Policy Information

1. Purpose

   The purpose of this order is to provide guidance and establish parameters restricting the use of electronic surveillance and recording of public and restricted areas for the purpose of safety and security. SUNY Oswego respects the privacy of the university community members and is sensitive to balancing that privacy with safety needs on campus. Cameras extend the protection of University Police, even when officers are not in an immediate area. Cameras are not a guarantee of safety, but are a tool that assists University Police. Cameras protect campus community members from dangers by serving as deterrents and expediting investigations.

2. Policy

   This policy applies to all SUNY Oswego personnel in the use of university authorized security cameras and their video monitoring and recording systems to include public webcams. SUNY Oswego reserves the right to place cameras on campus where necessary and appropriate. Cameras will be limited to uses that do not violate the reasonable expectation of privacy as defined by law. When appropriate, the cameras may be placed campus-wide, inside and outside buildings. Final approval of camera locations will be determined by the Chief of University Police and SUNY Oswego President.

3. Camera Placement

   The following guidelines apply to the placement of cameras on campus:

   1. The Chief of University Police in conjunction with the Security Systems Management Team, and the SUNY Oswego President, shall determine placement and use of CCTV cameras. The placement and use shall also conform to applicable Federal and New York State Laws.
   2. This policy does not apply to covert cameras used by University Police for criminal surveillance as governed by New York Penal Law.
   3. CCTV cameras may not be established in private areas of the campus without obtaining a valid warrant and only subject to Section II above. Private areas include residence hall rooms, bathrooms, shower areas, locker and changing rooms, areas where a reasonable person might change clothes. Additionally, private offices, rooms for medical, physical, or mental therapy or treatment are also considered private as well as entrances, exits, lobbies, exam rooms and hallways of the Mary Walker Health Center. The only exceptions are cameras used narrowly to protect money, documents, supplies or pharmaceuticals from theft, destruction, or tampering.
   4. Cameras shall not be directed or zoomed into the windows of any private residential space or office. To the maximum extent possible, electronic shielding will be placed in the camera so that the camera does not have the capability to look into or through windows.
   5. Cameras shall not be directed or zoomed into the windows of any private building not on University property.
4. Camera Use and Non-Use Guidelines
   1. Cameras shall be used exclusively for campus safety and security purposes. SUNY Oswego University Police has jurisdiction of the recordings and will evaluate and authorize any release and use of the recordings.
   2. Cameras will not be used to monitor individual students, faculty, or staff, except as necessary for a criminal investigation and except as in accordance with the terms of a valid warrant.
   3. Prior to releasing the recordings or images, the face and identifying features of all those persons not of interest to the investigation will be blurred.
   4. The University will not use cameras to prosecute violations, including parking rules, unless review of a formal complaint results in a determination that a campus safety or security issue exists.
5. Webcam Usage
   1. Request for webcam placement and usage should be directed to the SUNY Oswego Security Systems Management Team for approval.
      1. The installation of a public webcam needs to be coordinated with CTS after approval.
   2. The department or unit requesting the installation of the webcam is responsible for all labor and materials costs associated with the installation, maintenance, and replacement of the cams.
   3. The webcam is to be placed in public view, not hidden or concealed in any way. The requesting entity must make sure the placement does not violate any applicable law or campus policies.
   4. Any viewing, placement or recording of images from a public webcam is subject to Section 3.4 and Section 3.5 above.

6. Legitimate Safety and Security Purposes

   Includes, but are not limited to, the following:

