17.05

E-mail and Internet Usage

POLICY OVERVIEW

Appropriate use of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston’s (“university”) e-mail systems and Internet services is the responsibility of every student, employee, and anyone using university information resources.

This policy is intended to (1) educate the university community regarding the issues and practices of e-mail and Internet use; and, (2) clarify the use and retention of electronic mail and the use of the Internet.

E-mail and Internet services are provided through the university network. Internet services include e-mail, discussion groups, web browsing and video conferencing, among others. The use of e-mail includes the transmission of images, multi-media, and voice messages.

University-provided e-mail addresses and other Internet designations remain the property of the university. A student's e-mail address is considered directory information under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) which may be withheld upon the request of the student. See HOOP Policy 6.08 Educational Records for more information.

This policy applies to the Internet and e-mail as well as any media produced through its use and does not supersede or limit any state or federal laws, or any other institutional policies regarding confidentiality, information dissemination, records management, or standards of conduct.

POLICY CONTACT

For questions regarding this policy, contact Information Technology.

PROCEDURE

Access to the university network must be formally requested and approved in accordance with the individual's department security administration procedures.

Permissible Uses of University E-mail and Internet Services

The following are examples of appropriate use of university e-mail and Internet services to conduct official university business:

• Electronic dissemination of information, including the establishment of web sites, publishing web documents, and creating web applications as well as the distribution of bulletins, memoranda, newsletters, reports, and committee communications;
• Instructional use, specifically to enhance communications between students and instructors;
• Facilitation of distance learning;
• Support of university research activities; and
• Service activities of faculty and staff that are consistent with the law and traditional academic freedom accorded to faculty members.

E-mail and Internet usage records are considered state records and are subject to the same guidelines and regulations required for all records at the university, according to the Records Retention Schedule.

Examples of Prohibited Uses:

The following are a few specific examples of the inappropriate use of university e-mail and Internet services under this policy. This list is not all inclusive:

• Racist, sexist, threatening, or otherwise objectionable language and topics are strictly prohibited in e-mail and Internet usage.
• E-mail should not be used for any personal monetary interests or gain.
• Employees should not subscribe to mailing lists or mail services strictly for personal use.
• Personal e-mail and Internet usage should not impede the conduct of state business; only incidental amounts of employee time--time periods comparable to reasonable coffee breaks during the day--should be used to attend to personal matters.
• Personal e-mail should not cause the state to incur a direct cost in addition to the general overhead of e-mail.

Broadcast E-mails

Individuals are prohibited from using university resources to disseminate broadcast e-mail messages. Only emergency information or messages approved by executive management will be e-mailed directly to all university e-mail addresses. Messages meeting either of these criteria must be sent to Institutional Advancement, along with contact information. If necessary, Institutional Advancement staff will consult with university officials to determine if the content of the message is appropriate to be broadcast to the university community. Other messages related to university business may be sent to gatekeepers at each school or unit for distribution as the gatekeepers deem appropriate. For a list of gatekeepers, contact Institutional Advancement.

Cautions

Users of e-mail and Internet services should be aware of the following cautions:

• E-mail is a medium that conveys information. It is the information that carries a retention period and must be treated as a record in accordance with state and federal law.
• Individuals should have no expectation of privacy in e-mail using state information resources. Most e-mail is a public record; therefore, the privacy of e-mail cannot be assured. Extreme caution should be exercised when using unencrypted e-mail to communicate confidential or sensitive items.
• Unless an e-mail message is signed with a digital signature, there is no assurance that the message was actually sent by the sender identified in the message header.
• Unless an e-mail message is signed with a digital signature, there is no assurance of the validity of the message content.
• Only digitally signed e-mail should be used for formal agreements. Unsigned e-mail may easily be forged or misrepresented.
• Unencrypted e-mail messages can be easily printed, forwarded to others, or could even be delivered to the wrong recipient.
• Confidential or sensitive information sent by e-mail should be encrypted using the public key of the message recipient.
• Faculty and staff having encrypted information must decrypt information in order to satisfy statutory obligations under the provisions of the Texas Public Information Act (“TPIA”). Failure to comply with this requirement will result in disciplinary action and/or criminal sanctions.
• E-mail users need to keep in mind that all e-mail and Internet usage can be recorded and stored along with the source and destination.
• Management reserves the right to review user's e-mail.
• Management reserves the right to review user's Internet usage patterns and take appropriate disciplinary action to ensure compliance with university policies.
• Use care in wording an email to ensure that the tone of the email reflects the intent of the sender.

Failure on the part of any individual to comply with institutional policies relating to e-mail and internet usage may result in disciplinary action and/or criminal sanctions. Please consult the HOOP policies listed below that may also apply to usage of state information resources:

• 1.05 Editorial, Graphic, Web and Signage Standards  
• 2.01 General Standards of Conduct
• 2.04 Discrimination and Harassment
• 2.19 Conflict of Interest and Outside Activities
• 2.48 Publication of Professional Literature or Newsletters
• 2.57 Political Activity
• 3.06 Termination (A&P employees)
• 4.02 Academic Titles
• 4.08 Faculty Termination
• 4.11 Rights and Responsibilities of Faculty Members
• 4.15 Classroom and Research Use of Copyrighted Material
• 5.13 Disciplinary Action (classified employees)
• 6.03 Conduct and Discipline (student)
• 17.01 Responsibility for the Use of Information Resources
• 17.06 Records Management

Updated 08/05; 08/07, 10/08

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