CHAPTER 12
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA ORGANIZATION AND GENERAL RULES
[Prior to 4/20/88, Regents, Board of[720]]
681—12.1(262) Statement of university mission. The University of Iowa is a comprehensive public university with the mission to provide the highest quality undergraduate, professional, graduate, and continuing education and patient care. To fulfill this mission, the university engages in teaching; research; professional, public, and clinical services; and appropriate extension.
[ARC 9962B, IAB 1/11/12, effective 2/15/12]
681—12.2(262) Officers. The university has three statutory officers: president, secretary, and treasurer. The president is the chief administrative officer of the university and has such authority and duties as have been delegated by the board of regents.
[ARC 9962B, IAB 1/11/12, effective 2/15/12]
681—12.3(262) Organization/administration.
	12.3(1) The academic mission of the university, to provide undergraduate, graduate, professional and continuing education, is carried out principally by the faculty and staff of the University of Iowa’s eleven colleges: business, dentistry, education, graduate college, law, liberal arts and sciences, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health, and university college. The dean of each college is its chief administrative officer. The university’s patient care mission is carried out principally by University of Iowa Health Care, the university’s academic medical center.
	12.3(2) A detailed listing of the university’s administrative units is shown on the organizational chart at the following website: opsmanual.uiowa.edu/governance/university-iowa/organizational-charts-and-mission-statements.
	12.3(3) Additional information regarding the university’s administration can be found at the following website: www.uiowa.edu/homepage/fac-staff/administration.html.
[ARC 9962B, IAB 1/11/12, effective 2/15/12; ARC 5951C, IAB 10/6/21, effective 11/10/21]
681—12.4(262) University operations manual. The university’s operations manual contains policies and procedures governing the internal operations of the university. It is available for review at the following website: opsmanual.uiowa.edu. The university archivist maintains prior versions of the operations manual at wayback.archive-it.org/org-120/*/http://www.uiowa.edu/~our/opmanual/.
[ARC 9962B, IAB 1/11/12, effective 2/15/12; ARC 5951C, IAB 10/6/21, effective 11/10/21]
681—12.5(262) Contracting authority. Except for authority retained by the board of regents in the regents policy manual, the board of regents has delegated to the president authority to make contracts and agreements as specified in the regents policy manual. Pursuant to and in accordance with that delegation, the president has further delegated contracting authority as outlined in the university’s operations manual, part V, chapter 6. This delegated contracting authority is available for review at the following website: opsmanual.uiowa.edu/administrative-financial-and-facilities-policies/contracting.
[ARC 9962B, IAB 1/11/12, effective 2/15/12; ARC 5951C, IAB 10/6/21, effective 11/10/21]
681—12.6(262) Tobacco-free campus policy. In accordance with the Iowa smokefree air Act (Iowa Code chapter 142D), the University of Iowa has adopted a tobacco-free campus policy, which is incorporated by reference herein. The policy, together with campus boundary maps, is available at the following website: opsmanual.uiowa.edu/community-policies/tobacco-free-campus.
[ARC 9962B, IAB 1/11/12, effective 2/15/12; ARC 5951C, IAB 10/6/21, effective 11/10/21]
681—12.7(262) Alcoholic beverage policy. Alcoholic beverages may be consumed, served and sold in those areas of the University of Iowa as may be designated by the university but only in compliance with all existing university policies which are incorporated by reference herein, including, but without limitation, the alcoholic beverage service guidelines and procedures at the following website: opsmanual.uiowa.edu/administrative-financial-and-facilities-policies/alcoholic-beverage-service-guidelines-and.
[ARC 9962B, IAB 1/11/12, effective 2/15/12; ARC 5951C, IAB 10/6/21, effective 11/10/21]
681—12.8(262) Communication, marketing, and public relations. Inquiries, submissions, and requests should be addressed to the Office of Strategic Communication, The University of Iowa, 300 Plaza Centre One, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, or to the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, 11260 Aurora Avenue, Urbandale, Iowa 50322-7905. Generally, inquiries, submissions, and requests from the public (other than applications for admission or employment) should be submitted either in writing or by email: sitenow.uiowa.edu/contact-us.
