Information Technology Policy: Website

Purpose

UWGB.edu is the official website domain for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and serves as a hub of information and resources for every constituency that interacts with the University. The purpose of the website policy is to establish and maintain official operating procedures and guidelines for a high quality, marketing- and service-oriented web presence. This includes a branded and coordinated presentation of accurate and important information directed to a wide variety of constituents, but with a priority on recruitment

Governance of University Website

Information Technology Division, Marketing and University Communication and Enrollment Services, (appointed by the Chancellor), is the official authority on the strategic direction of the University's website. The Assistant Vice Chancellor for Information Technology & Library Services and the Director of Marketing and University Communication co-chair the committee. The committee will seek input from the University as appropriate. Suggestions, comments or questions concerning the policy should be directed to the co-chairs of the Web Strategy Committee.

The complete governance charge and strategy are outlined in the document University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Web Strategy.

Production & Support of University Websites

The University Web Strategy Committee is responsible for the design, production and oversight of UW-Green Bay's website.

The Division of Information Technology's web development team is responsible for maintenance of the website and serves as the university's expert consultants on web publishing and technologies, including the University's content management system (CMS). The web development team ałso works with academic programs and administrative offices to ensure the availability and professional presentation of information on the web in accordance with this policy.

All individuals, departments and organizations interested in contracting with a web developer, not affiliated with UW-Green Bay, must first offer their project to the IT Division's web development team for consideration. External web developers may be approved only if the work cannot be done in a timely manner by the web development team or it involves technologies beyond those available at UW-Green Bay. Web projects approved to work with an external vendor, must be in accordance with State of Wisconsin procurement rules. Furthermore, the IT Division's web development team will play an active role in the communications and project development with the off-campus developer, to ensure that the website abides by all University web policies and procedures, that quality is maintained and that the work is done in such a manner that ongoing support can be provided by the web development team unless maintenance and support has also been contracted with the external vendor.

The University Web Strategy Committee will enforce the policies stated in this document. Websites that do not meet the legal requirements of Federal and/or State regulations will be removed immediately from the web server until they comply with government regulations. Websites that do not meet the university web policies may be removed from the web server at the discretion of the University Web Strategy Committee. Those needing assistance in complying with these policies should contact the IT Division's web development team.

Authentication & Reliability of Content

All websites must be current, accurate, consistent and must conform to UW-Green Bay Design Standards as outlined în this policy. Official information on the web requires the same attention as does print publications. By the fact that content is on the University's website, it implies that it is the official voice and version of the University.

Free expression of ideas and the pursuit of knowledge are central to the academic process; therefore, faculty, staff, and students may publish freely and openly within the constraints of the University of Wisconsin System's acceptable use policies, and state and federal law, including copyright law.

Web Server Storage

The University web server should only be used to store files that are needed for the website, and should not be used as file storage space for non-website files. This includes all non-web files, unedited images, video clips or personal files. The Division of Information Technology staff will periodically review storage utilization reports and file listings for the University web server and will contact persons who violate this procedure to provide opportunity to remove offending files or provide justification for their storage, before being deleted.

Web Accessibility

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is committed to providing equal access to its websites and web-based information for all users. This includes persons with disabilities accessing the web through disability software/hardware. The official University web templates are designed to be accessible and mobile ready.

UW-Green Bay endorses Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (PL 93-112 Sec. 504, 29 USC 794) and the World Wide Web Consortium (www.w3c.org) guidelines as the standard for web accessibility in compliance with the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 (PL 105-394, 29 USC 3001), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (PL 101-336, 42 USC 1201). All University web pages should be in compliance with Section 508 (http://www.section508.gov)

Subdomains

The purpose of a subdomain is to allow the department or program to advertise programs, products, and services by providing a customer-friendly web address. The subdomain will only be a point of entry and will redirect the user to the department's permanent URL on the University's website. Requests for a subdomain must be made in writing to the Web Strategy Committee. The request should include reason(s) for the subdomain, the requested subdomain name, and should meet the conditions listed below. (subdomainName.uwgb.edu)

Conditions for a UW-Green Bay Subdomain

• Requests for a subdomain will be considered on a case-by-case basis and approved by the Web Strategy Committeе.
• The department's or program's website must be in full compliance with the University's website policy.
• The subdomain must be unique enough to indicate the UW-Green Bay unit or program involved.
• The subdomain must be for programs or services of significant size within a department or program.

