Telecommunications

(Telephone and Voice Mail) POLICY

Telecommunications - Telephone and Voice Mail Appropriate Use Policy

The purpose of this policy is to promote the appropriate and productive use of Bank Street College's Telecommunications Systems in an efficient, ethical and lawful manner, consistent with other College policies. Most of these guidelines follow the general rules of common sense and common courtesy. This policy provides an overview of uses of the College's Telecommunications Systems without exhaustively enumerating all such uses and misuses.

Permissible Uses of Voice Mail

Bank Street College provides telephones and voice mail messaging to its faculty, students and staff for educational, research, and internal business purposes. Members of the Bank Street College community should limit their use of the systems to these purposes. The rules governing the use of telephones and voice mail at Bank Street College are consistent with the College's other policies regarding computing facilities and disclosure of information. In particular, this includes the College’s policies on acceptable use, ethical conduct, and the handling of confidential or sensitive information. The use of these systems for personal purposes should be limited so that it doesn’t interfere with College business; faculty and staff are responsible for reimbursing the College for the cost of that use.

Respect the Privacy of Others

• Do not use the College's Telecommunications Systems to defame, harass, intimidate or threaten any other person(s), or to send unnecessarily repetitive messages (for example, chain mail).
• Do not publish post, transmit, or otherwise make available content that is copyrighted, obscene, or legally objectionable.
• You are responsible for the toll calls billed to your phone. Do not give your Long Distance Code to anyone or allow them to use the College’s phone system for personal business.
• Do not give your password to anyone or allow anyone else to access your mailbox.
• Do not use anyone else's password or voice mail account. Remember, you are responsible for whatever occurs relating to your account.
• Do not forge or otherwise misrepresent your personal identity. This policy does not prohibit users from engaging in anonymous communications, providing that such communications do not otherwise violate one of the above stated policies.

Enforcement of This Policy

Violations of this policy will be adjudicated, as appropriate by the Chief Operating Officer in consultation with appropriate College administrators. Sanctions as a result of violations of these regulations may result in any or all of the following:

• Suspension or loss of the College's telephone and voice mail privileges;
• Disciplinary action;
• Monetary reimbursement to the College or others;
• Prosecution under applicable laws.

In the event of a possible violation of these policies, telephone and voice mail privileges may be suspended at the discretion of the College while the matter is being resolved.

Confidentiality of Voice Mail

Although every effort is made to safeguard the voice mail system, Bank Street College cannot guarantee the confidentiality or privacy of voice mail messages and makes no promises regarding their security. Decisions as to what information to include in such messages should be made with this in mind.  The College reserves the right to conduct routine maintenance, track problems, and maintain the integrity of its systems. As is the case with all data kept on the College's Voice Mail System, the content of voice mail messages may be revealed by such activities.

Monitoring/Management

Bank Street College does not monitor the contents of voice mail messages as a routine matter. However, such monitoring may be conducted when required to protect the integrity of the system or to comply with legal obligations.  Any unread (un-played) messages more than three (3) months old are subject to deletion from the system. Individuals planning a sabbatical or having other special needs may make arrangements for extended message storage.  Telecommunications System users who fail to manage the messages in their mail boxes in an appropriate manner may have those privileges suspended. 

Directed Access

Bank Street College reserves the right to inspect the contents of voice mail messages in the course of an investigation triggered by indications of impropriety or as necessary to locate substantive information that is not more readily available by some other less intrusive means. Bank Street College will comply with all legal requirements for access to such information.