[ARC 9962B, IAB 1/11/12, effective 2/15/12; ARC 5951C, IAB 10/6/21, effective 11/10/21]
681—12.9(262) Merit system employee grievances. For purposes of the grievance procedure set forth in 681—12.10(262) and 681—12.11(262), “employee” means a merit system employee who has completed the six-month probationary period and is presently employed or who has been dismissed within the previous one-year period.
Disputes or complaints by permanent employees regarding the interpretation or application of institutional rules governing terms of employment or working conditions (other than general wage levels) or the provisions of the merit system rules, other than disputes whose resolution is provided for in 681—3.127(8A) and 681—3.128(8A), will be resolved in accordance with this procedure, which has been approved by the merit system director in accordance with 681—subrule 3.129(1). Employees in an initial probationary period will be allowed access to the grievance procedure with the right to appeal orally at Step 1 and in writing at Steps 2 and 3. The university may permit an oral presentation at Steps 2 and 3 if deemed necessary.
[ARC 9962B, IAB 1/11/12, effective 2/15/12; ARC 5951C, IAB 10/6/21, effective 11/10/21]
681—12.10(262) Grievance procedure.
	12.10(1) An employee who has a grievance and wishes to use the grievance procedure must initiate Step 1 within 21 calendar days from the date of the discovery of the grievance. No grievance may be filed later than one year from the occurrence of the event which gave rise to the grievance.
	12.10(2) An aggrieved employee has the right to be accompanied by no more than two representatives throughout the grievance procedure. The names of such representatives will be noted on written grievances and each subsequent request for review.
	12.10(3) An aggrieved employee is allowed reasonable time off from regular university duties without loss of pay to investigate and process a grievance. The immediate supervisor of the employee shall make suitable arrangements.
	12.10(4) The aggrieved employee may also request released time from work without loss of pay for such representative or representatives to investigate a grievance at any time following the oral presentation in Step 1 of the grievance procedure, except that the aggrieved employee and representative are allowed up to one hour off from regular university duties without loss of pay to confer before any grievance hearing held under the grievance procedure.
	a. 	Any request for time off for a grievant’s representative is made in writing to the associate vice president for human resources or a designee, who will convey the request to the representative’s supervisor. The written request must contain an indication of the reason released time is necessary. The representative’s supervisor shall provide a reasonable bona fide amount of released time for the investigation, such time being scheduled as soon as reasonably possible and preferably within the same work day, consistent with the normal functioning of the employee’s department.
	b. 	It is a violation of institutional policy to restrain, interfere with, coerce, or discriminate against an employee acting as a grievant’s representative in accordance with this procedure.
	c. 	An employee acting as a grievant’s representative shall not use time provided for grievance investigation for other matters and shall conduct the investigation with dispatch.
	12.10(5) Steps in the grievance procedure.
	a. 	The grievance procedure consists of the following four steps:
	(1)	Step 1. An aggrieved employee states in writing that a grievance is being presented and then presents the grievance orally, providing to the employee’s immediate supervisor the pertinent circumstances of the complaint or dispute and the actions requested. The supervisor responds in writing to the grievance within seven calendar days. In the response, the supervisor states the supervisor’s understanding of the grievance, the response to the grievance, and justification for the response. If a satisfactory settlement is not reached, the employee has seven calendar days to request Step 2.
	(2)	Step 2. If the employee requests Step 2, a written grievance is forwarded by the aggrieved employee to the administrative head of the unit or department within seven calendar days. The administrative head of the unit or department or designee has ten calendar days to reply in writing. If satisfactory settlement is not reached, the employee has seven calendar days to request Step 3.