   1. Safety and Security of students, faculty and staff.
   2. Protection of buildings and property.
   3. Building perimeter, entrances and exits, lobbies and corridors, elevators, receiving docks, special storage areas, laboratories, cashier locations, transit stops, parking lots, public (enclosed and unenclosed) streets, shopping areas, exterior public areas, etc.
   4. Monitoring and recording of access control systems.
   5. Monitoring and recording restricted access transactions at entrances to buildings and other areas.
   6. Criminal investigation.
   7. Robbery, burglary, and theft surveillance.
   8. Protection of pedestrians.
7. Monitoring
   1. Images and recordings may only be monitored by University Police personnel or other designated persons authorized by Chief of University Police and the SUNY Oswego President.
   2. No students may be hired to monitor recordings or images.
   3. If the University Police in conjunction with the SUNY Oswego President believes it is necessary to aid in an investigation or search, short recordings or image stills may be released to the media or the public. Prior to releasing the recordings or images, the face and identifying features of all those persons not of interest to the investigation will be blurred.
   4. All personnel approved for monitoring will receive training in effective, legal and ethical use of the monitoring equipment. They will receive a copy of this policy and provide written acknowledgement that they have read and understand this policy and will receive any and all updates or amendments to this policy.
   5. A list of all authorized personnel will remain with the University Police Department.
8. Storage of Media
   1. Recordings will be stored in a manner consistent with available technology and transported in a manner that preserves security. Current and archived recordings shall be kept locked and secured.
   2. Release of any and all portions of recordings is subject to Section 4 above.
   3. Current and archived recordings under review by authorized officials shall be subject to a process where the specifically requested recording dates and times are logged in a record maintained by the University Police Department to include:
      1. date and time of recording
      2. name and contact information of person requesting the data
      3. reason for requesting the data
      4. approval signature of authorized University Police personnel authorizing the release of the data.
   4. No attempt shall ever be made to alter any recording, except for blurring faces of persons not of interest to the investigation. Original recordings, not released, shall remain unedited. Editing or otherwise altering recordings or still images, except to enhance quality for investigative purposes or blur features as described above, is not permitted.
   5. The length of time we will store recorded footage has been set at 30 days. This is considered industry standard and would meet any requirements University Police can foresee as being needed. Length of storage time may be modified to meet hardware requirements as needed as long as the amount of stored video continues to meet the needs of the campus for investigations.

9. Destruction or Tampering with Cameras

   Any person who tampers with or destroys a camera or any part of the electronic surveillance system may be prosecuted in the criminal justice system as well as the campus judicial system.

This policy describes the assignment, use and management of cellular telephones by employees of SUNY Oswego. SUNY Oswego provides for the use of cellular telephones for those individuals whose duties and responsibilities require immediate or remote communications capabilities.

1. Policy

   The Chief Administrative Officer or designee shall be responsible for the administration of cellular telephone use, including the acquisition of equipment; the specific service plan for telephone use, and method of reimbursement for personal telephone calls by employees. The acquisition of cellular telephone services and service plans shall be in accordance with the State University of New York Administrative Procedures Manual - Item 300 - Purchasing and Contract Procedures.

   1. The assignment of cellular telephones must be approved by a designated campus administrative official and should be only to employees whose duties and responsibilities require immediate and off-site communication capabilities. The designated administrative official must review the assignment of all cellular telephones at least annually to assure compliance with this policy.
   2. A current inventory of all cellular telephones must be maintained. Such inventory must include decal numbers, serial numbers, and telephone numbers, along with the name of each employee to whom a unit has been assigned.
   3. Each employee assigned a cellular telephone must sign an acknowledgement of the Cellular Telephone Policy, which is to be maintained in the employee's personnel file.
   4. Each employee assigned a cellular telephone shall be primarily responsible for the security and maintenance of the unit and must immediately report the theft, loss or vandalism of the unit.
   5. If the nature of an employee's job requires them to remotely send or receive email messages, that employee will be eligible to use a "smart phone" (i.e. iPhone or Blackberry) and will be provided with the appropriate data plan. The use of a smart phone and addition of a data plan requires approval of a designated campus administrative official.
   6. If the nature of an employee's job requires them to remotely send or receive text messages, that employee will be provided with the appropriate text messaging plan. Adding a text messaging plan requires approval of a designated campus administrative official.
   7. Assigned cellular telephones should be used for official business-related activities. Personal use of an assigned unit shall be occasional, incidental or for emergencies.
   8. A monthly usage bill will be provided to each employee assigned a cellular telephone. The employee is responsible for reviewing the monthly usage bill and must reimburse SUNY Oswego for any outgoing personal calls, text/picture messages and data overages.
   9. All employees assigned a cellular telephone must complete and sign a Monthly Cellular Telephone Reimbursement Report (see Attachment 2), which will be included with their monthly bill. Additional copies may be obtained by contacting the CTS-Telecommunications office in 102 Culkin Hall.
   10. The responsibility for assigned cellular telephones cannot be transferred to another employee. When an employee to whom a cellular telephone has been assigned terminates employment or transfers to another campus position no longer requiring the use of a cellular telephone, the unit, including any accessories, must be returned to the designated administrative official in appropriate working condition prior to the employee's last day at work or in their original assignment.
   11. Any employee assigned a cellular telephone who fails to comply with SUNY Oswego's cellular telephone policy may have their telephone privileges suspended or revoked and may be subject to disciplinary action.

