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2007 Policy Announcements
 Establishing and Maintaining Accounts at Banks and Financial Institutions
The University Policy Office is pleased to announce the issuance of the new University Policy 3.23, Establishing and Maintaining Accounts at Banks and Financial Institutions  .
This new policy sets out to bring the practice of approving, establishing, and administering bank accounts into compliance with University Policy, 4.2, Transaction Authority and Payment Approval and other financial policies to achieve appropriate stewardship for all of Cornell's assets. Under this policy, in the unlikely event that a unit must, for a unique business need, request to establish and maintain a unit bank account, the university expects that unit to institute the appropriate controls for maintaining the account.
Please familiarize yourself with this policy. Please direct questions about this policy to your unit's administrative office, or to Cash Management at (607) 254-1590 or cashmanagement@cornell.edu  .
-October 2, 2007
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Access to Student Information
The University Policy Office (UPO) is pleased to announce the issuance on an interim basis of a revision of University Policy 4.5, Access to Student Information .
Among other changes, this interim policy codifies a change announced in the annual Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) Disclosure to Students, whereby the university may, in specified circumstances, exercise its discretion to divulge education records to parents. The policy will provide for more flexibility when dealing with students who may be in distress, but where a health or safety emergency does not exist. In compliance with FERPA, when the university determines that it is in the best interests of the student to do so, this policy enables the university to release education records to parents without the student's prior permission. This provision applies to the records of undergraduate students, specifically, who are financially dependent on their parents as that term is defined by the Internal Revenue Service. However, students may provide to the University Registrar documentation that they are not financially dependent, and education records will not be released to parents unless otherwise authorized.
This revised policy does not affect the ability of university officials to disclose education records to parents and others as necessary in emergencies where the health or safety of a student may be at risk, nor does it affect the ability of university officials to share information with other university officials for educationally related purposes.
Please familiarize yourself with the details of this policy. Please direct questions about this policy to your unit's administrative office, or e-mail the University Registrar or call (607) 255-8728.
-September 5, 2007
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Responsible Use of Audiovisual Surveillance Technology
The University Policy Office is pleased to announce the issuance on an interim basis of the new University Policy 2.11, Responsible Use of Audiovisual Surveillance Technology .
This policy allows audiovisual surveillance technology (AVST) to be used to enhance the security of Cornell's community and property in a way that does not seek to infringe upon the privacy or freedoms of individuals. The provisions enable careful review of surveillance installations by mandating the creation of an AVST Monitoring Committee, comprising representatives of the Cornell community, to advise the Vice President for Business Services and Environmental Safety on balancing the greater security that surveillance technologies bring with reasonable expectations of privacy and the freedoms of assembly and expression.
Please familiarize yourself with this interim policy. Questions about this policy should be directed to your unit's administrative office, to the Department of Safety, Health, and Environmental Risk Management at (607) 255-4986, or dlh19@cornell.edu .
-August 8, 2007
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Privacy of Information Technology Data
The University Policy Office (UPO) is pleased to announce the final issuance of formerly interim University Policy 5.9, Privacy of the Network, now titled "Privacy of Information Technology Data ."
This policy specifies conditions under which the Vice President for Information Technologies, steward for Information Technology Data under University Policy 4.12, may approve disclosure of that data. These standards protect the privacy of individual users and reaffirm the university's values of free speech and open inquiry in support of our university missions.
Please take some time to review this policy. More information is also available at the Office of Information Technologies policy Web site at www.cit.cornell.edu/policy/interim/Privacy.html  .
-August 7, 2007
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Transaction Authority and Payment Approval
The University Policy Office is pleased to announce the re-issuance of University Policy 4.2, Transaction Authority and Payment Approval , previously titled "Transaction Authority."
This revised policy, derived from Board of Trustee legislation, identifies types of transaction authority and the responsible individual for authorizing these transactions, and requires delegated authority to be documented via written delegation plans, which must be approved by Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration or the Provost. Authority levels for transactions involving facilities and capital projects have been modified, and authority for energy purchases has been added.
Additionally, new approval levels have been defined for payment approval, previously known as "signature approval," allowing business service centers (BSCs) to process all payments up to $25,000, including travel reimbursements.
Please familiarize yourself with this policy. Questions about this policy should be directed to your unit's administrative office, to the Division of Financial Affairs at (607) 255-4242, or to University Counsel at (607) 255-5124.
-August 2, 2007
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Prohibited Discrimination, Protected Status (Including Sexual) Harassment and Bias Activity
The University Policy Office (UPO) is pleased to announce the re-issuance of the revised University Policy 6.4, Sexual Harassment, now titled "Prohibited Discrimination, Protected Status (Including Sexual) Harassment and Bias Activity ."
Re-issued last year as an interim policy, this document contains revisions made in response to recent changes in federal legislation regarding discrimination and harassment. This iteration clarifies the language of the previously issued sexual harassment policy, incorporates provisions to defend against all forms of prohibited discrimination and protected status harassment, and integrates the university's existing Bias Response Program.
Please familiarize yourself with this revised policy, and direct questions to your unit's human resource representative or to the Office of Workforce Diversity, Equity and Life Quality at (607) 255-3976, or owdelq@cornell.edu .
-May 21, 2007
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Policy on Policies
The Cornell University Policy Office is pleased to announce the issuance of revised University Policy 4.1, Formulation and Issuance of University Policies , which governs the process for drafting, reviewing, and approving official Cornell University policies.
This revision formally expands the scope of policy development at Cornell to include the Cornell Weill Medical College and Gradate School of Medicine, explicitly. It further clarifies the roles and responsibilities of the different participants in this process and more sharply defines conditions governing the release of interim policies.
Please familiarize yourself with this revised policy. Questions about this policy should be directed to the Vice President for Financial Affairs and University Controller, or to the Cornell University Policy Office at (607) 255-2379, or cornell-policy-office@cornell.edu .
-April 10, 2007
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