Conditions for a .com, .net or .org URL

Approval for a completely different domain name are made on rare cases that have significant off-campus audiences (i.e. athletics and the Weidner Center) and approval is only granted by the Chancellor's Cabinet on a case-by-case basis. Any request for a domain name change must be submitted to the appropriate Area Leader, with reasons why a new domain is necessary. If approved by the area leader, it will be presented to the Chancellor's Cabinet for final approval. If approved, the actual purchase and registration of the domain will be completed by the Division of Information Technology, which will ensure that all official domains of the University are properly maintained and reregistered. All associated fees for the domain name registration is charged back to the department or program. Documentation of the registration will be maintained by the Division of Information Technology, and the domains will be automatically renewed unless informed otherwise by the department or program. The websites granted a new domain name are still required to be in full compliance with the University's website policies.

Hosted Web Services

Faculty and staff may serve as host web service providers for affiliated professional organizations, however the websites are subject to approval by the Web Strategy Committee and the Division of Information Technology, based on site maintenance, currency and server capacity.

Confidential & Sensitive Data Storage

By default, any information stored on the university web server is not secured and can be viewed by anyone. As a result, under no circumstances should websites collect and store confidential or sensitive information without prior approval of the Information Technology Security Officer (ITSO). Any website that needs to collect confidential or sensitive information must be pre-approved by the ITSO before design work begins, to ensure that proper security procedures are followed. Subsequently, the website must be reviewed and approved by the ITSO before being launched. If the security of the data cannot be assured, the data cannot be collected and stored on the University web server. Websites that do collect and/or store confidential or sensitive information will be reviewed annually by the ITSO to assess ongoing security for the data. 

Confidential data is identified in the Information Security Policy located at: http://www.uwgb.edu/UWGBCMS/media/policies/files/Information-Security-Program-University-of-WisconsinGreen-Bay.pdf?ext-.pdf.

Commercial Use & Advertising on the Website

University faculty, staff and students may not use the University website for personal gain. For the complete University of Wisconsin System Policy on Advertising, Sponsorship and Links please see: https://www.wisconsin.edu/uw-policies/uw-system-administrativepolicies/advertising-sponsorship-and-links-on-the-internet/

Other Restrictions & Limitations

As a general principle, the web should offer the same freedoms and restrictions that apply in the non-web environment. Academic freedom exists on the web just as in the classroom and established University policies regarding defamation, hate speech and other restrictions apply equally to the web. All websites must comply with the UW System policies, Wisconsin laws and federal laws as cited below.

• Ethical standards of conduct for the appropriate use of one's University position and University resources are established for faculty and academic staff in Chapter US 8, Wisconsin Administrative Code and for University Staff in Chapter Per 24, Wisconsin Administrative Code.
• Chapters US 14 and 17, Wisconsin Administrative Code, establish standards and disciplinary processes relating to academic and nonacademic misconduct by students, including prohibitions on disruption of University activities, damage to University facilities, harassment and similar matters.
• Chapter US 18, Wisconsin Administrative Code, governs conduct on University lands, and applies to all members of the University community. Chapter US 21, Wisconsin Administrative Code regulates the use of University facilities.
• Section 943.70, Wisconsin Statutes, defines and prohibits certain computer crimes.
• Chapter 11, Wisconsin Statutes, restricts the use of state facilities for political activities by state employees.
• Title 17, U.S. Code contains the federal copyright law that applies to materials published or circulated through the use of computing resources. Web authors must take care not to incorporate copyrighted designs or materials without permission from the copyright owner. For clarification review the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) at http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/legislation/dmca.pdf.
• The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act restricts access to personally identifiable information from students' education records.
• UW System Board of Regents' Policy Information Technology Acceptable Use Policy https://www.wisconsin.edu/regents/policies/acceptable-use-of-information-technology-resources/.
• UW System Administrative Policy - Advertising, Sponsorship, and Links on the Internet - https://www.wisconsin.edu/uw-policies/uw-system-administrative-policies/advertising-sponsorship-andlinks-on-the-internet