Regulations Frequently Asked Questions
The Regulations Resources page includes information about the regulation process, templates, and other resources for policy drafting. The University Policy Team and the Institutional Policy Committee are available to help you with drafting or revising a regulation. Please contact either the Director, University Regulations, the Director, University & Academic Affairs Policy Administration, or the member of the Institutional Policy Committee who represents the policy area you’re working on when you begin working on creating or revising a regulation. You can also use the Questions for Regulation Writers as a tool to start thinking about the policy change.
Each regulation lists a “policy owner” who is the contact person for questions about that regulation. Policy owners are listed by position, rather than name, so you will need to find the person who currently holds that position for the University. The Contact Us page includes the websites for positions that are commonly policy owners and officers. You can also use the search function of the University’s website to find the relevant unit or department. You can also contact us, and we will put you in touch with the policy owner.
All University regulations are available in the Regulations Library. The regulations list is a comprehensive list of all regulations, or you can use the subject index or search function. Each regulation also includes a list of related regulations.
The University uses a shared governance model to receive input from members of the University community on drafting proposed regulations. Policy 1-001, Policy on Regulations, describes the different types of University regulations and their approval process. In general, academic regulations – those that directly or significantly affect the University’s academic missions, require more review as well as approval by the Academic Senate. The Academic Senate Executive Committee is responsible for determining whether a new or revised regulation is academic. About Regulations provides a general description of the approval process and other information about University regulations.
The University has three types of regulations: policies, rules, and procedures. Policy 1-001, Policy on University Regulations, defines these different types of regulations. A policy is “a general statement addressing governance, philosophies, principles, or broad concepts inherent in carrying out the missions of the University.” A rule is either a general statement governing the operations of the University or “may provide more specific interpretive direction where University policies are silent, vague or flexible.” A procedure “sets forth the steps necessary to appropriately and uniformly perform a task to carry out the external business or internal activities of the University.” Polices, rules, and procedures are binding to the University community. The Regulations Library also includes guidelines, which are nonbinding and “provide practical information or other guidance that may be useful to persons carrying out their individual responsibilities.” For more information, see About University Regulations.
Establishing or revising a University regulation involves a review and approval process. In some cases, such as when a federal or state law changes, the University needs to revise or enact regulations quickly, and in these cases, the University may issue an interim regulation. Interim regulations are intended to be temporary and go through the full review and approval process to become a final regulation within a certain time period after the interim regulation takes effect.
The IPC facilitates the development, review, distribution, and maintenance of University regulations by overseeing the general content, structure, publication, and coordination of University policies and rules, and, in certain cases, procedures and guidelines. Members of the IPC are appointed by the University president and represent various divisions of the University. See Rule 1-001 Oversight and Development of University Regulations for more information about the IPC, and the Contact Us page for a list of current members.
Each regulation in the Regulations Library includes PDFs of versions of the policy that were formerly in effect and “legislative history” documents that describe how the policy was changed and the reasons for the changes. You can also contact the policy owner for information about the policy.
The University of Utah uses a shared governance model, and draft regulations are often reviewed by various committees and groups across campus throughout the drafting process. You can provide input through these committees as they review draft policies and rules. In addition, all policies and rules that are “academic” as determined by the Academic Senate Executive Committee, are considered by the full Academic Senate. Academic Senate meetings and meeting materials are public and available on the Academic Senate's website, and you can review and provide input on draft regulations either by contacting the policy owner, the contact person listed for the regulation, or a member of the Academic Senate.
Please email regulations@utah.edu.
