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POL
U5400.05 USING UNIVERSITY RESOURCES
This
interim policy applies to all
Western
Washington University faculty and staff including student
employees.
Definitions:
·
University
Resources:
University
resources include University-owned equipment and facilities.
·
Organizational effectiveness:
Organizational effectiveness relates to the University’s mission
and encompasses activities that enhance or augment the agency’s
ability to perform its mission.
·
Personal
Use:
Personal
use may include use for personal benefit or for the benefit or
gain of other individuals or outside organizations.
1.
University Resources Are Used To Support Academic and
Administrative Functions
2.
Employees May Always
Use
University
Resources To Conduct Official Duties
3.
Employees Are Responsible For Their Own Actions
Responsibility and accountability for the appropriate use of
University resources ultimately rests with the individual
University employee, or with the University employee who
authorizes the use of the University resources.
4.
Employees Are Permitted To Make Occasional Limited Personal
Use
Occasional
limited use of University resources by faculty and staff,
including e-mail and the Internet, is permitted for other
than official state job purposes only if all of the following
criteria are met:
a) There
is little or no cost to the state;
b) The use
is brief in duration, occurs infrequently, and is the most
effective use of time and resources;
c) The use
does not interfere with the performance of the employee’s
official duties;
d) The use
does not disrupt or distract from the conduct of University
business due to volume or frequency;
e) The
use does not disrupt other University or other state employees
and does not obligate them to make a personal use of state
resources;
f) The
use does not compromise the security or integrity of state
property or software; and,
g) The
use is not a prohibited use as set forth below in Section 6:
Employees Are Prohibited From Using University Resources For
Certain Activities.
5.
Employees May Make Personal Use Of University Resources That
Promote Organizational Effectiveness Or Enhance Job-Related
Skills
a)
Employees must seek and obtain written approval from their
immediate supervisor before using University resources.
b) A
supervisor may authorize a personal use of equipment or
facilities that promotes organizational effectiveness or
enhances the job-related skills of a state officer or state
employee. Authorization can only be provided for one specific
purpose. For example, a
supervisor could approve the use of University word processors
by an employee to type his or her own student thesis outside
normal work hours, if the course of study is reasonably related
to the employee’s position.
c) The
appropriate supervisor must make a determination as to whether a
proposed limited use of equipment is permitted, document the
basis for the decision, and maintain records for the unit.
6.
Employees Are Prohibited From Using University Resources For
Certain Activities
The state
Constitution, state and federal laws, and the Ethics in Public
Service Act strictly prohibit certain private activity and
certain uses of state resources. Any use of state resources to
support such activity clearly undermines public confidence in
state government and reflects negatively on state employees
generally. This rule explicitly prohibits at all times the
following private uses of state resources:
a)
Outside business. Any use for the purpose of conducting an
outside business or private employment.
b)
Soliciting.
Any use for
the purpose of supporting, promoting the interests of, or
soliciting for an outside organization or group, including, but
not limited to, a private business, a nonprofit organization, or
a political party. Exception: Supporting an outside
group is allowed if provided for by law or authorized by the
President of the University or President’s designee. Examples
include:
·
Conducting
the
Combined Fund Drive
as authorized by law and approved by the President or designee;
or
·
Organizing
a campus blood drive for the Puget Sound
Blood
Center,
when approved by the President or designee.
c)
Campaigning. Any use for the purpose of assisting a
campaign for election of a person to an office or for the
promotion of or opposition to a ballot proposition. Such use of
state resources is specifically prohibited by RCW
42.52.180, subject to the exceptions in RCW
42.52.180(2).
d)
Lobbying. Any use for the purpose of participating in or
assisting in an effort to lobby the state legislature, or a
state agency head. Such a use of state resources is specifically
prohibited by RCW
42.17.190, subject to the exceptions in RCW
42.17.190(3).
e)
Prohibited by law. Any use related to conduct that is
prohibited by a federal or state law or rule or a state agency
policy including, but not limited to:
·
Illegal
discrimination.
Transmission of sexually or racially explicit messages sent to
harass or intimidate.
·
Illegal
pornography.
Transmission of illegally obscene materials.
·
Copyright
infringement.
Transmission of copyrighted material without the necessary
permissions or payment.
·
Chain
letters.
Dissemination of chain letters or petitions.
f)
Conversion for private use. Any private use of any state
property that has been removed from state facilities or other
official duty stations, even if there is no cost to the state.
g)
Modification of University cell phones. A cell phone issued
to an employee for official business purposes may not be
modified to establish a personal line, or add calling plans or
features for personal use, even if the additional expense will
be paid for by the employee or if there is little or no cost to
the University.
7.
Employees Shall Have No Expectation Of Privacy In Use Of
University Resources
Electronic
mail, facsimile transmissions, and voice mail are technologies
that may create an electronic record. This is what separates
these from other forms of communication such as a telephone
conversation. An electronic record can be reproduced and,
therefore, may be subject to disclosure under the public records
disclosure law. Further,
electronic records may be disclosed for audit or
legitimate state operational or management purposes. Requests
for disclosure of e-mail follow the same procedures as
disclosure of printed records.
8.
Employees Who Receive Unsolicited Messages Are Not In
Violation Of This Policy
This policy
does not apply to unsolicited messages that may be received via
the University’s electronic messaging systems. Messages
received that would violate Section 6 (Employees Are
Prohibited From
Using
University
Resources For Certain Activities)
should be promptly deleted.
9.
Employees Shall
Not
Use
University
Resources In Outside Work
University
facilities and equipment are not to be used in outside work.
Examples.
Examples of where aspects of outside work might create a
conflict with this policy:
·
University
offices or laboratories may not be used as a place of business
for an employee’s outside enterprise. University telephone
numbers and addresses (including e-mail and/or Internet/World
Wide Web addresses) may not be used or listed regarding an
employee’s outside business.
·
University
affiliations and titles may not be used in advertising related
to an employee’s outside business.
·
University
paper and other office supplies may not be used by an employee
in the conduct of an outside business.
·
University-owned computing resources and laboratory equipment
may not be used by an employee for the conduct of an outside
business.
10. University Adopts The Executive Ethics Board Rules
It is the
University’s policy to permit minimal personal use in parallel
with the rules adopted by the state Executive Ethics Board, as
they exist now or may be amended. In the event those rules are
more restrictive than the University’s, the Executive Ethics
Board rules apply.
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