POLICY ON STUDENT ELECTRONIC MAIL ACCESS AND SERVICES
PREFACE
Information technology resources, in conjunction with other learning services must be conveniently accessible to faculty, staff, and more increasingly, students. California State University Sacramento, in its planning, recognizes the need for maintaining management, educational and technical linkages among information resource bases (libraries, academic and administrative computing resources, telecommunications networking, and other learning resource services and systems. A well developed plan for information technology must consider the needs of its constituents and, in the last decade, CSUS has invested wisely in platforms, applications and network systems that have, and will continue to, encourage services and systems for use by the institution's academic community and its administrative units.
Although there is unparalleled use of computer resources within CSUS as a means to support direct instruction (i.e., simulation, demonstrations, and gaming; tutorial drill, practice and problem solving; scholarship and research, etc.) and as a tool for teaching computer skills and applications relative to specific disciplines, there is a dynamically growing requirement to use the computer as a communications device linking the teacher to the learner and the learner with peers or others.
The application of Electronic mail (Email) -- a service that enables users to receive and send messages, letters or documents from a terminal to a central data file for later retrieval by the recipient -- is a pivotal component that has grown and will continue to grow in importance as an essential link in the teaching/learning and institutional program process.
INTRODUCTION
The educational process suggests -- though many educators say it demands -- an exchange of ideas, information and knowledge between the instructor and student. Traditional approaches use the faculty lectures, mediated resources, student question and answer periods, office hours, examinations and term papers as the primary vehicle. Other avenues include informal or coincidental meetings on campus, pre or post class lecture times, telephone and written correspondence. Though each of these methods are valid, they are often inconsistent among users; nor do they provide a direct means by which all students or faculty may communicate in an equitable way one-on-one or as may be defined as a group, courses, section, department, school or university body, etc. The very nature of a nonresidential based campus, the promise of courses remote from the campus via distance education, a generally older and more mature student body, many of whom have family commitments/part or full time employee responsibilities, etc., implies that new and/or alternative communication processes be applied.
In addition to responding to the requirements of the teaching/learning function, there is an equally important need to support institutional bulletin boards, messages or other correspondence related to student life of a fairly specific and/or general type from campus program centers such as Admission and Records, Student Activities, Financial Aid, Business Services, etc.
The appropriate information technology mechanisms enabling students to become partners in the information/communications exchange (connecting faculty, staff, students, etc. to a world-wide network of colleges and services, i.e., libraries, academic and administrative information data bases, remote super computers and experimental instruments) begins with an University Computing and Communication Services (UCCS) computer account and the employment of a centralized student Email name and address for every CSUS student officially enrolled (e.g. an individual that is eligible to register or is currently enrolled in a matriculated CSUS program).
BACKGROUND
Presently, central university computer accounts for students are issued to faculty members, who distribute account names and passwords for course related computer projects. In some cases, UCCS may be asked by the faculty member to facilitate this function. In either scenario, faculty members "sponsor" the accounts. Unless specifically requested, these accounts are deleted at the end of each semester. Also, "special projects' accounts are issued to students under faculty sponsorship. These project accounts expire at the end of each fiscal year but can be extended or renewed as needed.
The rationale delineated above in the "Introduction" section explains the requirement for Email and other network services to exist regardless of whether or not a student is enrolled in a class that issue computer accounts and/or uses mainframe or computer laboratory PC resource curriculum tools. Of parallel importance to establishing a account and EMail address for every CSUS student, is the requirement for continuity of that student account and address beyond the end of the semester or term.
PURPOSE OF THE POLICY
The goal of this policy is to formulate an operational framework by which all students shall have the opportunity to establish and maintain a centralized computer account so as to foster and enhance the academic and institutional communications process using Email services and systems.
POLICY PRINCIPLES
Every CSUS student enrolled for one or more units may request an Email account, name and address.
i. Until such time it is considered unnecessary or some other plan is put into place, UCCS, as the campus' central resource, shall be responsible for the asssignment, coordination and servicing of al student Email accounts. Included, as a part of this duty, is the development of print and non-print materials to provide literacy awareness and training in the sue of Email services. Training materials shall be acquired directly form the Hornet Bookstore. UCCS shall also support a hotline "Help Desk" function.
ii. UCCS shall issue a student "baseline" account with a minimum storage capacity of 250K. it is anticipated that a student fee will be charged, as require to operate and maintain student electronic mail and access services.
iii. Student Email accounts will not be deleted as long as he student is considered eligible to enroll. On or about census date of the first semester in which a student is no longer enrolled, his/her account will be disabled; however, the account will still exist. Four weeks after the beginning of the following semester, accounts which were disabled during the previous semester and not reactivated will be deleted. This method of account management will allow students absent for one semester to reactivate their accounts.
iv. Students will select their "mail alias' and will be notified should an alternate identification need to be selected, e.g., duplicate or improper names. mail aliases will be retired' for one semester after an account is disabled to avoid having a new user receive mail intended for someone else.
v. As funding, technology, and resources permit, it is the intention of this policy to establish a long range system that automatically coordinates class registration, resource requirements, and student accounts so that faculty members do not have to manage accounts, and students do not have multiple accounts except as mandated by specific school, department or faculty member requirement.
vi. Use of Email student accounts shall be governed in accordance with all Federal, State of California, California State University and CSUS codes and regulations.
