Human Resources News

Interim Regent Policy Document Waivers and University Personnel System Policy Approvals

On August 12, 2021, President Thompson approved the interim Regent Policy Document waivers Interim Regent Policy Document Waiver #06, COVID-19 Grants and Contracts Waiver (for Fall Semester 2021) and Interim Regent Policy Document Waiver #07, COVID-19 Leasing of Real Property Waiver (for Fall Semester 2021).

On August 12, 2021, President Thompson also approved a substantive revision to SYS 1210, Vacation, Paid Leave Banks, and Vacation Cash Payouts.

For more information, see the summaries below.

Interim Regent Policy Document Waiver #06, COVID-19 Grants and Contracts Waiver (for Fall Semester 2021)

This interim waiver will be effective upon approval.

Summary of Interim Policy Action

·         This interim policy action waives certain requirements of Regent Policy Document (RPD) 13-1, General Contract Approval: Signature Authority and Approval, to allow the President of the UW System to execute grants from and contracts with private, profit-making organizations with a value of more than $1,000,000 which would otherwise require formal approval of the Board of Regents prior to execution.

·         This interim policy action only applies to grants and contracts that are necessary to respond to immediate resource needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Affected Areas on Campuses

·         This interim policy action applies to contracts that would have required Board of Regent approval under RPD 13-1, but relate to immediate needs arising from COVID-19. Contracts not ordinarily covered under RPD 13-1 are not in scope for this interim policy action.  

Campus Implementation

·         This interim policy action does not constitute an expansion of delegated authority on entering into contracts. Any authority previously delegated under the existing terms of RPD 13-1 remains in place. 

Additional Communication

·         Additional communication will be sent out prior to the expiration of this interim policy action.

Interim Regent Policy Document Waiver #07, COVID-19 Leasing of Real Property Waiver (for Fall Semester 2021)

This interim waiver will be effective upon approval.

Summary of Interim Policy Action

·         This interim policy action waives the requirements of Section 4 of Regent Policy Document (RPD) 13-2, Real Property Contracts: Signature Authority and Approval, to allow the UW System President and the Executive Director and Corporate Secretary of the Office of the Board of Regents to enter into leases of real property that would otherwise require Board of Regents approval. 

·         Signature authority under this interim policy action may only be authorized when the lease of real property addresses immediate resource needs resulting from the COIVD-19 pandemic. 

Affected Areas on Campuses

·         This interim policy action affects leases of real property that would have required Board of Regents approval under RPD 13-2 but relate to immediate needs arising from COVID-19.  

·         Leases of real property that would not have required Board of Regents approval under RPD 13-2 are not in scope for this interim policy action. 

·         Other contracts and agreements not covered by RPD 13-2 are not covered by this interim policy action. 

Campus Implementation

·         The UW System President and Executive Director and Corporate Secretary of the Office of the Board of Regents would be permitted to sign leases of real property to be occupied by the Board that exceed the current thresholds in the policy.  

·         The UW System President would be permitted to delegate this interim signature authority to UW System Administration officials or individual chancellors to sign COVID-19 related leases of real property. 

Additional Communication

·         Additional communication will be sent out prior to the expiration of this interim policy action.

SYS 1210, Vacation, Paid Leave Banks, and Vacation Cash Payouts

The policy revisions will be effective upon approval.

Summary of Policy and Policy Revisions

·         The technical revision to this policy aligns the date for vacation banking with the date that late sick leave reports and due before sick leave reduction occurs, and is necessitated by an HRS update.

·         In Section 6.E.2.a.i., the proposed revision changes the decision date for vacation banking from November 30th to September 30th.

·         Added the following sections to align the policy with the standard SYS policy template:

·         Section 2. Responsible UW System Officer

·         Section 3. Scope and Institutional Responsibilities

·         Section 9. Scheduled Review

Affected Areas on Campuses

·         All employees eligible to bank unused vacation, except employees of UW- Madison.

Campus Implementation

·         This deadline will be enforced uniformly on all campuses except UW-Madison.

Additional Communication

·         UW System HR will be communicating this change to all employees.

Policy Effective Dates Reminders

There are a number of previously approved policies that have upcoming effective dates in the coming month. Please review the list of policies below and visit the links to familiarize yourself with the content that will be coming into effect. If you have questions about implementation leading up to the effective date, please contact the policy owner for more information and clarification.

The following policies will be effective on Wednesday, September 1, 2021:

·         SYS 807, Medical Withdrawal Policy

·         SYS 807 FAQ, Frequently Asked Questions About Medical Withdrawal

·         SYS 1035, Information Security: IT Asset Management

·         SYS 1035.A, Information Security: IT Asset Management Standard