Several policy updates were recently approved and posted to the Policy Office website. Please contact Angie Zirschky or the responsible party listed in the policy with questions. In addition, the Policy Office has worked with key stakeholders on campus to develop a list of policies relevant to the use of artificial intelligence. More information can be found on the Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Guidance on Use and Applicable Policies webpage
Approved Policy Revisions
Alcohol Beverage Permitting (Policy 1050): In April of 2023, the Idaho State Board of Education (SBOE) removed the following language from SBOE Policy Section I.J.2.a.
“The possession, consumption, and sale of alcoholic beverages is generally prohibited at institutional facilities except as allowed through the Board’s Governing Policies and Procedures.”
This policy revision removed this language from the university’s policy. Other minor edits were also made to support this change.
Alcoholic Beverages (Policy 1055): This policy was revised to comport with the changes made to SBOE Policy Section I.J.2.a. as outlined above. In addition, the language under section 4.4.b – Tailgating, was revised to reflect that a tailgate function can either be a university permitted event or a private function subject to the requirements under that section.
University Housing Eligibility (Policy 2110): This policy was revised to address the number of credits a student must be enrolled in to apply for University housing. The previous requirement was a minimum of 8 undergraduate credit hours. This has been changed to full-time status for purposes of tuition and fees (11 credit hours for undergraduate students/9 credit hours for graduate students). In addition, this policy has not been revised since January of 2011. Changes were made throughout to bring it into alignment with the current requirements in the housing agreement.
Student Electronic Communications (Policy 2280): This policy was revised allowing the university to send text messages to students for official university communications following the procedures outlined in University Policy 8100 (Institutional Messaging). Students may provide their personal cell phone number when applying to Boise State; however, this decision is optional, and it should not be assumed that a mass text message will be received by every currently enrolled student.
Grade Appeal (Policy 3130): This policy was revised to clarify an element of the timeline for the appeal process. In particular, the previous policy version was unclear regarding when the grade appeal panel would meet and when they would need to submit their recommendation to the Provost. Those two components of the process were lumped into one period of time that was not adequate for the work to be done intentionally. The updated policy language allows the parties involved in each stage of an appeal to have adequate time to complete their responsibilities as part of the process. In addition to the above, a key element of flexibility was added to ensure that timelines can be extended under certain conditions.
Commencement Ceremony (Policy 4130): This policy has not been revised since 2013. The revisions add the President’s Office as a responsible party, and the department names and titles were updated throughout.
Lecturer Faculty (Policy 4250): This policy was revised to include Idaho State Board of Education requirements for multi-year contracts for non-tenure faculty. The following language was added to Section 4.4.3 from SBOE Policy Section II.G:
- No contract may exceed three (3) years without prior approval by the SBOE;
- All multi-year contracts must be approved in writing by the President, or designee;
- All multi-year contracts must be reported to the SBOE at the next regular meeting; and
- The lecturer or clinical faculty must maintain satisfactory annual performance reviews with an informal review completed at the end of each semester.
Faculty Tenure and Promotion Guidelines (Policy 4340): This policy was revised to update the paper-based process (“Binder 1” and “Binder 2” for example) to support the university’s move to a digital platform for managing the promotion and tenure process (Interfolio’s Review, Promotion, and Tenure Tool – RPT). No substantive requirements have changed because of the RPT tool, nor has any step changed in the review workflow. No other changes were made to the policy except to align the policy with the digital tool.
Clinical Faculty (Policy 4490): This policy was revised to include Idaho State Board of Education requirements for multi-year contracts for non-tenure faculty. The following language was added to Section 4.4.3 from SBOE Policy Section II.G:
- No contract may exceed three (3) years without prior approval by the SBOE;
- All multi-year contracts must be approved in writing by the President, or designee;
- All multi-year contracts must be reported to the SBOE at the next regular meeting; and
- The lecturer or clinical faculty must maintain satisfactory annual performance reviews with an informal review completed at the end of each semester.
Classified Employees Layoff and Reemployment Preference (Policy 7420): This policy was revised adding sections 10 and 11 covering voluntary demotions in lieu of layoff and layoff due to failure to complete promotional probation.The rules around voluntary demotions in lieu of layoff have not changed; however, the rules (IDAPA 15.04.01-153.02.b.) for failure to complete promotional probation were revised in April of 2023. Under the new rules, if a classified employee on promotional probation fails their probation, the university will return them to a vacant position in their previous classification. If no vacancy exists, the university will lay the employee off and register them for reemployment preference through the Idaho Division of Human Resources.
