UWM has a legal obligation to provide the public with access to a wide variety of records pursuant to Wisconsin public records law.
As an employee of UWM, records created and maintained by you may be requested at any time by any person, subject to limited exceptions. Records created in Microsoft Office 365 such as emails, documents, presentations, spreadsheets, chats, video and audio recordings, call histories, and transcriptions of voicemails are records under the law and may be subject to release upon request. Microsoft Office 365, like all university information technology resources, is governed by the Acceptable Use Policy found here.
Tips on managing your UWM email account are available.
Communications and documents created on other non-university platforms are also subject to public records law if the communications and documents relate to university business. Employees are responsible for retaining records created on other platforms according to state-mandated records management schedules. Employees are also required to produce records created on other platforms when requested by UWM’s Public Records Custodian. Examples of other platforms include, but are not limited to, Slack, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, Gmail, and text messaging on your personal device.
In consultation with the Public Records Custodian, units that create and maintain video and audio records are responsible for the initial review of such records. For additional information, please see SAAP 13-4 Public Records Access.
If you have questions about a public records request or need additional information, please contact UWM’s Public Records Office (public-records@uwm.edu). Please direct any request for records that you receive to this office so that UWM responds to such requests consistent with our obligations under state and federal law.
A Public Records 101 presentation is available upon request.
- 414-229-2849
- public-records@uwm.edu
- Chapman Hall, 180
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
P.O. Box 413
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0413