Web Policy
* The PDF version of the web policy will be the authoritative version.
* See Definitions below for an explanation of Official and Unofficial sites.
- Summary
- Purpose of the Policy
- Conformance with State, TBR, and other Jackson State policies
- Purpose of Jackson State Official Web Site
- Web Steering Committee
- Definitions
- Web Site Structure
- Internal and External Links for Official Web Pages
- Official Site Webmaster Authorization
- ADA Statement
- Unlawful Use, Terms of Use, and Restrictions
- Security and Technical Issues
- Policy Violation & Appeals Process
Appendix
1.1 The Jackson State Community College web site will provide accurate, current, and complete information to students and other visitors. The site will offer this information in a logical format allowing for easy navigation.
1.2. The Jackson State web site will serve as an extension of the professionalism, public image/reputation, and community that exists on its campuses.
1.3. The college recognizes the value of publishing on the Internet and encourages staff, faculty, and student organizations to use the college's web resources creatively, responsibly, and in accordance with the guidelines included in this document.
2.1. The web policy is designed to inform the general web audience of the published standards for all websites hosted by Jackson State.
2.2. This policy is not intended to serve as an application resource. Therefore, any technical specifications described herein will assume the implementer or designer knows the proper procedures within their particular web authoring software.
2.3. This policy will be the continued responsibility of the Web Steering Committee, which will meet regularly to discuss policy revisions. Approved revisions will be incorporated into this document.
2.4. Questions regarding issues not covered in this policy or any suggestions for amendments should be directed to any member of the Web Steering Committee.
2.5. This policy shall remain in effect unless, and until, appropriate amendments are made and approved by the Web Steering Committee and the College President.
3. Conformance with State, TBR, and other Jackson State policies
3.1. This policy is intended to be fully consistent with the State of Tennessee Internet Acceptable Use Policy, the Tennessee Board of Regents Information Technology Resources Policy, Jackson State's Computer Usage Policy, and other applicable state and TBR policies, as they currently exist or as they may be amended in the future.
3.2. In the case of a discrepancy, precedence will occur in the following order: State policy, TBR policy, and Jackson State policy.
4. Purpose of Jackson State Official Web Site
4.1. Jackson State will provide accurate, current, and complete information to students and other visitors through its official web site.
4.2. The site will offer this information in a logical format with easily understandable navigation.
4.3. The site will focus on providing recruitment information to prospective students and will serve as a comprehensive source of information for all students, prospective or current.
4.4. The site will support the mission of the institution by providing another delivery method of student support services.
5.1. The Web Steering Committee shall serve as an advisory body of the College for policies concerning all web presences of the College. The Committee will develop and recommend web policy to the Director of the Office of Information Technology. The Committee shall convey the importance of a highly usable, easily navigated web presence to all Jackson State employees.
5.2. The President appoints Committee membership, which shall be as follows:
- OIT representative (1), Chair
- Public Relations (1)
- Faculty (2) - 1 from Arts & Science, 1 from Career Studies
- Student Services (1)
- Library Services (1)
- Continuing Education (1)
- Distance Education (1)
- Finance & Admin (1)
5.3. The Committee will remain chartered unless, and until, appropriate amendments are made and approved by the President. Alterations to the committee membership may be made at the discretion of the President, including but not limited to committee composition and appointment changes.
6.1. Official Web Pages or Official Website
The pages which represent Jackson State's organizational and functional content that are directly related to the mission of the institution, such as administrative departments and academic programs of study. These pages will only exist at the following locations: http://www.jscc.edu and http://library.jscc.edu
6.2. Unofficial Web Pages or Unofficial Website
Those pages which do not meet the above criteria, such as faculty websites, personal professional websites, or student organization websites.
6.3. Definitions of Responsibilities
See Appendix for further clarification.
6.3.1. Site Supervisor
The supervisor (such as director, dean, department chair, manager, etc.) that is administratively responsible for a given web site. The Site Supervisor approves, generates, and reviews all content within their respective area and approves any employee to be their area's Site Webmaster.
6.3.2. Site Designer
A person that is responsible for the development of web pages within a site, including designing the graphics, which extends to the aesthetic quality of the site. Designers do not necessarily have to be Jackson State employees allowing for outsourcing the site design of Unofficial web pages. All designers, however, must follow the guidelines and requirements of this policy.
6.3.3. Site Content Provider
A person that is responsible for assimilating and forwarding site content to a Site Webmaster or the Campus Webmaster. A Content Provider must be a Jackson State employee, but does not necessarily have to work in the same area of the site. Content Providers may only be responsible for a page, such as the News and Events or Inclement Weather status. Content Providers will default to the Site Supervisor until they designate one of their employees to be a content provider.