2. Procedure for Recording Cellular Reimbursements

   Reimbursements of personal cellular telephone calls will be done upon receipt of the signed Monthly Cellular Telephone Reimbursement Report via an adjustment to the employee's personal telephone account. If said employee does not have a personal telephone account, payments for reimbursement should be made via check or money order payable to SUNY Oswego and forwarded with a signed Monthly Cellular Telephone Reimbursement Report. Completed Monthly Cellular Telephone Reimbursement Reports should be returned to the CTS-Telecommunications Office by the 22nd of each month even if the employee has no personal telephone calls to report. Failure to submit a Monthly Cellular Telephone Reimbursement Report may subject an employee to disciplinary action.

3. Cellular Telephone Use While Driving

   By Executive order and consistent with New York Vehicle and Traffic Law 1225-c, all state agencies have been directed that employees shall not use hand -held mobile telephones to "engage in a call" or "compose and/or send a text message" while operating state or personal motor vehicles on public highways when conducting State business. Police and peace officers engaged in the performance of their official duties are exempted, as are emergency communications to obtain assistance from a medical provider, ambulance, fire or police entities. First violations will result in a warning to the employee, and subsequent violations may subject the employee to discipline and confiscation of the cellular telephone. Hands-free cellular equipment is available for purchase and shall be obtained should such use be necessary and prudent.

Unless otherwise specifically detailed in writing, all University-owned or controlled information technology resources (computers, networks, servers and other devices) and all data contained therein (i.e. Banner, Adirondack, Email, and other systems) is property of the University and exists expressly for the purpose of educational use and legitimate University-related business. Any other use of these resources or systems or release of data contained in them is prohibited. Employees are expected to comply with this policy and the use of any system is considered an acknowledgement they will do so. Students are required to affirm their intent to comply with the student code of conduct prior to being given access to these systems. Employee violations of this policy may lead to disciplinary action in accordance with applicable collective bargaining agreements and SUNY and New York State policies. Student violations of this policy may lead to disciplinary charges as described in the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct. Misuse of these resources or systems or the data contained in them may also subject employees and students to prosecution consistent with New York State Law. SUNY Oswego reserves the right revoke an individual’s access to any and all information systems or data.

1. The University's network provides data and services in support of its educational mission. It is the responsibility of each member of the campus community to use these resources appropriately and in compliance with all campus policies and local, state, and federal laws and regulations. Access is a privilege that can be revoked due to misuse. By connecting to the campus network, users agree to the terms and conditions of the Acceptable Use of Data and Information Systems Policy as well as the policies in the Faculty and Professional Staff Handbook and the Student Handbook. The University will make every reasonable effort to protect the privacy and security of user data. The University reserves the right to exam user data in resolving computer or network malfunctions, investigating information security incidents, or responding to disciplinary or legal actions involving a user.
2. Users who administer computers on the campus network that are used as servers have the additional responsibility to respond to any use of their server(s) that is in violation of the Acceptable Use of Data and Information Systems Policy. Server administrators must take steps to prevent recurrence of such violations and report these violations to Campus Technology Services (CTS) Technology Support Center. Additionally, server administrators must fully cooperate with campus, local, state, and federal civil and criminal authorities investigating complaints of abuse of network services (e.g., by installing monitoring and tracking software, providing access to activity logs, etc).
3. Campus units and individuals who configure computing systems to provide information retrieval services to the public at large must do so in a manner consistent with the University's mission. For any such services provided through the campus network the University's name must not be used in ways that suggest or imply endorsement of other organizations, their products, or services.
4. The campus network is a shared resource. Excessive use of network resources which inhibits or interferes with the use of the network by others is not permitted. Any person operating a network-intensive application, a defective computer, or other network-connected device which overloads the network will be notified and steps will be taken to protect the overall network. This may include disconnecting the offending system from the network until the problem is resolved. If the condition is an imminent hazard to the campus network or disrupts the activities of others, the offending system or the section of the network to which it is attached may be disconnected without prior notice.
5. The campus network may not be used for any illegal activities. Any receipt, transmission or retransmission of software or data must observe copyright laws, license restrictions, and University policies. Illegal activities include, but are not limited to, file-sharing in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and denial of service attacks.
6. Campus network resources may not be used to defame, harass, intimidate or threaten. University harassment policies cover all uses of the campus network including e-mail correspondence, distribution lists, and web pages.
7. A user may not view, copy, alter or destroy any data, or connect to a host on the network without explicit permission of the owner.
8. Campus network services, equipment, wiring or jacks may not be altered, removed, or extended beyond the location of their intended use.
9. The campus network may not be used to provide access to campus information systems for purposes other than those that are in support of the University's mission.
10. Access to the campus network may not be resold or otherwise provided to anyone not formally affiliated with the University unless prior written permission is obtained from Campus Technology Services.
11. University-owned or controlled network resources, such as Penfield Library’s digital resources and databases, may not be retransmitted outside of the University community.
12. Users may not forge or otherwise misrepresent another’s identity through any form of communication.
13. The campus network may not be used to circumvent protection schemes or exercise security loopholes in any computer or network component.
14. The campus network may not be used for commercial or profit-making enterprises, except for those activities officially sanctioned by the University.
15. Violations of the Acceptable Use of Data and Information Systems Policy will be adjudicated by the Campus Technology Services or other appropriate campus administrative units. Violations of local, state and federal law will be referred to the appropriate authorities. Violations of these regulations may result in judicial sanctions as prescribed by the Code of Student Rights, Responsibility and Conduct such as:
    1. Loss of access privileges
    2. Monetary reimbursement to the University or other appropriate sources
    3. Reassignment or removal from campus housing and/or the University
    4. Prosecution under applicable civil or criminal laws

