University Webmaster

Georgia Southern University – Web Site Publishing Policy

Introduction
Purpose
Official Campus Unit Homepages
Unofficial Campus Unit Homepages
University Images and Trademarks
Copyrights and Trademarks – All Pages
Role of the University Webmaster, Web Oversight Committee, and Unit Pagemasters
Collection of Information from Users to Georgia Southern University Websites
Security
Browser Compliance
Online Documents
Development or Redesign of Unit Homepages
Handling of Request Related to the Web
Assistance for Construction of Web Pages
ADA Compliance
Enforcement and Notification

Appendices

References:

Georgia Southern University – Computer Use Policies
Georgia Southern University – Information Technology Security Standards and Guidelines
Georgia Southern University – Identification Standards Guide
University System of Georgia – Regents Guide to Understanding Copyright and Educational Fair Use
United States - Digital Millennium Copyright Act

1. Introduction
With the addition of resources pertaining to the World Wide Web the Georgia Southern University Website has grown exponentially. This growth has led to a wealth of resources available to those who visit our homepage. The University encourages faculty, staff, and students to publish freely and openly on the World Wide Web, within the constraints of existing laws and policies.

2. Purpose
These policies provide minimal stylistic consistency guidance for those who wish to publish to the World Wide Web. This policy addresses issues related to both official and unofficial pages that exist on the Georgia Southern Web Servers. These policies are designed to augment, but not replace existing Georgia Southern University Computer Use Policies (A), Security Standards and Guidelines (B), Identification Standards (C), or any other applicable policies that relate to responsible and correct usage of resources.

3. Official Campus Unit Homepages
For the purposes of this Policy, an "official campus unit home page" is a single page that introduces an organizational unit of the University and provides links to more detailed information about the unit.

Official Pages include the main Georgia Southern University Homepages and a third tier of pages published by colleges, divisions, academic and administrative departments, centers, institutes, faculty, staff, or student organizations that officially represent the University and are linked directly to the first two levels of the site.

3.1. Official Pages must be located on a server within the GASOU.EDU domain.
3.2. Responsibility for the preparation, content, and maintenance of official pages resides in the home unit and ultimately under the authority of the head of the unit (department head, dean, director, vice president).
3.3. Official Pages will follow a design template that complements the main homepage and is customized to the identity of that unit.
3.4. Each Unit will designate a Pagemaster, who is responsible for their site.
3.5. In order to assure some degree of continuity, maintain a consistent image, and increase usage of information electronically published by Georgia Southern, the University Webmaster, as well as the Office of Marketing and Communications, reserves the right to monitor and review the official campus unit home pages for the University’s 6 colleges, their schools, and all major divisions. This list includes, but is not limited to:

Office of the President
Office of the Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs
Office of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs
Office of the Vice President for University Advancement
Office of the Vice President for Business and Finance
College of Business Administration
College of Education
College of Health and Human Sciences
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
College of Graduate Studies
Allen E. Paulson College of Science and Technology
College of Information Technology (April 2003)
Alumni Association
Athletics Association

3.6. Each official campus unit home page must have a clearly designated link back to the Georgia Southern home page.
3.7. Each page within a Unit must have a clearly designated link (identified by text) back to the Unit homepage, preferably, in the top left corner of the page.
3.8. Each official campus unit home page shall contain some type of general description of the unit. Sources may include the Georgia Southern Fact Book, the General Catalog, or school recruiting materials.
3.9. Each official campus unit home page shall contain information for a point of contact concerning that web page. This information should be for the appointed page master. The information should include, but is not limited to a name and contact e-mail address.
3.10. Information on each official campus unit home page shall be kept up-to-date, and each official campus unit homepage shall show the date it was last modified or revised.
3.11. Each campus unit creating an official campus unit home page is responsible for ensuring that the information contained therein is of the highest editorial standards (spelling, punctuation, grammar, style, etc.) and factually accurate.
3.12. Each official Unit page must prominently display the words “Georgia Southern University” and “FULL Unit Name”
3.13. If a particular unit requires information that is generally published by a separate unit or is outside the responsibility of that unit, then a link must be provided to the responsible unit.
3.14. Each official unit page must be in compliance with “Identification Standards” (C)
3.15. All websites must be in compliance with applicable local, state, and federal laws as well as the Georgia Southern University “Computer Use Policies” (A).
3.16. Each official unit homepage must be in compliance with the “Information Technology Technical and Coding Standards and Guidelines for Official Unit Homepages.” (I)

