February 5, 2026 – Policy Advisory Committee – Minutes

Time: Thursday at 2:00 p.m.
Location: Lubar N456 and Microsoft Teams

Present: E. Bechly-Schubert, D. Clark, K. Kirshtner, C. Parks, J. Reisel, M. Schmit, J. Urdan, C. Vang, M. Wendel
Guests: 
Scott Genung, Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer
Melody Harries, Compliance Director, University Safety & Assurances
Elizabeth Watson, Executive Director for the Center for Innovative Transition, Education, and Employment (CITEE)

1. Meeting called to order at 2:00 p.m.
2. Automatic Consent
   Minutes of January 15, 2026 meeting approved as distributed. 
3. Business
   1. New policy: Digital Accessibility Policy for Digital Tools and Electronic Resources
      The Department of Justice announced updated digital accessibility requirements in April 2024, including WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards and compliance timelines. A campus task force was formed and coordinated with a UW System working group. The UW System policy takes effect April 1. DOJ regulations take effect April 25.
      
      The policy establishes a Digital Accessibility Coordinator role, held at 20 percent by Elizabeth Watson. It adopts a risk based approach that prioritizes content and technologies most used by students or at scale. A committee will be created after the initial compliance period to support ongoing accessibility work.
      
      University staff raised concerns about increased workload related to document remediation. S. Genung acknowledged that full compliance by the deadline is not feasible and emphasized prioritized, measurable progress. Procedures for third party software procurement and exemptions remain under development. An FAQ is being drafted in response to feedback.
      
      The committee suggested removing references to university specific guidance from the definition of accessible. The full term Web Content Accessibility Guidelines was added at first reference. Formatting issues at the beginning of the document were corrected.
      
      MOTION: to recommend approval of the policy as amended. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The policy will proceed to the Academic Staff, Faculty, and University Staff Senate for presentation and approval.
   2. SAAP 10-1: Animal Care and Use Committee Investigation Procedures
      M. Harries presented the policy. Revisions were limited to the disciplinary referral section on page seven, where language was streamlined to refer matters to the appropriate party for further action rather than outlining specific procedures.
      
      MOTION: to recommend approval of SAAP 10-1. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The policy will proceed to the Academic Staff, Faculty, and University Staff Senate for presentation and approval.
   3. SAAP 1-14: Course Evaluation Policy
      D. Clark presented the policy, which was renamed the Course Evaluation Policy at the Provost’s request. Legal Affairs made grammatical and clarity edits, including moving citations to footnotes. One required evaluation statement was revised to reflect student expectations rather than judgments of appropriateness.
      
      Discussion noted that the policy is grounded in scholarly research, with citations intentionally retained. Required questions are designed to reduce bias present in traditional teaching evaluations. Departments may add supplemental questions beyond the required set. One committee member expressed concern that the current questions may not provide sufficient information about teaching quality.
      
      MOTION: to recommend approval of SAAP 1-14. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The policy will proceed to the Academic Staff and Faculty Senate for presentation and approval and to the University Staff Senate as automatic consent.
   4. SAAP 0-1: UWM Policy on the Creation of Selected Academic & Administrative Policies
      J. Urdan and C. Driscoll (SecU Office) presented the policy. Proposed updates align the policy with current practice. Governance committees were removed as initiators or responsible parties due to the non permanent nature of those roles, while governance involvement throughout the process was retained.
      
      The interim policy process was revised to replace prior governance approval with a five business day notice period to governance groups. Interim policies may remain in effect for up to 120 days, with possible extensions, to allow timely adoption when governance is not meeting while still requiring completion of the full review process. Additional language was added to clarify circumstances that may warrant interim policies.
      
      The committee suggested removing references to specific products like Microsoft Word. Discussion also took place clarifying that tracked changes are not required when older policies are substantially rewritten and such changes would not be useful.
      
      MOTION: to recommend approval of SAAP 0-1. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The policy will proceed to the Faculty Senate for approval and presentation and the Academic Staff and University Staff Senate as automatic consent.
4. Other Business as needed
   The committee received an update on the policy library project. Work is underway to ensure accessibility compliance. This will include revising policy titles, including removal of the word policy where appropriate. The goal is to launch the updated policy library by March.
   
   The committee also reviewed efforts to standardize non-retaliation language across policies. The fiscal misconduct policy will return at the next meeting, with the remaining four policies presented together as a package.
5. Meeting adjourned at 2:56 p.m.