According to BOT 302 (Archives and Records), "All university records, regardless of format, cannot be destroyed without approval of both (a) the individual responsible for creation or maintenance of the records and (b) the University Records Manager."
In order to comply with this policy, OARC uses the Record Destruction Form to document the approval and destruction of eligible paper and electronic records.
- Submitting the Form
Once you've evaluated your records and you've determined which ones are eligible for destruction, you will need to submit a Record Destruction Form to OARC.temporaryrecords@msu.edu for review and approval. You only need to complete Boxes A through F (columns 1-4) which is outlined in more detail in the Record Destruction Form Instructional guide (linked above.) If you have any questions about which record series you should be using, or if you have any questions regarding the form, please contact us for assistance.
- Form Approval and Return
The form will be reviewed, and if no issues are identified, the approved form will be returned to you via email. When you receive the updated form, there will be a unique identifier assigned to the form in the upper left-hand corner. Retention periods will be verified and added to Box F, and the University Records Manager will have signed in the designated box confirming destruction approval. Only after receiving a signed and numbered form are you allowed to move forward with record destruction. After the records are destroyed (see more on that below), you will complete Box F, Column 5 and sign in Box G to confirm the records have been disposed of. Please return that completed and signed form to OARC for permanent retention. (You may be contacted if you have not returned the completed form after receiving destruction approval.)
- Record Destruction (In Office)
For paper records:
If paper records contain information deemed institutional or confidential per MSU's Institutional Data Policy, the paper must be destroyed in a manner in which the information contained in the record is inaccessible.
MSU's Surplus Store & Recycling Center (SSRC) provides confidential shredding services to campus units. For more information on their secure bins, cost, and destruction methods, visit SSRC's Document Destruction page.
For electronic records and physical media:
SecureIT's Data and Hardware Disposal website outlines procedures for sanitizing data for disposal and other best practices. SSRC does provide data sanitization or destruction services, and you can learn more about that on their Data Destruction and E-Waste Recycling page.
- Record Destruction (Off-Site Storage)
For boxes stored off-site which are managed by OARC, offices will be notified when the destruction eligibility date is reached. If the designated contact person on the Storage Transfer form (or former UAHC Transmittal form) is no longer with the office, then another employee will be identified and contacted instead. The office will be provided with the original form & inventory, and a Record Destruction form for their review and signature. If the records are required to be maintained longer than the original destruction date, a new agreed upon destruction date will be determined.