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E-mail Appropriate Use Policy

E-mail Appropriate Use Policy

Rationale – Roanoke College e-mail accounts are the official electronic communication system between faculty, staff, & students. The use of Gmail, Hotmail, etc to communicate official business is not permitted as the College cannot control the administration or security of those systems. To comply with Federal privacy laws (FERPA, HIPAA, etc.), industry regulations (PCI, etc.) and higher education best practices, the following policies are intended to ensure a secure system of electronic communication.

Your Roanoke College e-mail account is considered the official method of communication with the College. You are expected to regularly check the contents of your account. The password for your account should never be shared with another person nor should it be saved in a written format that is accessible to others. Accessing a Roanoke College e-mail account other than your own is allowed only with appropriate employment related permissions granted by your divisional Vice President and the Director of Human Resources.

Roanoke College employees shall not use e-mail to request passwords, full Social Security numbers, or other confidential personal information. Any e-mail message that asks you to enter or verify personal information through a website or by replying to the message itself should be viewed as suspect and evaluated. Never reply to or click the links in such a message. Resolution of matters which require access to your password shall be made in person or via phone. If the need arises for a username change, the old username and information stored under the old username will be deleted.

All electronic communication between faculty, staff or students on College related matters may only be conducted using a Roanoke College e-mail address. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act allows for internal communication via e-mail, using the College’s secure system. Since the College cannot control the security of other systems, outside e-mail accounts may not be used to conduct matters related to College business or educational matters. In order for the College to be in compliance with Federal regulations related to the privacy of student records, faculty and staff e-mail accounts may not be set to automatically forward to an external e-mail address. For faculty and staff who wish to access College accounts and data using any mobile device where College e-mail is accessed, a passcode is required. Downloading and storing email on an external device is prohibited. 

The content of all Roanoke College e-mail accounts is the property of Roanoke College. Communication to Roanoke College distribution lists must be limited to topics related to College matters. The College does not routinely monitor or screen e-mail. However, the College has the right, consistent with this policy and applicable laws, to access, review and release all electronic information that is transmitted over or stored in College systems or facilities, whether or not such information is private in nature, and, therefore, confidentiality or privacy of e-mail cannot be guaranteed.

Personal Use

College e-mail services may be used for incidental personal purposes provided that such use:

  • Does not directly or indirectly interfere with the College operation of computing facilities or e-mail services.
  • Does not interfere with the e-mail user’s employment or other obligations to the College.
  • Does not violate this Policy or any other applicable College policy or law, including but not limited to use for personal gain, conflicts of interest, harassment, defamation, copyright violation or illegal activities (see Misuse below).
  • There shall be no expectation of privacy in regard to e-mail messages of a personal nature sent or received from College e-mail accounts or from College computers.

Misuse

  • Using e-mail for illegal activities is strictly prohibited. Illegal use includes, but is not limited to: obscenity; child pornography; threats, harassment; theft; unauthorized access to data or attempting to breach any security measures on any electronic communications system; attempting to intercept any electronic communication transmission without proper authority; and violation of copyright, trademark or other applicable law.
  • In addition to illegal activities, the following e-mail practices are expressly prohibited: entry, examination, use, transfer, or tampering with the email accounts and files of others, unless appropriately authorized pursuant to this policy; altering e-mail systems software or hardware configurations; or interfering with the work of others or with College or other computing facilities.
  • E-mail users shall not give the impression that they are representing, giving opinions, or otherwise making statements on behalf of the College or any department of the College unless expressly authorized to do so.
  • College e-mail services may not be used for purposes that could reasonably be expected to cause, (directly or indirectly) strain on any computing facilities, or interference with others’ use of e-mail or e-mail systems. Such uses include, but are not limited to, the use of e-mail services to:
    • Send or forward chain letters. These e-mails often contain warnings that may very well be hoaxes.
    • "Spam” – to exploit listservs or similar systems for the widespread distribution of unsolicited mail.
    • "Letter-bomb” – to resend the same e-mail repeatedly to one or more recipients.
    • Knowingly sending or transmitting computer viruses
    • Phishing
  • Employees working with credit card information shall never transmit credit card numbers, expiration dates, or security codes over email.
  • Employees shall not transmit confidential or personally identifiable information such as birthdates or Social Security Numbers over email.