25 per day. Lost/damaged equipment may result in up to $800 in fines. The late fee system is a hold on your academic account. 

After reasonable attempts to recover late equipment have failed, the student’s borrowing privileges will be suspended commensurate with the lateness. 

If the student repeatedly fails to return overdue equipment, an Academic Hold will be placed on the student’s account.  

An Academic Hold means the student cannot register for classes and will not receive their grades until the hold is released. 

If equipment is broken, lost, or stolen, please report the problem as soon as possible.  Do not attempt to cover up broken equipment.

Please test your equipment prior to leaving the equipment check-out room!  

Never clean camera lenses with Windex or a paper towel! Only use industry-standard lens tissues with lens cleaning solution, or a clean microfiber cloth. 

Whoever signs out department equipment is responsible for its return and should be the one returning it.  

Use of media production equipment is restricted to Media Production students and is limited to class projects; do not borrow department equipment for personal endeavors unless cleared by a Media Production faculty member.  

Do not borrow department equipment with the intent of non-Media Production majors “lending” the equipment from you!  Doing this can result in a suspension of your borrowing privileges.

Ottaway equipment is available for all Journalism students to use for their class assignments.  

Digital Storytelling students can sign out some Ottaway equipment, but only for their journalism-based class assignments.  

Students are not permitted to have guests in the editing suites. There have been cases where “guests” have stolen department equipment. Students will be held liable in such cases.  

Do not prop editing suite doors open.  These must always remain locked as these are areas monitored by both Card Access and University Police.  

Eating and drinking is prohibited in both the editing suites and classrooms.