Technology and Telecommunications Policy Guide

Revised: July 7, 2006  
First Edition: January 15, 1999

This policy guide includes policies and guidelines for these technological systems and services at Trinity:

Because of the evolutionary nature of the topics covered in this policy guide, supplements to this document will be necessary on a routine basis, and the guide itself will be reviewed and revised about every six months.In the event that a new technology or system is introduced to the Trinity community prior to a revision of this guide, the general principles reflected below will govern the new use.

Introduction

Trinity recognizes the critical value of technology in achieving its institutional mission. The rapid expansion of technological and related telecommunications opportunities has enlarged the scope of teaching and learning immeasurably, expanding the range of possible inquiry, research and intellectual dialogue well beyond previous horizons.  In keeping with its historic reputation for academic excellence and innovation, Trinity seeks to ensure that its faculty and students have the maximum possible access to these opportunities.

While creating a modern technological environment for educational and administrative purposes, Trinity strives to meet the immediate needs of the learning community even as the university prepares for greater technological innovation in the future. The pace of technological invention places demands on the university’s resources --- human, financial, plant and systems --- that are difficult to project beyond a two-to-three year horizon. These demands require careful planning and prudent administrative oversight, including the considerate allocation of scarce resources to the most pressing priorities. Such demands also require policies that promote a large degree of academic freedom in the use of technology while also protecting individuals and the institution from the harm that can come from the misuse of technology.

Accordingly, the scope of this Technology and Telecommunications Policy Guide (TTPG) includes a statement of policies that govern the use of Trinity’s technology and telecommunications infrastructure as these systems exist today. In recognition of the rapidly changing technological environment at Trinity and throughout higher education, the administration and faculty will review the TTPG periodically and make adjustments to ensure that Trinity’s priorities and policies are keeping pace with innovations and experience.

Applicability of this Policy Guide

All faculty, students and staff of Trinity are responsible to abide by the policies and directions of this policy guide.  In addition, any other users who participate in the Trinity technology and telecommunications environment are responsible to observe these policies.

This document will be available on Trinity’s web site as well as in hard copy in the Library, computer labs, Marilley Classroom, and various offices responsible for technology.

Access to the technology and telecommunications systems of Trinity is a privilege extended to specified users. Violation of these policies may result in suspension or termination of access privileges to any or all technology and telecommunications systems.

Statement on Acceptable Use

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In the articulation of policies governing the acceptable use of the campus technology and telecommunications systems, Trinity believes that its mission and strategic goals must inform the policy framework.

·   As a Catholic university, Trinity believes that all uses of technology on and through the campus systems must occur with respect for the sacred dignity of the human person, and with respect for Trinity’s essential religious identity.

·   As a university with a primary undergraduate mission to the education of women, and to women and men in professional studies as well as teaching and human service professions,  Trinity believes that the uses of technology should ensure every student’s growth and development for public leadership.

·   As a university whose intellectual tradition is firmly rooted in liberal learning, Trinity believes that all uses of technology must promote and enlarge the acquisition of knowledge and the search for truth.

·   All uses of these systems must conform to the ideals and expectations of the Trinity Honor System, and violations of the policies stated in this guide may incur judicial action as well as the consequences described below.

Within this general context of Trinity’s mission and values, Trinity expects all users of its technology and telecommunications systems to respect conventional “acceptable use” guidelines for colleges and universities, which generally state that technology and telecommunications equipment and systems may be properly used for all aspects of teaching and research, as well as the business affairs of the university, and related communications including publication and distribution of information related to the academic and administrative affairs of the unversity.

Acceptable use is also governed by the general policies of Trinity, including policies stated in the various handbooks and policy statements.

Acceptable use is also determined by external law and regulation, including laws governing copyrights, intellectual property, libel, privacy and pornography.