4. Unofficial Campus Homepages
The University does not routinely monitor and review information published electronically by members of the Georgia Southern community. The University does respond to complaints alleging violations of law and policy. The following information is provided to guide and assist faculty, staff and students who have an individual page or pages.

4.1. The content of all such pages must be in compliance with all appropriate Georgia Southern University “Computer Use Policies (A),” and all local, state, and federal laws including export, copyright, and trademark laws.
4.2. Any World Wide Web resource that makes excessive use of network bandwidth may be terminated in accordance with these policies.
4.3. The following disclaimer applies to all pages that are not official but which carry a Georgia Southern network address, and must appear on unofficial pages or be otherwise reasonably apparent to anyone viewing such pages:

Page disclaimer:
The content of personal and other unofficial home pages is not sanctioned by Georgia Southern University and does not represent official information or opinions of the University. (Name and e-mail address) is solely responsible for the contents of this page

4.4. The E-mail address of the author, or other person responsible for placing the information on the World Wide Web, shall be readily apparent for each such page. This may be via information on the page, a link to another page, or the context.
4.5. Any pages found to be in violation of these Policies and Guidelines shall be subject to immediate removal from the Network.

5. Copyright and Trademarks – All Pages

5.1. Other Items
a. Authors or originators using trademarks should have express permission of the person(s) or organization(s) owning the trademarks prior to their use.
b. The Office of Marketing and Communications must sanction use of any Georgia Southern logo, emblem, or trademark. In case of doubt, requests for pre-approval may be sent to that department.
c. Authors or originators using photos and images may need the permission of not only the person or organization that owns the photo or image, but also from any person included within the images.
d. Any use of other copyrighted material, except for “Educational Fair Use (D),” must have the express written permission of the person or organization that owns the copyright. The University Webmaster or the Office of Marketing and Communications reserve the right to require proof of the written permission and to remove the material if that proof cannot be produced.

6. University Images and Trademarks
a. The preferred institutional names for are Georgia Southern University or Georgia Southern. Use of others such as GSU, Southern, or Gasou is discouraged.
b. The Office of Marketing and Communications must sanction use of any Georgia Southern logo, emblem, or trademark. In case of doubt, requests for pre-approval may be sent to that department.
c. The Georgia Southern University logos must be linked to the inventory of official University identity marks and may not be altered or copied.
d. The Georgia Southern Logo and other identification marks are reserved for official use by the University, and may not be used on unofficial and personal pages, which require a disclaimer of official status.
e. The University Seal is reserved for official documents of the institution and may not be linked or copied.
f. All uses must meet the guidelines set forth in the Georgia Southern University – Identification Standards Guide (C).

7. Role of the University Webmaster, Web Oversight Committee, and Unit Pagemasters

7.1. Role of University Webmaster
The administration of the official Georgia Southern Website and its official links are assigned to the University Webmaster who is the custodian of the main home page and keeper of its links to other pages. The Webmaster can provide guidance and should be used as a point of reference if necessary with developing new sites or pages. The responsibilities of the Webmaster are to the University and not to the community at large. The Webmaster, reporting to the Director of Information Technology Services, is responsible for

a. Monitor and maintain the first 2 Official tiers Georgia Southern University Website.
b. Maintain a list of current sites located within the GASOU.EDU Domain and the associated pagemasters for those sites.
c. Work with the Web Oversight Committee, Office of Marketing and Communications, and the Department of Information Technology Services to enforce Policies and Guidelines related to Web Publishing.
d. Maintain regular communications with Unit Pagemasters and supply updates and new guidelines to those individuals.
e. Report on a regular basis to the Web Oversight Committee on the status of the University Website as well as new technologies and developments.
f. Serve as a constant point of contact and guide on web related issues.

