World Wide Web Policy

Policy Last Updated November 17, 2006

Purpose

West Virginia University recognizes the importance of a presence on the World Wide Web (WWW) and of a professional and uniform WWW appearance on official University web pages. This policy addresses use and dissemination of information on the WWW for all colleges, departments, administrators, faculty, staff, and students at West Virginia University. The WVU WWW is provided as a shared service to the WVU community and an access point from the Internet community

Scope

This policy applies to all University staff, faculty, administrators, officers and students (collectively, "users"), including those on the regional campuses and Extended Learning sites.

Policy

WVU Office of Information Technology (OIT) recognizes and supports the University's role as an information provider by supporting electronic methods of distributing information inside WVU and to the electronic community outside. To meet that goal and to promote the dissemination and collection of information, West Virginia University has made access to the WWW available to administrators, faculty, staff, and students. West Virginia University recognizes the rights of academic freedom and freedom of expression and therefore encourages administrators, faculty, staff, and students to take advantage of the global reach of the WWW. However, WVU also respects individuals' rights to be free of harassment and intimidation and expects its users to use common courtesy, common sense, and restraint when placing information on the WWW.

The use of WVU information technology (I.T.) resources is subject to the usual requirements of legal and ethical behavior within the WVU community. Users of WVU I.T. resources must comply with all federal, West Virginia, and other applicable law; all generally applicable rules of the University System of West Virginia Board of Trustees and all generally applicable WVU policies; and all applicable contracts, and licenses. Examples of such laws, rules, policies, contracts and licenses include the laws of libel, privacy, copyright, trademark, obscenity, and child pornography; the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act; the West Virginia Governmental Ethics Act; the WVU Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities; the WVU policy on sexual harassment; and all applicable software licenses.

Users should be aware that they may be subject to the laws of other states and countries when they engage in electronic communications with persons in such other states or countries or on other systems or networks. Users are responsible for ascertaining, understanding, and complying with the laws, rules, policies, contracts, and licenses applicable to their particular uses.

Copyright and Trademark Responsibilities

Many publications, photos, and art work are protected by copyright law. Federal copyright and trademark rules and regulations must be observed. Written permission must be obtained from the artist or author before including copyrighted text, photos, audio, video, etc. Users must follow the University Names and Trademarks Policy (issued and administered by the Office of Institutional Advancement).

Official Pages

The University's home page is considered an official publication as well as a campus-wide information source. Additionally, all pages produced and supported by administrative units such as the colleges, schools, departments, and institutes are considered Official WVU Web Pages. Per agreements made with the college Deans and members of the WWW Executive Advisory Committee, all college homepages will be under the control of the Web Services unit.

As with printed publications, the WVU Communications Toolbox, administered by the Publications Services unit of Institutional Advancement, is also applicable to material published on the WWW. Only approved information will be communicated on the West Virginia University home page and all other official pages that are linked to it. The University supports official WWW pages and encourages personal/unofficial pages as defined below.

Administrative and academic units are encouraged to create and develop official pages for linkage to the WVU home page so that a comprehensive view of the University is offered. Official pages will be linked to appropriate, previously created categories on the WVU home page after review and approval by the Web Services unit.

Administrative and academic units (refer to WVU Communications Toolbox) must develop their own pages and may use graphics, photos, and templates available on the Web Services unit site, including:

Persons creating official pages must have the approval of their dean, department head, or director.

Whenever possible, links to other sites on the WVU home page should be created. This will reduce duplication of effort and help ensure consistency and accuracy. Members of the Web Services unit will be available in an advisory capacity to assist those developing official pages.