Activities that are NOT “Acceptable Use”

Following are examples of activities that are NOT acceptable use under this policy guide:

1. Use of any Trinity computer, telephone, fax machine, e-mail account, web site, or other technological or telecommunications device for commercial activities that are not approved by Trinity.

(“Commercial” means activities that produce goods or services for sale and offered to a broad market; as used in this policy, the term generally encompasses the idea that an individual may not use Trinity’s equipment, domain address, or any aspect of technology to run a private business or for personal financial gain.  This meaning generally distinguishes conventional scholarly and  academic activities like writing articles or publishing books, which may generate honoraria or royalties for a faculty member as a by-product of scholarly and intellectual activity, from activities whose primary purpose is financial gain, e.g., using a web page located on Trinity’s web site to advertise a private consulting business or to sell retail products. As individual cases arise, Trinity reserves the right to determine whether an activity conducted using its equipment is permissible under this section, and personnel conflict-of-interest policies also apply in relation to such activities.)

2. Any use that seeks to break into, modify, disrupt, shut down or otherwise impact negatively upon the university’s computer and telephone systems, including hacking, introduction of viruses, spamming, stealing account codes, and related activities.  Users are warned that such activities may also result in legal action, including FBI involvement and criminal prosecution.

3.  Any use that inappropriately abridges another person’s ability to use the technology and telecommunications systems.

4.  Any use that violates Trinity’s policies or laws that protect individuals from sexual or racial harassment, or harassment or discrimination based on other categories covered by federal law and the D.C. Human Rights Act.

5.  Any use that violates another person’s privacy.  Examples of such use include: publishing another person’s name, phone number, address, grades, messages, papers or written coursework, or any other personally identifying information without that person’s explicit permission.

6.  Any use that violates copyright and intellectual property laws and policies, including the use or distribution of unlicensed software, as well as uses that violate the standards of Academic Honesty including downloading and using another person’s work without their explicit permission, engaging in plagiarism (presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own), engaging in any form of academic or business fraud.

7.   Any use that tampers with software protections or restrictions placed on computer applications, files, or directories.  Examples of such use includes altering or deleting operating systems, desktop icons, and desktop settings.

8.  Any use that engages in fraudulent or criminal activities, uses that are obscene or defamatory, or uses that harass or intimidate individuals or groups.

9.  Any use that attempts to obtain a higher level of security on TriNet systems than the level to which the user is authorized.

Trinity owns its name, its seal, logo and images, and no one may use the name, seal, logo or images of Trinity on print or electronic communications without explicit permission (permission is implied for uses related to work at Trinity; examples distinguishing such uses: using letterhead is permitted for official correspondence but not for personal letters, and in the same way in cyberspace, using the university name and logo generally would be permitted for official web pages but not for personal web pages.  Similarly, while the name “Trinity” might appear on individual addresses or resumes for identification purposes, the official name of the university may not be used in ways that imply endorsement, oversight or ownership without explicit agreement with the university.)   Trinity owns the domain name trinitydc.edu, and no one may use this domain address other than persons authorized by Trinity.

Within this context, the following general policies are intended to assist all members of the campus community in their use of campus telecommunications, technology and information systems.  Unless the policy statements that follow indicate specific application to faculty, staff or students, the policy governs all persons who have accounts with the Trinity systems.

Access to Systems

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Faculty and Staff

All faculty and staff of Trinity have general access to the telecommunications, technology and information systems of the university as a matter of necessity to accomplish their work. All full-time faculty and staff have direct access to computers and telephones and the systems they support, and this access includes a larger responsibility to use the equipment appropriately and to care properly for the equipment.  All telephone and computer equipment purchased and installed by Trinity is the property of Trinity, unless otherwise specified.  Employees who use their personal equipment on the premises of the university should register that use through the Office of Technology and Information Resources.

Part-time faculty and staff may also have access to computer and telephone systems through accounts assigned at the beginning of each semester.

