Visitor Registration

What is the purpose of the policy?

The purpose of the University-Wide Visitors Policy (login required) is to:

1. enhance the safety of visitors and the entire campus community;
2. protect and promote the university’s mission, vision and values;
3. enhance the development of intellectual property and compliance with applicable U.S. regulations and laws that prohibit transactions with restricted entities; and
4. support IT security and services and other mission-critical infrastructure.  

Additionally, this policy is intended to assist you with understanding intake processes and appreciating compliance and safety concerns as they relate to visitors to KU Medical Center.

What is the definition of a visitor?

A visitor is defined as international or domestic individual(s)  who are not otherwise employed by or have a current formal affiliate status* with the University, who are conducting business** with the university either in person or virtually and who could potentially have access to KU Medical Center intellectual property, research data, research facilities, networks or secured physical spaces.

*Formal affiliate status includes individuals who are identified in Workday (health system employees) or those who are collaborating researchers under an affiliation agreement (e.g. Children’s Mercy)

**Business includes but may not be limited to: vendors or contractors visiting campus, those conducting collaborative research; providing instruction that is supervised by appropriate KU personnel, or observing KU instruction, administration, or research. KUL and KUMC inter-campus collaborations/activities may subject existing employees, formal affiliates, or students to Visitor status when visiting other campuses.

What are some examples of visitors?

• A potential research collaborator who comes for a day visit to tour labs and observe research at KU Medical Center
• An international research collaborator who is conducting business through Zoom/email

Examples of  visitors who are not required by policy to be registered:

• Visitors whose authority allows for access to the campus at any time without advance notice or university permission, for example, the fire chief, ICE agents etc.
• Prospective students who have registered through one of the school’s prospective student open house/campus visit events
• Individuals attending events open to the public like a blood drive (the KUMC host can register the event, but not the attendees)
• Visitors who will not be accessing restricted spaces or information (unrestricted spaces include Teaching and Learning Technologies (TLT) managed rooms = Room List (sharepoint.com)).
• Escorted vendors or contractors
• Virtual contacts who will not be accessing or shown intellectual property, research data, personal information or other protected data
• Formal Affiliates (if formal affiliate is visiting campus and does not have badge access) contact: University of Kansas Medical Center Badge Office
  Email:  UniversityIDBadge@kumc.edu
  Phone:  913-588-7922
  University Access ID Badge website

What are the steps to register a visitor?

• To register a visitor, fill out the University of Kansas Medical Center Visitor Registration form (login required).
• For those who regularly visit campus, coordinate with Global Risk & Security (GRS) to establish an ongoing/automatic screening option.
• Upon submission, the form will be reviewed by GRS and may be reviewed by other administrative units depending on the activity of the visitor or type of visitor indicated on the registration form by the host. The host will only receive communication if there is a question or issue.

When do I have to complete the registration?

We encourage registration as soon as you are aware of the visit, but not more than a year in advance.  Keep in mind if collaboration requires an export license this could add additional time to the visit approval process. While we expect pre-registration in advance of the visit, we understand that there may be situations in which last minute registration is necessary.  The University will work with the host to review as timely as possible but recognize some visits may require postponement if a review cannot be completed immediately. 

Missed the pre-registration step? While the policy requires registration prior to a visitor coming to campus, if this comes to your attention after the fact, it is still expected to register the visitor retroactively.

Does this policy replace other existing practices?

This policy does not replace existing practices. It is intended to ensure all procedures relating to visitor coordination comply with the standards across all campuses.

This policy outlines the practices that should already be in place per existing policy for visitors to campus.  The key to our visitor registration policy is knowing our visitors. Without achieving this initial goal, it is difficult to determine risks and identify potential compliance and regulatory issues.

What other policies might apply when I host a visitor?

For certain types of visitors, requirements and processes are specifically addressed in other documents. See the Related Policies and Procedures section of the policy for guidance regarding these individuals, including, but not limited to vendors, contractors, active learners, etc.

If your visitor does not fit within a defined category or process, please evaluate whether issues enumerated in the policy apply to your visitor. Should you have any questions, please contact the respective departments responsible for administration (e.g., GRS for due diligence and export control concerns, Information Technology for Network and Data Access, Environment, Health and Safety for lab safety, Compliance for training or policy compliance, Office of Civil Rights and Title IX  for discrimination).

Are other steps required?

Any requirements in addition to the review done by GRS depend on existing procedures for the type of visitor, activity and the location of the visit. For instance, some units or buildings do require identification or badging for all visitors, while some labs require training in advance of entering.

Some programs have checklists available to meet their specific requirements. You should receive a follow up email from these programs upon submission of the initial registration form.

For general visitors who do not have specific procedures, please review the list of issues and contacts for further guidance.

Who should I contact with questions?

If your question wasn’t answered above, please email gos@ku.edu with your question.