The Office of the General Counsel is the legal counsel for the University, its health clinics, and all related programs. All legal representation for the University must be provided by or coordinated through the Office of the General Counsel.

Idaho State University’s Office of the General Counsel exclusively represents the University and handles legal matters solely pertaining to the institution. The OGC is not permitted to provide personal legal advice for students, faculty, or staff.

In-person, digital, or written communications by University employees with OGC attorneys made in confidence for the purpose of seeking or giving legal advice concerning University matters are generally protected by the attorney-client privilege from disclosure to third parties. However, since the University owns the privilege and not the employee, the OGC may share any communications with the employee’s supervisor, the President, or others at the university with a need to know.

If you have any questions or concerns about the confidentiality of a particular conversation, you should ask the OGC attorney before the conversation begins.

All contracts must go through legal review. Before going through legal review, contracts should first be reviewed by the department and vendor or other party to ensure that all business terms and conditions meet the needs of your area. If you have questions about a term, please note your concerns in the submission process. To review the contract checklist and submit your contract for legal review, please visit our Contracts Page. 

Yes, DocuSign is generally an acceptable method for signing contracts. However, the document must still go through legal review with the Office of the General Counsel before signature. In some cases this may require multiple redline versions to be sent back and forth with the vendor prior to uploading to DocuSign. Please note one of the most common problems with DocuSign is a vendor submitting a contract directly to university employees for signature without first going through proper legal review and expecting the employee to merely “sign” the contract and send it back. A contract should never be sent through DocuSign prior to legal approval.

To submit a contract for review, please visit our Contracts Page. 

 If you have not specifically been delegated authority to execute contracts for the University, you do not possess this authority on behalf of your college or department. In accordance with ISUPP 1060, only certain authorized ISU personnel have inherent signature authority (see page 4). These individuals may delegate signature authority to others by using the Delegation of Signature Authority form and submitting to the Office of the General Counsel. To see who has current signature authority, look at the “Signatures” tab on our Contracts Page.

In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), most of a student’s educational records are protected. FERPA generally allows the University to disclose directory information. To learn what information ISU has defined as “directory”, click here. 

All requests for public records from the University should be made at the Public Records Request page. Please note requests may be subject to fees depending on the information requested. 

Under Idaho law, unless an exemption applies, the University’s business documents and records are public records subject to disclosure and inspection.

Per the Idaho Public Records Act, personal information such as sex, race, marital status, home address and telephone number, tax identification and social security numbers and medical condition are not disclosed to the public. Personnel records of current and former public employees regarding employment history, classification, pay grade and step, longevity, gross salary and salary history, status and employing agency are public information. For more information on what information is public or private regarding State employees, please refer to Idaho Code § 74-106.

If you are contacted by an attorney in connection with University business or your work for the University, please notify the Office of the General Counsel immediately. The OGC will work with you to determine what steps are necessary. Please do not speak or correspond directly with an attorney representing someone outside the University who is engaged in or threatening a lawsuit. If an employee learns of facts which may lead to a claim or lawsuit being filed against the University, the employee should immediately report the matter to the OGC.

Under federal and state law, ISU has a duty to identify and preserve records that relate to pending or reasonably anticipated litigation or other legal or administrative proceedings involving the University. A legal hold is a notification sent from the Office of the General Counsel to University employees or others instructing them not to delete electronically stored information (ESI) or discard hard copy documents that may be relevant. A legal hold notice means you may have relevant information and does not necessarily mean that you are directly involved in the legal action.

Please contact the Office of Equity & Inclusion by visiting their website here. Additionally, you can fill out a Harassment and/or Discrimination Complaint Form. 

Idaho State University owns various trade and service marks that are used to identify and distinguish the University from others. Individuals interested in using ISU’s trade or service marks must contact the Marketing and Communications Office for guidance and permission. Improper use of any University mark is unlawful and may subject users to civil liability. 

Location agreements and other filming requests should be directed to the Marketing and Communications Office. 

The possession, consumption, and sale of Alcoholic Beverages is generally prohibited on University property except in accordance with applicable law and State Board of Education policy. No University or third-party event on University property may include the possession, consumption, or sale of Alcoholic Beverages unless the Event Organizer has received approval in accordance with the Alcoholic Beverages and Permitting Policy, which is coordinated through the President’s Office. 

Idaho State University encourages employees and the campus community to report compliance issues such as waste, fraud, or abuse of public resources, noncompliance with federal or state law, or violations of university policy. All reports may be submitted through the Compliance Reporting website or hotline at (800) 461-9330. REPORTS CAN BE MADE ANONYMOUSLY. Reports are received by the General Counsel and the Internal Auditor, who review and assist in resolution.

To report violations of the university's nondiscrimination policies, including allegations of protected class discrimination or sexual harassment, please see the Office of Equity and Inclusion.

Do not accept the subpoena, unless it is for you as an individual in the course of your personal affairs. If the subpoena is for the University, please direct the process server to the Office of the General Counsel in Administration Building 321.

Because these documents and matters are time sensitive, someone who is served a subpoena or summons relating to University business should immediately send the document to the Office of the General Counsel or forward a copy of the document to whitneyfenwick@isu.edu.