Students who also work as staff in various offices and departments may have varying degrees of access  to Trinity’s systems and information services beyond the access normally provided to persons who are students only.  For purposes of the application of this policy, students with staff levels of access are treated as “staff” in this section; students who misuse their staff privileges will incur disciplinary actions that may include both personnel actions as well as judicial sanctions depending upon the conduct.

Every user who is an employee receives access codes and passwords for those portions of the systems that are applicable to the employee’s work.  Trinity reserves the right to restrict access according to the needs of the users.  Employees who are not provided access codes or passwords may not attempt to gain access to systems or information by other means; similarly, employees who are granted limited access to the information system may not use such access to obtain other information to which they are not entitled, e.g., payroll information or student records.

Students

Students may have access to portions of the telecommunications, technology and information systems of Trinity as a matter of privilege, not right.  The privilege is extended on a semester-by-semester basis to students  (a) who are in good academic standing and (b) who have cleared their financial obligations. Trinity reserves the right to deny access to these systems to any student who has violated these policies.

Trinity encourages all students to acquire personal computers for use either at home or in their residence hall rooms.  As with all personal equipment, students are responsible for the security, maintenance and repair of their computers and technological equipment.

Trinity provides the following means of computer and phone access for students:

Residence Halls: Each student room is equipped with voice and data ports sufficient for the number of students expected to live in the room.  Resident students have access to the  the Trinity telephone system, and they will receive voicemail boxes and information about long-distance access.  Resident students will be expected to provide their own analog telephone instruments. Resident students will also have access to the e-mail system and the Internet through the TriNet ports in the student rooms.

Commuter Students: All commuter students in all programs will receive e-mail addresses at the beginning of each semester.  Students are responsible to check e-mail on a regular basis, because the faculty will use these systems to communicate with students.

Computer Labs: The main computer lab for students is in Main B-19.  The use of the computer labs is restricted to Trinity students, faculty and staff only; no other person may use the labs, and children may not be present in the labs or use the public access computers. 

TriNet:  The Trinity Information Network

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Trinity provides a campus wide information and communications network (TriNet) to support all teaching and learning activities on campus, as well as the business affairs of the university.  The use of the network and its software must conform to the “acceptable use” standards in this policy, and must not violate any aspect of this policy, other college policies, or laws and regulations.

Severe penalties will ensue in any case in which a person uses TriNet in ways that violate this policy, commit fraud or abuse, steal or manipulate information from the university’s database, violate copyright (including software licensing requirements) and other violations of law or policy.  “Severe penalties” may include internal disciplinary actions up to and including separation from the university, as well as prosecution through external law enforcement authorities.  

The World Wide Web

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TriNet, the Trinity Information Network, also provides faculty, staff and students with rapid access to the World Wide Web and the Internet.   As with all uses under this policy, access to the Web is for instructional and Trinity business purposes.

Trinity does not provide access to the Web for commercial use.  While Trinity does not generally provide web access for personal entertainment, certain uses for entertainment may be permissible so long as those uses do not compromise the business and academic interests of the university or any section of this policy; for example, staff may not play games on office computers; but resident students may use Trinity’s web connection to access entertainment material in their rooms.

Common sense and respect for appropriate use at appropriate times must govern the application of this section. Occasional and limited use for personal communications is permitted so long as that use does not interfere with the academic and business acceptable uses described in this policy; personal use must always give way to business or academic need for all public access computers and office computers; for example, students in the library should not tie-up the research access computers by doing personal e-mail on those machines.

Persons who misuse Web access privileges may incur suspension or termination of their accounts.

Employees of the university have a special responsibility to use the Web appropriately and to model acceptable use practices.  Employees have access to the Web during regular business hours for Trinity business purposes only.   Supervisors may limit or fully restrict the access privileges of employees who misuse their web access privileges.

No person may use College computers or the university network at any time to gain access to pornographic material or other material of an illegal nature, including material that encourages or perpetrates hate crimes.