Unofficial/Personal Pages

Pages developed by WVU faculty, staff, and students are considered Unofficial Web Pages. West Virginia University supports the use of the WWW as a vehicle for the free and open exchange of ideas and recognizes the importance and value of personal publishing. For this reason, the University encourages web page development by students, faculty, and staff. There are numerous servers throughout the University community where both unofficial and official web pages reside. Personal pages should be created with the understanding that users should follow similar precautions and procedures that would apply to other formats. For example:

  • Links may be created to official pages from personal pages. Personal home pages may be linked to the college or departmental home page through a departmental directory. To be eligible for one of these links, individuals must comply with the guidelines contained within this policy.
  • Individuals should be aware that pages linked to the WVU home pages, as well as those that are not linked, are subject to powerful search engines and that others may locate individual and personal web pages without having been provided with a locator address.
  • All web page authors are responsible for the content of the pages they create. The views and opinions expressed on unofficial web pages are strictly those of the page author and do not represent West Virginia University.
  • Users must refrain from stating or implying that they are speaking on behalf of the University. The use of appropriate disclaimers, such as that set forth below is encouraged: "West Virginia University does not accept responsibility for the content of any unofficial or personal home pages. The authors of such pages are responsible for all aspects of the content of their pages. All official and unofficial web pages must comply with appropriate WVU system rules, University policies, and state and federal laws concerning appropriate use of computers. Any comments concerning the content of unofficial pages should be directed to the authors of those pages, or to webmaster@www.wvu.edu."
  • The authorship of all web pages must be directly or indirectly identifiable.
  • The University does not normally monitor, review, approve, or endorse the content of personal pages.
  • Individuals must obtain permission before including the University's logo on a personal web page. As indicated in the University Names and Trademarks Policy, the Director, Web Services shall be responsible for bringing any proposed authorized use and any suspected unauthorized use of the University name and trademarks in conjunction with on-line activities to the attention of Trademark Licensing Services.
  • Individuals may be sued for defamation if they post untruthful and damaging information about another.

Enforcement

Users should be aware that the Office of Information Technology may review account files if there is reasonable cause to believe a user has engaged in misuse, a violation of this policy, any other University policy or other inappropriate use. The University also reserves the right to ensure compliance by monitoring of keystrokes and electronic monitoring of the network. The Office of Information Technology can suspend, discontinue, or deny service without notice to anyone it determines is abusing information technology systems. The Associate Provost for Information Technology and/or Associate Dean of Student Life will be notified of infractions.

Appropriate/Inappropriate Use and/or Links

As a member of the Internet, West Virginia University has social, ethical, and legal responsibilities to other computer users around the world. The following inappropriate use of the web on University resources is specifically prohibited:

  • The use of the web to inappropriately obtain or distribute unauthorized answers to exam questions (cheating), ghost-written term papers, or other similar activities is prohibited.
  • The use of State facilities for commercial activities is prohibited. Therefore, members of the University community may not use University owned equipment, servers, software, etc. for commercial purposes.
  • Accessing or linking to sites in violation of Federal Obscenity or Child Pornography laws is prohibited.

Computer and Network Excessive Usage

Privileges, trust, and freedom are based on the premise that each member of the campus community develops the necessary skills to be considered a trusted user of University computing resources. These skills include an awareness of information and the technology used to process, store, and transmit it. Any activity that causes degradation of network computing resources will be monitored and is prohibited. These activities include:

  • Excessive game playing
  • Electronic chatting
  • Junk mail or "Spam" mail
  • Reproduction and distribution of the class of programs known as viruses, worms, and Trojan horses
  • Attempts to circumvent network and data protection schemes and devices

ADA Accessibility

The WWW has rapidly become the most popular Internet resource, combining hypertext and multimedia to provide a huge network of educational, governmental, and commercial resources. Yet, because of the multimedia nature of the medium, many Internet users cannot access some of these materials. For example, some visitors:

  • Cannot see graphics because of visual impairments.
  • Cannot hear audio because of hearing impairments.
  • Use slow connections and modems or older equipment which cannot download large files.
  • Have difficulty navigating sites that are poorly organized with unclear directions because they have learning disabilities, speak English as a second language, or are younger than the average user.
  • Use adaptive technology with their computer to access the web.

