Academic Council means the group of leaders and members of schools and colleges, including Deans, faculty and others who report or are convened to address academic concerns upon the request of the Provost.

Affected Unit means any unit, department, group, etc. whose members or responsibilities are directly affected by a proposed Official University Policy. The Sponsoring Unit, in consultation with the Director of Policy Compliance and the Policy Council, is responsible for identifying which units are directly affected by the Proposed Policy.

Cabinet means the University’s most senior administrative leaders who recommend the approval of Official University Policies to the President of the University.

Director of Policy Compliance means the University professional staff member who is responsible for ensuring that the development and revision of Official University Policies are conducted in accordance with this Policy, that approved Policies are periodically re-evaluated in accordance with this Policy, and that the archive of Official University Policies is maintained.

Expedited Review means a shortened review process that may be granted for Proposed Policies for which there is insufficient time to complete the full Stakeholder Engagement Process. In such cases, the Sponsoring Unit must request – with written justification – an Expedited Review on the Policy Intake Form. The Policy Council, in consultation with the Office of the General Counsel, shall determine whether to grant expedited status to any Proposed Policy.

Faculty Senate means the duly elected body of representatives of the University’s faculty. Faculty Senate may draft a Proposed Policy but must work with a Sponsoring Unit that has authority to propose, implement and enforce Official University Policies.

Implementer means the University unit(s) responsible for implementation and enforcement of the Official University Policy, if different from the Sponsoring Unit of the policy. The Implementer shall be identified in section II. IMPLEMENTATION of the Official University Policy.

Interim Policy means policy that is approved by the President on an interim basis in situations where Official University Policy must be established in a time period too short to permit the completion of the Stakeholder Engagement Process.

Office of the General Counsel (OGC) means the University Office, led by the Senior Vice President and General Counsel, that provides legal services to the University and each of its colleges and schools, as well as Drexel subsidiaries, at each of the campuses where the University operates.

Official University Policy means any University-wide policy that has been formally approved by the President via the process set forth in this Policy.

Policy Communication Plan means the documented plan that outlines how the Sponsoring Unit will ensure the Proposed Policy is communicated to the University Community and other key individual once it becomes an Official University Policy.

Policy Compliance Process means the seven-step University process for the review and approval of Official University Policies. The Policy Compliance Process includes the Stakeholder Engagement Process. Although policies that apply to a single unit are generally not reviewed under the Policy Compliance Process, such policies should use a consistent template, not conflict with any Official University Policy and reference the applicable, authoritative Official University Policy.

Policy Council means a diverse and inclusive committee of representatives, including among other considerations, students, faculty and professional staff who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color and members of similarly underrepresented groups that is responsible for supporting the implementation of this Policy, per the duties and membership structure detailed in the Policy Council Charge.

Proposed Policy means a proposed new Official University Policy, or a material change or revision to an existing Official University Policy.

Reconciliation (Reconcile) means the process of incorporating feedback during the Policy Compliance Process, including feedback from Stakeholders, to modify a draft proposed Official University Policy.

Sponsoring Unit means a University-level office with the authority to propose, implement, or enforce Official University Policies. Such offices may co-sponsor policies as needed.

Stakeholder Engagement Process means the step in the Policy Compliance Process in which all Official University Policies must be reviewed by key Stakeholders of the University.

Statement of Intent to Decommission an Official University Policy means a formal, written request by a Sponsoring Unit to decommission an Official University Policy that the Sponsoring Unit believes is no longer useful, applicable, or is more effective if combined with another Official University Policy. The Sponsoring Unit must detail the reason for the requesting policy decommissioning along with a plan to communicate the decommissioning of the Official University Policy to the University Community. Once an Official University Policy is decommissioned, it is no longer an active, Official University Policy.

Student Government means the recognized governing bodies for undergraduate (Undergraduate Student Government Association) and graduate (Graduate Student Association) students at the University.

University Community means all students, faculty and professional staff of the University.