Trinity Web Site

Trinity maintains an official College web site at www.trinitydc.edu.  This site is an official College publication, and all materials posted on this site must conform to the policies and expectations of the university for official publications.  No one may post material on this site who has not received formal approval through the process described below. 

The Webmaster is responsible for the general oversight of the web site, but not for posting individual material for individual departments.  Each approved department or individual is responsible for posting and updating their own material.  Additional technical information about how to prepare and post approved web pages is available through the CIO or Webmaster, and they will publish this information in a separate document.

The following web pages may appear on the Trinity web site, subject to the approval process described below:

1. Pages Prepared by Administrative Departments
2. Pages Maintained by Affiliate Organizations
3. Faculty and Academic Program Pages Related to Official Academic Work for Trinity
4. Student Organization Pages Related to Official Student Association Work

Trinity is unable to support personal web pages at this time.  For those members of the university community who wish to create personal web pages, Trinity recommends working with a commercial provider.

Guidelines for Web Pages on Trinity’s Web Site

Faculty, department heads, student organizations, and affiliate organizations may request permission to post web pages on Trinity’s official Web Site.  All persons requesting such access must make an application, including signing an agreement to observe Trinity’s web policies.   Users are reminded that web pages must conform to acceptable use standards, and may not violate laws or regulations, including copyright, defamation and libel.

Following are policy guidelines for web pages; technical directions are available through the Webmaster and Faculty Information and Technology Services Committee (FITSC).

Faculty and Academic Program Web Pages

Faculty may post web pages for their academic programs, their courses and for their official academic work, which includes scholarly and professional activities, conducted in relation to their work for Trinity.  Personal material or material for outside businesses may not be posted on Trinity’s web site.

The Faculty Information and Technology Services Committee (FITSC) exercises general oversight of the faculty web page program.  In the event of any question about the application of these guidelines for faculty, the FITSC will be the first point of review and guidance.

Faculty members who wish to post web pages must complete an application and agreement form (attached).  The FITSC will review the applications and oversee the construction of the pages.  Faculty web pages that are part of the official college web site are considered to be official publications of Trinity.  Accordingly, Trinity expects such pages to observe Trinity’s general policies for accuracy and readability, and Trinity reserves the right to request reformation of a page, or to shut down a page that fails to conform to the university’s publications expectations.

Academic program web pages should include the kind of information about the program that is also posted in the university catalog, and additional material may be posted to assist majors during the semester.  The Office of the Academic Vice President will offer additional guidance to academic programs for these web pages.

Faculty web pages should link to the academic program web pages.

Faculty web pages  should contain, at minimum, the following information:

1. Name of the faculty member and Academic Program.
2. Telephone number (at least office, home as preferred), e-mail address, fax number.
3. Courses taught by semester, and course numbers.

To be most useful, web pages should also contain this information:

1.                  Course syllabi

2.                  Notices About Assignments

3.                  Curriculum Vitae

As the faculty member prefers, the web page may also contain information about the faculty member’s scholarly and professional work.

Faculty web pages should NOT include:

1.      Student lists

2.      Student papers

3.      Student grades, or any other personally identifiable information about students

4.      Any material that violates copyright, intellectual property, or other laws and policies.

Because of staff limitations, Trinity cannot provide staff time to faculty for the posting of faculty web pages.  Faculty who wish to learn how to post the pages will have opportunities to receive training and ongoing support via the Webmaster and FITSC. 

Because of space limitations on the server, Trinity also reserves the right to limit the size of faculty web pages.  Additional notices about space limitations may be issued by the Webmaster or CIO at any time.

Faculty are responsible to keep their web pages current.  From time to time, the FITSC or Dean of the Faculty may ask faculty web page users to review and update their pages, and faculty are asked to cooperate immediately with these requests.  Failure to maintain an accurate and current web page may result in termination of the page.

