Critical University Regulations, Policies and Procedures, and

Critical University Regulations, Policies and Procedures, and Faculty

Responsibilities

The following information is covered at New Faculty Orientation as well as adjunct and GTA

orientations.

Florida Legal Requirements

• FERPA: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, protects the privacy

of student educational records.

• Florida Sunshine Law: This law provides that any records made or received by any public agency

in the course of its official business are available for inspection, unless specifically exempted by

the Florida Legislature.

• Florida Code of Ethics for Public Officers and Employees: The policies and requirements of

Chapter 112, Part III, Florida Statutes, “Code of Ethics for Public Officers and Employees,” shall

apply to all UCF employees whether or not they are members of a bargaining unit, and includes

the following prohibited actions or conduct:

a) Solicitation and Acceptance of Gifts. Public employees may not solicit or accept anything

of value, such as a gift, loan, promise of future employment, favor or service, that is

based on an understanding that their vote, official action, or judgment will be influenced

by such gift.

b) Unauthorized compensation. Public employees, their spouses and minor children may

not accept any compensation, payment, or thing of value when they know, or should

know, that it is given to influence a vote or other official action.

c) Misuse of Public Position. Public employees may not use or attempt to use their official

position to obtain special privilege for themselves or others.

d) Disclosure or Use of Information. Public employees may not disclose or use information

not available to the public and obtained by the reason of their position for their

personal benefit.

e) Doing Business with One’s Agency. Public employees are prohibited from purchasing,

renting, or leasing any realty, goods, or services for their agency from a business entity

in which the employees or their spouses or children own more than a 5% interest.

f) Conflicting Employment or Contractual Relationship. Public employees may not work for

or contract with a business entity or agency regulated by or doing business with their

agency. Public employees also may not work for or have a contractual arrangement

which will impede the full and faithful discharge of public duties.

g) Contractual Services: Prohibited Employment. Public employees who participate in the

decision-making process involving a purchase request, who influence the content of any

specification or procurement standard, or who render advice, investigation, or auditing

regarding their agency’s contract for services, may not be employed by a person holding

such a contract with their agency.

• General Records Schedule GS5 for Public Universities and Colleges: Florida’s General Records

Schedule GS5 specifies retention requirements for records commonly created and/or

maintained by public universities and colleges. In the case of assignments leading to a course

grade, including non-standardized tests and class projects, GS5 mandates retaining such items

for one semester following the grade appeal deadline. At UCF, this deadline is one semester

following assignment of the course grade, meaning items should be retained for two full

semesters following completion of the course.

