Subject: Procedures for Responding to Right-to-Know
Originating Office: University Advancement
Direction of: Francine G. McNairy, President
Date: June 3, 2004
Dist. Code: G
Number: 110.02

This policy statement provides guidelines for submitting Right-to-Know Requests and outlines the procedure involved in processing such requests and providing prompt responses.

To provide the University community with clear procedures for processing of Right-to-Know Law requests.

1. Requests
   1. Requests for information under the Right-to-Know Law must be submitted in writing to the designated right-to-know officer. A request may be delivered in person or via letter, facsimile, or electronic mail. Millersville University (MU) will not respond to oral requests.
   2. Millersville University will not respond to anonymous requests for information.
   3. In accordance with the Act, MU will provide a requester with access to a public record only if the requester is an individual who is a resident of Pennsylvania. The Act does not require an agency to respond to requests from corporations, even if the corporation was created under the laws of Pennsylvania.
   4. Each request must include the name of the requester and the address to which the response will be delivered. The request should identify or describe the records sought with sufficient specificity to enable MU to ascertain which records are being requested.
   5. The right-to-know officer may ask the requester the reason for the request or the intended use of the records in order to help identify the records of actual relevance to the requester. MU cannot insist that such a statement be provided, nor can it use the lack of such a statement as a reason for denying the request.
2. Submittal of Right-to-Know Requests
   1. All requests to MU under the Right-to-Know Law will be submitted in writing to:
      
      
      Janet Kacskos
      Director of Communications
      Office of Communications & Marketing
      P.O. Box 1002
      207 N. George St.
      Millersville University
      Millersville, PA 17551

      Requests may be delivered in person to the address listed above or sent by regular mail. They also may be submitted via facsimile to: (717) 871-2009 or via electronic mail to: UCM@millersville.edu

   2. If a request is delivered to someone other than the right-to-know officer, it shall be forwarded to the right-to-know officer in a reasonable time. The 10-business-day period for a response to the request begins once the designated right-to-know officer receives the request.
   3. The right-to-know officer will inform the requester of receipt of the request, including the date the request was deemed received.

1. Millersville University's Duty to Provide a Prompt Response to a Right-to- Know Request
   1. Upon receipt of a written request, MU will make a good faith effort to determine if the requested record is a public record and to respond as promptly as possible under the circumstances existing at the time of the request. This time shall not exceed 10 business days from the date the written request is received by the right-to-know officer. If MU fails to respond within that time period, the request is deemed denied.
   2. Millersville University may inform the requester of the need for additional time to comply with a specific request, in accordance with provisions of the Act. Such an extension may not exceed 30 calendar days. In such cases, if MU fails to make a timely final response, the request is deemed denied.
   3. The right-to-know officer shall send written notice to the requester within 10 business days of the need for an extension. The notice shall include a statement notifying the requester that the request for access is being reviewed, the reason for the review and a reasonable date that a response is expected to be provided.
2. Processing of Right-to-Know Requests
   1. Upon receiving a written Right-to-Know request, the right-to-know officer shall complete the following tasks:
      1. Date-stamp the request.
      2. Assign a tracking number to the request.
      3. Compute the day on which the 10-business-day period will expire and make a notation of that date on the first page of the request.
      4. Inform the requester of receipt of the request.
      5. Make an electronic or paper copy of the request, including all documents submitted with it and the envelope (if any) in which it came.
      6. Create an official file for the retention of the original request.
   2. For purposes of determining the10-business-day period:
      1. A business day shall be any Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, except those days when the offices of Millersville University are closed for all or part of a day due to a state holiday, due to severe weather (such as a blizzard or ice storm); due to natural or other disaster; or due to the request or direction of local, state, or federal law enforcement agencies or officials.
      2. Requests may be submitted during regular business hours, which are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Requests received after 4:30 p.m. will be deemed to have been received on the following business day.
      3. For purposes of determining the end of the 10-business-day period, the day that a request is received (or deemed to be received) is not counted: The first day of the 10-business-day period is the agency's next business day.