University Policy Updates: Revised October 2022 to March 2023
From: Office of the Vice President for Policy and Governance
The following university policies were updated between October 2022 and March 2023. Both substantive and technical updates are included below. Note: The most recent updates to a posted policy can be found at the end of that policy under “Approvals and Revisions.” Please read to learn more.
ACADEMICS
Course Withdrawal (W grade) Policy - No. 6311: This policy was revised to incorporate PPM 196, Revision to Course Withdrawal Policy ("W" Grade Policy), and to clarify the refund policy related to course withdrawal.
Full-time Academic Status for All Students – No. 6315: This policy was revised to include credit hour requirement for graduate student full-time academic status and provide clarifying language for part of term enrollment status.
Classroom Attendance and Conduct – No. 6330: This policy was modified to remove specific Faculty Handbook references due to that document’s periodic reorganization which might impact specific section references.
Major Requirements – No. 6340: This policy was revised to incorporate verbiage realignment, reflect current practices related to using Hokie Spa for changing majors and the respective college’s established procedures for adding second majors or adding a minor, and to reflect current practices related to restricted majors and programs.
Internal Transfers and Restricted Curricula – No. 6350: This policy revision included a technical update to incorporate PPM 115 and remove reference to retired PPM 77.
University Evaluation and Final Examination Policies for Undergraduate and Graduate Students – No. 6810: This policy revision included a technical update to provide clarifying language related to display of the deadline for rescheduling examinations and consistent application of study days policy for all students.
ATHLETICS
Student-Athlete Monitoring and Assistance Program (SAMAP) – No. 1036: This policy was revised to reflect NCAA policy updates.
CAMPUS-WIDE
Policy on Title IX Sexual Harassment and Responsible Employee Reporting – No. 1026: This policy was updated to provide a domestic violence definition consistent with the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022.
Reporting and Investigating Suspected Fraud, Waste, and Abuse – No. 1040: This policy was modified to provide clarity on investigations of fraud, waste and abuse, expand definitions, explain the importance of confidentiality, and provide examples of fraud.
Charter for the Office of Audit, Risk, and Compliance – No. 3350: This policy was revised to delineate the roles and responsibilities for internal audit, enterprise risk management, and the institutional compliance program. Additional revisions were made to streamline the policy for consistency.
Minors at Virginia Tech – No. 4815: This policy was extensively revised to reflect creation of the Office of Youth Protection, add enforcement and penalties for non-compliance verbiage, reinstate criminal background check requirements, and expand training requirements.
CAMPUS GROUNDS AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Non-capital Construction, Renovation, Maintenance and Repair of University-Owned Facilities - No. 5405: Modifications include a technical update to position and organizational title changes, update to the definition of capital project, and the addition of references.
FINANCE
University Contract Signature Policy and Procedures - No. 3015: This policy revision reflected updates to links, title changes, and department names and increased the threshold to $10,000 for goods and/or services contracts not placed against university contracts to align with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
Administering Privately-funded Scholarships and Awards Managed by Virginia Tech – No. 3400: This policy was revised to align processes, dates, and deadlines with current strategic university goals, best practices in scholarship awarding, to accurately reflect utilization reporting timelines, and to align with the requirement to use the university's scholarship management system.
HUMAN RESOURCES
Educational Leave for Employees - No. 4810: Technical policy corrections were made to correct and update names of units, titles, policies, forms, and links to websites for policies and forms.
RESEARCH
Effort Certification - No. 3105: This policy was modified to eliminate the monthly effort reporting requirement, transition paper to electronic reporting formats, and move procedural components of effort reporting from the policy document to OSP’s website.
Service Centers – No. 3250: This policy was modified to clarify changes in billing practices, update policy references, and remove service facility statements from the policy scope.
For more information on policies and the policymaking process at Virginia Tech, visit Policies at Virginia Tech. Policy questions may be sent to vppg@vt.edu.