NEW POLICY DEVELOPMENT PROCEDURES AND CHECKLIST

Purpose

The New Policy Development Procedures and Checklist is aligned with WCU’s Policy on Policies and ensures the consistent process and format for the development and approval of new policies.

Procedures

The development of new policy should include the following steps:

  1. Assess the need for the policy and ensure the subject matter of the policy is broadly applicable to a large segment of the university. Upon consultation with other Division Policy Designees, determine if the policy goal(s) can be attained through a revision of existing policies of similar subject matter.

    The policy owner or designee should email policydesignees@wcupa.edu the intent of said new policy and a draft if available at that time.
  2. Ensure alignment with applicable System, State, Federal, and Accreditation policies, regulatory requirements, statutes, and applicable bargaining units.
  3. Apply a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens to the review process to include:
    1. Avoid the use of gender specific pronouns.

      Ensure the use of gender-inclusive language within policy documents. For example:

      Gendered

      Chairman/Chairwoman
      He/She pronouns
      Freshman
      Father/Mother/Brother/Sister

      Gender Inclusive

      Chair/Chairperson
      They/Them pronouns
      First year student
      Parent/Sibling

      “They/their” and “you/your” are the most inclusive pronouns to use in policies and in communications, in general. These pronouns alienate neither women nor persons who identify as nonbinary.

    2. Does the policy leave out any identity group? (if so, is there a reason for this?)

      While the impact of campus policies on the performance of all WCU students is important, consider the following groups as primary targets of the Equity lens process as they represent groups historically excluded or marginalized in higher education:
      • First Generation students
      • Underrepresented students/faculty/staff by race, age, gender identity, and/or sexual orientation
      • Members of the LGBTQ community
      • Nontraditional students (homeless, single parents, aged out of foster care, etc.)
      • Culturally/Linguistically Diverse (international)
      • Socio-economic status (personal or high school)
      • Persons with disabilities
      • Women
      • Military/Veterans
      • Religious groups
    3. Is the Policy free from bias towards a particular (or more than one) identity group?

      Like everyone else, faculty and administrators have a range of biases, mental shortcuts, and social and cultural influences that can impact decision-making. Consider who is at the policy review table. We often look for information that confirms our existing views. Who should be brought into the conversation? What participatory structures can be added to hear from more voices? Who or what informs your thinking on these issues?
    4. Does the policy impact one group over another in a discriminatory fashion? Does the policy benefit one group at the expense of another?

      Ask what the intent is behind the policy being reviewed? What assumptions does the policy include? Who benefits from the way things are and who is adversely impacted? For example, when looking at workplace leave policies, some organizations have adopted “floating holidays” which enable employees the ability to make a choice and more appropriately schedule preferred religious holidays/observances.
    5. Depending on the content of the policy, does the policy identify access for those with disabilities? Is the policy accessible in a different format? (ie facility Use Policies, Use of Space on Campus, Websites, Communications to internal/external publics, etc.)
    6. Does the language meet the minimum or exceed expectations?

      Language is not neutral. The words we use affect how we think and perpetuate attitudes about groups. Choose words that convey sensitivity and understanding not because we want to be correct, but because how we use words affects our Rams community.
    7. Have shifts in the evolution of inclusive terminology been addressed? (i.e. handicapped vs. individuals with disabilities)

      All language evolves. Language changes with time to reflect the campus community/society, and, therefore, policy language must also evolve and remain current. Handicapped: a word that originates from “cap in hand” or someone who needs to beg. The term handicap may be used, however, best to be used to describe an imposed barrier that restricts a person.
  4. Where appropriate, assess any implications of the proposed policy, including cost and resource requirements.
  5. Make use of subject matter experts and drafting collaborate with other experts to develop the policy.
  6. Consider and develop materials needed to both enable and inform the operation of the policy:
    1. enabling documents: procedures, forms, delegations of authority, business processes
    2. informing documents: guidelines, FAQs, templates
    3. develop a communications and implementation plan before final approval
  7. Upon consultation with other Division Policy Designees, identify and provide university members across divisions an opportunity to review and comment on policy before final approval.

    The Policy Owner or designee should email designees@wcupa.edu the draft policy and provide timeline for review and feedback.
  8. The Office of Employee and Labor Relations must review all new policies prior to final approval to determine if there are implications related to terms and conditions of employment or applicable collective bargaining agreements. If so, the Office of Employee and Labor Relations will engage the applicable union representatives in Meet and Discuss on behalf of the policy owner.

    Policy owners or their designee should email said draft policy to laborrelations@wcupa.edu
  9. After final approval and appropriate signatures are affixed, the University President, Executive Vice President, or appropriate Vice President informs President’s Cabinet of the new policy.

    It will be important for policy owners to ensure their unit VP has the requisite information to inform President’s Cabinet of the new policy prior to being uploaded for public view.
  10. The Policy Owner(s) uploads the Policy into the Policy Library.

    Business Rules for Uploading NEW Policies to the Policy Library have been created to guide policy owners or their designees through this process.
  11. An email communications will automatically be sent to faculty and staff when new policies are uploaded and made public.

References

WCU’s Policy Library

PASSHE Board of Governors Policies

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

U.S. Department of Education