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General Campus Regulations and Policies 
•  UCF Regulations: Regulations are statements of general applicability to guide the conduct or 
action of constituents or the public. Regulations must be consistent with law and the resolutions 
and strategic plan of the Board of Governors. 
•  UCF Policies: The University of Central Florida is governed by state and federal statutes, rules of 
the Florida Board of Governors, and university regulations. The university must adopt policies 
and related procedures to dictate and guide the operations of the university when statutes, 
rules, and regulations do not provide specific guidance or do not offer procedures or 
implementation directives necessary for efficient university operations. The University of 
Central Florida Policies and Procedures Manual is the official repository of university policies and 
related procedures. 
•  Guide to Teaching at UCF: Published annually by the Faculty Center, Teaching at UCF provides a 
single, convenient location to find tips and strategies to support faculty throughout the 
semester.  
•  Promoting a Culture of Academic Integrity: UCF is committed to promoting a culture of 
academic integrity, and it is expected that faculty, administrators, staff, and students will work 
together to meet our personal, professional, and social responsibilities. 
•  Copyright Regulations and Course Materials: Faculty members at UCF are to render their own 
judgment on whether their course materials violate U.S. copyright law or fall under the Fair Use 
doctrine. For more information on Fair Use in the classroom, see the Libraries’ guide on 
copyright. 
•  Use of Information Technologies and Resources (Policy 4-002.4): The University of Central 
Florida's computing and telecommunications resources provide a wide range of capabilities for 
students and employees to communicate, store, and process information that is essential to the 
academic, research, and administrative functions of the university. UCF is committed to having a 
comprehensive information security program that includes a security awareness program to 
promote and reinforce good security practices, policies and procedures, employee 
responsibilities, and fulfills the university’s legal and contractual obligations. 
•  Data Classification and Protection (Policy 4-008.1): Data are critical assets of the university. All 
members of the university community have a responsibility to protect the confidentiality, 
integrity, and availability of data generated, accessed, modified, transmitted, stored, or used by 
the university, irrespective of the medium on which the data resides, such as electronic, paper, 
or other physical form, or the means by which the data may be transmitted such as email, text 
message, facsimile or other means. It is the policy of the University of Central Florida to classify 
types of data in use at the university and to provide the appropriate levels of information 
security and protection. 
•  Security of Mobile Computing, Data Storage, and Communication Devices (Policy 4-007.1): It is 
the policy of the University of Central Florida to protect university owned assets, such as mobile 
computing devices, storage devices, and communication devices, from loss or theft and to 
protect restricted data that may reside in such devices from unauthorized access or disclosure. 
Highly restricted data must not be stored on mobile devices or personally owned Internet cloud 
storage services. Restricted data (e.g., student grades identified by emplIDs) can be saved on 
university-owned mobile devices or in a university-sanctioned Internet cloud data storage 
service only if encrypted and protected by a strong password. 
•  Sensitive Information Disclosure (Regulation 3.045): University employees, student workers, and 
affiliates have a duty to protect all sensitive information acquired during the course of 
employment or service to the University of Central Florida. 

• Retention Requirements for Electronic Mail (Policy 4-001.2): All documents and other written

materials that are made or received pursuant to Florida Public Records Law or that are made or

received in the transaction of official university business are public records, which, regardless of

form, must beretained and made available for public inspection upon request unless an

exemption applies. Electronic mail messages qualify as public records if they meet these criteria.

• Collection and Use of Social Security Numbers (Policy 4-012.1): The University of Central Florida

is committed to ensuring the privacy of confidential information it collects and maintains on

students, employees, and others. Social Security Numbers are sensitive data that are required

by many university business processes but whose misuse or inadvertent disclosure can pose

privacy risks to individuals as well as compliance or reputational risks to the university. It is the

policy of UCF to request and use SSNs only as required for the performance of the university’s

duties and responsibilities and to secure this information from inappropriate release or

disclosure.

• Faculty Conduct and Responsibilities—Academic Freedom: UCF recognizes “academic freedom”

as it is defined by the American Association of University Professors:

a) Teachers are entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results,

subject to the adequate performance of their other academic duties; but research for

pecuniary return should be based upon an understanding with the authorities of the

institution.

b) Teachers are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject, but they

should be careful not to introduce into their teaching controversial matter which has no

relation to their subject. Limitations of academic freedom because of religious or other

aims of the institution should be clearly stated in writing at the time of the

appointment.

c) College and university teachers are citizens, members of a learned profession, and

officers of an educational institution. When they speak or write as citizens, they should

be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the

community imposes special obligations. As scholars and educational officers, they

should remember that the public may judge their profession and their institution by

their utterances. Hence they should at all times be accurate, should exercise

appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinions of others, and should make

every effort to indicate that they are not speaking for the institution.

• Faculty-Student Relationships: Faculty shall not have amorous relationships with students who

are in their classes, or when academic work is supervised by a faculty member over a student, or

when a faculty member has or is likely to have academic responsibility over a student.

