Policy Library

How the library works

A university policy is a rule that applies across Porter — to every student, every employee, or everyone on campus — and has a named owner. College handbooks, lab rules and residence-hall procedures sit underneath these and cannot contradict them. The library is kept by the Office of Legal Affairs, which dates every change; system-wide rules set by the Board of Regents override anything here.

• Owner is the office that answers questions, grants exceptions and starts revisions.
• Last reviewed is the last time the owner confirmed the policy is accurate, whether or not anything changed. Every policy is due for review at least every three years; anything older is flagged below.
• If a summary page and a signed policy disagree, the signed policy controls, and the owner wants to hear about the mismatch.

Academic and research

Student conduct and community

Safety

Employment

Technology and information

Facilities, money and records

Proposing or changing a policy

1. The owning office drafts the change and says who it affects. Anyone can suggest one by emailing the owner or policy@uwporterfalls.edu.
2. Legal Affairs reviews it — allow four weeks.
3. If it touches academics it goes through Faculty Senate (see this year’s agenda); workplace rules go to Staff Senate; student-facing rules get a Student Senate comment period.
4. The chancellor’s cabinet approves it, and the library posts it with the new date within five business days.

Urgent interim policies can skip step 3 for up to one semester, after which they lapse unless they finish the normal process. Two are in effect this fall; both are marked on their pages.