Resolution to Exempt Faculty Work from the University Relations Style Manual Requirements

Whereas Faculty create a wide variety of original materials as they fulfill their teaching, scholarship and service responsibilities to the University;

Whereas Faculty are the most appropriate individuals to determine how those materials are designed given the specific goals for which the Faculty have designed those materials;

Whereas the Visual Identiy and Style Guide was created by The Office of University Relations, a non-academic unit of the University;

Whereas there was no consultation with the Faculty Senate prior to the establishment of the Visual Identity and Style Guide by the Office of University Relations:

Whereas the Office of University Relations has used the Visual Identity and Style Guide as a standard to reject duplication orders from Faculty for materials created by Faculty in the manner deemed most appropriate by Faculty (e.g., faculty orders for duplication using shades of yellow; orders in which the phrase, "a range of colors" was used were rejected until colors had been specified);

Whereas the Office of University Relations has required irrelevant changes in Faculty created materials (e.g., replacing "September" with "Sept." on a flier) so said materials are in alignment with the Visual Identity and Style Guide;

Whereas the refusal of University Relations to follow Faculty instructions without question regarding materials duplication has created additional work for both Faculty and Staff within various academic units;

Whereas this additional Faculty and Staff work to accommodate requirements by the Office of University Relations constitutes a poor use of Faculty and Staff resources in academic units, and Staff resources in University Relations;

Whereas the refusal of the Office of University Relations to accept duplication orders out of alignment with the Visual Identity and Style Guide has delayed the timely reproduction of Faculty created materials, and in some cases forced Faculty to duplicate materials at their own expense in order to have the materials they want in a timely fashion;

Whereas these actions of the Office of University Relations constitute an unnecessary, inappropriate, and distruptive intrusion into the work of Faculty and Staff in academic units;