College of Arts and Sciences


	College of Arts and Sciences

Chair/Director Handbook

Arts & Sciences home > Handbook Contents > Section 10 Contents > Section 10.7

PROCEDURE FOR THE RELEASE OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS AT BGSU

Public Records consist of all paper documents, maps, drawings, photocopies, photographs, computer disks, e-mail, voice mail, and audio and videotape recordings which serve to document the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations or other activities of the University EXCEPT FOR CERTAIN RECORDS AMONG WHICH ARE:
1. Certain Medical Records (those not considered public such as birth and death certificates; admission or discharge);
2. Trial Preparation Records;
3. Law Enforcement Investigating Records;
4. Education Records the release of which is prohibited by state or federal law (e.g., social security numbers, trade secrets, names of sexual harassment victims, criminal history, etc.)
5. Intellectual Property
6. Donor Profiles
  NOTE: Also, certain documents in employees' personnel files are not available
Requests for Public Records may consist of either requests:
1. To review the Public Records within the office to which the request is made, which shall be done under the supervision of the BGSU employee providing the Public Records; or
2. To obtain copies of the Public Records. BGSU should charge ten (10) cents per page for all pages for photocopies of Public Records (except that students and employees of BGSU will receive the first ten pages related to a single general matter free of charge) and five (5) dollars for each computer disk containing requested Public Records. Each disk supplied shall contain only the Public Records requested and no other information even if other information is on the disk which originally contained the requested information.
The procedure for handling a request for Public Records is as follows:
1. The request must be reasonably specific. A written request is not required.
2. Requests are to be complied with as promptly as possible depending on the amount of work involved in assembling the documents and information and in determining whether they are Public Records. Generally, it is expected they will be available within 24 hours.
3. The documents or information requested, or the documents or information relevant to a request, must be reviewed prior to their release to make sure nothing contained in the documents or information should not be released under the Public Records Act.
4. The person asked for any documents or information should be certain that what is requested is a Public Record before providing access or a copy. If there is any question about whether the documents or information being requested are Public Records, the person to whom the request is made shall confer promptly with his/her supervisor. If the supervisor has any question about whether the documents or information are Public Records, the supervisor shall confer promptly with the General Counsel. No action on the request shall be taken until the questions are resolved, which shall be done promptly.
5. University personnel shall not prepare new records or summaries of existing Public Records to satisfy a request. The person making a proper request is entitled to existing records. The University is not required to create a record from existing records merely to answer a request.