Administrative Departments

Administrative departments are expected to develop web pages appropriate for their function, e.g., the Office of Human Resources may post job openings, the Dean of Student Services may list student activities, etc.  Eventually, all administrative departments are expected to have active and functional web pages.

All administrative departments are responsible for the development of their own web pages conforming to the style guidelines that the Webmaster will provide.  These web pages are part of the official college web site and are treated as official publications, and they must conform to all publications guidelines of the university.

The same general guidance as given under “Faculty” above also applies to administrative sites.

Affiliate Organizations

Trinity’s official affiliate organizations may also post web pages, or have their own web pages hotlinked to Trinity’s site.  Trinity’s affiliate organizations in include the Women’s College Coalition; Education for Parish Service; Upward Bound; Elderhostel; the Pan American Symphony Orchestra; and the Notre Dame Education Center.

As with all other entities affected by this policy, affiliate organizations must maintain their own web pages and are expected to conform to Trinity’s policies, including the same parameters as described under “Faculty.”

Affiliate organizations who wish to post web pages should complete an application through the Webmaster.

Student Clubs and Organizations

Official Trinity student clubs and organizations may post web pages according to the guidelines published in this section and additional guidance from the Dean of Student Services.  All student heads of such organizations must first apply for web page access through applications available in the Dean of Student Services office.  The Dean may postpone or deny approval in any case in which the club or organization has previously manifested an inability to comply with other policies and expectations of official status.  Approval may also be withdrawn if any active web page abridges Trinity’s policies.

Following are guidelines for web pages for student clubs and organizations:

The web page should include at a minimum:

• the name of the organization
• the name of the student head and student officers
• a phone number and post office box
• the official statement of purpose
• non-discrimination statement
• in the case of publications, a disclaimer that makes it clear that the opinions expressed are those of the students involved, and not representative of Trinity.

The web page should also include:

·         schedule of events or deadlines

·         information about upcoming activities

·         descriptions of ways in which student may participate in the events

The web page may also include:

• for pages posted by student organizations that produce publications, all or part of actual publications (e.g., the Trinity Times, Trinilogue, Record)
• for SGA pages, meeting minutes and various statements from the Student Government
• similar kinds of statements and notices that relate to the activities of the organization.

The web page may NOT include:

• personally identifying information about students or other people without their explicit permission;
• photographs of students or other people published without their permission;
• any materials that would be construed as defamatory, libelous, or contrary to the policies and mission of Trinity, especially concerning religious, racial or sexual harassment, or materials that violate copyright, intellectual property, or other laws and policies, or that violate standards of academic honesty.

E-Mail System

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Trinity provides a campus e-mail system for the convenience of faculty, staff and students.  The system is maintained on the TriNet server, and Microsoft Exchange software runs the system.

All faculty and staff receive e-mail addresses when they begin their employment with Trinity.  Part-time faculty receive e-mail addresses at the beginning of each semester.  Part-time faculty who are engaged with Trinity on a continuous basis will keep the same addresses from semester to semester.

Students will receive e-mail addresses at the beginning of each semester.

 Activation of E-Mail Accounts

In order for e-mail accounts to become active, all users must sign agreements governing the use of the e-mail privileges.  Faculty and staff sign these agreements at the beginning of their employment, or upon other direction from the Office of Human Resources.  Students must sign the e-mail agreement at the beginning of each semester as part of their registration process.  No e-mail account will be activated without a signed agreement.

Passwords

All e-mail accounts require special passwords.   Users are responsible for safeguarding their passwords and are responsible for all transactions using their passwords.   No individual may assign their account or password to any other person.  Any person who deliberately makes their account available to an unauthorized user will incur termination of their account.  Similarly, any person who fraudulently gains access to another person’s password or account will incur disciplinary action.

Financial and Academic Clearance

Students must be in good financial and academic standing in order to have active e-mail accounts.  The same thresholds that apply to financial clearance also apply to e-mail account activation.  See the Policy on Student Financial Responsibility.

General Expectations for E-Mail Conduct

The use of e-mail is a privilege that can enhance all campus communications and facilitate the learning environment.  These goals can only be met if all users observe basic courtesies and adhere to the code of conduct for e-mail use set forth below.

The following general expectations govern e-mail:

• Users must remember that e-mail is not private; e-mail may be scrutinized by employers, law enforcement authorities, and persons who gain access to the e-mail system by legal or illegal means.  E-mail sent to non-existent or incorrect user names may wind up in mailboxes of persons whom the sender did not intend to receive the mail.  Even if the user deletes an e-mail message, the message remains resident in the system memory.  For all of these reasons, the first good rule for any e-mail message is to write it as if the whole world might read it; no one can expect complete privacy in any e-mail message.  Users must understand that any work created and stored electronically may be subject to electronic monitoring, administrative or law enforcement scrutiny, discovery in legal cases, retention and storage on backup systems, and other scrutiny.

While Trinity will take appropriate measures to protect the privacy of users from inappropriate scrutiny of their communications and documents, the nature of electronic media makes it impossible for Trinity to guarantee absolute privacy to users.  Trinity also reserves the right to access such material for legitimate administrative purposes, or upon appropriately presented request by law enforcement authorities, and also to delete, archive, compress, or otherwise manage such data as may be necessary.

• Courtesy and respect in communicating with other individuals is an essential expectation for all communications at Trinity, and this expectation carries through to e-mail.

• The Honor System also applies to e-mail, so that all communications via e-mail must be truthful and respectful of the good of the community.

• E-mail that violates Trinity’s policies on racial or sexual harassment, or any other policies,  may incur termination of the account and additional penalties under the policies implicated.

• E-mail that violates laws and regulations regarding hate crimes, or that makes threats or attempts to intimidate, extort or otherwise harm another person will be turned over to law enforcement authorities for further investigation, including the FBI.

• Spamming, chain e-mailing, or any other activity that attempts to jam mailboxes or to interfere with the normal operation of the e-mail system will result in account termination and other disciplinary action; users should know that such actions may also result in the involvement of external law enforcement authorities.

Telephone System and Voice-Mail

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Trinity provides telephone and voice mail access for all resident students, faculty and staff.    Full-time faculty and staff receive phone numbers and voice mailboxes when they begin employment at Trinity.  Resident students and part-time faculty will receive voice mailbox numbers at the beginning of each semester.  The same policies and expectations that govern e-mail also govern voice mail and telephone usage.

Resident students have telephone access through the main Trinity telephone system.  This access will include local dialtone service.  It is recommended that students obtain a calling card for long distance calls.

Any use of Trinity telephones for any fraudulent or illegal purpose will incur severe penalties, including the possible involvement of law enforcement authorities as well as disciplinary action by Trinity.

Telephone misconduct includes misuse of telephone credit cards, misuse of college long-distance access codes, theft of telephone instruments, and any related misconduct.

The PowerCampus/IQweb Database

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Trinity maintains a computerized database system (PowerCampus/IQweb) for a wide variety of information management purposes.  Much of the information is personal information on students, faculty, staff, alumnae and friends of the university.  Trinity considers the security of this information to be one of the university’s most serious responsibilities, and accordingly, access to these databases is limited to persons who have a legitimate need to use the information to advance the academic and administrative goals of the university.

Persons who are given passwords and have legitimate access to the information on PowerCampus/IQweb have a strict responsibility to ensure that this information is used appropriately, and that the privacy of persons identified through this information is strictly protected.  This responsibility extends both to information available on computer screens as well as information available in print media, including all printouts, manual dossiers, correspondence files, directories, and similar forms of information banks.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA, also known as the “Buckley Amendment”) limits access to student information to persons inside of the institution who have a legitimate need to know the information.  Under the law, no one may give out information about a student to a third party without the student’s explicit permission, except in certain specific legal cases.  A separate statement and guide on FERPA is available through the Office of the Registrar.