6.3.4. Site Webmaster
A person that is responsible for both updating existing pages and developing new pages within a site, including designing the unofficial graphics used. An Official Site Webmaster must be a Jackson State employee, but does not necessarily have to work in the same area of the site. A club representative, student, or community enhancement representative may be a Site Webmaster for their respective function. Each Site Webmaster is responsible for maintaining the accuracy of their respective site. Any unofficial site abandoned (i.e. without a Site Webmaster) for more than 90 days will be removed. If an organization is no longer recognized, its site will be removed as well.
6.3.5. Campus Webmaster
The person responsible for development and management of Jackson State's web site, primarily any site which does not have a Webmaster. The Campus Webmaster also maintains Jackson State's web servers and any aspects related thereto. Along with the Web Steering Committee, the Campus Webmaster ensures that all web sites comply with appropriate policies, guidelines, and standards describe herein. The Campus Webmaster coordinates web site interconnections and creates new web sites with the guidelines prescribed in this policy. The Campus Webmaster also provides the primary web user support and training, when needed.
7.1. Official Web Pages
7.1.1. Standard Template
All official web pages will use the same design template to offer a consistent aesthetic quality.
Note: Continuing Education will be the only department allowed to alter the design template in order to better communicate with their clientele.
7.1.2. Universal Navigation
The Web Steering Committee will establish a consistent navigation mechanism that will be applied to all official web pages.
7.1.3. Home Page
The home page, located at http://www.jscc.edu, will direct the web viewer to pages that are specifically designed for the viewer's category, e.g. Prospective Students, Current Students, Faculty & Staff, Alumni & Friends, or Business & Community. The home page will be the critical beginning point for most viewers and, as such, must have impeccable design. The addition of extraneous links could jeopardize that design and should be kept to a minimum.
7.1.4. Effective Communication
Informal, conversational language should be used whenever possible in order to facilitate effective communication with the target audience.
7.1.5. Departmental Staff Pages
All departmental pages must include a single staff page (with or without pictures) that includes all pertinent contact information: email address, phone, fax, office building & room number, a brief job function description, and office hours for the staff member and a link to the personal or faculty homepage.
7.1.6. Departmental Welcome
Directors, deans, and department chairs should have a separate page to include the mission of the department and any welcoming messages.
7.1.7. Required Footer
" The name and email address of the Webmaster and/or content keeper for the site
" The date of last update
" A link to the Search, Sitemap, and College directory
" A link to Terms of Use page
" A link to Contact Us page
" The obligatory TBR statement
7.1.8. Document Delivery
The only two approved document formats for Official Web Pages are HTML and Adobe Acrobat PDF. HTML exported from Microsoft Word or other Microsoft Office products produces unclean HTML and could cause problem with ADA compliancy and is therefore discouraged on Unofficial Web Pages.
7.2. Unofficial Web Pages
7.2.1. Faculty Pages
These pages would be linked from the respective area in which the employee works, e.g. CIS departmental staff page would have the links for all CIS faculty pages. These pages will be developed by the faculty member and should adhere to all applicable sections contained herein. They will reside at an address similar to http://faculty.jscc.edu.
7.2.2. Individual Professional Pages
These pages would be linked from the respective area in which the employee works. They should contain professional information about an employee, which validates the competency of the employee, and should adhere to all applicable sections contained herein. These pages should not attempt to serve as an online resume. These pages are voluntary and should only divulge information about each employee that they would consider public. These pages will reside at a location similar to http://personal.jscc.edu.
7.2.3. Committee or Council Pages
Information regarding committees and councils will be posted on Jackson State's website in an appropriate location as determined by the Campus Webmaster and linked from appropriate pages as determined by the Web Steering Committee. The information listed will be the group's name, demographics, current members, the group's function and/or purpose, and contact information for the members.
7.2.4. Student Course Pages
These pages will be developed by students for class assignments and should adhere to all applicable sections contained herein. They will reside at an address similar to http://students.jscc.edu. The instructor for any given class will be responsible for each student's content. A procedure for creating accounts to publish to the site will be made available to interested instructors or the Campus Webmaster could create the accounts. None of the pages or sites will be indexed or included in search engines.
7.2.5. Student Organization Pages
Student Organization web pages will be hosted on a separate server with an address similar to http://clubs.jscc.edu. Only organizations officially recognized by the college, as determined by the governing policy in the college catalog and handbook, may request a web site or page. The content on the site will be generated and maintained by the Student Activities Coordinator, his/her designees, or the faculty sponsor and should adhere to all applicable sections contained herein.
7.2.6. Non-profit Community Enhancement Sites
All inquiries of non-profit entities that request Jackson State to host their website will be directed to the Office of the President.
7.2.7. Required Footer for all Unofficial Pages
The required footer will be implemented at the server level and can be altered only by the Campus Webmaster.
