Records Management

UW System Records Retention & Disposal Schedules

UW-La Crosse utilizes UW System General Records schedules, which are provided by topic, searchable and listed below the campus-specific links. All university employees are responsible for management and retention of their records. University Records are ready to be destroyed when they have met retention.  Check the approved schedule to find the correct record series to destroy against.  Records should not be destroyed if there is litigation, audit, or open records request.  

Confidential Records Disposal

All university records containing confidential or sensitive information, once their retention periods have lapsed, must be disposed of via the proper procedures to ensure that no information is disclosed to unauthorized individuals. 

Confidential Records Disposal Procedure

1. All inquiries regarding retention and storage requirements should be directed to Robin Tuxen at 785-6494 or rtuxen@uwlax.edu. 
2. These procedures are for the disposal of confidential records only. All other records should be disposed of through non-conventional methods, e.g., recycling. Confidential records may include documents containing the following:
   • Arbitration/Grievance files
   • Contracts containing proprietary or confidential information
   • Credit card numbers (including UWL procurement cards)
   • Employee home address/telephone number
   • Invoices
   • Job applications/search committee materials
   • Medical information
   • Personnel records
   • Records restricted by law (HIPAA, FERPA)
   • Social Security number
3. There are 2 types of document records:
   • Official Record – The original, official record and it is subject to a records retention schedule.
   • Convenience Copy – A copy of the original record and it is not subject to a retention schedule.  Department copies of such records as Payment to Individual Reports, Extraordinary Payment Requests, Purchase Orders, Recruitment forms (pink sheets), etc. are considered Convenience Copies and may be destroyed when no longer wanted. The originals of those records are maintained by Human Resources and Business Services.
4. UWL has contracted with a vendor, Iron Mountain, to shred confidential records off-site. Disposal bins are located throughout campus. If your bin is full and you need it emptied, please enter an order through Facilities Management iservice Desk.
5. Confidential records may also be disposed of as boxed. These boxes should not be larger than those used to contain copy paper. 
   1. The Confidential Records Disposal Request Form includes instructions for completing the form and for obtaining records disposal services.  
      1. Department completes the Confidential Records Disposal Request form and this form is reviewed by the appropriate offices to verify confidentiality and retention schedule.
      2. The form is emailed to Robin Tuxen, Record's Officer. 
      3. Record's Officer forwards a copy of the form to Campus Stores which schedules the records pick-up with the department.
      4. Campus Stores and/or Custodial Services picks up the records and holds them in a confidential location for Iron Mountain to pick them up for confidential destruction on-site at their next scheduled visit to the campus. UWL staff monitor the destruction of these records.
      5. Campus Stores will return a copy of the completed form to the requester and Record's Officer via email once records are destroyed. 

Notice:  Remember that written communications, documents and recordings created by employees and relating to university business must be retained and made available to the public upon request according to the applicable records retention policy, regardless of whether employees are working on campus or remotely. Work related items created on university sponsored and non-university sponsored web communications tools like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Microsoft Office365, etc., such as chats and recordings, are records and may be subject to public records requests.