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Faculty Approve Open Access Policy

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During the Nov. 27 meeting of the General Faculty and Academic Senate, Georgia Tech faculty adopted an open access policy that will make articles about research conducted at the Institute free and accessible.   

“I am delighted that the careful work of our Library and the Faculty Committee on Open Access has resulted in an implementable policy that reflects Georgia Tech’s values and culture,” said Ellen Zegura, co-chair of the subcommittee on open access and a professor in the School of Computer Science. “The policy will provide faculty authors with an opportunity to increase the distribution and impact of their work by making it more widely available.”

As of Jan. 1, the policy will allow faculty members to retain copyrights to their research publications and have the option to place articles in the SMARTech repository, the Institute’s online repository for everything from dissertations to annual reports. Faculty members can opt out if they aren’t interested in participating.

“The publishing industry is changing rapidly — especially as digital technologies and networks become more pervasive and powerful,” Zegura said. “We are now well-positioned to lead discussions, throughout Georgia and beyond, on the practice and technologies reflected in this new policy.”

For more information about the policy and uploading information to SMARTech, click here.

In other meeting news:

  • A plan for reviewing and adopting the 2013 edition of the Faculty Handbook was presented. In revising the handbook, the goal is to make the content more concise and easier to understand. For example, the first 27 sections have been reorganized into five, and bulleted lists have been added to improve clarity. Town hall meetings will be held in January to get input on the document, and it will be voted on at the Feb. 19 and April 23 General Faculty and Academic Senate meetings. Click here to view a copy of the draft and provide feedback. 
  • Revisions to update and improve the clarity of the Student Alcohol Policy were approved. Revisions include changing the document title to “Student/Student Organizations Alcohol Policy.” A designee can now make exceptions to the policy in addition to the President’s Office, and a space will now be designated for those drinking at campus events where alcohol served (in place of using a wristband method to monitor who can and can’t drink).
  • The week preceding final examinations week will once again be called “Dead Week” to alleviate confusion. Wording was also added to Dead Week policies to clarify that they apply to the week preceding final examinations during standard terms, including the long summer session.
  • Changes were approved to the Office of Student Integrity’s policy regarding releasing student records to third parties. Now, students’ disciplinary files will be retained for only five years after graduation or from the last date of attendance unless there is a suspension or expulsion, and the file will be voided if the student is found not responsible for the charges. The alterations were made to ensure that students who have committed minor offenses aren’t penalized for an unreasonable period as they apply to graduate school or for employment.
  • An addition to the Prohibited Academic Conduct section of the Code of Conduct was approved. It prohibits the unauthorized use of an instructor’s intellectual property — including marketing and selling it. This change was made to prevent students from making a profit by selling their notes and professors’ handouts and presentations to for-profit note-taking companies.

To view the meeting agenda and supporting documents from the November meeting, click here.

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  • Workflow Status:Published
  • Created By:Amelia Pavlik
  • Created:12/10/2012
  • Modified By:Fletcher Moore
  • Modified:10/07/2016