Policies

All users of Oglethorpe University electronic resources have the responsibility to use information technology in an effective, efficient, ethical and lawful manner. The ethical and legal standards that must be maintained are derived directly from standards of common sense and common decency that apply to the use of any public resource. Violations of any conditions will be considered to be unethical and may possibly be unlawful. In accordance with established University practices, violations may result in disciplinary review which could result in legal action. The following list, though not comprehensive, specifies some responsibilities that accompany computer use, be it on centralized computing hardware or any other Oglethorpe electronic resource.

General Responsibilities

Use of resources must be employed only for the purpose in which they are intended. Oglethorpe University supported computing includes: authorized research, instructional, and administrative activities. Our personnel and computing resources cannot be used for commercial purposes, monetary gain, or unauthorized research.

Computer users must not search for, access, or copy directories, programs, files, disks, or data not belonging to them unless they have specific authorization to do so. Programs, subroutines, and data provided on Oglethorpe central computers cannot be downloaded or taken to other computer sites without permission. Programs obtained from commercial sources or other computer installations may not be used unless written authority to use them has been obtained. Oglethorpe equipment or software may not be used to violate the terms of any License Agreement.

Individuals should not encroach on others’ use of the computer.

This includes:

• using electronic resources for non-academic activities or other trivial applications such that it prevents others from using these resources for their primary intended purpose
• sending frivolous or excessive messages or mail either locally or over the network
• using excessive amounts of storage; printing excessive copies of programs, files, or data
• running grossly inefficient programs when efficient ones are available

Individuals must not attempt to modify system facilities or attempt to crash the system. Nor should individuals attempt to subvert the restrictions associated with computer accounts, networks, or computer software protections.

Definitions:

Network ID is your individually assigned identification for use on all Oglethorpe University electronic information technology systems. This gives you access to e-mail, network (Windows Server) resources, remote access, web based services and other electronic resources. This is commonly referred to as your “username” or “login name.” There is no charge for a Network ID for eligible individuals (see below for eligibility criterion).

Sponsored ID is a Network ID provided to an otherwise non-eligible individual. These accounts must be sponsored by a faculty or senior staff member with a current, non-sponsored Oglethorpe Network ID, as well as the approval of the sponsor’s department chair or an appropriate Vice President. The sponsor must provide written documentation to IT Services indicating the business need for the sponsored ID and must further accept full responsibility for all activities that occur with the account.
A Sponsored ID is good for one calendar year, and must be renewed on an annual basis.

Access Codes are any form of Information used to authenticate, secure or control electronic information technology systems. This includes, but is not limited to, logon ID’s, passwords, keys, and account numbers.
Eligibility:

The following individuals are eligible for an Oglethorpe University Network ID

• Full and part time Oglethorpe faculty and staff
• Currently enrolled students obtaining a degree from Oglethorpe University
• Students taking a class offered by Oglethorpe University – these students will receive an Oglethorpe Network ID only for the semester(s) when they are taking an Oglethorpe course that is offered for credit.
• Individuals teaching an Oglethorpe University course
• Temporary workers while they are working at Oglethorpe University
• Employees on official sabbaticals or leaves of absences

The following individuals would need to obtain a Sponsored Oglethorpe University Network ID

• Consultants paid by Oglethorpe University who REQUIRE an Oglethorpe account to do their work
• Visiting faculty who are not teaching a course and are not being paid by the University

The following does not, in and of itself, qualify an individual for an Oglethorpe University Network ID

• Alumni and recent graduates of Oglethorpe University – Alumni are eligible for guest access to use the labs and have certain other electronic rights and access available through the Office of Alumni Relations.
• Retirees of the school – Retirees may apply to keep their Oglethorpe Network ID with the Provost.

Policies:

All eligible individuals are assigned a Network ID based upon their legal name as officially documented with the University. This Network ID will not be changed unless

1. Your legal name changes (e.g. due to marriage, divorce, etc.
2. 0
3. Your assigned Network ID is offensive.

PLEASE NOTE: Random nicknames, non-associated names, titles, etc. are expressly not supported by the University. Middle names or common nicknames for legal names ARE supported only IF Human Resources and/or Admissions is told in advance of the account creation.

Access to electronic systems is a privilege that has an accompanying responsibility to protect those systems. In general, you are responsible for all usage done under your Access Codes. Should you choose to disclose your Access Codes to others, you will be held responsible for the resulting usage. In particular, you should never disclose Access Codes which were intended to provide you alone with personal access to University electronic systems. You should avoid disclosing your Access Codes, even when requested to by someone who says it is necessary to work on a problem.

