Executive Summaries

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte does not make advances against anticipated salary.

Related persons who are exempt personnel shall not serve concurrently within the institution in any case where one related person would occupy a position having responsibility for the direct supervision of the other related person. The policy lists relationships classified as "Related Persons."

So that persons retiring from employment at the University may receive benefits promptly, the employee must file an application for retirement sufficiently in advance of the established retirement date. The Personnel Department provides assistance and advice to all University employees regarding retirement matters.

State law protects the confidentiality of employee personnel records. It also provides employees with the right to review their own personnel files. Specific rights for employees who believe that this file includes inaccurate or misleading records are discussed. Specific information about an employee must be supplied to any member of the public who requests it. Campus administrators who handle personnel files must follow statutory requirements for providing access to and for storing, transmitting, and destroying such files.

Budgets for all University programs will be developed annually and promulgated by the Budget Office before the beginning of the fiscal year. The Director of Personnel has the responsibility for reviewing position requests.

Applicable to employees exempt from the State Personnel Act, this policy tracks State law and Board of Governors rules that require applicants for employment to be honest in representing their credentials and other qualifications when they apply for University employment. The applicant must sign a promise to that effect included as part of the employment application. UNC Charlotte administrators must keep certain records showing that they have verified credentials and other job qualifications. If fraud or misrepresentation is discovered, the applicant must be dropped from consideration. An employee who falsifies such information and thereby receives employment is subject to dismissal.

The purpose of this policy is to allow employees to assist one another in case of a crisis involving a serious medical condition. A University employee experiencing a serious and prolonged medical illness who has exhausted all available sick and vacation/annual leave may apply or be nominated to receive additional leave transferred from the vacation/annual leave account of another employee.

This policy provides concise definitions for each type of research appointment which may be made for faculty members, post-doctoral fellows, staff members, and students, and provides a reference to the procedures to be followed in making each type of appointment.

Under Development

The purpose of this policy is to provide nursing mothers who are employees with a private place and reasonable break time to express breast milk for her nursing child for up to one year after the child’s birth.  This policy is in accordance with the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) which amended Section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Faculty and staff are encouraged to engage in appropriate outside research or non-research activities if the activities are consonant with the objectives of the University. Outside activities and financial interests must be arranged so as not to interfere with the primacy of University commitments. Likewise, employees should avoid conflicts of interest that affect the interests of the University, or compromise objectivity in carrying out University responsibilities. Faculty and staff must complete the Annual Conflict Evaluation forms and submit the forms to their department chairs/unit supervisors no later than October 1 of each year. Updated forms must be submitted throughout the year if changes arise.

Annual and sick leave for faculty depends on whether the employment is for a nine-month faculty member, a twelve-month faculty member, or  post-doctoral fellow. Employees are responsible for submitting leave requests to the appropriate approving supervisor.

The University supports leaves of absence from University duties for faculty members when such leaves will assist them in meeting personal and family-related needs, will contribute to their professional growth and development, or will permit their involvement in activities which will benefit the University. This policy provides general conditions governing leaves of absence, personal leaves of absence, and educational leaves of absence.

This University Policy covers voluntary and involuntary relinquishments of duties by Senior Academic and Administrative Officers, as identified at UNC Charlotte in University Policy 102.9, with the exception of the Chancellor. In accordance with Board of Governors Policy 300.1.6 and Regulation 300.1.6[R], University Policy 102.8 addresses four circumstances of voluntary and involuntary relinquishments of duties by SAAOs (other than the Chancellor): retreat to a faculty position, reappointment of an administrator without faculty retreat rights, separation from the University, and retirement.

This policy intends to make clear the terms of employment for Postdoctoral Fellows such as salary, benefits, and length of employment, as well as clarify their status as employees.  Postdocs are required to sign the “Agreement for Temporary Postdoctoral Fellow Appointment” form (AA-35).

This new University Policy is in accordance with UNC Board of Governors Policy 300.2.8, which requires that each constituent institution adopt policies and regulations in accordance with federal and state law and consistent with the Board of Governors policy.

All SPA employees will be appraised at least annually by the immediate supervisor of the employee and reviewed by a higher level supervisor, as appropriate. This describes the objectives, components, and related responsibilities for the Performance Management System.