Further information on the campus Acceptable Use of Data and Information System Policy is available from the office of the Chief Technology Officer.

As a user of SUNY Oswego's Computer and Network services there are certain rules, regulations and network etiquette which you must observe. This document is to inform users of these regulations and functions as an overview of the general rules for usage and conduct. This document is NOT a complete list of potential problem areas. Computer accounts and network access is provided to students, faculty and staff of SUNY Oswego as a privilege. Therefore, computer accounts and network access may be suspended or revoked if these rules are violated.

1. Computer accounts and network access is provided for exclusive use by an individual or a group of individuals specified by SUNY Oswego. Providing other individuals or groups access to your account or use of the campus network is not allowed.
2. Attempts to gain unauthorized access to any account, file or network which is not specifically provided for your use, including those systems not operated by SUNY Oswego is forbidden and WILL result in immediate revocation of ALL accounts and network access provided for your use by SUNY Oswego.
3. Attempts to circumvent restrictions placed on your account or network access are forbidden.
4. The running of server or daemon processes on the campus time sharing systems is not allowed unless given prior written authorization from the campus computer center(s). Users who administer computers on the campus network that are used as servers have the additional responsibility to respond to any use of their server that is in violation of this Acceptable Use Policy.
5. Computer services or network access at SUNY Oswego are not allowed to be used for commercial purposes other than those that are involved in the running of the college.
6. Non-college related uses of computer services and network access that result in a negative impact on college related uses are not allowed and will be terminated.
7. Campus network services, equipment, wiring or jacks may not be altered, removed or extended beyond the location of their intended use.
8. SUNY Oswego-specific or commercially obtained network resources may not be retransmitted outside of the SUNY Oswego community. Examples include, but are NOT limited to: the IT newsgroups, databases licensed by Penfield Library, CBT Courses and campus licensed anti-virus software.
9. The campus network is a shared resource. Excessive use of the network resources which inhibits or interferes with the use of the network by others is not permitted.
10. College units and individuals who configure computing systems to provide information retrieval services to the public at large must do so in a manner consistent with the college mission. For any such services provided through the campus network the college name must not be used in ways that suggest or imply endorsement of other organizations, their products or services.
11. Campus network resources may not be used to defame, harass, intimidate or threaten. College harassment policies cover all uses of the campus network and computer resources, including e-mail correspondence and newsgroups.
12. Use of SUNY Oswego's computer services or network access for ILLEGAL purposes are expressly forbidden. Violations of any of the rules and regulations listed above can result in the suspension and/or revocation of any and/or all computer accounts and network access provided to you by SUNY Oswego. Violations of campus regulations or local, state and federal law will be referred to the appropriate authorities.
13. SUNY Oswego reserves the right to inspect any information or data residing on any of its systems whenever it is deemed necessary. All information, including personal information, placed on campus systems or sent over the campus network may be monitored. Use of SUNY Oswego's computer and network systems, authorized or unauthorized, constitutes consent to monitoring of these systems.

To keep up with the demands of staying current with operating system, security and software updates, CTS will be updating SUNY Oswego-owned campus computers, servers and services throughout each semester.

For SUNY Oswego-owned faculty and staff computers, these updates will occur on Wednesdays. On these "Patch Wednesdays," CTS staff may remotely push operating system and/or security patches as well as new version of particular software, such as Firefox, Adobe Reader, etc. to computer. These updates will occur early Wednesday mornings. You may see a slight delay in performance of your computer as the updates are applied to your computer.

At other times, updates to campus servers or services will take place which may interrupt service. These "Change Management" updates may include operating system or security patches to servers and/or new versions of campus software used for accessing online services. Examples could include updates to Banner, myOswego, or the campus wireless system.

In both types of updates, CTS will thoroughly test updates before being applied to the campus.

To see our scheduled updates, visit our Technology Status page.

As members of an academic community, we are all familiar with the concept of intellectual property. Basically, the concept means that what we create - our ideas, our writings, our paintings, etc. - are the product of our selves and properly belong to us. Other people may use our work if we give them permission. The emergence of this concept of copyright protection in the past made it possible for people to earn a living from their creative activities. Just because the work has been made available in digital form, and thus readily accessible by computer, does NOT remove the copyright protection. For general copyright information, visit the US Copyright Office.

SUNY Oswego information related to digital copyright:

• Software Copyright Policy from the Faculty and Professional Staff handbook
• The Digital Millenium Copyright Act (see information below)

Do you use peer-to-peer (P2P) programs like Kazaa, Bit Torrent, Gnutella, or Limewire or uTorrent to listen to and share music, video, application files? Did you know that you could be violating U.S. Code Title 17 and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by doing so? This could impose civil and criminal penalties including fines, jail time, and lawyer’s fees. Note that the minimal per instance fine associated with copyright infringement for civil penalties is $750.00 and criminal penalties can go as high as $250,000 per instance and five years in prison.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998 is a federal law that is designed to protect copyright holders from online theft—that is, from the unlawful reproduction or distribution of their works. The DMCA covers music, movies, text and anything that is copyrighted. This includes copyrighted music and songs and applications. You could be violating the DMCA if you are:

• downloading content that is copyrighted and haven't paid a licensing fee for it
• ripping copyrighted CDs onto your computer and then sharing them
• sharing copyrighted movies and/or television programs

How do you know if something is copyrighted? Most material will say so either somewhere on the item or on the case it came in. A good sign that something is copyrighted is if someone had to BUY it.

Higher Education Opportunity Act (Peer-to-peer Requirements)

H.R 4137, the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA), is a reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. It includes provisions that are designed to reduce the illegal uploading and downloading of copyrighted works through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing. These provisions include requirements that:

• Institutions make an annual disclosure that informs students that the illegal distribution of copyrighted materials may subject them to criminal and civil penalties and describes the steps that institutions will take to detect and punish illegal distribution of copyrighted materials.
• Institutions certify to the Secretary of Education that they have developed plans to "effectively combat" the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material.
• Institutions, "to the extent practicable," offer alternatives to illegal file sharing.
• Institutions identify procedures for periodically reviewing the effectiveness of the plans to combat the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials.

HEOA Compliance

To comply with H.R. 4137 HEOA, SUNY Oswego takes the following actions.

• Every fall semester an email is sent to all students informing them of this policy.
• SUNY Oswego utilizes technology to rate-limit and identify use of peer-to-peer file sharing usage.
• SUNY Oswego posts links to websites with information on methods to obtain copyrighted materials legally. Legal Sources of Online Content can be found at the EDUCAUSE site.
• SUNY Oswego CTS staff continually monitors network traffic. Any changes in the amount of peer-to-peer traffic or DMCA complaints will be documented and action taken through technology or procedures.

Policy

The Faculty and Professional Staff Handbook covers Software Copyright Policy. Computer Network and Acceptable Use is found above.

DMCA Violations

Sometimes, SUNY Oswego receives warning notices from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and other companies of material that is being shared illegally from our campus. SUNY Oswego immediately takes action upon receiving these notices. There is a formal procedure that is followed when the campus receives these notices, which can be seen below. 

Since February 2007, the RIAA is more aggressively targeting university students who are violating the DMCA. Instead of sending warning notices, they are sending pre-lawsuit letters to students on university campuses who have been found uploading and/or downloading copyrighted material. The pre-lawsuit allows them to settle at a reduced amount of money than if the case goes to court. Note that the minimal per instance fine associated with copyright infringement is $750.00 but can go as high as $250,000 and five years in prison.

You could violate federal copyright law if:

• Somebody e-mails copyrighted material to you and, in turn, you forward it to one or more friends.
• You make an MP3 copy of a song from a CD that you bought (purchasers are expressly permitted to do so) but subsequently make the MP3 file(s) available on the Internet using a file-sharing network.
• You join a file-sharing network and download unauthorized copies of copyrighted material you want from the computers of other network members.
• To gain access to copyrighted material on the computers of other network members, you pay a fee to join a file-sharing network that is not authorized to distribute or make copies of the copyrighted material. You then download unauthorized material.
• You transfer copyrighted material using an instant messaging service.
• You have a computer with a CD burner that you use to burn copies of music you have downloaded onto writeable CDs which you then distribute to your friends.