	(3)	Step 3. If the employee decides to request Step 3, the written grievance is forwarded by the aggrieved employee to the head of the major functional or administrative unit of the university with a copy sent to the office of associate vice president for human resources. A meeting shall be held within ten calendar days after the grievance has been submitted to the head of the major functional or administrative unit. The university may be represented by the office of associate vice president for human resources, the head of the major functional or administrative unit or designee, and the administrative personnel involved in Steps 1 and 2. The aggrieved employee has the right to be accompanied by representatives. The head of the major functional or administrative unit shall respond in writing within seven calendar days. If a satisfactory settlement is not reached, the employee has seven calendar days to proceed to Step 4.
	(4)	Step 4. If the employee is not satisfied with the decision rendered under Step 3, a hearing before an arbitrator may be requested within seven calendar days following receipt of the Step 3 decision.
	1.	Such a request shall be in writing and include all of the information included in the initial grievance and subsequent appeals, all of the decision related thereto, and any other pertinent information the employee wishes to submit.
	2.	The appeal shall be signed and dated by the employee and shall be directed to the Merit System Director, State Board of Regents, 11260 Aurora Avenue, Urbandale, Iowa 50322-7905, who will arrange for a hearing before an arbitrator. The arbitrator will be expected to render a decision within 30 calendar days following the conclusion of the hearing.
	b. 	A written grievance shall contain a brief description of the complaint or dispute and the pertinent circumstances and dates of occurrence. It shall specify the university or merit system rule which has allegedly been violated and shall state the corrective action desired by the employee.
	c. 	Presentations, reviews, investigations and hearings held under this procedure may be conducted during working hours, and employees who participate in such meetings shall not suffer loss of pay as a result thereof.
	d. 	If an employee does not appeal a decision rendered at any step of this procedure within the time prescribed by this rule, the decision shall become final. If a university representative does not reply to an employee’s grievance or appeal within the prescribed time, the employee may proceed to the next step. Notwithstanding the foregoing, with the consent of both parties, any of the time limits prescribed by this rule may be extended.
[ARC 9962B, IAB 1/11/12, effective 2/15/12; ARC 5951C, IAB 10/6/21, effective 11/10/21]
681—12.11(262) Appeals. The board of regents shall approve the use of a single arbitrator in hearing an appeal.
	12.11(1) The selection of the arbitrator shall be made from a panel of arbitrators as referred from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
	12.11(2) The arbitrator shall hear a dispute appealed to the last step of the grievance procedure and render a decision thereon subject only to review by the courts.
	12.11(3) The arbitrator establishes procedures for the conduct of the hearing in a fair and informal manner that affords each party reasonable and ample opportunity for case presentation and to rebut the presentation of the other.
	12.11(4) The arbitrator will be expected to render a decision to the involved parties and to the board of regents within the prescribed time.
[ARC 9962B, IAB 1/11/12, effective 2/15/12]
These rules are intended to implement Iowa Code chapter 262.
[Filed 6/30/75]
[Filed 3/29/76, Notice 2/23/76—published 4/19/76, effective 5/24/76]
[Filed 5/19/77, Notice 4/6/77—published 6/15/77, effective 7/20/77]
[Filed emergency 11/2/77—published 11/30/77, effective 11/2/77]
[Filed emergency 8/13/80—published 9/3/80, effective 8/15/80]
[Filed emergency 8/29/80—published 9/17/80, effective 8/29/80]
[Filed 8/28/80, Notice 2/20/80—published 9/17/80, effective 10/22/80]
[Filed without Notice 8/21/85—published 9/11/85, effective 10/16/85]
[Filed 3/29/88, Notice 2/10/88—published 4/20/88, effective 5/25/88]
[Filed 9/30/88, Notice 8/10/88—published 10/19/88, effective 1/18/89]
[Filed 5/25/89, Notice 3/22/89—published 6/14/89, effective 7/19/89]
[Filed 5/19/95, Notice 4/12/95—published 6/7/95, effective 7/12/95]
[Filed 11/23/99, Notice 4/7/99—published 12/15/99, effective 1/19/00]
[Filed ARC 9962B (Notice ARC 9823B, IAB 11/2/11), IAB 1/11/12, effective 2/15/12]
[Filed ARC 5951C (Notice ARC 5699C, IAB 6/16/21), IAB 10/6/21, effective 11/10/21]