College of Fine Arts Office Furnishing Policy

Each office, cubicle and work space in the College of Fine Arts are pre-furnished.

Furniture - Staff may not discard furnishings in their offices without permission of the COFA Facility Manger.  This includes desks, credenzas, file cabinets and shelves.  You may not bring in your own furniture without pre-approval from the COFA facility manager.

Furniture Purchases – The purchase of new furnishing must be approved by the COFA facility manager and your supervisor.  Direct purchases for desks, chairs, lamps, shelves may not be made from Amazon, UT Market, or other sources.  As needs arise, staff may select from a pre-approved selection of furnishings.

Surplus – The COFA facility manager will approve sending furnishings to surplus if they are:

• Past their useful service life
• They are beyond repair or no longer cleanable
• Obsolescence
• Other COFA department cannot find a use for them.

The department interested in sending furnishings to surplus shall retain them in their space until a Surplus pickup appointment is available.  In cases where the department wishes to rush the pickup, the department shall contract directly with a mover or Events and Moving.  

Under no circumstance shall surplus items be place in corridors or loading docks.

Shelving: Personal shelving systems affixed to the wall are prohibited without prior approval from the COFA facility manager.  Departments requesting this type of system will be required to pay for all wall patching and paint upon removal.

Paint: Offices are painted on an as needed basis.  Staff may not repaint their offices.

Wallcovering:  The installation of wallcovering is strictly prohibited (e.g., wallpaper or other adhesive wallcovering)

Hanging Pictures: Photographs and framed artwork may be installed using the following permitted hanging items: 

• Traditional picture hangers for sheetrock walls.  
• Scotch Wall Safe Squares.

The following items are not allowed due the associated cost with wall repair:

• Pushpins
• Double-sided tape
• Adhesive Velcro
• Masking tape
• Packaging tape
• Duct tape
• Nails for wood paneled walls
• Screws into brick walls.

Departments will be expected to pay for walls preparation that exceeds basic maintenance.

Rugs: Rugs that have not already been pre-approved by the COFA facility manager are not permitted in office spaces.

Collectables: Display of collectible items such as stuffed animals, model ships, rubber duckies, bowling trophies, comics, etc. should be limited to a few pieces.  

Fire Hazards

• Space Heaters are permitted. However, they must be equipped with an automatic shutoff per UT Fire Prevention Services.  Read UT's Space Heater Regulations.
• The following items are not permitted in offices and cubicles:
  • Coffee Pots
  • Cappuccino makers
  • Keurig machines
  • Tea pots
  • Hot plates
  • Toaster ovens
  • Portable refrigerators
     
• Candles and incense are strictly prohibited.  No open flames are allowed.
   
• Novelty string lights are permitted.  However, they may not be attached to the ceiling grid or sprinkler heads. They must have a UL tag attached to the cord.  Lights without this tag are not permitted.

Window Treatments

Prohibited: 

• Installation of curtains, blinds, shades, or window films
• Removal of any existing window treatments

House Plants: While plants are often associated with healthier air, mold naturally occurs in potting soil and elevated mold levels may occur.  Plants should be limited to 2-3 small pots no larger than 6” diameter. 

Keys are issued to staff to secure and access their work areas. All keys are the property of the University and are governed by HOP 4-120 Key Control and Accountability.

• Keys shall not be loaned to others.
• Keys shall not be duplicated.
• Keys must be returned to Locks and Keys upon separation from UT or accepting a position in another department or CSU. Keys are assigned to and EID. They are not associated with a position, department or room.

Departmental shared keys must reside in a lock box with its own UT EID.  These are the only shared kyes that are permitted.  To establish a new lock box, contact your building manger.

Dogs and other pets are prohibited in all campus buildings. If a pet is a service animal, the faculty or staff member may apply for and ADA accommodation from the Occupational Health Program. All pets are prohibited in offices.

Bicycles and Scooters are prohibited in all UT buildings. This includes rented, shared, personal or portable bicycles and scooters. Staff should lock or park these in designated university spaces.