April University Policy Distribution

The April university policy distribution contains two (2) new policies, four (4) revised policies, and one (1) revised guidance document.

New Policies:

• SYS 12xx, Paid Parental Leave 
• SYS 1234, Furlough

Revised Policies:

• SYS 135, UW System Undergraduate Transfer Credit
• SYS 807, Medical Withdrawal and Tuition Adjustment Policy 
• SYS 1033, Information Security: Incident Response 
• SYS 1230, Workplace Safety 

Revised Guidance:

• SYS 1290 Guidance: (Code of Ethics) Guidelines for Reporting Outside Activities Under UWS 8.025

Click on the links above to view the drafts and ensure that your feedback is captured for review during the post-comment period. Comments can include attachments, including word documents and PDFs. Comments on the policies and guidance are due on Friday, May 10 at 5:00pm. 

As a reminder, comments on the new policy, SYS 12xx, Paid Parental Leave are due on Friday, April 26 at 5:00pm.

Comments on the revised policies, SYS 807, Medical Withdrawal and Tuition Adjustment Policy and SYS 135, UW System Undergraduate Transfer Credit are due on Tuesday, May 21 at 5:00pm. 

DRAFT NEW POLICY 

SYS 12xx, Paid Parental Leave 

This policy will be effective as of July 1, 2024.

Summary of Policy

• Pursuant to the authority delegated to the UW System President and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor by the Board of Regents in Regent Policy Document (RPD) 20-21, the UW System and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have drafted policies under their respective personnel systems to implement six weeks (240 hours) of paid parental leave within a 12-month period for the birth or adoption of a child.

DRAFT NEW POLICY 

SYS 1234, Furlough 

This policy will take effect when signed by the president and will supersede Interim Policy 1200-INTERIM 11, Furlough Policy. 

Summary of Policy

• This is a new permanent policy, intended to replace the interim furlough policy that was first implemented in 2020, expired in 2022 and then was re-implemented in 2023.
• The policy has no substantive changes from the interim policy. It outlines the following:
  • Method for the determination of the need for furloughs.
• • Methods for the selection of employees.
  • The procedure for implementing furloughs, including notice requirements and limits on the length and type of furloughs.\
  • Prohibited criteria upon which to base furlough decisions.
  • Status of benefits and access to university resources.
  • Voluntary furlough.
  • The appeals process.

DRAFT REVISED POLICY 

SYS 135, UW System Undergraduate Transfer Policy

This policy will be effective upon approval by the UW System president. 

Summary of Policy and Policy Revisions

• This policy establishes procedures and guidelines for UW System institutions to facilitate the overall transfer process for all students. The following changes are proposed to align the policy with current practice:

• • In Section 6.C.III.6.a, amended language to show that guaranteed transfer applies to students transferring from any UW university or branch campus. The previous policy language applied only to students transferring from a branch campus.
  • Section 6.C.III.6.b.3, corrected the minimum grade point average required for transfer to UW-Madison from 3.2 to 3.0.

DRAFT REVISED POLICY 

SYS 807, Medical Withdrawal and Tuition Adjustment Policy

This policy will be in effect upon approval by the president.  

Summary of Policy and Policy Revisions

• This policy outlines provisions with respect to medical withdrawals and refunds beyond the 100 percent refund date.
  • Title was changed to add “Medical Withdrawal and Tuition Adjustment Policy”
  • Section 2 was updated to reflect office and title changes at Universities of Wisconsin.
  • In Section 5, the definition of “Immediate Family Member” was changed to add “… or other member of the student’s familial support unit”
  • In Section 5, a definition for Last Date of Class Attendance was added.
  • In Section 6.B, in the last sentence of the first paragraph, replaced “only possible” with “primary” regarding transcript adjustments for applications submitted after the end of the term.
  • In Section 6.B, in the first sentence of the second paragraph, added “(as determined by campus policies and procedure for withdrawals and return of financial aid funds)…” to clarify how campuses should calculate last date of class attendance.
  • In Section 6.B, in the last sentence of the second paragraph, added “ which could result in a change to the student’s overall financial aid” to clarify the possible outcome of the Financial Aid Office making award or repayment decisions.
  • In Section 6.D, amended language about re-entry steps to make the process less prescriptive and burdensome on the student.
    • Changed “medical circumstances” to “rationale” in the last sentence of the first paragraph.
    • Added language to clarify the purpose to reentry activities, and that reentry activities should generally focus on reminding students of institution resources.
    • Added potential steps/options for re-entry activities institutions could provide.
    • Added “Reentry requirements to return must not put undue burden on the student to prove their readiness to return.”
    • Refocused language regarding a letter from a healthcare provider or meeting with a campus official to read, “If the institution requires a letter from a healthcare provider, the focus should be on aftercare recommendations that would allow the institution to offer resources that would support a successful transition back to campus.”
    • Removed the requirement that this process be consistent with other institutional return processes.

DRAFT REVISED POLICY 

SYS 1033, Information Security: Incident Response

This policy will become effective immediately upon approval by the president. 

Summary of Policy and Policy Revisions

• This policy has been updated to reflect reporting protocols of incidents to the Office of Information Security. Language has been generalized to remove specific procedural requirements from policy language.
  • In section 6.A, clarified reporting expectations for Denial of Service attacks and Ransomware events.
  • In section 6.B, removed requirements for written notification and added reference to the UW System Incident Reporting Protocol.
• An additional guidance document ‘UW System Incident Reporting Protocol’ will be added to the guidance tab for this policy set and will be referenced in the policy where applicable. This guidance document will outline the reporting procedures/protocol necessary for reporting incidents to the UW System Office of Information Security.

DRAFT REVISED POLICY 

SYS 1230, Workplace Safety

This policy will be effective upon signature by the president. 

Summary of Policy and Policy Revisions

• Revisions were made to convert the policy into the most recent policy template.
  • Added Section 2. Responsible UW System Officer, Section 3. Scope and Institutional Responsibilities, and Section 9. Scheduled Review Date
• Revision made Section 6.E, Safety Equipment, requiring institution reimbursement policies to meet UWS-Office of Risk Management standards for protective footwear reimbursement.
  • The only standard ORM anticipates at policy rollout is to set the reimbursement cap at no less than $100

DRAFT REVISED GUIDANCE DOCUMENT

SYS 1290 Guidance: (Code of Ethics) Guidelines for Reporting Outside Activities Under UWS 8.025

This update to the guidance document will be effective upon signature by the Associate Vice President. 

Summary of Policy and Policy Revisions

• This update to the guidance document adds Section 6.D, which details the pre-existing reporting requirements for Nepotism and Consensual Relationships.  These requirements already existed in other policies and Regent Policy Documents, but they have been collected here for transparency and to clarify the expectations for employees in these two ethical areas.

FY 2025 Policy Prioritization

The FY 2025 Policy Prioritization process began on Friday, March 29. Each University may request up to 5 policy priorities. Additionally, each of the 4 shared governance groups may submit up to 5 policy priorities. Priority areas should include System Administration policies and proposed actions can include:

• The drafting of new policies
• The revision of existing policies
• The merger of existing policies
• The rescission of existing policies

Prioritization forms will be sent to campus leadership, and shared governance group chairs. Priorities must be submitted by Friday, April 26.