Following universal design principles ensures that all Internet users can get to the information on WVU web sites regardless of their disability or the limitations of their equipment and software. Use the guidelines in Appendix A - ADA Accessible Web Design, in developing and revising web pages to ensure that they are accessible to a diverse audience.

Policy Violations Procedure

Web pages that do not comply with this policy may be subject to the termination of the account or subject to other actions outlined in various University policies. Specifically,

  1. Suspected violations of this policy or related statute should be reported to the Office of the Associate Provost for Information Technology (OIT) in an e-mail message addressed to: OIT_Admin@mail.wvu.edu or by calling 293-6989. In reporting a violation, complainants need to include a url or web address of the suspected violation along with an electronic mail message citing the specific section of this policy that has been violated.
  2. OIT will assemble the available information on the complaint and process it in one of the following ways:
    • Student Complaint: If the complaint is against a WVU student, the information will be forwarded to the Office of Student Life. Any student contact will be made by the Office of Student Life or by the Department of Public Safety. The Office of Student Life will adjudicate the complaint.
    • Employee Complaint: If the complaint is against a WVU employee, OIT may forward a request that Public Safety carry out any further necessary investigations. After further investigation, the Associate Provost, Office of Information Technology will be responsible for final resolution of the complaint, in accordance with other University policy, Faculty Handbook, and/or BOT Series 62.
    • Unsubstantiated Complaint: If there is no evidence to support the complaint and the complaint can not be substantiated, the complaint will be closed with no further action by the OIT Office.

The Associate Provost, Office of Information Technology reserves the right to authorize removal of an inappropriate or illegal web page or disconnecting a user's account if the user represents a serious threat to the system or poses a liability to the University. As part of an investigation, the Associate Provost, Office of Information Technology (or his designee) may examine mail files, logs, and any other appropriate documents or testimony. Any necessary disciplinary action shall be determined by the appropriate University Policy, Faculty or Student Handbook, or state or federal law. The University may refer suspected violations of applicable law to appropriate law enforcement agencies.

If any provision of this policy is ruled invalid under law, it shall be deemed modified or omitted to the extent necessary, and the remainder of the policy shall continue in full force and effect.

Appendix A - ADA Accessible Web Design

General Page Design

Due to the multimedia nature of the WWW, many Internet surfers cannot access some of the material. Addressing the following access design principles when developing and revising web pages will ensure that web site information will be accessible to a diverse audience, regardless of disability or hardware/software limitations.

  • Maintain a simple, consistent page layout. A consistent design and look makes it easier for visitors to navigate through the hypertext and find the information being provided. For example, features presented on every page, such as a standard navigation menu or logo for the site, should always appear in the same place. A carefully planned organizational scheme will help everyone view the site. A clear, consistent presentation will especially assist people with learning disabilities who have difficulty following disorganized presentations.
  • Keep backgrounds simple. Make sure there is enough contrast. People with low vision or color blindness, or those using black and white monitors, can have difficulty reading information at sites with busy backgrounds and/or dark colors. Many background images and colors obscure text and make reading difficult. Make sure that there is enough contrast between text and the background of the page. Choose background, text, and link colors carefully, and always test the site with both black and white and color monitors.
  • Use standard HTML. Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is the standardized code used to create web sites. The code works with tags that tells a web browser where to find and how to display information. HTML was designed to be a universal format outside the bounds of proprietary software and computer languages. While non-standard tags exist, using standard HTML tags will ensure that the content can be accessed by all browsers used by visitors to the site. Avoid tags, such as <BLINK>, that are not supported by all web browsers.
  • Design large buttons. Small buttons marking links can be a difficult target for visitors with mobility impairments that result in restricted hand movements. Larger buttons can make it easier for all visitors to select the links on the web page.

Questions or Problems

Questions, concerns or additional information about this policy should be directed to Web Services.

Responsibility

The Associate Provost for Information Technology (CIO) is the policy administrator for information technology resources and will ensure this process is followed. Additionally, Deans, Directors and Department Heads are responsible for compliance with University policy within their respective administrative areas.

 

Updated November 13, 2007