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EQUIPMENT CIRCULATION CENTER POLICIES (As of August 2025)

Booking Website Link: ousof.getconnect2.com. Sign in with OU email. 

*STUDENTS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CHECK OUT SCHOOL OF FILM EQUIPMENT WITHOUT A SIGNED FINANCIAL LIABILITY AGREEMENT. AGREEMENTS CAN BE OBTAINED AND SIGNED AT THE ECC DURING EQUIPMENT PICKUP. 

WHO CAN USE THE EQUIPMENT?  

• Equipment checkout is limited to currently enrolled School of Film faculty and students. Checkout privileges will be determined by course requirements and level of training.
• Any outside School of Film projects must be approved by the Director of the School of Film or faculty.
• Students are not permitted to check out gear for other people or organizations that do not have proper training for the equipment. For example, a borrower could not check out gear for a RoughCut Collective shoot. This is to limit high-risk situations of gear being damaged by improper use.

MEDIA CIRCULATION 

• All camera kits come with the appropriate media (SSDs, Hard drives, etc) except for the Blackmagic 4Ks
• The ECC does not circulate individual or extra media for orders. 

ECC SCHEDULE

• The ECC maintains consistent weekly hours throughout the semester. These hours will be announced at the beginning of each semester to the School of Film and will be available online. 
• During Winter, Spring, and Summer breaks, ECC hours are subject to staff availability. 

COMMUNICATION 

• If a day-of change in your checkout time is needed, please communicate directly with the ECC Manager and Staff either in person or via email. They will do their best to accommodate, but may not be able to in all circumstances. 
• All ECC email communications should go to ecc@ohio.edu.

EQUIPMENT CHECK OUT & CHECK IN 

● Check-outs and Check-Ins are not permitted outside of operating hours unless approved by the ECC Manager or the Director of the School Film. 

EQUIPMENT RESERVATIONS 

• RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED FOR ANY EQUIPMENT CHECKOUT. If you are not enrolled in a class or workshop, you will not be able to check out equipment without special permission. 
• Reservations are made through Connect2. The ECC staff does not create reservations for borrowers. 
• Borrowers must book at a MINIMUM of 48 hours before their pickup to give ECC staff adequate time to put their equipment together.
• Priority booking works by allowing upper-level students to book equipment out earlier than others. For example, MFA & HTC Thesis and BFA Capstone students can book 12 days in advance, MFA 2nd Years and BFA 2nd Years 10 days in advance, and MFA 1st and BFA 1st Years 8 days in advance. Equipment is first-come, first-served
  If a borrower requests to add something to their order day of, it is at the discretion of the managers whether or not to fulfill that request. If the request is for a larger item, students may be permitted to check it out in exchange for a strike.

FINANCIAL LIABILITY 

• All borrowers are required to sign a Financial Liability Agreement. Without a signed Financial Liability Agreement, borrowers will not be able to reserve equipment. A Borrower is FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE for damage and/or loss of any piece of equipment. 
• In case of damaged or lost equipment, a DAMAGE REPORT will be completed and submitted to the ECC Manager and the Director of the School Film. Some damage is considered “normal wear and tear,” and some is considered “negligent use”. This will be determined by the Manager of the ECC or the Director of the School of Film. Lost equipment is deemed negligent.
• If the loss or damage is determined to be negligent, the cost of replacing or repairing the equipment will be billed to the student’s account. Students have 2 weeks to pay their bill before a hold will be placed on their account, and they will not be able to enroll or graduate until they have paid the fee.
• Replacement costs are determined by how much it will cost to replace the item through BobCat Buy, which includes an education discount.
• Negligence charges will be split evenly among all group members listed in C2 booking.

BOOKING PENALTIES 

• 
  The standard penalty imposed by the ECC will be the addition of a strike to the borrower’s record. Strikes will be totaled at the end of the semester and will result in a grading penalty determined by the borrower’s production professor.
• If being given a strike, borrowers will be verbally told by staff and emailed after the incident.
• A strike can be given for any behavior deemed as harmful to equipment circulation or ECC staff.
• Students may receive strikes for infringements such as the following:
  
  • Returns later than 30 minutes from their check-in time.
  • Not assisting staff in the check-in process.
  • Being rude to ECC staff.
• Additionally, if a borrower does not appear within 30 minutes of their scheduled pickup time, their equipment may be forfeited. The ECC is under no obligation to check out equipment to that student at a later time that day.

PICKUP PROCEDURE 

• Students checking out equipment are responsible for making sure that they have received all items listed on their reservation. 
• While ECC staff is committed to providing equipment in proper working order, it is the responsibility of the borrower to perform their own equipment tests and quality control before leaving with their equipment. 
• LIABILITY FOR DAMAGE OR MISSING COMPONENTS RECEIVED AFTER PICKUP IS COMPLETE WILL BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE CURRENT BORROWER, UNLESS DAMAGE OR MISSING COMPONENT WAS NOTED BY THE BORROWER DURING THE PICKUP PROCESS. 
• Due to the continued use of the equipment, there is an expected amount of wear and tear. Borrowers are expected to communicate any problems with equipment to the ECC staff. 
• Borrowers are required to notify ECC staff once they have checked their equipment so it can be scanned. If a borrower leaves without allowing ECC staff to scan their equipment, a strike will be recorded on their account. 

RETURN PROCEDURE 

• BORROWERS ARE REQUIRED TO ASSIST THE ECC STAFF DURING THE RETURN PROCESS. 
• Borrowers are required to unpack, set up, and power on any camera kits, camera accessories, audio equipment, or LED lights they are returning. ECC staff will then check the package for quality control.
• After the ECC staff have completed their quality check, the borrower will be required to pack up their equipment. The ECC staff will then return the equipment to ECC storage. 
• PARTIAL RETURNS ARE NOT ACCEPTED. A partial return will result in a strike on the borrower’s account.
• If equipment is returned wet, it will result in a strike on the borrower’s account. 
• If a student wishes to extend a portion of their order, the entire order will need to be returned, and a new booking must be made if the item(s) are available in the desired timeframe. 
• If an extension is not possible due to availability limitations, the borrower will be required to book at a later date. 
• Borrowers MUST remain at the ECC for the entire return process and assist the ECC staff. So please plan accordingly. Equipment return is not a valid excuse to arrive late to class.

EQUIPMENT RESTRICTIONS 

●    Some items are restricted to students who have received appropriate training on that equipment. Valid training experience may be acquired through taking certain classes or by scheduling a training session at the ECC. 

●    Students who wish to check out restricted items but have not taken the required classes or received the appropriate training must book training with the ECC and receive the approval of the ECC manager or the School of Film Director before taking out restricted equipment. 

PARKING & LOADING BAY USE 

• The parking lot behind Central Classroom is a restricted lot controlled by Ohio University and not the School of Film. Parking in this lot may result in a parking ticket responsible by the owner of the vehicle.
• VEHICLES ARE NOT PERMITTED IN THE LOADING BAY UNLESS LOADING OR UNLOADING EQUIPMENT. NO VEHICLES ARE PERMITTED TO PARK IN THE LOADING BAY OVERNIGHT. This includes borrowed or rented vehicles 
• VIOLATIONS WILL RESULT IN A STRIKE BEING RECORDED ON THE BORROWER’S ACCOUNT.