COPYING OR INSPECTING RECORDS
Effective Date: June 4, 1996
Revision (1) October 2002
Under Tennessee's Public Records Act (TPRA), University records are considered public
records and are subject to inspection by Tennessee residents unless otherwise prescribed
by federal or state statute.
Definition. As a general rule, public records include all documents, papers, letters, maps,
books, photographs, microfilms, electronic data processing files and output, films, sound
recordings, or other material regardless of physical form or characteristics made or
received in connection with the transaction of official University of Tennessee Health
Science Center business. Possible exceptions include legal, medical health, police,
research and student records. Student records and residents training records are covered
by the Buckley Amendment which allows students to assess their own records at no
charge and which precludes access by any other individual. Except for confidential
records as prescribed by law, public records will be open for inspection by citizens of
Tennessee during business hours.
Office of Public Records at the HSC is the University Relations Office. The Public
Records Office has administrative oversight responsibility for all HSC information
requests under the TPRA. The Public Records Office is responsible for release of any file
for review or for copying of any records except for personnel files. The authority for
personnel files is designated to the Academic Affairs Office for faculty and to the Human
Resources Office for staff records. Questions concerning access to and/or release of
information should be directed to the Office of Public Records. If it cannot be readily
determined whether or not a requested record is covered by the Tennessee Open Records
Law the Public Records Office shall consult with refer the matter to the Office of General
Counsel.
Requests to inspect records must be for a specific record and must be made in writing to
the Public Records Office or for personnel files to the Academic Affairs Office or the
Human Resources Office. (See Personnel Records section below.) Persons requesting to
inspect records must show identification of Tennessee citizenship (i.e., driver's license,
voter's registration, etc.) and complete a Request Form to inspect/copy public records.
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center is not required to create records or
compile information. If the record is unavailable for some reason (e.g., it is filed in closed
records, being used for official business, etc.) or if the custodian of the record is
unavailable to respond immediately to the request, the person requesting the record shall
be advised when the record will be available. All efforts will be made to provide the
record(s) within a reasonable period of time.
Custody of a record will be never be relinquished. The person requesting to inspect a
record must do so in the presence of the record's custodian or an appropriate designee.
Copying of Public Records. The University of Tennessee Health Science Center will
provide, upon written request and at the requestor's expense, copies of public records.
Charges made and fees collected for this activity will be in accordance with Fiscal Policy
and Procedure and in coordination with the Office of Business and Finance. The copy fee
must be paid in cash, by cashier's check or by money order before copies are released.
The price per copy is 50 cents per page for standard letter and legal size pages. The price
per copy for larger documents is $3.00 per page or the actual cost for reproduction at a
commercial copy business plus an additional 50% charge to cover administrative cost.
When it is necessary to have records reproduced by a commercial firm, the Public
Records Office will expeditiously ascertain the cost for duplication and notify the
requestor of the charges (cost plus 50%).
Production (copying) of records will be made in a form determined best by the Public
Records Office. No records will be produced (copied) in a form to further a
commercial/business or similar purpose, i.e., mailing labels, envelopes, telephone
numbers list, etc. As a general rule, information on computer tapes and other electronic
documents will be copied in a printed format rather than in actual reproduction of the
tape, etc.
If requested records exist in electronic form but not in the format requested, additional
charges will apply for the cost of producing the records in the format requested. If
feasible, the requesting party will be provided an advance estimate of additional charges
for producing electronic records in the format requested.
Personnel Records. For purposes of this statement, "Personnel Records" are defined to
mean the official personnel files maintained in the HSC Offices of Academic Affairs or
Human Resources. Prior to release of an employee file for review, Academic Affairs or
Human Resources will assure all confidential information has been redacted as required
by the TPRA. Each of these offices will maintain a record of personnel records accessed
and/or copied and will provide a copy of this information to the Public Records Office.
(See also Personnel Procedure 130 Personnel Files and Release of Information.
When a request is made to inspect or copy the personnel record of an active employee,
the employee will be notified of the request and by whom the request was made.
Employees desiring a copy of their own personnel file will be provided one copy free of
charge; thereafter, a maximum of three pages or documents per year will be provided at
no charge. A personal check will be accepted from active employees for payment of
copies.
General
This procedure will not apply to authorized University offices requesting to inspect
and/or receive copies of records for University business purposes.