Policy Standards

Policy Number: OCP 200-12

I. Intent

The purpose of this policy is to guide the development of new Olympic College policies and procedures, and/or the modification of existing policies and procedures.

II. Definitions

  1. Policy. A statement that directs present and future decisions at Olympic College, reflecting the College’s general goals.
  2. Procedure. A series of steps following in a defined order that implements a Policy or
  3. Guideline. A suggested course of action that implements a policy

III. Authority

The Board of Trustees delegates to the Staff of Olympic College the authority to develop Policies, Procedures and Guidelines consistent with State law and responsive to the needs of Olympic College. A Policy must be approved by the Board of Trustees before it is adopted.

IV. Implementation

Policies passed by the Board of Trustees will be followed by Olympic College faculty, staff and students as directed by procedures and guidelines. Procedures and guidelines are developed by the College administration to reflect and support Board approved policies.

V. Maintenance

A current policy manual will be maintained by the Rules Coordinator and will be made available to any student, staff, faculty, or member of the general public upon request. The policy manual may contain procedures and guidelines approved by the Board, to clarify policies, but the manual is not required to contain all procedures and guidelines. The maintenance of complete procedures and guidelines will be the responsibility of the administrative units implementing each policy.

  • Recommended Barbara Martin – 09/25/2007
  • Submitted to President’s Cabinet for Review 09/11/2007
  • Approved by President 09/11/2007
  • Submitted to College Council for Review 09/17/2007
  • Presented to Board of Trustees 09/25/2007
  • Approved by Board of Trustees 10/23/2007

Implementing a Proposed Policy or Policy Revision

Procedure Number: OCPR 200-12-01


I. Development

A proposed policy may originate from any area of the College. The proposal should impact a broad group on campus such as all students, all faculty, all employees, or all classified staff (not a single division or department). An individual or group may propose a new policy through the chain of authority within their area of expertise.

II. Formatting & Coordination

Once a proposed policy has been develop ed, it should be sent to the Policy Coordinator for formatting and placement in the context of the rest of the College policies. The Policy Coordinator may recommend revisions to assure that the policy integrates well with the rest of the policy manual.

III. Vetting

  1. After its review by the Rules Coordinator, the proposed policy will be given to an appropriate Cabinet member for presentation and review by the Cabinet.
  2. The Cabinet, upon review, may take any of the following actions:
    1. Refer the proposed policy back to the author(s) for revision
    2. Pass the proposed policy on for review by the College Council and/or other campus groups as needed
    3. Recommend the policy to the President for adoption
  3. For all policies forwarded to the President, the College Council, or other bodies, the Rules Coordinator will, as needed, send a copy of the proposed policy to the Attorney General’s office for prior review. Proposed Policies will only be forwarded on with the Attorney General’s approval.
  4. Upon review by the College Council and/or other campus group(s), the following actions may be taken:
    1. Refer the proposed policy back to the author(s) for revision
    2. Recommend adoption and refer the proposed policy to the President
  5. E. Upon review by the President, the following actions may be taken:
    1. Refer the proposed policy back to the author(s) for revision
    2. Recommend the proposed policy to the Board for adoption.

IV. Recommendation to the Board of Trustees

Only the President may recommend a proposed policy to the Board for Adoption. If, upon review of a proposed policy, the President decides to recommend a policy to the Board, the proposal should be returned to the Policy Coordinator for final formatting and then included on the agenda of a meeting of the Board of Trustees.

V. Board Adoption

Adoption by the Board usually requires at least two meetings. At the first meeting, the policy is presented by the President, the author(s), or other appropriate party. At the second meeting, the Board may take either of the following actions:

  1. Return the proposed policy to the President for refinement
  2. Adopt the policy

The Board may take action on a proposed policy at the first meeting that the proposal is introduced if the action is necessary and appropriate.

VI. Integration

Upon adoption, the new policy should be returned to the Policy Coordinator who will note the approval date, number the policy, enter it in the manual, and distribute it to:

  1. Implementing staff
  2. The web master for inclusion in the on-line policy list
  3. The communications department for inclusion in any appropriate publications such as the catalogue and/or student manual.

VII. Revisions and Deletions

Policy revisions and deletions follow the same procedures as new policy proposals.

VIII. WAC

The Policy Coordinator will facilitate the codification in the Washington Administrative Code of any policies require d to be so codified. The Policy Coordinator will coordinate with the Attorney General’s office in making this determination.