Campus Policy Number: 400-45
UCR Guidelines and Procedures for Electronic Mail Policy
Policy Owner: Computing & Communications
Effective Date: 10/01/99
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Allowable Use and Termination of Use
III. Directories
IV. Service Restrictions and Recourse
V. Inspection, Monitoring and Disclosure
VI. Back-up Notification
VII. Notification and Acknowledgment
- INTRODUCTION
The following are the guidelines and procedures to be followed on the Riverside Campus to implement the University of California Electronic Mail Policy, revised September 8, 1997 and reissued March 23, 1998. This policy: 1) clarifies how the law and other university policies apply to electronic mail and 2) defines new policy and procedures where existing policies do not address issues particular to the use of electronic mail.
Section IX of the Policy states that each campus will develop, maintain and publish implementation procedures and guidelines. Sections of the policy are restated within the Guidelines for clarification purposes.
The Guidelines and Procedures for the Riverside Campus may be viewed at:
http://www.cnc.ucr.edu/policy/epolicy.htmPrinted copies are available in the office of Computing & Communications, 1626 Statistics Computer Building, by calling 787-4741 or send your email request to Rosa.Ramirez@ucr.edu. Questions regarding the UCR Guidelines and Procedures may be sent to helpdesk@ucr.edu or call X3555.
The UC Electronic Mail Policy, Reissued March 23, 1998 is located on the web at:
http://www.ucop.edu/irc/policy/ - ALLOWABLE USE AND TERMINATION OF USE
Electronic mail services are available to all registered students and all faculty and staff employed at the University of California, Riverside for the purpose of instruction, research and conducting university business.
The UC Electronic Mail Policy and these Guidelines and Procedures apply to all non-centralized, individual, group, departmental, college, administrative unit, and central campus email service providers and their users.
Departments or units providing email service are responsible for informing all users (current and new) that using any UCR email service implies a) they have read and understood the UC Electronic Mail Policy and the UCR guidelines and b) acknowledge that their usage will comply with the policy and the UCR guidelines.
Individual departments or units may implement additional local eligibility procedures. Such refinements may further restrict eligibility, but may not expand it to additional categories of users.
E-mail service may be provided to contractors or other qualifying individuals for the sole purpose of conducting University business. Such users must agree to comply with this policy and departments are responsible for any of their activities using University e-mail services. Reciprocal faculty accounts between campuses are at the discretion of departments.
E-mail accounts will be terminated once the user's affiliation with the campus is terminated, unless an extension is requested. One-year is the maximum extension granted.
- DIRECTORIES
Student email addresses are available on the web via a searchable database unless the student has requested that the Registrar's Office withhold this information. The finger function will be blocked to everyone except those with valid accounts on the same server where the student's account resides.
Faculty and staff electronic mail addresses are published annually in the campus directory and are available via several electronic lookup services (Gopher and TEL). These databases are intended for university business purposes, but addresses may become known from electronic contexts viewed outside the University if messages containing addresses are posted to public news groups, listservs, Web pages, etc.
- SERVICE RESTRICTIONS AND RECOURSE
The restriction of email service without the consent of the user shall be when any of the following four conditions exist:
- When required by and consistent with law; or
- When there is substantiated reason (as defined in the UC Electronic Mail Policy, Appendix A, Definitions) to believe that violations of law or of University policies listed in UC Electronic Mail Policy Appendix C have taken place; or
- When there are compelling circumstances as defined in UC Electronic Mail Policy Appendix A; or
- Under time-dependent, critical operational circumstances as defined in UC Electronic Mail Policy Appendix A, Definitions.
- Faculty
Requests for restriction of email services to academic senate faculty without their consent for conditions listed in 1 - 4 above must be approved by the Executive Vice Chancellor in advance and in writing. The Executive Vice Chancellor will seek University counsel's advice prior to approving the written request to restrict services. The Executive Vice Chancellor will seek in writing in advance the advice of the Academic Senate (except in the case of non-senate faculty). In emergency situations, as defined in Appendix A, Definitions, the least perusal of contents and the least action necessary to resolve the emergency situation may be taken immediately without authorization. Appropriate authorization must then be sought within forty-eight (48) hours.