Disclosure may put you and/or the person to whom you have disclosed your Access Codes in violation of an applicable license or contract. You should take all reasonable precautions, including but not limited to, password changes and other file protection measures, to prevent unauthorized use of the systems and software accessible by means of your Access Codes.

Once a person becomes ineligible for a Network ID, all Sponsored Network IDs listing that person as a sponsor also become ineligible. New sponsors must be found and reported to IT Services in writing or via e-mail to [email protected]

In general, each eligible person will receive one Network ID.
Faculty and staff may request a temporary account on a specific electronic system if that account is needed for testing or development purposes.
This request must be made in writing (or via e-mail to [email protected]) and must include justification as to why this account is needed.

• These account requests are granted at the discretion of the Chief Information Officer, and may be discontinued at any time.
• IT Services will assign the temporary Network ID for this account; the Network ID cannot be selected by the requestor.
• A temporary account, if granted, will be active for 1 year or until the owner of the account is no longer eligible for Oglethorpe network accounts. At the end of the year period, IT Services will contact the owner of the test account and renew the account if it is still needed.
• The temporary account is only valid for one person – multiple people using the test account will result in the disabling of the test account.

Login ID changes for users are no longer conducted during the course of the academic semester. Any login ID changes will need to wait until the end of the academic semester to be processed. We can accept the requests during the semester but the ID WILL NOT BE CHANGED until the end of the academic semester.
Procedures:

The following outlines the process for deactivating those people no longer eligible for an Oglethorpe Account (Network ID):

• Employees: Unless an explicit exemption is granted (e.g. retirement or prior arrangement with IT Services and/or HR), employee Network IDs (faculty & staff) are deactivated immediately following the end of their last day of work and/or their effective termination date which ever comes first.
• Students:
  • Graduation – Upon graduation, a student’s Network ID will generally remain active until after the date of record (end of drop/add period) following the start of the next Fall semester. Generally, this date falls in early September. Students will generally be given at least one month of notice before deactivation.
  • Non-returning – Students who transfer, withdraw or otherwise do not return to the University will have their Network IDs deactivated at the earlier date of either:
    • notification by the Registrar’s office or
    • three consecutive terms of no active classes. No notice is generally given for account deactivations of this type.

Students wishing to take a leave of absence and not have their Network IDs deactivated should notify and obtain agreement with the Registrar in advance.

Files saved to network storage are backed up to tape on the following schedule:

• All files are backed up over the weekend
• Any files that have changed since the prior weekend are backed up nightly

These backup tapes are retained for 8 weeks and then erased, recycled, or otherwise destroyed. This means that any file deleted from network storage will be unrecoverable after 8 weeks.

Employees: When an employee leaves the University and their former account is deactivated per the Account & Network ID Policy, all the associated data such as files and/or e-mail associated with that former employee’s account will normally be retained for 4 weeks and then will be deleted. The former employee’s supervisor will be notified before any data associated with the account is deleted. Further, the former employee’s supervisor may request an extension to the retention period, in writing, prior to the 4 weeks after the employee has left the University.

Students: Accounts deactivated per the Account & Network ID Policy will be retained for 4 weeks before it (and all the associated data such as files and/or e-mail) is deleted.

Data that is maintained on the University Administrative Computing System (Datatel Colleague or Benefactor) is permanently retained at the discretion of the department/division for their area of accountability. Data administrators are responsible for the accuracy, completeness and retention of data files in their areas.

IT Services recommends the following processes to avoid common security attack methods:

• Run an anti-virus program to detect, prevent, and remove malicious software from devices, including laptops, desktops, tablets, and cell phones.
• Anti-virus software should be set to update automatically, and scans should be scheduled to run regularly, such as once a week.
• Several anti-virus software companies offer free downloads, with the option to purchase to protect your devices.

What are the benefits of having anti-malware software?
Most anti-virus software detects, blocks, and removes several types of malware, such as viruses, Trojans, worms, spyware, and adware. Computers that are infected with malware can cause a major problem on Oglethorpe’s network.

If your device becomes infected, it could potentially put your files, your devices, and the university’s infrastructure at risk. To avoid vulnerabilities within your system, having anti-virus software installed and updated frequently is highly recommended.

What happens if malicious software is installed on my device?
If suspicious activity is detected on a student’s device that is connected to Oglethorpe’s network, the student will be notified, and the device will be removed from the network for up to two weeks. While the device is removed from the network, the student will be expected to obtain anti-virus software and use it to clean the device of any malicious software.