7.2. Role of The University Web Oversight and Policy Committee
The role of the Committee is to determine policy for images, organization, and institutional standards relating to the structure of content and design of official pages, as well as implementing rules for unofficial pages hosted on the Georgia Southern Web Server.

Responsibilities:

Plan for the orderly development of the overall institutional site
Determine the organization of the display of links and the site index
Make policy recommendations that support a consistent image and set standards for identification and information on official pages at unit levels
Advise and assist the Webmaster in promoting compliance with policies and procedures

7.3. Role of Unit Pagemaster
Each unit with an official page will designate a unit Pagemaster with the following responsibilities:

Monitor and maintain pages related to assigned official unit.
Make sure that pages related to that unit for the accuracy and currency of content, links to other pages or sites, contacts for visitor information and inquiries.
Insure that data is consistent with the Fact Book, Standard Survey Response, or other official sources maintained by the Office of Planning and Analysis.
Make certain that the unit pages are meeting the approved guidelines for web publishing at the University.
Serve as a liaison and communicate with the University Webmaster on a regular basis to assure the sites are meeting the necessary requirements and report any new, major developments.

8. Collection of Information from Users to Georgia Southern Websites
Please refer to the University “Information Technology Services - Standards for the Collecting of Information Using Georgia Southern University Websites” (V)

9. Security
In using the Georgia Southern University web servers all those who compose and develop website must abide by the “Information Technology Security Standards and Guidelines.” (B) Please review this document paying close attention to the section on security relating to “Servers” and “Passwords”.

10. Browser Compliance
Websites must be usable across multiple Internet browsers. In order to achieve this, it is recommended that you do not use scripting or components that will not be accessible in multiple browsers.

11. Online Documents
Please consult the “Information Technology Guidelines for the Distribution of Online Documents”(II) for complete details on what must be in HTML format.

12. Development or Redesign of Unit Homepages within the Georgia Southern Web Structure
Please consult the “Information Technology Guidelines for the Development or Redesign of Unit Homepages” (VII).

13. Handling of Requests related to the Website
The University Webmaster is responsible for the first 2 levels of the Georgia Southern website. Appointed pagemasters are responsible for the individual units. All requests relating to a particular unit must go to that designated individual. If the request relates to the main campus homepage and subsequent levels then the request is filed with the University Webmaster. There are different methods for different requests so please refer to the “Information Technology Guidelines for Submitting Web Requests.” (VI)

14. Assistance for Construction of Web Pages
To assist units in establishing a Web page, the institution should provide:

a. An easy to follow instruction package, developed by Information Technology Services, to include specifications for hardware and software, the process for establishing a Web page, a step-by-step guide on how to construct a page, and requirements for maintenance.
b. Design templates and digital graphics from a standard image library on the www.georgiasouthern.edu server.
c. Policy guide for web users.

Information Technology Services should also provide information on options available to units needing on-site technical assistance to construct a web page. It is the responsibility of the units to use these resources to develop their pages and to assign a Pagemaster responsible for maintaining the currency and accuracy of their content.

15. ADA Compliance
Please refer to the “Information Technology ADA Compliant Guidelines for Websites” (IV) for what steps need to be taken on our websites.

16. Enforcement and Notification
These policies will be enforced by the University Webmaster or through the Webmaster by way of Information Technology Services or the Office of Marketing and Communications. Notification will be given for violations and appropriate action will be taken in accordance with these and other mentioned policies.

University Webmaster

Georgia Southern University – Web Site Publishing Policy

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