Policy Updates for February 2021

Approved Policy Revisions

Equal Employment Opportunity (Policy 1070) – Revised 01/22/21. Policy revised adding Veterans’ Preference language under Section 4.0 stating that the University will provide veterans’ preference to eligible applicants as prescribed under Idaho Code § 56-602.

Additional Baccalaureate Degree or Double Major (Policy 3030) – Revised 01/22/21. Policy revised under Section 3.1.1 – Credit Hour Requirement, stating  that thirty (30) additional upper-division credit hours beyond the hours acquired for the first degree is required for each subsequent degree. The language was also revised to clarify that the credits must be completed at Boise State University.

Credit for Prior Learning (Policy 3040) – Revised 01/22/21. Policy revised under the Policy Statement expanding the sources of validation for prior learning to include course challenges/examination and credit for pre-requisites not taken. In addition, examples were listed for testing and prior learning portfolio. Under Section 3.4.1 – Timeline, the language was revised stating that the Registrar will transcript credits awarded through this policy after the 10th day of the semester in which the student is enrolled; Under Section 3.5 – Fees for Prior Learning Credits, the language under subsection a. was revised to state that fees for credits applied for through prior learning will be set by the individual departments and must be approved by the Graduate College (graduate-level credit for prior learning) or the Provost (undergraduate level). Under Section 3.5 – Fees for Prior Learning Credits, subsections b. and c. were added.

Registration and Transcript Holds (Policy 3200) – Revised 01/21/21. Policy revised updating the Policy Purpose and Policy Statement to better reflect the intent of the policy. Under Section 3.1, subsection d. was added stating that holds may be placed for lost or broken institutional equipment, supplies, property, uniforms, instruments, keys, etc. Under Section 3.1.2 – Conduct, subsection b. was added stating that the Dean of Students Office may place a hold on a student account when a student exhibits behavior that constitutes a danger to oneself, others, or property pursuant to University Policy 12050 (Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment). Under Section 3.1.4 – Matters Involving Harassment or Discrimination, language was revised adding that a hold may be placed on a student account for a matter involving discrimination or harassment under University Policies 1060 and 1065. Under Section 3.1.5 – Financial, the minimum threshold for a financial hold was increased from $50 to $500. Under Section 3.6 – A right of appeal was added stating that a student may appeal a registration or transcript hold by contacting the office responsible for placing the hold.

Credits to be Taken at Boise State University (Policy 3210) – Revised 01/25/21. Policy revised under Section 2.a. requiring that students must complete at least seven (7) credits at Boise State University to earn a certificate. Under Section 2.b., language was clarified that at least fifteen (15) credits must be completed at Boise State University for an associate degree. Under Section 2.c., language was revised clarifying that at least thirty (30) credits must be completed at Boise State University for a baccalaureate degree.

Annual Revision of University Catalog (Policy 4150) – Revised 01/25/21. Policy revised adding the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs as additional responsible parties. The policy scope was also revised to better reflect the intent of the policy. General language updates were made throughout to reflect current processes and to clearly delineate that the term catalog includes both the undergraduate and graduate catalog.

Donated Leave (Policy 7220) – Revised 01/22/21. Policy revised changing the term “shared leave” throughout the policy to “donated leave” consistent with Idaho Code; under Section 3.2 – Eligibility for Receiving Donated Leave, added language requiring the employee to be suffering from a serious illness or injury as defined under the FMLA; and under Section 3.3 – Limitations on use of Donated Leave, subsection e. was added requiring the employee to use donated leave concurrently with any leave approved as a reasonable accommodation under the ADA.

Mobile Communication Devices (Policy 8070) – Revised 01/22/21. Policy revised updating the Policy Purpose and Policy Statement to better reflect the intent of the policy. Under Section 4.1.b – Service Plan Allowances for Mobile Communication Devices (MCDs), the allowance for home internet was removed; under Section 4.1.2, the equipment allowance to offset the purchase price of a wireless device was removed; under Section 4.1.1 – Eligibility for Allowances, the “exception” to the eligibility criteria for an MCD allowance was removed; under Section 4.1.4 – Limitations on Allowances, language was added clarifying that if an MCD agreement expires, no retroactive payments will be given due to the laps in MCD agreement; under Section 4.4 – University-Owned MCD, language was added allowing University departments to purchase an MCD and service plan when the device will not be specifically assigned to one employee, and/or the MCD is necessary for a specific role as part of the department’s business use; under Section 4.4, subsection d., language was added that University-owned MCDs will not need to be renewed annually, and the billing for these devices will continue until the department requests a cancellation and/or the charges are no longer incurred from the service provider; under Section 4.5 – Recommended Vendors/Service Plans, subsection c. was added allowing an employee to claim only the actual monthly expenses for the voice and data service plans if the employee has a voice and data service plan that does not meet the maximum amount payable by the University allowance; and under Section 4.7, subsection a. was deleted stating that OIT will maintain a list of recommended communication devices for employees who wish to load University-licensed applications on to personal devices.

Remote Access (Policy 8130) – Revised 01/22/21. Under Section 3.4, the definition for Log-in Credentials was updated requiring a username, private password, and the Boise State Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) service; the definitions for Private Network Resource under Section 3.5 and Remote Access Connection under Section 3.7 were deleted (not used in the policy), and under Section 3.10, the definition for Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) was added.

New Policies Approved

HIPAA Hybrid Entity Designation (Policy 1150) – Approved 01/19/21. New policy created to define Boise State University as a Hybrid Entity and to designate its Health Care Components as required to comply with HIPAA Rules. Only Health Care Components, designated as such under this policy, are required to comply with the HIPAA Rules and only Health Care Components have the right to use, maintain, access or transmit Protected Health Information. This designation isolates the risk and liabilities that are associated with HIPAA Rules.

Time Away from Work (Policy 7620) – Approved 01/26/21. New policy developed that combines and replaces the following policies: