Telecommunications Policy
Purpose
To establish policy to regulate and control the University's voice and data services.
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
The Office of Telecommunications provides all telecommunications services required by each school, college, and administrative office of West Virginia University. The basic services consist of:- telephone equipment (SRX, ISDN, VOIP)
- Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) lines
- digital circuits for data communications
- out bound long distance
- directory assistance services with the use of a Telephone Identification number (TID)
- faculty and staff credit cards for away from office business use and voice mail service
- voice mail, voice over IP (internet provider)
- Additional communications services can also be provided for specific requirements.
For all of these services, Telecommunications contracts with vendors to provide the required service and distributes the cost of the service to the individual unit or department.
Telecommunications initiates these services upon the request of a dean or director of a unit. Upon receipt of the request, we work with the unit telephone coordinator who is designated the contact person by the requestor and issues the appropriate order to begin the service and to distribute to the unit the cost of the service.
Changes to a unit’s telephone service or the way telephone service is being charged must be requested in writing to the Office of Telecommunications, P.O. Box 6860, One Waterfront Place. These changes must be authorized by the dean, director, or designee of the unit.
Telecommunications coordinates all installations and changes to requested telephone services, including the scheduling of all requests with various vendors. The time frame for installations and changes varies depending on the type of work requested. Regardless of the work to be performed, all requests for installations and changes should be submitted three weeks prior to the date the work must be completed.
Telephone service provided to units by Telecommunications is for the sole purpose of conducting University business. All services are billed to the units at University approved cost recovery rates.
West Virginia University allows full-time, benefits eligible employees personal use of the University long distance network through a Personal Security Code (PSC). Calls placed using this code are billed at standard direct distance dial (DDD) rates, with a ten percent discount if paid within ten days. This rate is less than credit card, collect, third-party-billed, or operator-assisted calls. To request this service, contact the OIT Help Desk at 293-4444.
Telephone Identification Numbers Policy
Use of a TID by someone other than the owner will be treated as misuse of the telephone system. Misuse may be suspected if a unit is billed for calls on a TID when the telephone numbers from which the calls were made are not assigned to that unit. (Note: TIDs may be used on any telephone on campus, so a few calls may occur when an employee makes calls while visiting another campus office. This possibility should be eliminated before submitting any suspected misuse for investigation.)
- If a unit suspects it is billed for misuse of the telephone system, it should copy the bill in question, note the calls and submit the information to Telecommunications. It will be reviewed and if misuse is suspected it will be turned over to the Department of Public Safety for investigation. If suspected misuse is determined to be an error that results in charges to the wrong department, the error will be corrected and appropriate adjustments in billing will be made.
- If suspected misuse is in fact determined to be actual misuse, the persons responsible will be required to reimburse the University at telephone company, direct distance dial (DDD) rates, which is the rate they would have paid for legal use of the telephone system using a PSC.
- The use of an administrative TID in a residence hall is considered misuse and will result in the TID being cancelled and action taken against the student(s) assigned to the room in which the telephone number used is located. If the student(s) and the person making the calls verify the calls were valid administrative calls, action against the student(s) will be rescinded, and the appropriate department will be charged.
- The use of an administrative TID in the university apartments will be forwarded to the department for their review. If they return it to us as misuse, we will initiate action against the tenant residing in the apartment in which the telephone number used is located.
Questions or Problems
Questions, concerns or additional information about this and any OIT policy should be directed to the CIO office at OIT_Admin@mail.wvu.edu.
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.
Policy Last Updated: June 9, 2003
Updated November 13, 2007