Last week, I attended Legal 101: An Introduction to the University of Kentucky’s Office of Legal Counsel. It was an interesting course, and I would recommend that, if you work here, you take it.
The course matter covers everything from how Governance works at the University to how we are affected by State funding and laws. Some more specific topics covered include: UK contracts and signature authorizations, conflicts of interest, confidentiality, ethics, copyrights, privacy, open records (FERPA and HIPAA), use of technology (including social media), and more.
I was surprised at how much I learned and the amount of subject matter that touches areas we deal with on a daily basis—from making purchases, to using your UK email, to protecting our students’ information.
For instance, did you know that, due to UK policy and the Open Records law, information sent or received through your computer is subject to be reviewed or subpoenaed? Or, how about the fact that including a favorite comic strip in presentation or handout could be a copyright violation (unless it falls under the doctrine of fair use—which it might for educational purposes)? Ok, one more. Did you know that the use of any UK logos (including trademarks and images) is prohibited on personal social media profiles?
You can register for the course through MyUK, under the Employee Self Service tab, Training. The title of the Course is Legal 101, and it runs from 3 to 4 hours. If you are able to take the course, let me know what you think!