Policy Guidelines

Below are specific guidelines related to the language and formatting of University Policies. Please refer to the Policy on University Policies for additional policy procedures and requirements.

The University Policy Template is available within Guru as well as this Google Doc. Please contact the Policy Liaisons with any questions - Abbey Florence and Jennifer Schlueter.

What is a policy?

The terms “policy” and “procedure” have often been conflated or intertwined in our documentation. The Policy on University Policies establishes formal governance for all “policies,” but also allows (and intends) for “procedural” information to evolve and be changed in real time by local policy owners.

So, what’s the difference between policy and procedure?

Additional guidance is listed within the Policy Template / Policy Template.

What about policies for my department?

Anything that constitutes a “policy” is considered a University Policy and is subject to the Policy on University Policies, with a small handful of exceptions:

• Bylaws of the Board of Trustees
• Bylaws of the Boards of Governors
• Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs)

Many colleges and departments have their own handbooks or documentation, sometimes using the term “policy.” We recommend reviewing these with the Policy Liaisons to determine what content is considered a University Policy. One of the below outcomes is likely:

1. Propose a new University Policy: Policies can apply to only one area of the university, but may not conflict with broader existing University Policies. These must go through the procedure outlined in the Policy on University Policies.
2. Request an amendment to an existing University Policy: There may be times when the actual University Policy needs amendment to account for new circumstances that impact your department. In those cases, please contact the University Policy’s RUO and Responsible Office for assistance.
3. Content determined to be “guidelines”: Colleges, schools, and administrative units may establish their own guidelines or procedures for how to accomplish a University Policy, such as requiring approval from a unit head before proceeding with the University Policy procedure. These guidelines may be more restrictive than the main University Policy (e.g. limiting who can request a university credit card), but in no case are they allowed to be less restrictive or conflict with the University Policy and its procedures. The term “policy” may not be used to describe a guideline.

Please note: Colleges currently have student and faculty supplemental handbooks that may have content considered to be University Policy. These files are under review to align all “policy” content with the main governing University Policies. Until this work is complete, all amendments to the college handbooks should be reviewed with the Policy Liaisons to determine if the Policy on University Policies applies.

Collaboration with Stakeholders

University policies should not be drafted by the Responsible Office alone, but in collaboration with stakeholders. Every department or role that has a defined responsibility with the policy should be consulted. Additionally, other stakeholders may need to be involved prior to submitting your policy for review, such as:

• The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) for any new or “materially changed” policy.
• The Information Security & Privacy Office (ISPO) for any policies that involve collection, storage, transfer, analysis, disclosure, and deletion of data.
• The Academic Policy Group (APG) for any policy that impacts the academic experience, or with RUOs who report to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. This includes any policy that will amend the Academic Catalog or Student Code of Conduct.
• The Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice or local supplement for assistance reviewing your policy for potential disparate impact.
• Human Resources on any policy that will amend the Employee Handbook.
• Faculty Affairs for any policy that will amend the Full-Time Faculty Handbook.

While the Policy on University Policies only requires you to inform the Student, Faculty, and Staff Senates of approved policies (new and revised) that will amend their handbooks, we recommend including them as a stakeholder for material changes. Some stakeholder committees/groups may also require senate engagement during the development process.

Reminder: Keep track of stakeholder involvement. You will need to provide the Policy Liaisons with a list of who reviewed your policy and when.

Policy Language

All University Policies should be clear and comprehensible to the university community following the below standards. Follow the university’s style guide for nomenclature and descriptions, as well as its editorial style guide.

Write for your audience
Your policy language should be comprehensible to those without specific training and expertise. A good rule of thumb is to write your policy as if the audience is brand new to the university. Leverage your stakeholders to review the policy from different perspectives and ensure those outside your department can follow along. If your policy requires the reader to understand a more in-depth concept, create or source approved supporting documentation to bring the reader up to speed.

Use simple, plain language
Refer to the Federal Plain Language Guidelines, which help federal agencies write clear communications. Some recommendations include:

• Use an active voice
• Avoid overly-technical language, jargon, and legalese
• Keep your sentences short, omitting excess words whenever possible
• Use “must” to convey requirements
• Be consistent with your use of terminology and phrases

Be gender-inclusive
Avoid use of gendered pronouns (opt for “they/them”) and nouns (e.g. use “chairperson” instead of “chairman”).

Policy Formatting

• Paragraph (normal text) Formatting:
• Font: Neue or Arial (Guru and CourseDog have default approved font styles)
• Underlined text is for hyperlinks only
• Limit bold text to meaningful situations; be mindful that screen readers may not recognize the emphasis on the statement
• Font Size: 11pt
• Font Color: Black - red paragraph text does not meet accessibility standards
• Header Formatting:
• All section headers must use the Header Style, not bold paragraph text; this will generate the Table of Contents and ensure accessibility
• Font: Neue or Arial (Guru and CourseDog have default approved font styles)
• Font Size: 16pt Heading 1 and 14pt Heading 2
• Font Color: Black or red
• Capitalization: Use either all sentence case or title case, not a mix; confirm consistency by checking the Table of Contents
• Alignment: Left
• Punctuation Spacing: Single space after period
• Policy Section Numbering: Use numbers if needed, no Roman numerals
• Follow the Editorial Style Guide: The Editorial Style Guide outlines specific requirements to help ensure consistent formatting across the university, such as:
• Always spell out “The New School” and the names of any of the colleges or schools the first time they are mentioned
• When “The New School” is used as a noun phrase, “the” is capitalized—even in the middle of a sentence. Do not capitalize “the” when “The New School” is used as an adjective. Drop “the” altogether when it does not fit into the syntax of the sentence.
• Limit use of acronyms or define them with their first use
• Lists must be either all fragments or all complete sentences, not a combination. Set-off lists (e.g. bulleted lists) must always begin with a capital letter
• Spell out numbers one through ten except when referencing credits, which should be expressed in numerals
• Use the serial comma (a comma before and in a series of three or more items)
• Lists: Use List Styles (bullets or numbers) to format content appearing in list form; do not use hyphens, symbols, or general numbers in front of sentences as screen readers will not recognize these as “lists”
• Defined Terms: Capitalize all terms defined in the Definitions section throughout the policy
• Graphics and Tables: Do not use tables, images, graphics, etc. unless they have been evaluated for web accessibility
• Hyperlinks: Avoid hyperlinks to private companies or firms to ensure the University is not inadvertently endorsing or affiliating with an outside party; if referring to linked content more than once, only hyperlink the first instance

Return to University Policy Procedure or Policy Template.