- Staff
Requests for restriction of email services to staff without their consent for the conditions listed in 1-4 above must be approved in advance and in writing by the Vice Chancellor for Administration. The Vice Chancellor for Administration will seek University counsel's advice prior to approving any written requests to restrict services. Consultation with the Director of Human Resources and Labor Relations is advised. In emergency situations, as defined in Appendix A, Definitions, the least perusal of contents and the least action necessary to resolve the emergency situation may be taken immediately without authorization. Appropriate authorization must then be sought within forty-eight (48) hours.
- Students
Requests for restriction of email services to students without their consent for the conditions listed in 1-4 above must be approved in advance and in writing by the Vice Chancellor of Student Services and Enrollment. The Vice Chancellor for Student Services and Enrollment will seek University counsel's advice prior to approving any written requests to restrict services. Advice may also be sought from the Student Conduct Coordinator. In emergency situations, as defined in Appendix A, Definitions, the least perusal of contents and the least action necessary to resolve the emergency situation may be taken immediately without authorization. Appropriate authorization must then be sought within forty-eight (48) hours.
- Recourse
Persons who believe that actions have been taken unjustly may contact the appropriate person as stated for policy violation recourse in the policies governing their classification; i.e., appropriate collective bargaining unit and the Staff Personnel Policy for staff, Policies Applying to Campus Activities, Organizations, and Students for students, and Academic Personnel Manual for faculty.
- INSPECTION, MONITORING AND DISCLOSURE
The University does not routinely inspect, monitor, or disclose the contents of electronic mail without the user's consent. However, subject to the Electronic Mail Policy definitions and the requirements for authorization and notification, and consistent with the process and authorities defined above (Service Restrictions), the University may inspect, monitor, or disclose electronic mail without the individuals consent when:
- required by and consistent with law; or
- there is substantiated reason (as defined in the UC Electronic Mail Policy, Appendix A, Definitions) to believe that violations of law or of University policies listed in UC Electronic Mail Policy, Appendix C, have taken place; or
- there are compelling circumstances as defined in UC Electronic Mail Policy Appendix A; or
- under time-dependent, critical operational circumstances as defined in UC Electronic Mail Policy, Appendix A, Definitions.
Authorization for inspection shall be limited to the least perusal of contents and the least action necessary to resolve the situation. In the above conditions, the approving authority for the action taken is to notify the user as to the action being taken and the reason(s) for it at, the earliest possible opportunity consistent with law and other University policy.
Each Office of the Vice Chancellor with the authority to approve non-consensual access for the above listed conditions (1-4) will keep records of their respective approvals of authorized or emergency non-consensual access. UC Policy requires the campus to publish an annual report summarizing, where consistent with law, instances of authorized or emergency non-consensual access.
- BACK-UP NOTIFICATION
Back-up (the transferring, copying and holding of copies of electronic mail for the purpose of recovering said mail in the event of hardware failure or other disaster) policies and procedures will be the responsibility of each individual department or unit providing electronic mail services. These procedures will be explained by each department to their users upon request.
- NOTIFICATION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The UC Electronic Mail Policy and UCR Guidelines and Procedures will be broadly publicized in all possible campus communication venues; such as, new employee orientation packets, E-mail account applications, SCOTmail, Schedule of Classes, campus newspaper, flyers, and the WWW, on an annual basis.
Current electronic mail users will be sent an electronic message stating that their continued use of UCR's electronic mail services implies understanding of and acknowledgment of the policy and guidelines and that usage must comply with the policy.
New faculty and staff will acknowledge their understanding and acceptance at the time they activate their email accounts. It will be the responsibility of all campus systems administrators providing email accounts to modify their account applications to include policy acknowledgment and acceptance.
New students will receive electronic notification when their account is activated as well as printed information mailed to their home prior to arrival on campus, or at summer orientation sessions.