Official Departmental/University records may not be destroyed or disposed of without proper, prior authorization. As a state agency, Central Connecticut State University is obligated to obtain permission from the Office of the Public Records Administrator, also known as the CT State Library State Records Management Program, and State Archives PRIOR to the disposal of such records.
State Records Management Training session recordings and presentation slides are provided by the Connecticut State Library to assist all state employees with records management.
The following is a state employee resource for managing your accumulated records, designed for retiring employees (although useful for anyone organizing records): Guidance for Managing Accumulated Records.
The official record copy is a specific copy of a record designated by the agency as the legally recognized copy and is maintained for retention, preservation, and authentication purposes.
A record relates to business activities, is recorded (in any format), and is authentic, complete and unaltered, reliable, and usable. A non-record includes duplicate (convenience) copies of the official record copy; and materials that do not document the agency's work.
The Records Custodian, designated by the department chairperson or executive committee member, is responsible for the direct custody and care of the records in the normal course of business. The Records Custodian may or may not be the records creator.
The Records Management Liaison Officer (RMLO) coordinates records disposition and obtains approval to destroy records. Central's RMLO, Alyssa Volpicella (volpicella@ccsu.edu), x22501) is the first point of contact for agency records questions.
The Assistant Records Management Liaison Officer (Assistant RMLO) supports the RMLO by reviewing disposition authorizations and helping resolve records-related questions with records custodians. Central’s Assistant RMLO, Juana Calle (juana.calle@ccsu.edu, x20045) is a point of contact for agency records questions.
When considering whether or not a record can or should be shredded, it needs to be determined who is the "keeper" of the record. A "keeper" is defined as the department who is responsible for the original version of the record and is the only one who needs to adhere to the records retention and disposition procedures for that particular record.
For example, Academic Affairs completes a Purchase Requisition to obtain office supplies. Academic Affairs keeps a copy of the Purchase Requisition and forwards the original Purchase Requisition to the Purchasing Department. The Purchasing Department is responsible for holding onto the Purchase Requisition and obtaining permission to destroy the record in accordance with the Records Retention schedules.
Before completing a records disposal form, first identify the appropriate records category for the records you wish to destroy. Consult the State of Connecticut Records Retention Schedule Database to determine the applicable record series, retention period, and disposition requirements.
Resources:
State of Connecticut Records Retention Schedule Database
State of Connecticut Records Retention Schedule Database Quick-Start Guide
The Higher Education Retention Schedules include a comprehensive listing of record series and specify the minimum retention period and disposition requirements for each record type.
Use the database to locate the appropriate record series within one of the following categories:
ADMIN - Administrative Records
EDU - Higher Education Records
FISCAL - Fiscal Records
HEALTH - Health Records
INFOSYS - Information Systems Records (The RC 109 - Certificate of Records Disposition for Electronic Data Processing Records, must be used in conjunction with Information Systems Records)
LIBRARY - Library, Museum, Special Collection, and Archival Records
PERS - Personnel Records
PUBSAFTY - Public Safety and Emergency Services Records
It is important to ensure that none of the records you wish to destroy are categorized "permanent", especially where personnel records are concerned.
Once you have determined the category of the records you wish to dispose, a records disposal form must be completed and approved by the Office of the Public Records Administrator and State Archives.
In order to receive approval to destroy paper records that have not been scanned in Hyland OnBase, an RC-108 form, Records Disposition Authorization, must be completed. The records on the RC-108 form must meet the records retention schedule standards.
RC-108 Form, Records Disposal Authorization
The RC-140 and RC-145 forms approved by the Office of the Public Records Administrator and State Archives, designates the scanned image as the official record copy and the scanned images must be maintained in compliance with the retention requirements listed on the applicable records retention schedules issued by the Public Records Administrator.
As a requirement of completing the disposal forms, the volume of records must be quantified. The Volume of Records Measurement Guide may be used to help you determine how to list the total volume of records on the disposal form.
Completed disposal forms may be returned to both Central’s RMLO, Alyssa Volpicella at volpicella@ccsu.edu and Assistant RMLO, Juana Calle at juana.calle@ccsu.edu
Please allow a minimum of two (2) weeks notification for approval from the Office of the Public Records Administrator and State Archives prior to the destruction of files. The RMLO will notify the department of the approval.
Upon the RMLO's notification of the Office of the Public Records Administrator and State Archives' approval to dispose of the records, it is the responsibility of each individual department to arrange for the shredding and disposal of the documents with our contract vendor below. The RMLO/Assistant RMLO will ask the department to provide the actual date of the disposal and any related supporting documentation (e.g., Certificate of Destruction).
Your University P-Card is accepted for service charges of $2,500 or less.
We have found that using bankers boxes available through WB Mason, our on-line contract vendor for ordering supplies, to be excellent for storing records and ultimately the disposal of them. The boxes can hold up to 1.0 cubic feet and are easy to handle and store.
Please remember that records may not be destroyed without following the procedures indicated above which are mandated by state statute. The state auditors do make note of this while performing their compliance audit.