As the capacity of the TriNet advances, more individuals will have official access to more information.  Accordingly, Trinity will continue to develop this statement on information management to meet the changing access conditions.

The Library: TRON and ALADIN

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The Trinity Library maintains an online catalog, TRON (Trinity Research Online Network), and is a member of the Washington Research Library Consortium’s (WRLC) online system, ALADIN.  The Library also has access to other databases and information resources.  Priority for the Library's TriNet resources will be given to:

• library instruction;

·         course-related research available through general Internet search engines and browsers.

Policies governing the use of the Library systems and resources are available through the Library.  Users are reminded that the “acceptable use” statement and other policies contained in this guide also apply to the use of library resources.

Marilley Classroom, Other Computer Classrooms, Smart Rooms

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The Jane Marilley Classroom is named in honor of Jane Marilley ‘44, a Trinity alumna who was a prominent business leader in Washington at a time when few women had such leadership roles.  She founded Courtesy Associates, an events management company that is one of the most prominent names in the Washington business community.  The gift of the Marilley Foundation made it possible for Trinity to create the Marilley Classroom as a model electronic instructional environment.

Other electronic classrooms and laboratories have subsequently been donated by major benefactors and grant sources, including AOL/Time Warner Foundation, the Kimsey Foundation, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Defense.

Use of the Marilley Classroom is restricted to instructional use, for regularly scheduled classes and academic or administrative instruction.  The room may not be used as a computer lab for personal projects or homework assignments; other computer labs are available for this purpose.  The faculty member whose class is conducted in these locations must be present in the room at all times, and the faculty member is responsible to ensure the appropriate use and care of the equipment, and to be sure that the room is locked when the class is over.

The Office of the Academic Vice President provides additional information and instructions about  access to and the use of the various electronic and smart classrooms.  Users are reminded that the acceptable use statement and other policies stated in this guide also apply to the use of the Marilley Classroom.

Computer Labs

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Trinity also maintains classrooms and laboratories with computer access, including the Campus Lab in Main B-19, the Media Technology Studies Lab in Main Hall, and the Writing Center. The directors of these facilities are immediately responsible to ensure the appropriate use of the equipment and software, and from time to time they may issue additional directions about access to and the proper use of these facilities.  Users are reminded that the acceptable use and other policies contained in this guide also apply to these labs.

Staff and Support Services

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As Trinity’s electronic environment grows more complex, the staff structure and services to support the environment must also grow in different directions.  Because no central office can possibly support all of the demands of the technology environment, Trinity is designing its staff structure on the assumption that all staff will develop appropriate technological capacity, including the ability to obtain and analyze information, to perform routine maintenance functions on hardware and software, to create and manage web pages in a decentralized fashion, and to engage in other technical activities that do not require central personnel.

Within this general information, the following personnel have clear duties to support all other users:

The Chief Information Officer (CIO) leads the Office of Technology Resources, which is the central office responsible to maintain TriNet, the telephone system, hardware and software purchasing and installation, technical support services and help desks.

Within Technology Resources, the staff and technicians provide specific service for telephones, personal computers, printers, the network software, the e-mail system, and related matters.

With the specific exception of certain academic technologies where different purchasing methodologies are approved by the president, all purchases of computers, peripherals, software and related technologies are managed by the CIO in cooperation with the respective department heads.

The purchasing exception for certain academic technologies includes specialized equipment and software for science laboratories, as well as software and information resources purchased through the Director of Library and Academic Information Services. In such cases, the Academic Vice President reviews the purchasing requests and consults as appropriate with the CIO to ensure good communication and the most cost effective purchase.

The Director of Library and Academic Information Services is responsible to oversee academic information and instructional technology generally, working with the Director of Academic Computing and the FITSC.

The Webmaster  is responsible to oversee electronic publications, e.g., the university’s official web site and the approved web pages.