Office of Compliance, Policy and Privacy Services
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Policy

Policy Compliance Process

DU-01, Official University Policies, streamlines the creation and revision of all new and revised Official University Policies. The policy includes a detailed, step-by-step Policy Compliance Process featuring a standardized timeline for policy reviews and approvals, increased community engagement through a stakeholder engagement framework, Policy Council and public comment period, and — eventually — a new, centralized policy-management system.

This page outlines the process you should follow when working on any new or revised Official University Policies, or when seeking to decommission an existing Official University Policy. Consult the Keywords and Definitions page for helpful definitions, and please contact the Director of Policy Compliance at policy@drexel.edu with any questions.

Standard Review Process for New and Revised Policies

If you are proposing a new or revised Official University Policy, please follow these steps:

  1. The Sponsoring Unit should work with any Affected Units of the University that will be impacted by the Proposed Policy to ensure that the Sponsoring Unit has the buy-in of the Affected Unit(s) as the Proposed Policy is drafted, using the Policy Template. The Sponsoring Unit should also work with the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) in drafting the policy to ensure the policy is not duplicative and is in line with legal and University requirements. The Sponsoring Unit should send an advance copy of the proposed policy or revision to Faculty Senate via email to senate@drexel.edu (for planning purposes only).
  2. The Sponsoring Unit should complete the Policy Intake Form [PDF] with the Communication Plan [PDF] and contact the Director of Policy Compliance (DPC) for further guidance. The DPC will log the Proposed Policy and work with the Sponsoring Unit to ensure review of the Proposed Policy. The Communication Plan should be shared with the DPC to ensure the policy is posted in the Policy Directory and the policy is appropriately communicated to the Drexel community. The DPC will ensure that the Affected Units and OGC complete a review of the Proposed Policy. This review will ensure that the Proposed Policy does not duplicate existing policies and that it is in the best interest of the University. The DPC will then coordinate the Pre-screening Review with the Policy Council and ensure that the Affected Units and OGC complete a review of the Proposed Policy. This review will ensure that the Proposed Policy does not duplicate existing policies and that it is in the best interest of the University.

    The DPC will log the Proposed Policy and work with the Sponsoring Unit to ensure review of the Proposed Policy. DPC will coordinate a Pre-screening Review with Policy Council to ensure the Proposed Policy is ready to undergo the full review. DPC will then ensure that that the Affected Units and OGC complete a review of the Proposed Policy. This review will ensure that the Proposed Policy does not duplicate existing Policies and that it is in the best interest of the University.

    Please note that the Director of Policy Compliance processes Intake Forms for new and revised Official University Policies ONLY on the first Tuesday of every month. Sponsoring Units may submit Intake Forms at any time, but requests will only be processed on the first Tuesday of the month.
  3. Once the Affected Units and OGC have completed their review, the Sponsoring Unit should reconcile any material comments pointed out by Affected Units and OGC, and prepare the draft of the Proposed Policy for Stakeholder Engagement Process. The reconciled document should be sent to policy@drexel.edu for the Stakeholders’ Review (Academic Council, Faculty Senate, and Policy Council). 
  4. Upon the completion of the Stakeholders’ Review, the Sponsoring Unit should reconcile any material comments pointed out by Stakeholders and send a copy of the reconciled document to policy@drexel.edu for the final OGC review of the Proposed Policy and Communication Plan.  
  5. Upon the completion of OGC’s final review, the Sponsoring Unit should reconcile any material comments pointed out from OGC and send a copy of the reconciled document to policy@drexel.edu. DPC will then coordinate a Cabinet’s review and President’s approval.  
  6. Upon Cabinet recommendation and the President's approval, the Proposed Policy is official.
  7. Upon being notified the Proposed Policy is approved, the Sponsoring Unit must carry out the approved Communication Plan immediately. 

Expedited Review Process

The Drexel Policy Council may approve a Proposed Policy to undergo an Expedited Review process ONLY if:

  1. It is in response to changes in the law and legal requirements; or
  2. It is necessary because a current Policy is out of compliance with current legal or regulatory requirements or in response to legal, regulatory, or enforcement demands; or
  3. There is insufficient time to put the Proposed Policy through the full process.

The Expedited Review process consists of all steps in the Standard Review process except for Step 4 — the Stakeholder Engagement Process. Once a Policy is approved on an expedited basis, it must go through the Standard Review process within a year.

Public Comment Period

To increase community engagement in Drexel’s policy-making process, all proposed Official University Policies undergo a 30-day public comment period before the President’s Cabinet and the President review the final draft.

All students, faculty and professional staff are invited to review and comment on the proposed policies listed on the Public Comment Period SharePoint (Drexel credentials required to view). Follow the links provided on the SharePoint to review the policy drafts and provide your comments via Qualtrics.

Policies Available for Public Comment

The Policy Council will review all comments and determine if modifications are needed. There is no assurance that a policy will be modified based solely on comments, nor will there be an individual response to each comment.

If you have any questions or concerns, email policy@drexel.edu. The open and close dates of public comment periods will be announced on the Public Comment Period SharePoint, the University Events Calendar, and the “It’s Okay to Ask” compliance e-newsletter.

Decommissioning Process

Official University Policies sometimes become outdated, obsolete or superseded by a new policy. In these instances, the policy that is no longer needed must be decommissioned through the following process prescribed by the Official University Policies policy (DU–01).

  1. The Sponsoring Unit should consult with any Affected Units and the Office of the General Counsel to determine whether decommissioning is warranted.
  2. If warranted, the Sponsoring Unit must submit a completed Statement of Intent to Decommission an Official University Policy [PDF], including a communication plan, to the Director of Policy Compliance.
  3. The Director of Policy Compliance presents the proposed decommissioning to the Policy Council for review.
  4. If the Policy Council recommends decommissioning the policy, the Director of Policy Compliance and the Sponsoring Unit will present the proposal to Cabinet for review and recommendation to the President.
  5. Upon final approval by the President, the Director of Policy Compliance will handle removing the decommissioned policy from the Policy Directory and archiving it in the appropriate systems, while the Sponsoring Unit will implement the decommissioning communication plan.

Please note: The Office of Compliance, Policy and Privacy Program Services does not serve as the author, proprietor, interpreter or enforcer of the University’s policies. Instead, it aids Sponsoring Units in developing, reviewing or revising policies. The Office of Compliance, Policy, and Privacy Program Services offers editorial services and secondary support for crafting policy language but explicitly clarifies that it is not, and should not be perceived as, the subject matter expert. While it is inappropriate for the Office of Compliance, Policy and Privacy Program Services to assume the role of subject matter expert, the Director of Policy Compliance must attain foundational knowledge and familiarity with the relevant policy topics.