Meeting Privacy Policy and Attendance

Last Updated: July 15, 2025

Guidelines

Minutes are held by The University Seminars office for five years before entering The University Seminars Digital Archive at Columbia’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library. 

All minutes are considered private prior their inclusion in the archive and cannot be shared, circulated, or posted via print or online platform. 

At the start of each seminar meeting (virtual or in-person), the rapporteur will read the Privacy Policy and Code of Conduct statement. If the meeting is held in-person, attendees will be asked to raise their hands in acknowledgment. If the meeting is held virtually, attendees will be asked to acknowledge by virtual hand raise. Attendees may not raise hands prior to the policy being read.

Rapporteurs will also collect the names and affiliations (“independent scholar” if unaffiliated) of everyone in attendance. This information will go in the minutes. For meetings held in-person, the rapporteur will circulate a Seminar Meeting Sign-in sheet. For virtual meetings, attendees will be prompted by the rapporteur to type their names and affiliations in the chat. 

Procedures

Seminars are intended to foster an open and unfettered intellectual exchange among peers, allowing attendees the freedom to try out ideas without the inherent limitations of a public discussion. Minutes are taken at all seminar meetings. 

Minutes are held by The University Seminars office for five years before entering The University Seminars Digital Archive at Columbia’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library. 

All minutes are considered private prior their inclusion in the archive and cannot be shared, circulated, or posted via print or online platform. 

Copyright of meeting minutes belong to the Trustees of Columbia University. Speakers maintain full publication and all other rights to their papers and presentations. 

The University Seminars office encourages members to adhere to the policy of private, closed minutes but cannot guarantee confidentiality. 

All members of The University Seminars’ Community agree to abide by The Code of Conduct.

The University Seminars are based on the idea that all participants are regarded as equals in inquiry. Accordingly, all seminar meetings and events should be conducted on a basis of mutual respect among all participants. This norm is especially applicable to instances of sharp disagreement. No participant should ever be the subject of disparaging remarks.

 

[Additionally, if the meeting is being recorded (audio and/or video) by the Rapporteur for the purpose of taking accurate minutes.]

The meeting will be recorded for the purpose of taking the minutes. The recording will be deleted after the minutes have been compiled. The recording will not be saved, circulated or enter the archive.