The student will be required to provide a copy of the scan report. IT Services will manually scan the device to verify that the malicious software has been successfully removed. Once this process is complete, IT Services will determine if the device may reconnect to the network.

If your device is removed from Oglethorpe’s network, you may utilize the computer labs in the library to access the universities systems such as Office 365, Canvas, and Oasis. The library also offers laptop rentals to students upon availability.

In view of the Statement on Computing Ethics, IT Services will abide by the following Storage Quota Policy in order to distribute our limited storage resources fairly and in accordance with the University’s mission:

Exchange Storage (including E-Mail, Calendar, and Contacts):

Storage on the Exchange Server will be allocated to each user based on his or her primary role at Oglethorpe University:

Students: 50 MB
Faculty and Staff: 500 MB
Senior administration (Certain staff who communicate with the public and/or
the entire University regularly as a primary job responsibility): 1 GB

If your Exchange storage use exceeds 90% of your allocation, the system will begin sending you warning messages. At 100% usage, the system will begin to return any messages sent to you to the sender, and you will not be able to send any further messages. Messages that you have sent count toward your storage usage unless you delete them from the Sent Items folder. Deleted items count toward your storage unless you empty the Deleted Items folder.

Attachments are the primary cause of a full mailbox. You are encouraged to save attached files to your personal file storage or portable storage (such as a USB thumb drive) and delete the e-mail message to keep your mail quota clear. Groups of people who collaborate on documents are encouraged to save those documents to shared storage instead of e-mailing attachments back and forth.

Faculty and staff who are working on a temporary project that requires more e-mail storage are invited to request a temporary increase in storage quota. IT Services retains the right of discretion over temporary increases but will make reasonable efforts to accommodate your need.

Personal File Storage (H: drive):

Personal file storage will be allocated to each user based on his or her primary role at Oglethorpe University:

Students: 50 MB
Faculty and Staff: 500 MB
Senior administration: 1 GB

If your personal file storage use exceeds 90% of your allocation, the system will begin sending you warning messages. At 100% usage, the system will no longer allow you to write to your personal file storage. Access will be restored once you delete items from this storage. Again, you can save space easily by saving files you will not be using regularly to devices such as a USB thumb drive.

Personal file storage is held in accordance with our Privacy Policy, which states in part that we will take reasonable efforts to ensure that your storage remains private. We do not routinely monitor the contents of personal file storage, but we cannot guarantee absolute privacy.

Shared Storage (O: drive):

Shared storage areas (“Shares”) are allocated space according to a balance of need and centrality to the University’s mission. By default, each department or administrative unit is allocated 1 GB of space. Student organizations will have shares created upon the written request of that organization’s advisor. Shares are accessible to either a group of people or the entire University, depending on how each share is configured. Thus, you have no reasonable expectation of personal privacy for anything you save on a share.

Audio and video media files (MP3, MPG, AVI, MOV, etc.) take up lots of space and should not be stored on shares unless they form an integral part of the official activity for which the share was created. Under no circumstance should you use shares to circumvent the quota set on your personal file storage. Large amounts of media files saved on a share will invite scrutiny to determine if they are stored there legitimately.

Each department, administrative unit or student organization must have one person designated to ensure quotas for theses shares is enforced. By default, this will be the Chair, Director, organization advisor, or appropriate Vice President.

Procedure for raising your quota:

IT Services will do everything in its power to allocate resources in accordance with the University’s mission. To request an increase to your personal, departmental, student organization or administrative unit share, please send a written request to the Director of IT Services with the amount of additional space requested and the reason why this space is required.

Procedure for creating a new share:

As the University grows or elects to take on new missions, new shares will, from time to time, need to be created. To request a new share, please send a written request to the Director of IT Services with the name of the share, the amount of space requested if outside the default limits and the reason why this new share is required.

For all other requests (such as assistance in cleaning up a share or renaming a share) please contact the University’s Systems Manager.

Oglethorpe University provides a wide variety of computing, networking and other technology facilities in order to promote and support academic pursuits. Information Technology Services (IT Services) maintains and supports computing and networking services as well as other technologies in support of the university mission.
By using University technology resources, all users agree to abide by all University rules and policies, as well as any and all local, state and federal laws. All users have the responsibility to use computing technology resources in an effective, efficient, ethical and lawful manner. Violations of this policy may result in suspension, without notice, of privileges to use the resources and services, disciplinary action, including possible termination, and/or legal action. Any questions regarding this and other policies should be addressed to the Director of IT Services.

