UC Santa Cruz is a public university, and that means much of our work is subject to scrutiny from reporters, taxpayers, and others. Many documents, reports, emails, memos, and financial documents are public records, open to review by any member of the public during business hours. The California Public Records Act regulates what information can be disclosed. Some information, such as certain personnel records and documents, is protected under state and federal laws.
the public’s right to access information, as required by federal and state laws and university policies and procedures.
The UC Santa Cruz Information Practices Office processes public records requests. Campus community members should have a general understanding of what’s public and what’s protected.
- For University of California employees, such information as name, date of hire, title, salary, office address, phone number, and job description all are public. Performance appraisals, however, are one example of personal information that cannot be released without your permission.
- Contracts and grants are public, including protocols approved by animal and human subjects committees.
- Generally, information regarding litigation or personnel actions is not public. Preliminary drafts, notes, or inter-agency or inter-university memoranda which are not retained by the University in the ordinary course of business are exempt from disclosure.
Formal public records request should be directed to Information Practices, which handles the campus’s response to requests for public and subpoenaed university records. The office also provides technical and practical assistance to the campus on matters related to public access to and disclosure of information maintained in university files. Complete regulations are published in the campus Policies & Procedures.