Recruitment and Hiring (Policy 7630): This policy was revised adding Section 4.10 – Telecommuting Authorization, which states that hiring managers should consult with Human Resources before making an offer of employment that includes a telecommuting arrangement. In addition, section 4.7 – Candidate Pool Certification, was removed to reflect current practice. Efforts to recruit for diversity will focus on training, outreach/advertising to underutilized minorities and females, and formulating committees to help establish and meet the university’s affirmative action goals.
Promotions, Transfers, Demotions, and Interim Appointments (Policy 7640): This policy was revised under sections 7.1.2 and 7.1.3 to add language around voluntary demotions in lieu of layoff and voluntary demotions due to failure to complete promotional probation for classified employees. These changes comport with updates to the Idaho Division of Human Resources rules made in April of 2023 (see IDAPA 15.04.01-153.02.b.).
Information Technology (IT) Governance (Policy 8150): This policy was revised removing section 4.1 – Standing Agenda Items, updating titles and committee membership throughout, and adding language that the Information Technology Planning Council (ITPC) membership may be delegated subject to approval by the ITPC chair.
Proctoring Solutions (Policy 8170): This policy was revised under Section 4.4.3 – Addressing Virtual Proctoring Concerns, which requires students to inform their instructor if they have a concern with virtual proctoring. The instructor will ultimately decide on an alternative, if any, but should contact the Testing Center to discuss options to address the student’s concern.
Animals on Campus (Policy 9160): This policy was revised under section 6.2. to clarify that employees and students must request and be approved to use a support animal as a reasonable accommodation before the support animal can accompany the individual in non-public spaces. In addition, section 7 was added covering pets and clarifies that faculty and staff may be permitted to have pets in university-owned housing to the extent permitted by their rental agreement, managers and supervisors have the authority to allow or prohibit pets from an office suite or floor of a building, and pets must be on a leash and accompanied by the handler at all times when outdoors. Section 7.2 was also added to clarify the areas where pets are not allowed on campus. Section 12 was added outlining the appeal process for employees, students, and the public who feel their animal has been improperly excluded from campus. Lastly, section 14 – Appendix A Handler’s Guide, was added which outlines the expectations that all handlers must abide by for service animals, support animals, and pets.
Alumni Association Chapter Recognition (Policy 11040): This policy had not been reviewed since 2008. The revisions update the number of credits required to be an alumnus/na from 16 to 25, and language was added clarifying that an alumnus/na may include a graduate who has received a Boise State certificate.
Exclusion from Campus (Policy 12020): This policy was revised to clarify that individuals can be excluded for being in unauthorized areas of the university, such as a classroom in which the individual is not an enrolled student in the course. In addition, the language under section 4.2 – Issuance of Exclusion Notices, was revised to clarify that the Department of Public Safety may issue exclusion notices upon its own determination, or upon request from an authorized individual, as defined under the policy. Under section 4.2.e, language was added clarifying that in the off case where an authorized individual other than the Department of Safety provides written notice of exclusion, the Department of Safety must be provided with all relevant documentation as soon as possible justifying the exclusion. The Department of Public Safety will then attempt to serve a formal Exclusion Notice if the recipient fails to abide by the initial notice of exclusion.
Protection of Minors (Policy 12060): This policy was revised to reflect that faculty, staff, volunteers, and interns are considered Campus Security Authorities (CSAs) under the Jeanne Clery Act and as such, are required to report criminal offenses and complete annual training covering the proper procedures for reporting allegations of a crime.This training requirement will be incorporated into the required Minor Abuse Prevention training for the Minors on Campus Program.
Approved Policy Deletions
Legal Authorization to Work (Policy 7550): The Office of Human Resources and Workforce Strategy requested deletion of this policy. The requirements for I-9s are in federal law, and the policy was a regurgitation of the law and is not needed for Boise State to fulfill its obligations under 8 U.S.C. § 1324.
Safety and Loss Control (Policy 9130): This policy had not been revised since 2013. The safety and loss control committee is no longer being utilized, and the responsibilities will be re-worked and incorporated into a new Workers’ Compensation Policy.
Emergency Action and Building Evacuation Procedures (Policy 9220): This policy had not been revised since 2011. After reviewing the policy, much of it was procedural and is located on the Emergency Management Website. Any information not currently on the website will be added.