POLICY NUMBER:     OGC – 6

Effective Date: March 2004
Revisions: None
Responsible Officer: General Counsel

I.   POLICY

This policy sets forth the standards and procedures for use by the University community in connection with the retention of University records by various departments of the University.  It is the intention of this policy to ensure that all University records are maintained in accordance with all applicable legal and policy requirements in order to ensure that University records are not improperly or prematurely disposed of by a University department.  At the same time, this policy seeks to give guidance to University employees as to appropriate time frames under which University records that are no longer necessary for the operation of the University may be properly disposed of, thereby providing for efficient and effective use of the University’s limited storage capacity.

II.  PROCESS FOR DISPOSAL OF UNIVERSITY RECORDS

The head of any academic department or vice president for an administrative department may authorize the disposal of University records upon meeting the following criteria:

1. The records to be disposed of meet or exceed the time frames set forth for such records in the appendix attached to this policy.

2. The disposal of the records complies with statutory, contractual or accreditation obligations.

3. The records to be disposed of do not relate to or contain information regarding current, pending or potential litigation involving the University.  Any questions regarding these criteria should be addressed to the Office of General Counsel.

4. Records containing student information or sensitive and/or confidential information must be shredded or otherwise rendered unreadable prior to disposal. 

Under no circumstances shall any employee dispose of University records without following the above procedures.  This policy is not intended to apply to the appropriate disposal of individual documents when warranted and approved in the course of an employee’s daily activities but is intended to apply to the disposal of large quantities of out of date University records.

III. DETERMINATION OF TIME FRAMES  

If an employee seeks to dispose of certain University records that are not listed in the appendix of this policy, the employee can not dispose of the records without the approval of the Office of General Counsel.                                                                                                                      

Additional Information: Inquiries regarding this policy can be directed to the Office of General Counsel.