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The Office of the General Counsel represents the University with respect to its legal concerns. Sometimes, the Office determines that the University is best served by sending a matter to "outside counsel."

The Vice President and General Counsel must provide prior approval before a matter is sent to outside attorneys in accordance with Executive Memorandum No. 10.Usually, the campus is responsible for the legal costs associated with sending a matter to outside counsel.

Send a written request to the Office of the General Counsel, asking the General Counsel to arrange for your defense. Civil actions against any member of the Board of Regents, or any University officer, employee, or student in training may qualify for a University paid defense under § 6.8 of the Bylaws of the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska. Certain criminal actions against commissioned University law enforcement officers may also qualify for a University-paid defense under the University’s self-insurance program.

Send a copy of the subpoena and all material that accompanied the subpoena, such as a copy of the postmarked envelope, check for witness fee, and instructions to the Office of the General Counsel. An attorney will examine the material and contact you with advice.

The University self-insures some risks and has insurance coverage for others. Workers’ compensation, general and professional liability insurance for personal injury and property damage, and other types of insurance are available. The Senior Vice President for Business and Finance and CFO or your campus risk manager can provide details.

There are a few individuals on each campus who regularly reply to these requests as part of their job duties; however, most employees do not. Those employees should immediately provide the Office of the General Counsel with a copy of the request.

An attorney will examine the request and provide advice. It is important not to delay in contacting this Office, as a response to a request for public records must be provided within four business days. When you contact the attorney, you may be asked to refer to Neb. Rev. Stat. § 86-712.05 in the course of your discussion.

This question has some general answers and many exceptions to those general answers. Except for "directory information," both state and federal law provide that student information is confidential -- and even then, there are ways that students can cause their directory information to be protected as well. Before acting upon any request for student information, contact the Office of the General Counsel for assistance.

Most of the time, student information cannot be disclosed without specific written consent from the student. Student information should not even be shared within the University, unless the person receiving the information has a legitimate educational purpose for the information. To learn more, see Board of Regents Policy § 5.10, but contact the Office of the General Counsel for assistance with the application of that policy.

State law and Board of Regents Bylaw 1.1.4 provide that an employee's routine directory information and salary are public information. However, personal information contained in personnel files is confidential, unless the person to whom those records apply consents to its disclosure. Information that is part of an employee's personnel files cannot be shared without the employee's consent. In the case of job or other references, the safest approach is to get prior consent from the employee, particularly if the reference will be less than favorable.

If you do not have employee consent, stick to factual observations without the embellishment of opinion or speculation. For example, you might report that the employee has been tardy to work without excuse five times, not that you think the employee comes in late due to irresponsible personal behaviors. Seek assistance from the human resources department if you find yourself involved with a difficult or sensitive reference request.

The intent of the Nebraska Open Meetings Act is to provide public access to governmental bodies that make public policy. For example, the Board of Regents, or a committee appointed by the Board of Regents to provide it with advice, is subject to the open meetings laws. However, the vast numbers of committees that operate within the University community are not involved in advising the Regents or in making public policy. In most instances, committee meetings are unlikely to be subject to the Open Meetings Act. Call the Office of the General Counsel with any questions about a particular committee.

Probably not. Very few people have the authority to sign contracts or enter into agreements on behalf of the University. Board of Regents Policy § 6.3 lists the kinds of contracts that campuses may enter into without first securing approval from the Board of Regents. Executive Memorandum No. 14 provides additional guidance regarding signature authority.

Even if your contract is described in Regents Policy § 6.3 or Executive Memorandum No. 14 as one that your campus has the authority to enter into, you probably don't have authority to sign the contract yourself. Each campus has a list of persons with the delegated authority to sign certain kinds of contracts. Contact your campus's business and finance office to find out how contracts are administered and signed on your campus.