Export Controls are more prevalent than you might think at first. WSU Export Control & Compliance Officer James Elliott joins us this month for the first of a two-part column. Elliott provides an overview of the vast number of regulatory items under the giant umbrella known as "Export Controls."

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James Elliott joined WSU in January 2022 as its first Export Control and Compliance Officer. He's been a vital addition to the university's compliance efforts! Elliott has his Export Control Professional Certification (ECoP) in International Traffic in Arms Regulations under the Department of State and the Export Administration Regulations under the Department of Commerce. 

Before Wichita State, Elliott was the Export Control Specialist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He was also previously a Professor of Philosophy at Indiana University and a Professor of Religious Studies at Purdue and Butler Universities.

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What comes to mind when you hear the term "Export Controls," if anything? For researchers in the engineering or science realm, thoughts of personnel and access restrictions, denied entity concerns, documentation marking, and technology classification may come to mind.

However, for employees in the administrative realm, thoughts of information technology policy, shipping procedures, recordkeeping procedures, procurement procedures, and transactional policies may be more salient. For professors in the academic realm, policies regarding international travel and collaborations, immigration, anti-discrimination, and geopolitics may come to the forefront.

The truth is, all of these topics fall under what we colloquially refer to as "Export Controls." They're a  vast conglomerate of interconnected federal and state laws, regulations, ordinances, executive orders, and directives. Though many laws fall under the Export Controls umbrella, the chief ones are:

• Export Administration Regulations (EAR) within the Department of Commerce
• International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) within the Department of State
• Office of Foreign Assests Control (OFAC) within the Department of Treasury

(Pexels/Tom Fisk)

While Export Controls are usually associated with regulations that stem from 20^th-century wartime laws, which limit the access and dissemination of engineering research with military, energy, and space applications, they apply to a broad range of aspects of the university.

Export control laws apply whether or not a contract you've signed says anything about them or whether funding or collaborations are from a domestic or international source.

In fact - and this may sound unbelievable - the regulations are written such that every physical item, research data point, or idea that constitutes "technology" that's developed within the U.S. is initially subject to Export Controls and may only fall outside these controls and regulations if relevant exceptions apply.

No one wants to be on the wrong side of the law, and this is where the Office of Export Controls & Compliance comes in. We're dedicated to helping all areas at WSU flourish in its compliance with these regulations.

The Office of Export Controls & Compliance has a direct email address for questions, exportcontrols@wichita.edu, or you may call 978-COMP. 

Do not hesitate to send an email or call with any questions, at any level of specificity or generality, you have! I've always held the counter-intuitive motto: A busy phone line is a happy compliance department! 

I'll return with Part 2 of this column next month. We'll look more closely at some of the many university corners impacted by Export Controls.