A simple rule of thumb to help you identify which materials are protected by copyright and which are not: If you would typically pay for it, then it is probably protected.

Procedures

When SUNY Oswego receives a DMCA notification the following procedures are followed:

• CTS first checks to make sure that the notification is valid. We verify that certain pieces of information and certain wording required by law are included.
• If the notification is valid, CTS looks through authentication and network registration records to determine what user was logged on or registered to during the time period the violation occurred.
• The network connection of the offending user is blocked for a minimum of two weeks, longer if prior DMCA notices for the user have been received. If multiple offenses occur, a port/account maintenance charge may be applied.
• The notice is then forwarded to Student Conduct along with the user information and if any prior DMCA notices had been received for this user.
• Student Conduct will contact the offending user regarding the notice.

What can you do to make sure you aren't illegally sharing music files or other copyrighted files on a peer-to-peer network?

• Make sure you own any copyrighted music, movies, etc. on your computer. You are allowed to rip a music CD that you have purchased to your computer - you just can't share it through the popular peer-to-peer file sharing programs. Remove any files that you do not own or purchase them through the Apple iTunes store or other online music/video store including Vudu, Netflix, Hulu, Crackle, Amazon and more.
• Make sure your peer-to-peer file sharing program is not automatically sharing files. 
• Watch the Campus Downloading video from NC State.
• Tell your friends!

Below are some additional resources:

• Directions to uninstall peer-2-peer applications from your computer (source Cornell University). Additionally you may call the Help Desk at 315-312-3456 for assistance in uninstalling.
• Legal Sources of Online Content from EDUCAUSE
• Higher Education Copyright Act
• Copyright page on Wikipedia
• DMCA page on Wikipedia

Communicating with others in annoying or offensive ways is not only in bad taste but it is a crime as well. In New York State any communication that meets the following standard is a crime punishable by up to one year in jail and $1000.00 fine:

"with intent to harass, annoy, threaten or alarm another person, he or she: 1. Communicates, or causes a communication to be initiated by mechanical or electronic means..." (NYS Penal Law Sect 240.30) Tips in Handling Annoyance Electronic Communication.

University Police has some helpful tips on handling email harassment. If you have tried these and still continue to receive annoying, harassing, or threatening electronic communications, report it to University Police. All threats to your physical safety should be reported to the police.

Email address naming schema

• Faculty and staff email addresses will be formatted as [email protected]
  • Example: [email protected]
• Student email addresses will be formatted as [email protected]
  • Example: [email protected]
• Email addresses (the part before the '@' sign) will be limited to twenty (20) characters including the "dot" separator.
  • Email names will not include any special characters such as a hyphen
• For common names belonging to multiple individuals, a number will be appended to the last name based on the order of email address creation.
  • Faculty and staff example: [email protected]
  • Student example: [email protected]
  • Numerals 1 and 10 through 19 will not be used to avoid confusion with the lower case letter L.

Faculty and staff email addresses

• Email addresses will be based on the faculty or staff member's legal name as recorded by Human Resources.
  • A very limited number of exceptions will be allowed (see below)
  • For email addresses where the first and last name total more than 19 characters, the last name will be included in full and the first name will be truncated appropriately

Faculty and staff email address exceptions

In keeping with the primary objective of this proposal, exceptions may be granted to faculty and staff to select a preferred name rather than using their legal name as a basis for their email address according to the following criteria:

• A faculty or staff member is commonly known by their middle name rather than their first name
  • Example: A. John Smith - [email protected]
• A faculty or staff member is commonly known by multiple words in their first name that may include their middle name or a form of their middle name.
  • Example: Mary Elizabeth Smith - [email protected]
  • Example: Sally Ann Smith - [email protected]
• A faculty or staff member is commonly known by a first name that differs substantially from their legal name.
  • Example: Edward Kennedy Ellington - [email protected]
• A faculty or staff member with a hyphenated last name is commonly known by both words, first word, or last word.
  • Example: Mary Jones (Mary Jones-Smith) - [email protected]
  • Example: Mary Jones-Smith - [email protected]
• A faculty or staff member with a long first name and/or last name that when truncated to conform to the character limitation creates an embarrassing or undesirable first name.
  • Example: Farthing Cowlperthwaites - [email protected]
• Exceptions will be discouraged for common nicknames for first names.
  • Example: Joe for Joseph
  • Example: Kim for Kimberly
• Preferred name selections will be reviewed by CTS for technical/format compliance.

