POD policies
Our classes, programs, and other events are designed for UW faculty and staff, which includes employees at all three UW campuses, the UW medical centers, and other locations.
Read about the University’s release time policy for staff training and development programs, or visit this UWHR page to learn more about time off during the work day.
Non-UW eligibility requirements and restrictions
Non-UW employees may be enrolled in select quarterly courses and workshops on a space-available basis. Registration from non-UW employees will be accepted no sooner than four weeks prior to the start of a course.
Classes covering fiscal procedures, human resources administration, and other material that relies on access to UW systems are not open to non-UW employees. In addition, non-UW employees cannot receive POD certificates.
Non-UW employees will be charged the listed fee plus 15.6 percent per course due to institutional overhead.
Registration for POD courses requires a UW NetID, available through POD. If you are not affiliated with the UW, please contact us.
Enrollment in courses and other programs is on a first come, first served basis.
Many courses fill quickly. To help ensure that you are able to enroll in your preferred course, register for it as soon as possible. The fastest way to enroll is to use the online POD course catalog.
You may also register by filling out a paper POD registration form and mailing it to us. Once we process the form, we’ll email you an enrollment confirmation if the class has space. If the class is full, we’ll send you an email letting you know that you’re on the waitlist.
Waitlist
The online course catalog shows how many spaces are available and if a class is already full.
If a course is full when you register for it, you will be placed on the waitlist. There is one exception: You cannot be placed on the waitlist if you pay by credit card.
Once you are on the waitlist, we will notify you if a space opens up before the course starts.
Course fees vary. Check the POD course catalog for current fees.
The preferred method of payment is using department payment worktags, which requires the approval of your supervisor or budget coordinator.
If you pay with cash, check, or credit card you will pay an extra 15.6 percent to cover institutional overhead costs as required by the UW Institutional Overhead policy.
If paying by check or cash:
- Don’t register online
- Complete and return the POD Course Registration Form (PDF) to register
- Make personal checks payable to the University of Washington
Checks are processed for payment by creating an electronic funds transfer from your bank. This means that funds will be withdrawn from your bank account using the information on your check. You will not receive your cancelled check back. For more information about the electronic funds transfer, call Student Fiscal Services at 206-543-4649 or email sfshelp@uw.edu.
We charge a $25 fee for returned checks.
When registered for a course, event, or other online learning offering that you can’t or don’t attend, you may still be charged the registration fee. You will not be charged if we receive a written cancellation request from you at least eight days prior to the course start date.
Exceptions: Some offerings, such as Core Strengths Accountability and certain special events, have different refund policies and deadlines. These exceptions will be noted in either the course description or confirmation email.
To cancel a registration, email pod@uw.edu with your request and course details. You may also mail us a letter or send us a fax.
We will not issue a refund:
- If the course starts in seven days or less
- If the course has already started
- If you missed the course because you did not receive an email confirmation
- If the course has a no-refund policy noted in the confirmation email.
Contact us if you have not received an email confirmation for the course and it is scheduled to start in the next five working days.
Illness or family emergency
If you are ill or have a family emergency that prevents you from attending a POD course, we will issue you a 50 percent refund.
Request a refund due to illness or family emergency by having your supervisor send us an email that confirms your reason for missing the course. Your supervisor must send us the email within seven days of the final class session.
Inclement weather
We will cancel in-person classes when UW suspends operations, and you will not be charged the registration fee. We will reschedule the class for a later date.
Low enrollment cancellation
We may cancel a course if not enough people enroll to meet the course minimum. If this happens, we will notify you and you will not be charged the registration fee.
Suspended operations due to emergencies
We will communicate via email about any schedule changes for in-person classes and events. We may opt to cancel a class outright or cancel and reschedule, or we may choose to provide the class content in an alternate format, in which case your budget or credit card would still be charged. For instance, we could offer a class online via Zoom, offer pre-recorded modules, and/or offer course content via PDF or interoffice mail.
We will communicate via email about any schedule changes for in-person classes and events. We may opt to cancel a class outright or cancel and reschedule, or we may choose to provide the class content in an alternate format, in which case your budget or credit card would still be charged. For instance, we could offer a class online via Zoom, offer pre-recorded modules, and/or offer course content via PDF or interoffice mail.
If you register for a course and can’t attend, you may be able to send someone else from your department to take your place (some courses don’t allow substitutions). There is no additional fee for sending a substitute, but the substitute must attend the same course on the same day(s) for which you are registered.
To send a substitute, contact us and provide both your name and UW NetID and your substitute’s name and UW NetID. You can request to send a substitute at any time prior to the first day of the course.
For live online sessions (such as Zoom sessions) you may request a substitute at least two business days in advance. For self-paced online learning, you may only request a substitute before the specified course launch date.
You must be present during at least 80 percent of the class time to receive course credit.
To receive credit for Self-Paced classes, you must complete the corresponding course evaluation at the end of each training.
You cannot substitute life or work experience to receive credit toward certificates, courses, or other training programs. You cannot challenge courses.
Professional & Organizational Development courses may not be audited.
Make-up sessions and transfers are not allowed.
The Professional Staff Organization offers limited scholarship support for professional staff. For more information please view the PSO web site.
In order to protect the privacy of our participants and the intellectual property of POD and our network of trainers/consultants, recording or capturing of video, audio and/or presentations during an in-person or online class is strictly prohibited, including but not limited to recording or capturing by AI software, bots, cameras and other technology. Noncompliance may result in you being removed from the course and not receiving course credit.
POD’s programs and services are intended to be inclusive and accessible. If at any time you have a need or concern, please contact us. For accommodation requests connected to a disability or health condition, contact us at least two weeks in advance or as soon as possible. Accommodations falling outside the scope of POD’s capabilities will be escalated to the Disability Services Office.