The University extends its services to the community via University-sponsored continuing education activities. This policy guides the development and operation of continuing education programs by the University in collaboration with community partners.

The University encourages its faculty and post-doctoral fellows to pursue external support for research, training, action, and faculty development projects. External support for these activities is provided through grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. Such arrangements must be reviewed and approved by the President of The University of North Carolina, who has delegated to the Chancellor the authority to approve grant applications. The Chancellor has authorized the Director of Research to approve grant contract applications and agreements. This details the procedure for preparing grant or contract applications and includes the Internal Processing form and an outline of the Proposal Approval Process.

The selection, development, and organization of documents to be included in instructional materials for a class is clearly a matter of a faculty member's professional judgment. However, preparation and sale of such materials to students raises concerns of potential copyright violations, potential conflicts of interest, and potential misuse of the proceeds of sale. This policy describes University procedures for addressing these concerns.

This Policy sets forth the bases for selection of students and the procedure for applicants to appeal denials of admission.

This policy sets standards for responsible use of the University website, web page format, accessibility, links to non-University websites, use of the University name and registered marks on the University website, hosting of websites for external entities, University data, and individual web pages on the University website.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure the appropriate use of the University's email system by its students, faculty, and staff.  It addresses personal use of email, limitations on the use of email, archiving email, official University email communications, and user responsibilities.

All UNC Charlotte research involving human subjects must be conducted in accordance with accepted ethical and professional standards. The University's Institutional Review Board for Research on Human Subjects (“IRB”) must review such research before its execution and must monitor the ethical propriety of such research. The IRB is charged to ensure that all such research is conducted in compliance with federal regulations regarding research with human subjects, and it has the authority to approve, require modifications in, or disapprove any research involving human subjects conducted under University auspices. Implementation procedures are described in the booklet Guidelines for the Review of Research Involving Human Subjects, which is updated periodically by the Office of Research.

Board of Governors rules apply to University contracts with private firms for individual research projects, as well as to arrangements for research consortia or research partnerships. Research conducted under such arrangements must be consistent with the University's basic missions, and must preserve integrity, impartiality, and objectivity in research. The University may agree to protect sponsors' proprietary information only upon a decision by the Chancellor followed by a report to the President. No such agreement may interfere with publication or defense of students' research thesis or dissertations. Secret or classified research must be avoided except in rare instances and must be approved by the Chancellor and reported to the President.

The experimental use of laboratory animals plays an essential role in University research and education efforts. The University recognizes and accepts its legal and ethical obligations for the humane treatment of animals used in its classrooms and laboratories. To meet these obligations, the University has established an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). The IACUC, appointed by the Director of Research, is recognized as the principal point of communication about laboratory animal and use issues for the University.

I. Executive Summary and Purpose

This regulation provides requirements and guidance for all credit and debit card processing activities for UNC Charlotte.

At the initial publication of this regulation the following sources were consulted and provide the basis for this program: ISO 17799 and Visa CISP.

This regulation deals with access to the UNC Charlotte’s computing and network resources. All relevant provisions included in University Policy 303, 307, 311, are applicable and included by reference in this document. This regulation replaces and supersedes all other campus policies and procedures for all issues within the scope of this regulation.

This policy intends to avoid unnecessary loss or injury resulting from use of university laboratories by individuals who do not have appropriate training, supervision, or authorization.  Only those individuals authorized under this policy are permitted in specified university laboratories.

Reviewed by the Staff Organization and approved by the Faculty Council at one of its last meetings of the 2000-2001 academic year, this policy was developed in accordance with the UNC Board of Governors’ comprehensive new policy on copyrights. It establishes the Faculty Copyright Education and Policy Committee and a copyright dispute resolution mechanism. In addition, the policy provides guidance on copyright infringement and fair use. Finally, it establishes parameters for ownership of various types of copyrightable works by faculty, staff, and students. This policy is subject to modification as the result of further discussion with the Faculty during next year.  Additionally, the Provost will call for a review of the policy after two years of operation under its terms.

The General Alumni Association of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is the recognized official alumni association. This policy details procedures and regulations applicable to The Alumni Association.