Departmental email addresses

• Email addresses for departments (the part before the '@' sign) will be limited to twenty (20) characters.
  • Email addresses will not include any special characters such as hyphen
  • Email addresses will not include a "dot" separator
• Existing email addresses for departments are not required to change.
  • Departments wishing to expand their existing email address beyond eight characters may request a change.
• For departments who choose to change their email addresses, existing email addresses will be aliased to the new email addresses.
  • Email directed to these aliases will continue to be delivered as usual.

Listserv emails

Listserv email address conventions are not affected by the schema.

• All list names will end in "-list".
• List names will be limited to twenty characters including the "-list" designator.
• The listserv email address format will remain [email protected].

1. Use of Electronic Mail

   Electronic mail (e-mail) is an official mechanism of communication for SUNY Oswego.

2. Official College E-mail Accounts

   An official college e-mail account is one in which the address ends with "oswego.edu." All students, faculty, and staff are assigned an e-mail address and account while enrolled or employed. Retired employees may, at their discretion, choose to continue their account.

3. Expectations For Use of E-mail

   Students, faculty, and staff have the responsibility to use this e-mail in an efficient, effective, respectful, ethical and lawful manner. Students, faculty, and staff are expected to check their e-mail on a frequent and consistent basis in order to stay current with college-related communications.All users have the responsibility to recognize that certain communications may be time-critical. Failure to check one's email, failure to maintain one's email account resulting in mailbox storage limitations being reached, or forwarding errors will not constitute acceptable excuses for missing official college communications via e-mail.

4. Redirecting of Email

   If a student, faculty, or staff member wishes to redirect e-mail from their official @oswego.edu address to another e-mail address (e.g., @aol.com, @hotmail.com), they may do so, but at their own initiative and risk. The college will not be responsible for the handling of e-mail by non-SUNY Oswego providers. Redirecting e-mail does not absolve students, faculty, or staff from the responsibilities associated with official communication sent to their @oswego.edu account.

5. Privacy

   Users should exercise extreme caution in using e-mail to communicate confidential or sensitive matters, and should not assume that e-mail is private and confidential. It is especially important that users are careful to send messages only to the intended recipient(s). Particular care should be taken when using the "reply" command during e-mail correspondence.

6. Educational and Administrative Uses of E-mail

   Faculty will determine how electronic forms of communication (e.g., e-mail, discussion boards, discussion lists etc.) will be used for educational purposes, and will specify their requirements in the course syllabus. The official e-mail policy ensures that all students will be able to comply with e-mail-based course requirements specified by faculty. Faculty can therefore make the assumption that students' official @oswego.edu accounts are being accessed and faculty can use e-mail for their classes accordingly. Administrative offices will determine how e-mail communications will be used for administrative purposes.

7. College Announcements

   Approval and transmission of e-mail to the entire campus community must be obtained from the appropriate authority. Only the offices of vice presidents or the College President can authorize the sending of broadcast messages to all students, faculty, and/or staff.

8. Ownership/Administration

   SUNY Oswego owns all e-mail accounts run on systems it owns or controls. Under certain circumstances it may be necessary for the Campus Technology Services staff or other appropriate college officials to access e-mail files to maintain the system, and to investigate security or abuse incidents or violations of other institutional policies. Such access will be on an as-needed basis and any e-mail accessed will be disclosed only to essential and affected individuals. While incidental non-business personal use of e-mail is acceptable, conducting business for profit using college resources is forbidden. Quota, maximum message size, message retention settings, time-out settings, maintenance times, and other e-mail guidelines will be set as appropriate for the anticipated educational and administrative needs of the university. The need to revise settings will be monitored with recommended changes as appropriate.

9. Violations/Abuses

   Violation or abuse of the campus policies may result in restriction of access to SUNY Oswego's e-mail system and/or other appropriate disciplinary action.

Purpose

To use campus electronic resources to enhance communications within the campus community.

Mass e-mail messages are a useful and convenient way of informing the campus community. However, their potential for unnecessarily consuming resources and cluttering campus inboxes require that senders of such messages adhere to some guidelines. As such, mass e-mails must be approved and sent by authorized users only.

By way of definition, mass e-mailing involves sending an unsolicited e-mail message to a group of otherwise unrelated campus e-mail addresses. For example, sending a message to all faculty or all students would be considered a mass e-mailing. Whether such messages are sent by using a personally constructed list of addresses or a system-generated list, makes no difference in the effect or applicability of this policy.