- A link to Jackson State's home page
- A link to the Search, Sitemap, and College directory
- A link to a site level disclaimer page
- A link to Terms of Use page
- The obligatory TBR statement
7.3. Other Sites Not Declared
There will be other sites or servers that provide specific services to the students and/or employees. These sites may be exempt from certain design elements or certain requirements as prescribed in this policy. While not an exhaustive list, the following provides insight to the functions of these sites.
7.3.1. Online Course Delivery
For the sake of consistency, only the authorized and supported online course delivery platform(s) will be permitted. Faculty can still use their faculty pages for supplemental course material.
7.3.2. Web-based Email Servers
Jackson State will provide web-based email to Students and Employees on two separate systems. Space restrictions may be implemented as determined by the Director of Office of Information Technology. Any users of web-based email must be aware of all applicable policies.
7.3.3. Others
Others as determined by the Web Steering Committee.
8. Internal and External Links for Official Web Pages
8.1. It is the policy of the College to limit commercial links to those sites that have a direct connection to the functions of the College, and to prohibit commercial links that are unrelated to the operations of the College.
8.2. Links to employee pages (personal or faculty) will originate from the department, division, or program staff listing pages. The pages will also be accessible through search engines, both internal and external.
8.3. Links to browser plug-ins or free applications, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader or Microsoft Internet Explorer, will go to a specific campus-wide resource tools page.
8.4. Exempted links from Jackson State pages to other sites:
- Computer firms that provide plug-ins or other needed software
- Jackson State vendors
- Commercial sites that provide information used in classroom, library, research, outreach, and extension activities
- Sites utilized for job placement of students
- Sites of entities that sponsor College events or activities
- Sites that have a direct connection to the business of the College
9. Official Site Webmaster Authorization
9.1. Official Site Webmasters must obtain approval from the Site Supervisor and the employee's supervisor to become that site's Webmaster.
9.2. The Campus Webmaster will certify all Official Site Webmasters through specific training on this web policy and on any technical requirements that may be necessary to maintain their site.
10.1. While there are as yet no TBR or state regulations regarding development of Web pages to conform to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility standards, Jackson State strives to provide equal accessibility to all of its Official Web Pages.
10.2. All online instruction, instructional support pages and student assignments published to the web, either through a course management system or directly, will be compliant if a student registered in the course requires this level of access to participate. Jackson State, however, will work to make all online material accessible.
10.3. Jackson State will endeavor to educate all persons responsible for creating and maintaining web pages on the need for greater accessibility and methods to achieve it.
11. Unlawful Use, Terms of Use, and Restrictions
11.1. Unlawful Use
All web sites hosted by Jackson State must adhere to all applicable local, state, and federal laws. In addition, any link to external sites that violates local, state, or federal laws would be in direct violation of this policy.
11.1.1. Persons making an unlawful use of TBR electronic systems shall be subject to Institutional disciplinary procedures, as well as any pertinent state or federal criminal and civil penalties. Examples of unlawful uses include dissemination of defamatory material, violation of copyright, and communication of obscene materials across state borders.
11.2. DMCA Statement and Copyright Notice
All web sites hosted by Jackson State must adhere to all applicable copyright laws. Any unlawful use of copyrighted material is prohibited. Contact the designated Copyright Agent for further details.
11.3. No Private Financial Gain or Compensation
State law and state policy prohibit the use of state owned property for any personal for-profit activities. An example of prohibited behavior would be posting commercially oriented material on a state maintained website (excepting advertisements sold by the on-line versions of Institution sponsored student newspapers). This prohibition applies to all TBR employees and students.
11.4. Religious and Political Causes
The use of information technology resources for solicitation of religious or political causes is strictly prohibited.
11.5. Terms of Use
Jackson State will provide a Terms of Use page, which will encompass Official and Unofficial Pages and will include detailed information in the following sections for all web visitors:
- Use of Site
- Privacy
- Copyright
- Logo and Trademark Usage
- Links to Other Web Sites
- Disclaimer
- Limitation of Liability
- Applicable Laws
11.6. Logo and Trademark Usage
The use of any Jackson State logos by external entities will require approval of the President or the Director of Public Relations. Furthermore, Site Webmasters will not incorporate any trademark or logo (including TBR institutions) into their own site without express, written consent from the trademark or logo owner.
11.6.1. Web Logos vs. Print Logos
Web logos will not be used for print purposes. Contact the Print Services department to obtain print logos.
11.7. No Implied Endorsement on Official Web Pages
No implied endorsement of organizations, products, or services will be permitted, unless there is an actual current endorsement or where this policy excludes based on business relations with Jackson State.
11.8. Conformance with College Mission
All web pages, both Official and Unofficial, must conform to the purpose, goals, and mission of Jackson State.
