What are retention schedules and why does the university have one?

The University of Oregon Records Retention Schedules (RRS) 

• provides timeframes, high level responsibilities, and any special handling instructions associated with records in any media (paper, digital, or other);
• does not prescribe a filing structure, but does supply terminology for labeling or tagging content;
• serves as a core procedure that supports the University Records Management Policy.

While the RRS covers many categories of material, regardless of whether these are paper based or digital, the Policy lists material which may be disposed of without a schedule (learn more). The RRS, and the Program that has been developed to implement it across the institution are built around best practices and international standard ISO-15489 Information and documentation -- Records management.

How is the RRS organized?

At the highest level, the RRS is organized by five functional sections, as detailed below. While some of the section headings resemble department names, it is important to keep in mind that they represent functions, not departments.

• Example: an academic department will find information about records that pertain to its work not only in the II. Academics, Instruction and Research but also sections IV. Finance, Administration and Infrastructure, and V. Human Resources.

I. Governance

• Board of Trustees and University Senate meeting minutes
• University wide policies
• Legal cases and litigation

II. Academics, Instruction, and Research

• Curriculum development, delivery (courses), and assessment
• University funded research projects and sponsored awards
• Management of library and museum collections

III. Administration of Student Affairs

• Health services
• Admissions, academics, scholarships/financial aid, conduct, housing
• Intercollegiate athletics

IV. Finance, Administration, and Infrastructure

• Office and university management
• Accounting, budget, contracting and procurement
• Facilities, property, construction, environmental health, and public safety

V. Human Resources

• Search and recruitment
• Personnel and payroll
• Training

What specific kinds of information does the schedule offer?

The schedule is a list of entries, with guidance for handling and disposal, the covers the different kinds of records the university receives, generates, and maintains. The groupings are based on the activites -- not the office -- that generates them. Each entry on the schedule has the following elements:

• Series Name 
  • describes a conceptual grouping of records that are related by the activities generating them and shared requirements. Each series has a heading and a brief description and/or list of the kinds of material that make it up. Where present, the lists are not exhaustive.
• Custodian
  • the program, unit, department, or other entity accountable for maintaining reliable, complete, and accessible records in the given series for the duration of assigned retention period. Being named the "Custodian" is not always synonymous with having physical custody of the material. In cases where third parties are used to store or manage data that are records, the "Custodian" remain(s) accountable for access to usable, reliable, complete records for the duration of their life cycle.
• Retention and Disposal Instructions
  • Minimum time to keep records in the series and what happens when that time has been met. These instruction are based on government regulations, funding agency rules, UO policies, collective bargaining agreements, and professional standards and best practices.
• Citation
  • References that link to laws, regulations, standards, or best practices that serve as the basis for the retention rule established in the schedule.
• OAR Predecessor
  • Link to any guidelines that were in place prior to the current UO RRS.

Finding information through filtering

To improve search efforts, it is helpful to understand how the schedule is organized. At the highest level, the schedule is organized by 5 functions: I. Governance; II. Academics/Instruction/Research; III. Administration of Student Affairs; IV. Finance/Administration/Infrastructure; V. Human Resources. 

• Each of these functions are further subdivided by the activities that make up the functions. For example, admissions, registration and enrollment are activities found under the function II. Academics/Instruction/Research. 

Use the drop down ("Select Record Function") to filter by function of the records. While some of the terms in this drop down sound like department names, they are not. Example: when searching for how long to retain personnnel material, select V. Human Resources from the the drop down menu. Select the "Apply" button, and browse the search results.

We are currently adding records series to the UO Records Retention Schedule (RRS); if you are unable to find the information you need, please contact us by emailing records@uoregon.edu and we will work with you to develop any necessary updates to the content of the RRS.

Risk classifications correspond to the Information Asset Classification & Management Policy.

Icon	Description
Image	Unclassified Risk
Image	Low Risk - Data is classified as Low Risk if the loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability of the data would have minimal strategic, compliance, operational, financial, or reputational risk to the University. The integrity of Low Risk data is of primary importance and must be protected. The appropriate Data Trustee or Steward must authorize release of Low Risk data.
Image	Moderate Risk - Data is classified as Moderate Risk if the loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability of the data would have moderate strategic, compliance, operational, financial, or reputational risk to the University. Integrity and availability of Moderate Risk data are of primary importance and must be protected; privacy and confidentiality should be protected as appropriate. Access to Moderate Risk data must be authorized by the Data Trustee or Steward who is responsible for the data, as needed. Data access authorization may be provided to individuals as part of their job roles or responsibilities.
Image	High Risk - Data is classified as High Risk (the most sensitive/critical classification) if the loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability of the data would have high strategic, compliance, operational, financial, or reputational risk to the University. Privacy, confidentiality, integrity, and availability are important and must be protected. Access to High Risk data must be controlled from creation to destruction, and shall be granted only to those persons affiliated with the University who require such access in order to perform their job, or to those individuals permitted by state or federal law. The confidentiality of data is of primary importance, although the integrity of the data must also be ensured. Access to High Risk data must be requested from, and authorized by, the Data Trustee or Steward who is responsible for the data.