Acceptable content 

While the ability to send mass e-mailings is confined to just authorized users, those users are obligated to restrict such use to mailings that fit the following criteria:

• Non-commercial in nature
• Related to the college's mission or business functions
• In text format with no attachments
• Concise (200-400 words), include a link to a web site if more information needs to be communicated
• Must include contact information for the originator who will provide for courteous, timely and accurate disposition of questions and comments from message recipients.
• Survey instruments must be approved by the Office of Institutional Research.

Campus constituencies

Recipients do not have the ability to opt out of this system. Target audiences that may be reached by e-mail distribution are:

• State employees- All employees paid through the SUNY Human Resources Office
• Management/Confidential employees - SUNY employees represented by the Management/Confidential negotiating unit
• UUP members - SUNY employees represented by the United University Professionals negotiating unit
• CSEA members - SUNY employees represented by the Civil Service negotiating unit
• Faculty members - SUNY employees represented by the United University Professionals negotiating unit and are appointed to a title that is instructional or hold a Library title
• Faculty full time - same as above except full-time appointment
• Faculty part time - same as above but with part time appointment
• Affiliated employees- Auxiliary Services, Sponsored Research and Alumni employees
• Retiree-list – any college employee who have been identified and has an active college email account
• All students - currently registered students
• Off-campus students - currently registered students without an on campus address
• On-campus students - currently registered students with an on campus address
• Undergraduate Students- currently registered undergraduate students
• Graduate Students -currently registered graduate students
• Announce list - All Faculty/Staff who have not been identified as having left campus and have activated their account & all Students who are currently registered and have activated their account
• Professional staff - SUNY employees represented by the United University Professionals negotiating unit and are not faculty by title.

Procedures

Campus departments, faculty, staff and organizations will:

• Make clear and justifiable requests for general distribution to the Vice President overseeing their area. When possible, this should be done at least 2 business days before the message needs to go out.
• The content of the message to go out will be included in the request.
• The content of the message to go out will include contact information either an email address and/or a phone number where recipients may direct questions or responses.
• When a Vice President is away, requests should go to the Director of Communications and Marketing Office.
• Specify which campus constituencies are to receive the message (see above).

Direct your request, with the subject line "Distribution for approval" to:

• Presidents Office ~ [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
• Vicki Furlong ~ [email protected]
• Kathleen Kerr ~ [email protected]
• Mary Canale ~ [email protected]
• Scott Furlong ~ [email protected], [email protected]
• Tim Nekritz ~ [email protected]

Vice presidents will:

• Receive requests for campus general distribution e-mail.
• Determine if the message meets the requirements for acceptable content.
• Determine if the targeted constituent group(s) is the appropriate audience for the message.
• Make sure that the e-mail has contact information for recipients to direct questions and responses.
• Direct the message to be sent by an appropriate trained member of their staff.

Campus Technology Services will:

• Maintain facilities and equipment necessary to accomplish the distributions.
• Update the above lists weekly.

CTS provides users with a certain number of free laser printouts per semester listed below. These generous limits were established to permit the average student to complete their course work without incurring additional expenses. Users who desire to print beyond these limits can do so, but at an additional personal expense.

The following printing guidelines are strictly enforced:

• Users are given the following print allocations/print quota prior to the beginning of each semester/session. This equates to about 200 black and white printed pages.
  • $30 for the fall semester
  • $30 for the spring semester
  • $30 for summer session
  • $30 for winter session
• Printing of one black and white page (either single or double-sided) deducts $0.15 from a user's print quota.
• Printing of one color page (either single or double-sided) deducts $0.90 from a user's print quota.
• To purchase more Print Dollars with your credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express & Discover), visit Telecommunications. Please allow two business days for processing.
• There is no rollover of the semester/session print quota from one semester to the next. Unused pages purchased from Campus Technology Services - Telecommunications Office, will only be rolled over from the fall semester to the spring semester.
• Pages are NOT transferable to other accounts!
• Only CTS provided paper may be used in CTS computer lab printers. User-provided paper (such as colored paper, heavier weight paper, card stock, etc.) has damaged CTS printers in the past and is NOT permitted. To use your own paper, you may try using the services at the College Store.

Most general access CTS computer labs have black laser printers available for printing. Some also have color printing available. See the chart below. For questions about the printing policy or printing-related problems, please contact the Help Desk in 26 Lanigan Hall at 315-312-3456 or email [email protected].