Dear lord, asve me from Bureacracy....

I work for a Division, inside a school, inside a University.

My division has a "policy" that no one can audit our classes. We also have a refund policy that there are no refunds after the start of a class.

We are now being told that we cannot call it a policy, we have to call it a procedure (which to me is the entirely wrong word for a one sentance rule).

The reason is that it has not been voted on by the faculty. That is, we are welcome to do it, but we have to publish it in our brochures as a procedure, not a policy.

Now, if you saw the words "Refund Procedure" wouldn't you expect to see directions on how to get a refund, not a sentance saying "There are no refunds after the start of class".

Now, if you saw the words "Refund Procedure" wouldn't you expect to see directions on how to get a refund, not a sentance saying "There are no refunds after the start of class".

Yeah, that's dumb.

How about "Non-refund procedure"?

"Refund-request procedure"?

You may request a refund. However, you will not get it.

Um, use scare-quotes?

"Refund" procedure.

In technical writing, a procedure is a series of steps that you do to complete a task. Your people are crazy, Sophia.

What they all said, Sophia.

Yeah. That's not a "procedure."

Nilly, have you seen these photos of early Israel? [link] Some of them are really stunning.

I think you should call it a Division Custom. "It is not our custom to give refunds after classes have started" has a nice ring to it.

Now, if you saw the words "Refund Procedure" wouldn't you expect to see directions on how to get a refund, not a sentance saying "There are no refunds after the start of class".

Rule no. 6: There is NO rule no. 6.

And of course

The first rule of Fight Club...

The thing is, if we can't call it a policy because it hasn't been voted on by faculty, isn't there a better synonym for the word policy than the word procedure? Like, rule.

Of course, I just looked up policy in a thesaurus, and procedure was listed as a synonym...

ETA- I like "Custom"

In technical writing, a procedure is a series of steps that you do to complete a task. Your people are crazy, Sophia.

Yes, this. If they don't want to call it a policy (and refusing to call it a policy, when it so clearly is, is just silly), maybe they'd be okay calling it a statement? Refund Statement?

We are now being told that we cannot call it a policy, we have to call it a procedure (which to me is the entirely wrong word for a one sentance rule).

The reason is that it has not been voted on by the faculty. That is, we are welcome to do it, but we have to publish it in our brochures as a procedure, not a policy.

Can't they just get the faculty to vote on it?