Government Relations Protocols for Engagement in the Political Process and with Elected Officials

President Russell T Keen and First Lady Karen Keen standing with Senator Billy Hickman

Augusta University has protocols in place for students, faculty, and staff that relate to involvement in the political process, interacting and hosting government and elected officials, and connecting with the Office of Government Relations. Please review each protocol below, and contact Government Relations with any questions or concerns.

Contact Us

Government Relations

Health Sciences Campus

G. Lombard Kelly Building

AA 2000C

706-729-2921

Capitol Office

Paul D. Coverdell Legislative Office Building

18 Capitol Square SW
Atlanta, GA 30334

Room 113

Protocol for Election Season

Augusta University fully supports and encourages its employees to fulfill their civic obligations and become engaged in the political processes of society. The following is how faculty and staff may appropriately engage in political activities within guidelines that are established by the University and University System of Georgia.

  • Employees are prohibited from using state property, resources, or materials (including work email) or work time to communicate personal political views or in conjunction with any political campaigning.
  • Employees are free to express their own opinions and may participate in political functions as a personal activity but not on the behalf of Augusta University or under the color of office or position.
  • Employees may seek and hold elective office at other than state and federal levels or seek and hold appointive office, when doing so does not conflict with employee's duties and responsibilities to Augusta University or the University System.
  • Employees may not hold elective political office at the state or federal level.
  • Employees may not manage or take an active part in a political campaign that will interfere with the performance or duties for which he or she receives compensation.
  • A candidate for or holder of an elected political office, federal or state, may not employed or hold a faculty, staff or other position at any institution within the University System of Georgia.
  • An employee who seeks elective political office, state or federal, must first request a leave of absence without pay prior to qualification as a candidate in a primary or general election and ending after the general or final election. If the employee is elected, the employee must resign prior to assuming office.
  • Political campaign solicitation and fundraising are prohibited on Augusta University property or under the color of office or position.

The Office of the Government Relations is the official liaison between the Augusta University community and our federal, state and local governments, and is a critical resource in managing these relationships.

Protocol for Inviting Elected Officials

Any individuals or entities, during the course and within the scope of their responsibilities at Augusta University who wish to issue invitations to the members or staff of the U.S. Executive Branch, U.S. Senate or Congress, the Georgia Governor’s office, state legislators, state boards, commissions or committees must notify the Office of Government Relations as soon as practicable, and, if at all possible, not less than three weeks prior to such invitation. When notifying Government Relations of invitations, please refer to the Protocol on Hosting Elected Officials for similar parameters.

In addition, testimony made within the scope of an individual’s responsibilities at Augusta University before local, state or federal bodies, or other communication on behalf of professional societies, or other academic organizations to elected officials, shall be coordinated with the Office of Government Relations.

When considering invitations to public officials, all schools, departments, institutes, student groups and other sponsoring units are required to contact the Office of Government Relations.

Protocol for Communications and Interactions with Elected and Government Officials

All contacts with government and elected officials and their staff must be cleared in advance through the Office of Government Relations (GR), including invitations to campus functions.

Also, if an AU employee is contacted by an elected official or staff person for any reason, the employee should immediately notify GR. Adherence to this policy will help ensure that communications with elected and government officials are clear, coordinated, and reflect the institutional views and priorities of AU.

Moreover, working with GR will help ensure that all AU personnel and the university stay in compliance with disclosure laws. Failure to comply with these laws could expose individuals and AU to civil and criminal penalties.

Since AU is a registered lobbying organization under federal law, it must comply with the requirement set forth in the Federal Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995. Government Relations is responsible for ensuring that AU complies with this law, including filing accurate quarterly reports of all AU lobbying-related costs and contacts. Thank you for your cooperation in disseminating this information.

Protocol for Hosting Elected Officials

The following protocol is meant to serve as a means to establish, maintain and enhance relationships. This protocol provides guidelines to be used when planning official functions, visits and events with elected officials. Protocol is about building relationships and facilitating positive outcomes for the parties involved. The importance of protocol in fostering positive relations and outcomes should not be underestimated or overlooked. This protocol will provide guidance to planning, organizing and conducting various functions and protocol-related activities. The Office of Government Relations is your resource for these visits.

Prior to extending an invitation to such officials, a faculty or staff member should consult with the Office of Government Relations.

Government Relations can assist with the following when consulted with:

  • Purpose of the visit
  • Identifying any relevant cultural or political issues to avoid the potential for embarrassment or incident
  • Relationship building
  • Involving the Office of the President in the visit if requested
  • Media coverage needed (social media, photography, etc.)
  • Biographies and background of the participants
  • Finalizing and disseminating the program

Key Reminders:

  • Campaign visits are not allowed
  • Official federal staff email addresses end with @mail.house.gov, @name.senate.gov, or some form of .gov. This means they are official federal employees. State employees will have the same @house.ga.gov or @senate.ga.gov
  • Campaign staff will have emails that are @teamNAME or @WinGeorgia or @NAMEforsenate or @NAMEforHouse or @NameForPresident. These are emails that you will inevitably receive and will invite you to an event, ask for money, etc. If you receive this type of communication to your official augusta.edu email, you should not respond or forward on your official email account.
  • Whether any activity constitutes impermissible participation or intervention in a political campaign depends on all the facts and circumstances of the situation.

Final itinerary should include the following:

  • Purpose of visit
  • Date(s) of visit
  • Time, event, and location of each appointment of visit
  • Point(s) of contact for the visit
  • Biographies

Once the itinerary/program has been developed, reviewed, and approved with the Office of Government Relations, Government Relations will share with the VIP guest assistant or official staff representative. Any participant sharing materials (PowerPoint presentations, one pager, memos, etc.) with the VIP during the visit will need to have the materials to Government Relations 48 hours in advance to review and revise.

Protocol for Freedom of Expression and Political Advocacy

The key factor for this protocol is whether a person is a student or an employee of Augusta University. 

Students have freedom of expression rights and political advocacy rights that are generally unlimited except in very narrow circumstances (speech that disrupts the classroom, protests that disrupt operations or cause harm, etc.). These rights include activism and advocacy including participating in public testimony on legislation or issues about the public interest that they wish to be heard on. Students should not speak on behalf of the university, but rather for themselves. Additionally, students have the right to wear any AU apparel during these expressions of speech including their profession’s dress (such as white coats).

Employees on the other hand have certain restrictions on their freedom of expression rights and their political advocacy rights while “on the job” as a condition of their employment but have much broader rights if they speak in their “personal capacity.” University policies on communication with government officials in no way restrict the right of any employee from communicating their personal opinions with government officials. However, when communicating personal opinions, it is the responsibility of all employees not to represent their personal opinions as positions or policies of the University unless the President has specifically authorized them to do so. University employees should not use University letterhead nor electronic mail sent through their employer’s mail servers to communicate their personal opinions or positions on political issues. Student-employees and residents are included as employees for the purpose of this policy.

If there are any questions or concerns about these policies, the Government Relations team will provide guidance, background, and best practices for this protocol.

For more information read the Augusta University Freedom of Expression Policy.

Additional Policy References for the University System of Georgia