1.0 Scope of the policy

1.1 This policy shall apply to all http material residing on any server on the Elon University computer network.

2.0 Purpose of the Elon University Web Site

2.1 The purpose of the Elon University World Wide Web Site is to further the mission of the university by providing an electronic information and communication service that will be of use to all the university’s constituencies. The Web site serves as a resource that contains general university information, public relations and admissions information, information about departments and organizations, current news and schedules, information about students, faculty, staff and alumni, and links to and suggestions about Internet resources beyond the university. The site also serves as a critical academic resource, hosting class sites, course projects, student work, teaching resources and research projects. Users of the Elon University Web site are interactive participants who create and access information on the site.

3.0 Web Site Responsibilities

3.1 Technical maintenance of the Elon University Web Site computer servers and operating system shall be the responsibility of the Office of Information Systems and Technologies.

3.2 All university, department, organization and/or personal Web material should reside on the official Elon University Web Site servers. No other http servers should be operated on the university network without special permission from the Vice President for University Communications and the Associate Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer. Permission shall be granted based on appropriate academic or administrative need.

3.3 Policies for the Elon University Web Site shall be set by Senior Staff on recommendation of the Office of University Communications.

3.4 Creation and maintenance of the software, files and core content of the Elon University Web servers shall be the responsibility of the Assistant Director for Online Communications in the Office of University Communications. The director shall administer all user accounts, enforce all Web policies in cooperation with the Office of Student Life, maintain a high standard of quality for pages on the site and be responsible for the Elon home page, all top-level menu pages and home pages for departments and organizations that do not have the resources to create their own pages. Priority for this page creation shall be set by the Office of University Communications in consultation with Senior Staff.

3.5 Academic and administrative departments/programs are encouraged to produce their own Web pages on the Elon Web servers by appointing an individual who will take responsibility for the content. The department/program may have more than one individual create, update, and maintain the material as long as the individual responsible for the site approves the content and materials. The individual who is responsible should have his or her name and email address placed on every page produced by the department or organization.

3.6 University-sanctioned student organizations may produce their own Web pages for the Elon Web servers by naming a Web site manager whose name must be reported to the Office of Student Life along with the names of the other organization managers. The organization’s name and a contact email address shall be placed on every page. Organizations that do not maintain an active site manager will lose the right to host a Web site on the university servers.

3.7 Individuals who are responsible for the content of a department or organization Web page must remove all outdated materials and delete all files that are no longer in use.

3.8 Departments, organizations and individuals that wish to place information on the Elon University Web site should contact the Assistant Director for Online Communications to obtain an account and password along with technical information. All account holders must read and agree to follow the Elon University Web policy.

4.0 Web Site Content Policies and Guidelines

4.1 General Policy

4.1.1 Elon University recognizes the value and potential of creating files of electronic information on the Internet. The university administration, departments, programs, organizations, faculty, staff and students are encouraged to publish information consistent with the mission and policies of Elon University. Information placed on the Elon University Web Site plays an important role in developing and maintaining the strong reputation and image of the university. It should be creative, diverse and in good taste. The Web site is an open public document available to anyone, anywhere in the world. Those who place information on the site must realize the responsibilities inherent in this form of electronic publishing.

4.1.2 Content of all electronic pages must comply with local, state and federal laws including, but not limited to, copyright, libel and indecency statutes. Photographs and personal information about an individual must not be included without the appropriate permission.

4.1.3 Content of all electronic pages must be consistent with the mission, interest, standards and policies of Elon University.

4.1.4 The use of Elon University Internet resources for private business or commercial activities shall be prohibited. Fundraising, merchandising, solicitation, or advertising on the Elon University Web site by university departments and organizations will only be allowed with permission of the Vice President for University Communications.

4.1.5 Faculty, staff or students who wish to use Elon Internet resources to host a site for an organization not affiliated with Elon must receive permission from the Vice President for University Communications. Elon may host Web pages for an external club or organization provided there is a legitimate academic use for the site as determined by the committee. Permission will be granted based on consistency with the mission of the university and the demand on Web resources. Any external site hosted by Elon must designate a faculty/staff sponsor at Elon who will be responsible for updating the content. The sponsor shall have his or her name and email address placed on every page produced by the organization. Sponsors interested in having a site hosted by Elon should submit their requests to webaccount@elon.edu.

4.1.6 Elon University reserves the right to restrict or limit the file sizes of any department, organization or individual in order to conserve limited server resources.

4.1.7 Elon University reserves the right to remove any page from its servers at any time without prior notification to the creator of the page. The creator of the page will be notified of this action, and appeal of the removal of a page may be made to the Vice President for University Communications.

4.1.8 Violation of Web site policies may result in immediate revocation of Elon University Web site personal page publishing privileges, and possible further disciplinary action against the person responsible for the violation. All university disciplinary policies and penalties apply to violations of Web site policies.

4.1.9 Information on Elon University’s Web server may not be used in any manner prohibited by law or disallowed by licenses, contracts, copyrights, or university policies and regulations. If you encounter any violation of the above restrictions, please let us know by emailing web@elon.edu, or writing the Assistant Director for Online Communications, Office of University Communications, 2030 Campus Box, Elon, NC 27244.
Elon University reserves the right to remove any page from its server at any time without prior notice to the creator of the page.

4.2 Department and Organization Home Pages

4.2.1 Academic departments are encouraged to create pages that are creative and unique. As part of a department’s home page, there must be links to the official academic department information pages created by the Assistant Director for Online Communications that include the following information from the Elon University Academic Catalog:

  • General information about majors
  • Degree requirements
  • Course descriptions

Departments may supplement this information on their home page with additional information such as syllabi, etc.

4.2.2 Departments and organizations are encouraged to design their pages in a style that is harmonious with the top-level Elon University pages. The Assistant Director for Online Communications is available to offer templates and consulting service to anyone creating material for the Web site.

4.2.3 Faculty and staff are not required to have a personal home page in their department’s listing and may withhold personal information from their department’s page. Each department should list its campus box address along with the name, title and office phone number of each faculty and staff member.

4.3 Official Elon Web Site Style Policies and Guidelines

4.3.1 Because Web visitors can enter a page directly, without going through the Elon University home page or another top level page, it is important to identify each page as part of the Elon University Web site. Therefore, every Web page should contain the following:

  • Name and email address of the individual or department responsible for that page
  • Date of last update
  • Link to the top level page of your web material
  • Top-level pages must contain the “Return to Elon” icon and link to the Elon University home page

4.3.2 All uses of the Elon University graphic identity must be linked to the official web site images located on the server. No other use of the university logo or typemark is allowed on the Web site.

5.0 Changes to the policy

5.1 The World Wide Web is an evolving medium and this policy is written based on current technology and use at Elon University. Suggestions for updates and changes of the policy may be directed to the Vice President for University Communications, who will periodically revise the policy as necessary in consultation with the university’s Senior Staff.

Date of last update: April 23, 2021
Email: web@elon.edu