This policy defines the rights of students in settling problems and differences through an orderly grievance procedure. The Office of the Dean of Students serves as a resource center for those seeking information regarding grievance and appeal mechanism.

The Dean of Students Office should be contacted immediately whenever a member of the University community observes the physical or psychological abuse or intentional public embarrassment of any person or persons. That office, in conjunction with the Campus Police, will conduct a complete investigation of each such report, and will pursue on-campus disciplinary action, criminal prosecution, or both depending on the particular facts and circumstances.

The academic integrity standards for students at UNC Charlotte are the subject of this policy. Descriptions of each form of academic integrity violation are provided as well as the penalties, procedures for handling cases, penalties which may be imposed, and appeal procedures. Students and faculty members are expected to be familiar with the provisions of this Code.  Click here for .pdf version

This Policy was developed in response to a recently-enacted North Carolina law, codified at NC General Statute 116-11(3a), which requires UNC Charlotte to (1) authorize a minimum of two excused absences each academic year for religious observances required by the faith of a student; and (2) provide students the opportunity to make up any tests or other work missed due to an excused absence for a religious observance. In order to facilitate compliance with this new law while mitigating the burden on faculty, the Policy establishes a procedure for students to request accommodations for religious observances through the submission of a request form prior to the census date of each semester.

The University is committed to ensuring an environment for all employees and students that is fair, humane, and respectful. Behaviors that inappropriately assert sexuality as relevant to employee or student performance will not be tolerated, as they are violations of both law and University policy. This policy provides the definition of sexual harassment and sets forth employee and student responsibilities for creating and maintaining an environment free of sexual harassment. The University has established an Advisory Committee on the Prevention of Sexual Harassment and the Sexual Harassment Education and Awareness Program. This policy also includes detailed grievance procedures for filing complaints of sexual harassment.

This policy declares that University educational and employment decisions about a student, faculty member, or staff member cannot be based on the individual's sexual orientation. Complaints about violations of this standard are directed to the Director of Human Resources for employees and to the Dean of Students for students.

Library use and borrowing privileges are extended to the University community, defined as trustees, faculty, students, and staff, in addition to members of the Foundation Board, the Board of Governors, University Boards and Committees, Library Associates, Patrons of Excellence, Friends of UNC Charlotte, Members of the Alumni Association, and UNC Charlotte retired faculty and staff. Immediate family members of all staff eligible for University identification cards may also acquire library use identification cards. North Carolina residents may also acquire borrowing privileges with an application and a fee.

 To promote the most efficient use of University space, the Chancellor and each vice chancellor are responsible for delegating space within his or her division. Requests for additional space should be resolved whenever possible at the Divisional level.

The buildings and grounds of the UNC Charlotte campus are provided to enable the institution to accomplish its mission as a public institution of higher education. This policy sets forth University regulations governing the scheduling and reserving of facilities by members of the University community and others.

This Policy identifies permissible and impermissible uses of various types of University funds.

This policy describes procedures and regulations for reporting surplus inventory to the University. Surplus property items become the property of the Inventory Control Section and are to be disposed of accordingly. Differing guidelines for auxiliary funds, general fund accounts, and trust funds are also described.

The responsibility for the acquisition, protection, and disposal of University assets lies with the Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs. To acquire government surplus or excess property, the requesting department must prepare a Purchase Requisition and a form entitled "Supplemental Data for Acquisition of Surplus, Excess, or Gift Property."

The University acquires a substantial portion of the software used on campus computers under specific license agreements. These agreements clearly define the terms and conditions under which the software can be used. It is a violation of University policy for individuals within the University, or authorized external users of campus computers or services to use, copy or redistribute any software except as specifically authorized by the applicable license agreement.

Facilities and Administrative (F&A) (also known as indirect or overhead) costs are the general support expenses relating to research and sponsored programs that are incurred for common objectives of the University and therefore cannot be readily identified with a particular sponsored award. This new policy provides that F&A costs will be reimbursed by a federal sponsoring agency at their UNC Charlotte negotiated F&A rate. The University expects all non-federal sponsored programs to be reimbursed for their full costs, both direct and F&A.