11.9. Disclaimer Statement
Unofficial pages must include a link to the following disclaimer "The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author. The contents have not been reviewed or approved by Jackson State. If you feel this page contains obscene or offensive material, incorrect data, or infringes on your copyrights, trademarks, etc., please contact the Campus Webmaster."
12. Security and Technical Issues
12.1. Accounts
A site account will be created for each Site Webmaster. The same account will be used if the Site Webmaster manages multiple sites. Passwords will require 6 or more alphanumeric characters. Each site will have a limited amount of storage space; additional space may be requested. As it would violate TBR IT Resource Policy and Jackson State's Computer Usage Policy, site accounts and passwords cannot be shared among multiple users. To receive an account, the Site Webmaster must sign the appropriate request form indicating understanding of this policy before receiving Site Webmaster privileges.
12.1.1. Due to licensing limitations, the only password protected course sites will reside in the authorized and supported online course delivery platform(s), which will offer individual logons.
12.2. Update Access
Access to web content directories for the purposes of updating content will be provided to Site Webmasters through secure methods.
12.3. Form Handlers, Counters, and Other Server Side Functions
The preferred form handlers, page counters, and other server functions will be made available to all Site Webmasters.
12.4. Server Administration and Capacity
Server administration, including capacity upgrades, scheduled backups and maintenance, and security updates, will be the responsibility of the Office of Information Technology. Pages or sites that would compromise any web servers' ability to provide necessary hosting services are prohibited. Services or features not already provided by Jackson State web servers must be requested through the Office of Information Technology, which will review requests and determine if they should be implemented based on financial burden and support cost.
12.5. Web Design Assistance
Web design assistance will be provided by the appropriate support group to the Official Web Pages first, then to Faculty and Employee Pages. Student Course pages, Student Organization pages, and Community Enhancement pages will be the sole responsibility of the Site Webmaster. The only support extended to these last three categories would be assistance with uploading content.
13. Policy Violation & Appeals Process
13.1. Initial Determination Policy Violation
Initial determination of a web policy violation will result in written notification sent to the Site Webmaster and, if applicable, the Site Supervisor. This notification will give details regarding the violation, request that the violation be corrected, and provide instructions on how to appeal the initial determination if the party so chooses.
13.1.1. Illegal Pages and External Links to Illegal Sites
Any page or external link that violates any local, state, or federal law will be removed without prior notification. Written notification will be sent after the illegal pages or links are removed.
13.2. A violation discovery notification will be sent to the OIT Director, the appropriate VP, or the SGA (if it involves student organization sites) if the violation does not involve applicable law. If a violation discovery does involve legal issues, a notification will be sent to the following persons: OIT Director, PR Director, the VP of AASA, the VP of FAA, and the President. This last notification will also be sent to the Copyright Agent (if it involves copyright infringement) or the SGA.
13.3. Appeal Not Sought
If the person does not wish to appeal the initial determination, the content in question will be removed. A resolution notification will be sent to the individuals that received the discovery notification.
13.4. Appeals Process
The Site Webmaster or Site Supervisor may decide to appeal the initial determination by sending a written appeal to the Chair of the Committee. The Chair will send an appeals notification to the Committee, the OIT Director, the VP of AASA, the VP of FAA, and the President.
13.4.1. The Chair will schedule a meeting where the appealer party will present their case in person. The appealer party may request up to three representatives from their appropriate Council (Faculty, Professional/Technical Employee, or Classified Employee) or the SGA to attend this meeting to support them. The Committee must be made aware of any request for representatives. The OIT Director will be present in a non-participatory role.
13.4.2. After the appeals meeting, the Committee will cast their votes. The Chair will forward their recommendation, including vote distribution, and all appeals documentation to the President. The Chair will notify the OIT Director of the recommendation, including vote distribution. In turn, the OIT Director will provide his recommendation to the President.
13.4.3. The President will take both recommendations and any third-party counsel he may wish to solicit into consideration before making the final determination.
13.4.4. A resolution notification will be sent to the Committee, the appealer party, any representatives present in appeals meeting, and any other individual that has received a discovery or appeals notification.
13.5. Multiple Infractions
Site Webmasters who incur multiple violations of this policy may have all of their web sites, web accounts, and any privileges related thereto, revoked.
13.6. Possible Disciplinary Action
Depending on the severity of violation, disciplinary action may be required as prescribed by the appropriate governing document, e.g. Faculty Handbook, Student Catalog & Handbook, etc.
See Appendix for detailed flowchart.
The Website Responsibilities chart is a representation of the various responsible roles as defined in Section 6.3 and to whom they report to as it pertains to Jackson State's websites.
On the next page, the Web Policy Violation and Appeals Process section is explained in a detailed flowchart.