Policy and Procedure Database - Northern Michigan University

Purpose:

Define and describe the categories used in the Policy and Procedure Database

Applicability:

All Faculty, Staff, Students and Visitors
 

Administrative and Personnel Policies

Policy is defined as the course of action or defined objectives of the University, as approved by the President or Board of Trustees.  The University has two types of overarching policies: Administrative and Personnel.
 

Administrative Policies:

1.     Administrative Policy is approved by the President and defines functional objectives for the administration of the University.

2.     Ordinances are regulations developed and enforced by Public Safety.  These are the regulations related to safety and public welfare and are often developed to keep the university consistent with local municipality ordinances.  Ordinances are also approved by the President or Board of Trustees.

Non-Represented Employee Handbook, Contracts, and Bylaws:

1.     The Non-Represented Employee Handbook (formerly known as Personnel Policy) is approved by the Board of Trustees and defines the rights, responsibilities, and benefits of employees not represented by a bargaining unit.

2.     Union Contracts also function as personnel policies.  These are negotiated between the university and the union and are ratified by the Board of Trustees.  They define the rights, responsibilities and benefits of employees represented by that bargaining unit.

3.     Bylaws for departments also function as policies for the persons employed by a particular department.  They typically concern the duties of employees within that department, promotion and tenure, and the administrative structure of the department.

Student Code / Handbook:

The Student Handbook informs the NMU community about expectations, acceptable standards of behavior, and procedures for addressing issues/concerns.  It is intended to protect the rights of all members of the NMU community.  The Student Handbook is approved by the Board of Trustees.

1.     Part 1 - Student Rights and Responsibilities:  Addresses students' rights, duties and institutional responsibilities pertaining to academic and administrative matters. Part 1 also describes the procedure for the resolution of grievances relating to academic and administrative matters, including the areas of grading and academic dishonesty. Students' rights and freedoms outside of the classroom are also addressed.

2.     Part 2 – Student Code:  Addresses acceptable standards of student behavior. This section lists university regulations and administrative policies, created through the input of students, faculty, and staff, which govern student behavior. The Student Code section of the handbook describes the adjudication procedures for and due process rights of students who are charged with violations of the stated regulations and policies.

Guidelines:

The Guidelines in the Policy and Procedure Database address topic of general interest to the NMU community, including procedural overviews, and topics that require a consideration of best practices.  For instance, this guideline addresses the content of this database.  Another guideline addresses interpretation of the Inclement Weather Policy.

Procedures:

Procedures are defined as the step-by-step processes required to ensure policy compliance.  These are developed and approved by the department assigned to the applicable policy.  Changes to procedures that do not require a policy change do not have to be presented to the President’s Council or approved by the President or Board of Trustees.  However, it is a best practice to present major procedure changes to the President’s Council.  The President’s Council can both provide feedback on the proposed change as well as facilitate communication about the procedure change to the NMU community.