General Responsibilities

Individual Use: Network and computing accounts are for individual use, and should only be used by the person to whom it has been issued. Users are responsible for all actions originating through their account or network connection. Users must not impersonate others, or attempt to misrepresent or conceal their identity in electronic messages and actions. Users must not use University resources for any purpose inconsistent with Oglethorpe’s status as a non-profit entity. Finally, users may not send mass email to the University or subgroups of the University via already existing lists or lists gleaned from the global address book without prior authorization.

E-mail Use: Oglethorpe University encourages the appropriate use of e-mail. In this, users must follow certain. All users are expected to adhere to the bounds of decency, law, ethics, common sense, and good taste in e-mail communications. Confidentiality of e-mail is not guaranteed. Users should not assume that messages they send or receive are absolutely private. Views expressed by individual users are not necessarily the views of Oglethorpe University.

Intellectual Property: Users must comply with all copyrights laws and fair use provisions, software licenses, and all other state and federal laws governing intellectual property. Inappropriate reproduction and/or distribution of copyright music, movies, computer software, text, images, etc. is strictly prohibited.
Privacy

Oglethorpe University will take reasonable efforts to ensure that your user files and e-mail messages remain private. Further, the University does not routinely monitor the contents of user files and/or messages. However, given the nature of computers and electronic communications, we cannot in any way guarantee, unless legal requirements dictate otherwise, the absolute privacy of your files and information. Users must take reasonable precautions and understand that there is a risk that in some circumstances others can, either intentionally or unintentionally, gain access to files and/or messages. Where it appears that the integrity, security or functionality of the University’s computer or network resources are at risk, Oglethorpe University reserves the right to take whatever actions it deems necessary (including, but not limited to, monitoring activity and viewing files) to investigate and resolve the situation.

The University will treat personal files and communications as confidential and will only examine or disclose their contents when authorized by the owner or under the following circumstances:

Criminal investigation: IT Services will comply with any criminal or civil legal proceedings, and provide any and all data requested in a legal subpoena in a timely fashion. The user will be informed of this action unless IT Services is legally bound to secrecy.

Termination of employment: IT Services will, upon written request of a department head and/or Vice President, and after verification that a user has left the University, change that user’s password and provide the new password to the user’s former department head or director.

Internal administrative request (i.e. harassment allegation, discrimination, job performance, etc): Any request of an internal nature to examine a user’s e-mail or electronic data must be made in writing to the Director of IT Services. Once this request is received, the combined authorization of the Chief Information Officer and the appropriate Provost and/or Vice President is necessary to approve the request and outline the scope and method of the search; who will be provided the results of the search; and decide whether the affected user will be notified and if so, if it will be before or after the search is completed. In general, users will be notified of the search unless the circumstances of the request dictate otherwise.
Use of Oglethorpe’s computer, network and telecommunication resources and services constitutes acceptance of this E-mail and Computer Use Policy.

All professional staff members of the IT Services department are required to sign a confidentiality agreement regarding any and all user information they may come across in the performance of their duties.

Oglethorpe University’s connection to the Internet is a resource shared by all members of the Oglethorpe community. As such, to ensure that all users of our network are able to access academic resources at the University, a network traffic monitoring system is in place. Specific network activities that generate heavy traffic, usually caused by uploading and downloading large files, are monitored and controlled to keep Internet traffic flowing smoothly for the campus.
Excessive Use

Individual computers that are identified by the monitoring software as transferring files in excess of acceptable limits will have their Internet connection limited, suspended, or terminated automatically by the network. This may happen at any time without notice. Connectivity will resume after a period of no less than 24 hours. Multiple repeated violations may result in permanent loss of network connectivity.

If students experience unexpected loss of Internet connectivity, please consider your on-line activity before contacting IT Services to report an Internet outage. In addition, please keep in mind that computers infected with spyware or a virus may increase network traffic without the user’s knowledge. Appropriate precautions and cleaning of your computer is encouraged.

IT Services appreciates responsible use of this limited resource. For any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us at the IT Services Help Desk.

As an institution of higher learning that values exploration and free access to information, Oglethorpe University does not filter the content of the Internet beyond items that we are specifically aware of that are a) illegal and/or b) a threat to the proper functioning of the OU network. Priority use on the Oglethorpe network is given to meeting its academic and business mission. Games and non-academic traffic are allowed as long as no personal monetary gain is involved. Please see the Oglethorpe Statement of Computing Ethics for more information.

IT Services reserves the right to moderate any traffic that becomes overly excessive and limits academic use of the Internet. While these pursuits are allowed, IT Services cannot diagnose or assist in any way users who have problems with their gaming consoles, TV’s, other electronic devices and/or non-academic internet traffic.

