Finding and Reading Policies

How to Find Policies

Every policy has at least one Policy Owner (the University division principally in charge of the policy). All policies have a policy number, which corresponds with the category and subcategory the policy is organized under. Each policy also notes who it applies to (students, faculty, staff, or everyone).

Policies can be sorted by the above criteria on the Regent Policies or University Regulations & Procedures web pages. For example, if you’re a student, looking at the policies owned by Student Life or those applicable to students would be a good starting point. Additionally, you can type keywords in the search bar to help narrow down the field.

How to Read Policies

All policies follow the same format. At the very top is the Policy Name, Policy Number, and Policy Owner. All Regent Policies are owned by the Board of Regents, so they don’t list a policy owner.

The Policy Statement doubles as a summary of the policy and a brief explanation of what the policy accomplishes. This should be written in clear, easy-to-understand language.

Applicability lists the groups to which the policy applies. Common groups include students, faculty, and staff.

Definitions are the terms used in the policy that need to be defined. These are defined at the very beginning so it’s clear what the terms refer to throughout the document. Common terms in this section may include “student,” “faculty,” and “staff.”

The Policy section is the bulk of the document which clearly explains how the policy works. This is often divided into multiple labeled sections for easier reading. The Policy section uses hierarchical bullet points—everything indented to the right applies to the bullet above it indented to its left.

The Review section is how often the policy must be reviewed. Most policies must be reviewed every six years, but some policies are required to be reviewed more frequently. Interim “ad hoc” reviews can happen outside the regular review cycle if there are changes to laws or University procedures.

References are TWU policies, state or federal laws, TWU websites, or other sources referenced in the policy. A reference in blue is a hyperlink to that source.

Forms and Tools are TWU forms mentioned in the policy. This section is blank for most policies.

The bottom box contains the policy’s Publication Date and the date(s) it has been Revised. If the “Revised” line says “(MM/DD/YYYY),” the policy has not been revised since publication.

Page last updated 12:09 PM, October 3, 2025