Policy Manual

Whether you are developing a new policy or revising an existing one, here are the steps to follow:

1. Contact the Policy Coordinator at uofi-policy@uidaho.edu to give notice that you will be working on the policy, and, if working on an existing policy, to obtain the official Microsoft Word document of the policy. Reference the policy number in the subject line, e.g., APM 50.55, FSH 3360. The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that 1) you are not unknowingly working on a policy at the same time as another party, 2) you are working with the most recent version of the policy, which in some cases may not be the version found online, and 3) the Policy Coordinator is able to track the progress of your policy and manage the policy workflow.
2. If more than one person is involved, assign one person to oversee all changes. This prevents incorrect versions from being submitted.
3. Read the Policy Writing Guide and refer to the University of Idaho Editorial Style Guide when drafting your new or revised policy.
4. Use “track changes” in Microsoft Word to edit the policy. No one should “accept changes". Why? Only redline changes will be made to the official document; if you accept changes or fail to keep track changes enabled, it is impossible to see what was changed. Additionally, tracking changes maintains a historical archive of policy changes and allows for efficient collaboration. 
5. Follow these guidelines:
   • Development: Work with the Policy Coordinator to identify the groups and individuals among faculty, staff, and students most affected by the proposed policy, to inform and solicit their comments. In particular, senate and staff council leadership must be consulted regarding policies related to shared governance.
   • Format: Draft your policy to be consistent with the policy template to the extent possible. The template will be useful for most policies, but is not mandatory. Some policies have unique circumstances and will differ.
   • Links: Links create ongoing issues with broken links, and require regular review and maintenance. Keep them to a minimum, make sure they work, and don’t link to sites external to the UI.
6. Fill out a cover sheet. Frequently asked questions about cover sheets:
   
   • Who is the originator? The originator is the person or group who originally sees the need for a new or revised policy. Typically the originator is working on something and discovers that a current policy does not reflect current practice or is inconsistent with federal, state, or local law, then calls it to the attention of the unit administrator who has authority over the policy. The originator is the point of contact for issues regarding the policy.
   • Who is the policy sponsor? The policy sponsor is the unit administrator who has authority over the policy, typically a VP or director. The policy sponsor is responsible for making sure that affected constituencies are given an opportunity to comment on the policy.
7. Have the policy sponsor review and sign off on the policy (see FSH 1460 B-6 and C).
8. Submit the cover sheet and policy to uofi-policy@uidaho.edu. Reference the policy number in the subject line.
9. The Policy Coordinator will review the draft policy for ambiguities, errors, conflicts and send the policy to General Counsel for legal review. If the proposal is for a provision of the APM, the Policy Coordinator will also send it to the VP in charge of the area governing the APM proposal. If any of these parties have questions or spot problems, the policy will be returned for explanations or changes. This step can take four weeks or more, so plan ahead!
10. Minor amendments will be approved by the Policy Coordinator once in final form. New policies and revisions other than minor amendments go through the following approval process:
    • Faculty Staff Handbook provisions
      1. The policy will be scheduled for a Faculty Senate meeting. The committee chair or designee should be prepared to attend the meeting to present and answer questions. The last Faculty Senate meeting at which policies can be approved for inclusion on the University Faculty meeting agenda is two weeks prior to the University Faculty meeting.
      2. If approved by the Faculty Senate, the policy will be added to the agenda of the next University Faculty meeting. 
      3. If approved by the University Faculty, it will be forwarded to the President for approval or veto.
      4. In some cases, the policy may also be required to be approved by the University of Idaho Board of Regents/Idaho State Board of Education.
    • Administrative Procedures Manual provisions
      1. The policy will be scheduled for discussion at Faculty Senate and Staff Council meetings. Note that communication with Faculty Senate and Staff Council is required, but approval is not. The committee chair or designee should be prepared to attend the meeting to present and answer questions. Comments will be forwarded to the proposers for consideration.
      2. The policy may go to the University Faculty meeting for the purpose of widely communicating changes that impact employees and students, but University Faculty approval is not required.
      3. The policy will then go to the president for final approval.
11. In all cases, once the provision has final approval, it will be returned to the Policy Coordinator for publication.

For more information, please see FSH 1460. Questions? Contact the Policy Coordinator at uofi-policy@uidaho.edu.

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