While these pursuits are allowed, IT Services cannot diagnose or assist in any way users who have problems with their games and/or non-academic traffic.

Students, faculty and staff are not authorized to establish any type of account with any service provider that will be billed to any telephone number of the University.

Purchasing:

In a proactive effort to be wise stewards of University resources, the Information Technology Services (IT Services) unit has negotiated numerous purchasing agreements with software and hardware vendors, service agencies, multimedia companies, network vendors, software developers and more. These agreements ensure the University not only the best price for our information technology needs, but quality service as well.

In order to take advantage of these contracts and ensure purchases meet University standards, IT Services must be involved in all information technology related purchases. Therefore, any faculty or staff member needing technology MUST make their purchase through IT Services. The University WILL NOT reimburse the purchase of any technology related item unless that purchase was made through and/or with the knowledge and approval of IT Services.

Donations:

Only equipment that works well within the University’s information technology infrastructure is useful to the University. Equipment that does not meet standards can actually cost the University in support and/or cause significant reliability issues.

Therefore, equipment which is donated to the University must meet or exceed current IT Services standards. Equipment that does not meet these standards will not be accepted for donation. If a faculty, staff, student or friend of the University wishes to donate equipment, IT Services should be contacted. Once the equipment is approved, it can be dropped off at the IT Services Help Desk.

To make a request to purchase or donate an information technology related item, simply contact the IT Services Help Desk via OASIS, at (404)364-8880 or [email protected].

Purpose:
The Goal of the Oglethorpe University website is to communicate in a clear and consistent manner the university’s mission, vision and key messages to its primary target audience, prospective students.

To meet this goal, University Communications (UC) and the Office of Information Technology Services (IT) have partnered to provide services to the university community that include a catalog of templates, website elements and consulting services.

Areas of Responsibility:

Oglethorpe’s website is regarded as an official publication of Oglethorpe University. As the primary means by which constituents learn about the university, the Oglethorpe website must reflect the university in a consistent manner. The website is designed to match the university’s identity standards.

Content on the university’s website is overseen by University Communications using a technological infrastructure managed by IT. University Communications maintains ownership for all aspects of the content, look, feel, interface and navigation of the website.

Oglethorpe’s main website (http://www.oglethorpe.edu) encompasses the home page and all pages linked from main navigation, including, but not limited to:

About Us
Admission
Academics
Athletics
Alumni
Campus Life
Content Management

Content Guidelines:

Commercial advertising is not permitted on any Oglethorpe-hosted website.
Student organization pages and faculty personal pages are not required to use the standard Oglethorpe template, nor be submitted to UC for review.
Web pages and content posted on the Oglethorpe website must comply with all applicable copyright, privacy and/or trademark law, rules, regulations and university policies.
Content on all web pages on an Oglethorpe-hosted website must adhere to the university’s Oglethorpe University Standards Manual, and Statement of Computing Ethics guidelines.

The following is a list of requirements and suggestions for Oglethorpe students to enjoy the full functionality of their courses. If students have questions about specific requirements for a course, they should consult the instructor. If you have questions about any item not listed below, contact the IT Services Help Desk.
In addition to the list below, check the technical requirements for ProctorFree on their website.

Suggested Minimum Computer Requirements:

• Laptop or MacBook
• 250 GB hard drive or more
• 8 GB RAM or more
• 2.4 GHz processor or faster
• Windows 10 or current Mac OS X
• 1024 x 768 resolution monitor or better
• Anti-virus program (updated regularly)
• Microsoft Office365 (up to 5 downloads included with your active OU account)
• Acrobat Reader

Note on Chromebooks and other tablets: Although many students use Chromebooks or tablets to complete coursework, using these devices for taking courses is not recommended. Chromebooks, tablets, and mobile devices are not compatible with ProctorFree software.
Note about mobile devices: Although Canvas and other software are compatible with any smart device, some course components may not be compatible with a specific device. Submitting graded work to Canvas via a mobile device is not recommended.
Internet Connection: A reliable internet connection and high-speed broadband are recommended. No extensions or waivers will be granted for problems with an internet service provider (ISP).

Web Browser
Your web browser should be updated regularly; otherwise, Canvas, web pages, and other content may not function properly.

• Google Chrome
• Safari
• Microsoft Edge
• Mozilla Firefox

Other devices and equipment
Note that some courses may require the following:

• A webcam
• Microphone and speakers or headset/earbuds with a microphone
• Multimedia software (audio or video production)
• Industry-specific software as outlined in the course syllabus.