Effective Date: August 28, 2019
Last Reviewed: August 7, 2023
This policy governs:
1. Retention of important records for reference and future use;
2. Disposal of records that are no longer necessary for the proper functioning of the College;
3. Organization of important records for efficient retrieval;
4. Identification of records that should be retained, the length of their retention, means of storage, and when and how they should be destroyed.
Records Liaisons
Each Divisional Vice President will designate an employee(s) from each department to act as the Records Liaison. The Office of the General Counsel shall maintain guidelines for duties of Records Liaisons that will be published on the College’s website.
Records Retention Schedule
Each department within divisions shall work with its designated Records Liaison to create a Records Retention Schedule. The Records Management Team (General Counsel, Records Manager, and Director of Archives) will periodically train Records Liaisons on the policies and procedures for creating and maintaining records retention schedules for their respective area. Each January, all departments shall review their retention schedules and submit updates/changes to the schedule to the Office of the General Counsel.
The Records Retention Schedule for each department shall include the following information:
1. A listing of the types of records retained by the department
2. The amount of time the record will be retained
The Schedule shall be organized per guidance by the Records Management Team.
The Office of the General Counsel and the College Archives shall periodically audit the record retention procedures of a Division to ensure compliance with this policy.
Types of Records
A record is designated into one of three categories, regardless of format: Temporary, Final, and Permanent.
Temporary Records
Temporary records include all business records that have not been completed. Such records include, but are not limited to, written memoranda and dictation to be typed in the future, reminders, to-do lists, draft documents, routine interoffice correspondence, emails that do not contain final or permanent records, and running logs.
Temporary records can be destroyed or permanently deleted without a records disposition form, when a project/case/file closes.
Final Records
Final records include all business records that are not superseded by modification or addition. Such records include, but are not limited to: records given (or sent electronically) to any third party not employed by Stonehill College, final memoranda and reports, correspondence, handwritten telephone memoranda not further transcribed, minutes, design/plan specifications, journal entries, and cost estimates. Except as otherwise provided for herein, final records are to be destroyed through a regular schedule as provided for within this policy by completing a records disposition form and consent with the General Counsel’s Office.
Permanent Records
Permanent records include all business records that define the College’s scope of work, expressions of professional opinions, research, and reference materials. Such records include, but are not limited to contracts, proposals, materials referencing expert opinions, annual financial statements, federal tax returns, copyright registrations, and patents. Except as provided for herein, all permanent records are to be retained indefinitely and sent to the College Archives when administrative need has ended.
Cessation of Record Destruction
If a lawsuit is filed or imminent, or a legal record request has been made upon Stonehill College, all record destruction must cease immediately. The Office of the General Counsel shall notify the divisional vice presidents when such instance occurs, and they shall ensure that all applicable record destruction is suspended by notifying appropriate staff including but not limiting to the Records Liaisons.
Off Campus Storage
The Office of the General Counsel shall maintain procedures for the use of the College’s off campus storage vendor.
Records Disposition Process
Materials that do not have financial, proprietary, personal, or confidential information can be recycled or discarded by approved means.
Records that have financial, proprietary, personal, or confidential information must be destroyed by shredding or other approved method.
Records that have permanent value must be sent to the College Archives when an office’s administrative use has ended.
Records can be shredded by the office or boxed and picked up for on-site shredding by the approved third party vendor on designated shred. The Office of the General Counsel shall maintain information regarding records disposition procedures.