To achieve its vision of excellence and augment state appropriations, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte actively seeks contributions, including gifts and loans of real and personal property and gifts-in-kind, from individuals, foundations, corporations, and other entities. Such benefactions enable the University to achieve its vision of excellence through improved and increased functions, enlarging its areas of service.  The University intends to carry out the donors' intentions respecting all gifts in a manner that provides the greatest benefit to the University and enhances the University's reputation and attractiveness as a recipient of such gifts. To this end, all members of the University community must coordinate their efforts effectively.

All receipts will be substantiated by issuing pre-numbered receipts or tickets, or by the use of a cash register.

This Policy addresses mandatory vs. voluntary cost sharing, and distinguishes between voluntary committed cost sharing and voluntary uncommitted cost sharing. These are important distinctions, and faculty who are anticipating cost sharing in proposal budgets should review this new Policy.

The Chancellor has the authority to execute contracts, financial documents, and other official documents necessary for the conduct of the University's business. Identical authority has been delegated to the Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs. No person is authorized to execute such documents on behalf of the University unless authority to do so has been delegated in writing by the Chancellor or other University official authorized to make such delegation.

The operation of certain special purpose vehicles by University employees for University purposes is regulated by Federal and State laws. No University employee may operate any vehicles 1) designed to transport 16 or more persons including the driver, 2) having a gross vehicle weight of 26,601 or more pounds, or 3) used to transport hazardous waste.

This policy governs the use of "Service Vehicles" on campus.

The Office of Public Relations is the University's agent for communicating with the campus community and with off-campus publics through the mass media. Members of the University community are cautioned against representing themselves as speaking for the institution when approached for information by the media. The Office of Public Relations provides assistance when responding to mass media inquiries.

Unless specifically exempted by law, the records of the University are "public records," defined by State law. Accordingly, they must remain in the custody of the University and be disposed of only as provided by State law. The implementation of this policy has been delegated the University Archivist. The Archivist, with the Chancellor's approval, promulgates guidelines and procedures for the handling of records. Each campus administrator is responsible for assuring that policies and procedures are in place for adherence to segments of this policy.

The Office of Public Information and Publications is responsible for reviewing content and design of those publications for off-campus distributions to the public. This includes but it not limited to University catalogs, general information brochures, departmental and college brochures, annual reports, and other pieces for wide off-campus distribution.

Meetings of the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees and its committees are generally required to be open to the public and to meet requirements for advance public notice. This policy sets forth the procedures for providing public notice of such meetings.

The University will operate on a normal schedule unless the Chancellor or appropriate vice chancellor publicly announces otherwise. Notice of closing the University will be available through designated media. In some cases the University will be closed. In other cases, classes are canceled, and faculty and staff have an optional workday.

The University voluntarily engages in a compliance program with the Occupational Safety and Health Act of North Carolina. This program is designed to provide a safe and healthy working, teaching and learning environment, as well as an atmosphere of safety and health awareness. This policy delegates responsibilities for compliance, implementation, and planning and financing.

This policy establishes procedures and regulations dealing with food storage, preparation and consumption in University facilities, offices, laboratories, residence halls, and all areas other than the designated Food Service dining and vending areas.

Most campus buildings are "smoke-free." In other buildings, smoking may be permitted in areas specified by a building representative appointed by the Chancellor. Smoking can never be permitted in classrooms, conference/seminar rooms, building corridors, restrooms, or any public areas of the Library.

This Univeristy Policy sets forth the guidelines for food services at campus meetings.

This policy describes the University's program to address the awareness needs of students, faculty and staff with regard to the use of illegal drugs and alcohol abuse. It reminds all members of the University community of their responsibilities for maintaining a drug free environment. The statement also describes the minimum penalties which will be imposed for particular categories of drug offenses, based on the Policy on Illegal Drugs adopted by the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina.

This policy establishes guidelines to accomplishUNC Charlotte’s goal of reducing solid waste going from the campus into landfills.  The policy describes UNC Charlotte’s recycling plan and a recycling program. A copy of the recycling plan is available from the Recycling Office, and information about the recycling program is available online.

Violation of University policy is grounds for disciplinary action. For students, disciplinary penalties may be as severe as permanent expulsion. For faculty and staff members, disciplinary penalties include dismissal from employment. For organizations, the penalty may be the withdrawal of official recognition.