• Conflict of Interest and Commitment Disclosures (Regulation 3.018): UCF Regulation 3.018—

Conflict of Interest or Commitment; Outside Activity or Employment—is a longstanding

university regulation that outlines the conflict of interest and commitment disclosure process at

UCF, which complies with state law, as well as federal laws as they pertain to research. This

process of disclosing all outside activities for review and approval protects all of us from

unknowingly violating a state or federal law, and protects our credibility and reputations by

providing a transparent system of disclosure, approval, and documentation of outside activities

that might otherwise raise concerns of a conflict of interest or commitment. Each academic year

a potential conflict of interest and commitment disclosure is required of all faculty, executive

staff, post-doctoral employees, and select individuals in university positions of trust, or other

employee types engaged in the design, conduct, and reporting of research at UCF.

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•  Exclusive and Non-Exclusive Contracts: The university engages in business contracts and 
relationships that benefit the university community in many ways. Employees have a 
responsibility to uphold the university’s obligations and to act in the interest of the institution. 
“Across the Board” is a website that provides employees information about exclusive and non-
exclusive contracts. The site provides additional resources and links to help employees learn 
information about the university’s business services partners. The goal is to ensure that 
everyone does their part to maintain these beneficial relationships. 
•  Non-Discrimination; Affirmative Action Programs (Regulation 3.001): The University shall 
actively promote equal opportunity policies and practices conforming to federal and state laws 
against discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. (See also Policy 2-004: Prohibition of 
Discrimination, Harassment and Related Interpersonal Violence.) 
•  Human Research Protections (Policy 4-202.2): All research conducted by the university’s faculty 
members, staff members, and students that meets the federal definition of human subjects 
research must be reviewed and approved by one of the UCF IRBs, or a designated reviewing 
authority, prior to any research engagement with human participants. 
•  Inclusion, Safety, and Disability Accommodation: The University of Central Florida provides 
reasonable accommodation in its program offerings, employment, and academic settings in 
accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 
•  Title IX prohibits sex discrimination, including sexual misconduct, sexual violence, sexual 
harassment, and retaliation. (See also Policy 2-012: Title IX Grievance Policy.) 
•  Internationalization Policies: Refer to the UCF Global faculty policies website for resources about 
restricted destinations, developing international partnerships, and more. 
•  Religious Observances (Regulation 5.020): It is UCF’s practice to reasonably accommodate the 
religious observances, practices, and beliefs of individuals in regard to admissions, class 
attendance, and the scheduling of examinations and work assignments. A student who desires 
to observe a religious holy day of his or her religious faith must notify all of his/her instructors at 
the beginning of the term to be excused from classes to observe the religious holy day. 
Working with Students 
•  UCF Golden Rule: The Golden Rule is a compilation of various policies and procedures from 
different UCF departments and was specifically created to provide the answers to many 
questions students have regarding University rules and regulations. This publication attempts to 
define student rights and responsibilities and give them a better understanding of their role as a 
member of the UCF community. 
•  ADA-Compliant Course Materials: Faculty members are responsible for providing ADA-compliant 
material for students in their courses. 
•  Attendance Reporting: As of Fall 2014, all faculty members must follow a new process to 
support UCF’s compliance with a federal financial aid regulation. 
•  Course Syllabi (Policy 4-403.1): Syllabi inform students about what is expected of them to meet 
course requirements and must be disseminated to students in all courses in an appropriate 
written form e.g., hard copy or Web version. Syllabi may be among the materials used to 
evaluate a faculty member’s teaching effectiveness. In addition, the Southern Association of 
Colleges and Schools Criteria for Accreditation require that a syllabus be placed on file in the 
department for each course taught and that students must be provided written information 
about the goals and requirements of each course, the nature of the course content, and the 
methods of evaluation to be employed. 