We recommend that you keep a record of all courses and other trainings that you have completed. This includes keeping record of POD courses as well as professional development courses taken elsewhere. Update your record each time you finish a course.
Our system automatically keeps track of the POD courses you’ve taken from summer 2004 to the present. This record includes POD courses only. View your POD training history.
Roosevelt Commons (RC) is a facility leased by the University of Washington. Professional & Organizational Development (POD) has two rooms in RC which we use for UW staff training courses. Though the rooms are used frequently for these classes, there are times when our rooms may be available for rental.
Roosevelt Commons is located at 4311 11th Ave. NE in Seattle, Washington. The building is in the heart of the University District, just four blocks west of the Seattle UW campus. It is within walking distance of a number of hotels, restaurants, and bus stops. In addition, Roosevelt Commons is just minutes from I-5 and convenient to 520.
Rooms 120A and 120B are available for rental through POD. These rooms are next to each other on the first floor of RC.
Room rental fees
| Group | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|
| UW Groups | $55.00 |
| Off Campus Groups | $80.00 |
After hours staffing fees are $25.00/hour in addition to the room rate (“after hours” is before 7:30 a.m. and after 5:30 p.m. on weekdays). Not available on weekends.
Rental fees include:
- LCD Projector
- PC Computer
- Whiteboard and Markers
- Flipchart Stand, Paper, and Markers
Cancellation fees
- Reservations canceled 14 working days in advance: no charge.
- Canceled 13 to eight working days in advance: 50% of fees charged.
- Canceled seven or fewer working days in advance: 100% of rental fees charged.
Use and policy info
PLEASE NOTE: These guidelines are for the protection of the Roosevelt Commons, its other tenants and clients. They will be administered by our designated building representative. Failure to cooperate will result in enforcement by the Campus Police.
Hours of operation/staffing
For meetings scheduled between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday–Friday, a building representative of our choosing will be on the premises to answer any questions and assist with any emergencies. In certain cases you may be given phone numbers in lieu of a building representative. For meetings that begin before 7:30 a.m. or end after 5:30 p.m., the presence of a building representative will be negotiated and may involve additional costs.
All guests must be out of the facility and off the premises by the time indicated on the . Any clean up taking place after this time must be specifically arranged with the building representative.
Payment terms (for those paying by check)
A deposit equaling 50% of the total fee will be collected at the time of confirmation. The balance of the rental charges is due in the POD Office (4300 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle WA 98195-4692, Box 354692) no later than 24 hours (or the last business day) before the event. Once the is submitted and you receive confirmation, a $25 processing fee will be charged for all cancellations. Cancellation within 13 – 8 working days prior to the event will result in forfeiture of the deposit; cancellation 7 or fewer working days prior to the event will result in a forfeiture of the deposit and billing for the balance entire rental amount.
All checks should be made payable to the University of Washington.
Payment by UW payment worktag or purchase order
Appropriate charges will be billed directly to your organization after the event. Appropriate authorization documentation or a copy of the purchase order must be received by the due date specified on your confirmation (usually within 14 working days of the event).
Making changes
When possible, we will try to accommodate changes to your reservation. Changes made with less than 3 working days’ notice are subject to a $5.00 update fee. If you have a series reservation, we will usually make up to 2 series changes free of charge. Subsequent changes are subject to a $10.00 change fee.
Sponsoring group responsibilities
- Your meeting coordinator must be in contact with us no later than two weeks prior to the event for final set-up and equipment arrangements.
- One person should be the designated representative of the renting party during the event. This person will coordinate with the building representative regarding check-out, and will assist with any questions and concerns that may arise.
- The renting party is responsible for the conduct of all persons associated with the event. Any persons causing destruction, excessively loud noise, or abnormal behavior will be removed by Campus Security.
- Music, if any, will be maintained at a volume considered appropriate by the building representative.
Food and refreshments
You can make arrangements for catered food service through University Catering at 206-685-2051. You may also use a caterer of your choosing and/or provide store-purchased food. In these cases, you must obtain and complete a Temporary Food-Service Event Form. This form must be filled out by the caterers and returned to Environmental Health and Safety two weeks prior to your event. Cooking of any type in the rooms is prohibited.
Serving alcohol
The Authorization to Apply for a Banquet Permit to Serve Alcoholic Beverages form is your Alcohol Permit. This form can be obtained from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs (Schmitz Hall, Room 476). Once you have completed the form, you AND the person who handles room reservations for the event site will need to sign ALL COPIES of the form on both the FRONT and the BACK. Then the form can be submitted to the VP for Student Affairs. Once they have signed your authorization permit, you will need to take both of the white copies to your local liquor store in order to obtain the Liquor Permit. You will be required to pay a $10.00 fee at the liquor store and to fill out another form with all of your caterer’s information (name, address, phone #) as well as the information specific to your event.
The Alcohol Permit must be displayed in plain sight at your event. Otherwise, a fine may be imposed.
Moving furniture
Moving furniture within rooms or from one room to another is not allowed. Special furnishing arrangements can be coordinated in advance through POD. Damages resulting from misuse of furniture or labor costs incurred for resetting moved furniture will be charged to you/your group.
Decorations
No signs, etc., may be tacked, stapled, or pounded into any part of the room(s) or in the hallways. Materials may only be hung with non-paint-damaging tape (drafting tape). Items hung in a manner other than non-paint-damaging tape will be removed and a $10 fee plus damage costs may be charged to you/your group.
Cleaning up
The facility must be returned to its original condition, including removal of trash. The representative of the renting party signing the agreement is responsible for any damage caused by any person associated with the event.
Parking
Paid public parking is available in the underground garage and pay lots in the vicinity or through metered parking on the street. There are disabled parking spots available outside the garage.