November University Policy Distribution Reminder and November Policy Action Summary

As a reminder, the November university policy distribution contains one (1) revised policy (with an extended feedback deadline) and one (1) new policy.

Revised Policies:

• SYS 1310, Copyrightable Materials Ownership, Use, and Control 

New Policy:

• SYS 1XX, Institutional Statements 

Click on the link above to view the draft and ensure that your feedback is captured for review during the post-comment period. Comments can include attachments, including word documents and PDFs.

The feedback period to leave comments on SYS 1310 has been extended to 5:00pm on Friday, December 13. 

Comments on SYS 1XX are due by 5:00pm on Tuesday, January 28. 

DRAFT REVISED POLICY 

SYS 1310, Copyrightable Materials Ownership, Use, and Control

This policy will be effective upon approval by the president.  

Summary of Policy and Policy Revisions

• The purpose of this policy is to clearly define copyright ownership for the faculty, staff, students, and affiliates who use the UW system’s facilities or act under contract with the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. The policy recognizes and codifies the System’s longstanding commitment to the academic tradition of assigning copyrights to the creators of scholarly, academic, and artistic works.
  • The policy has been updated throughout to fit current UWSA formatting standards and template. This included the addition of Section 1. Policy Purpose, Section 2. Responsible UW System Officers, Section 3. Scope and Institutional Responsibilities, Section 5. Definitions, Section 7. Related Documents, Section 8. Policy History, and Section 9. Scheduled Review.
  • In the title, removed the word “Instructions.”
  • Section 4 has been shortened to provide a brief history of the need for this policy and to unify the language of the SYS 1300 series policies.
  • Section 6.A has been redefined to determine copyright ownership based on category of work and no longer the type of material.
  • Section 6.B now discusses conditions of copyright transfer, and the policy no longer lays out developmental conditions for copyrightable instructional materials.
  • Section 6.C now lays out a standard for copyright ownership of jointly authored works.
  • Section 6.D was added to include the following definitions for Institutional Work:
    • Disposition: UW System units most closely associated with the authorship of Institutional Work may authorize use of the work. The disposition of Institutional Work within the UW System shall be managed by the president, chancellor, or designee.
    • Notice and Registration: Institutional Work that is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office or that includes a copyright notice should identify “The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System” as the copyright owner.
    • Release of Institutional Rights: Authors of Institutional Works may request that the UW System transfer ownership to the Author. The UW System institution where the work is created may release its rights in copyrighted works to the Author(s) via a written agreement upon a determination that the transfer will not 1) conflict with an obligation to a Sponsor or third party; 2) violate any legal obligations of or to the UW System or Institution; 3) limit appropriate UW System use of the materials; 4) create an unmanageable conflict of interest for the Author; or 5) otherwise conflict with the UW System institution’s goals or principles.
  • Section 6.E was added to lay out terms in which UW System may license uses of or transfer copyright in an Institutional Work or to acquire copyrights.
• See the Frequently Asked Questions- SYS 1310, Copyrightable Materials Ownership, Use, and Control page for more information on the purpose of the proposed changes and additional clarification.

DRAFT NEW POLICY 

SYS 1XX, Institutional Statements 

This new policy will be effective upon signature by the President.

Summary of Policy

• This policy establishes a general principle of viewpoint neutrality for institutional statements issued publicly on behalf of the university and its units. It makes permanent the principles established in the interim policy action SYS 100-10, Interim: Institutional Statements. It is designed to provide further clarification and guidance on the principles affirmed in RPD 4-21, Commitment to Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression. Specific policy provisions include:
  • Establishing that institutional statements issued by university leaders should be limited to matters that directly affect the core mission of the university and should maintain viewpoint neutrality in any reference to any other matter. Such statements many express a position of support or opposition only when authorized by the president or chancellor. Institutional statements expressing solidarity or empathy are permitted in response to incidents or events that directly affect the operations and core mission of the university so long as their selective issuance does not imply preference for the viewpoint of one group over another.
  • Clarifying that this policy does not apply to:
    • Faculty and staff within a unit who may choose to express their expertise or judgement of a situation as it relates to their academic disciplines or research expertise, but that care should be taken to ensure that such statements are not misconstrued to represent the university or unit.
    • Faculty and staff expressing personal statements on non-university owned channels.
    • Officially recognized shared governance groups, though they should make clear in public statements that they are speaking on behalf of their group and not the institution.
  • Permitting the president and chancellor to adopt additional institution-specific guidance and procedures consistent with this policy.
  • Clarifying that the president and chancellors may not expand the scope of this policy to restrict the free expression rights of individuals or groups of individuals who do not present themselves as speaking in the name of and on behalf of the university or a unit.
  • Committing to preserving the academic freedom of faculty, research or instructional staff and students with respect to scholarship, teaching, and intellectual debate.

November Policy Action Summary  

Please see the November 2024 Policy Action Summary pdf . It details policy work completed between November 8 and December 6, 2024. There was one (1) revised UW System Administrative Policy and one (1) revised UW System Interim Policy Action.

One (1) Revised UW System Administrative Policy

• SYS 425, Use of Personal Vehicles, Rental Cars, and Fleet for Business Transportation 

One (1) Revised UW System Interim Policy Action

• SYS 100-10, Interim: Institutional Statements