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•  Course Packs (Policy 4-405.2): The university will make all coursepack materials available for 
purchase in the UCF Bookstore for the benefit of students. 
•  Textbook Adoption (Regulation 2.032): Florida law dictates that information about textbook 
orders must be available to students at least 35 days before the start of a term. Further, if you 
plan to require students to purchase a textbook or other instructional material or coursepack for 
a course you are teaching that was written or co-written by you, or your relative, where you 
anticipate receiving royalties from the purchase, you will be required to report this in the online 
Report of Potential Outside Activity, Employment, and Conflict of Interest and Commitment 
Disclosure (AA-21) and explain the action you took to mitigate the conflict of interest created. 
Mitigation actions include offering the materials to UCF students at reduced or no cost, or 
donating the royalties to a non-profit organization. 
•  Final Exam Policy (Policy 4-400.3): A final examination should be given in each course that is 
taught. 
•  Make-Up Assignments (Policy 4-401.2) for Authorized University Events or Co-curricular 
Activities. 
•  Grading Policy (Policy 4-402.1): It is the policy of the University of Central Florida to allow faculty 
members to award plus and minus grades in undergraduate and graduate classes. 
•  Recording and Communicating Grades to Students During the Semester: For posting grades for 
assignments, quizzes, exams, and so forth during the semester, instructors are encouraged to 
use the Webcourses@UCF Gradebook. 
•  Final Grade Posting: UCF uses an online system for submission of all end-of-term grades to the 
registrar. Instructors enter grades online through the myUCF portal. 
•  Z Designation for Academic Dishonesty: The University Undergraduate Policy and Curriculum 
Committee of the Faculty Senate has approved the use of the Z designation policy. Adopting the 
Z designation reaffirms the importance of civic responsibility by faculty and students to ensure 
that degrees earned at UCF are of high quality and subject to clear and high standards. Student 
and faculty focus groups consulted indicated strong support for this policy. 
•  Student Academic Behavior Standards (Regulation 5.015): Academic misconduct includes but is 
not limited to cheating, plagiarism, assisting another in cheating or plagiarism, and commercial 
use of academic materials. The violations of student academic behavior standards on the 
undergraduate and graduate level are listed and defined in the Rules of Conduct (UCF-5.008) 
•  Referring Students for Counseling and Psychological Assistance 
•  Student of Concern Reporting: The Student of Concern Form allows members of the UCF 
Community (students, staff, faculty, etc.) to report concerns that they have about UCF students. 
•  Student Academic Appeals (Regulation 5.016): UCF Regulation 5.016 outlines the academic 
appeals process for students, of which faculty should be aware. 
Faculty Support 
•  Promotion and Tenure of Tenured and Tenure-earning Faculty (Regulation 3.015) 
•  Promotion of Full-time Non-tenure-earning, Research, and Clinical Assistant and Associate 
Professors (Regulation 3.0175): UCF adheres to the provisions of any applicable collective 
bargaining agreement, regulations, policies, and procedures regarding the promotion 
procedures of non-tenure-earning research and clinical faculty. 
•  Faculty Evaluation and Improvement (Regulation 3.010): All faculty, full-time and part-time, shall 
be evaluated annually by their supervisor. 
•  Non-Unit Faculty Evaluation (Policy 4-500.1): Non-unit faculty members in full-time, benefits-
accruing positions shall be evaluated by their supervisor at least annually on their overall 

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performance in fulfilling their assigned responsibilities. Evaluations shall be considered in

decisions relating to salary, retention, assignment, and promotion.

Campus Security and Safety

• Alcoholic Beverages on Campus (Regulation 4.035)

• Bomb Threat or Suspicious Package (Policy 3-401.1): UCF is committed to providing and

maintaining a safe campus environment for faculty, staff, students, and the community.

Members of the university community are expected to report suspicious activities immediately

to the UCF Police Department (911) and must understand and follow basic emergency

procedures when confronted with suspicious substances or item, such as Improvised Explosive

Devices (IED), or bomb threats. All personnel must be familiar with the UCF Bomb Threat Plan

and the UCF Building Evacuation Policy and Procedure.

• Classroom Security and Emergency Management: Emergency Management and the University

Police Department work very closely to ensure that the University has a safe environment that

allows for higher education and a positive lifelong memory of the university lifestyle.

• UCF Alert: UCF Alert is a multi-media communications system that provides timely and accurate

information about emergency situations that could impact the university.