Intellectual Property and Copyright Laws protect the following "Works of Authorship": (1) literary works; (2) musical works, including any accompanying words; (3) dramatic works, including any accompanying music; (4) pantomimes and choreographic works; (5) pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works; (6) motion pictures and other audiovisual works; and (7) sound recordings. Just because you have the ability to save and use a graphic, text, music or video file from an Internet source does not mean that it is legal to do so. The university assumes no responsibility for violation of laws pertaining to such works, and makes this good faith effort to inform you of your responsibilities in this regard. Likewise, any use of such materials is in direct violation of University policy aimed at protecting the rights of authors. This is a reminder that you are responsible for complying with all applicable state, federal and local laws as well as University policy. This includes Intellectual Property and Copyright laws.

An e-mail account is provided for each faculty, staff and student member of the campus community. This e-mail account must be used for all ESU business. Forwarding of mail to an outside e-mail system is not condoned. In addition to not receiving support and not being backed-up, outside e-mail accounts increase the campus’s vulnerability to e-mail born viruses.

East Stroudsburg University participates in the Campus License Agreement Program with Microsoft. This provides office and home use privileges by faculty and staff for many Microsoft software products including Office, Outlook, Publisher, and many languages. The institution has standardized on this suite of software because of licensing, support, training, and cost considerations. Use of similar software products is discouraged and not supported due to resource limitations. Other types of software purchased by ESU but not covered by the Campus License Agreement will be installed by Office of Computing Services staff and will be supported on a non-priority basis as resource availability allows. Support will not be provided on software that is not the property of ESU. Likewise, software support cannot be provided on non-ESU equipment. Also, alterations to the installed configurations of software and use with unauthorized equipment will not be supported. Please endeavor to specify and procure equipment approved by the Computing Services Department to insure compatibility, coverage for support and repair, and warranty services and assistance.

Computing Services staff will assist in the selection and specification of computing equipment to meet you needs. It is important to identify equipment that meets Computing Services’ specifications to insure serviceability and a commitment for support. Equipment orders that do not meet approved specifications will be allowed under exceptional circumstances, but will be processed only with the understanding that Computing Services is not responsible for supporting the “unauthorized” equipment.

All software installation should be arranged through Computing Services. Only software purchased by ESU is allowed on ESU equipment. Other, unauthorized software, will be removed upon detection. Equipment provided for faculty, staff, and student use is the property of ESU and users are to utilize only software provided for their use by the institution. Installation of software not licensed by ESU is in violation of ESU Policy!

Access is provided for any faculty or staff member who is deemed by his/her supervisor or division head to need such access as part of his/her job duties. A communication to the director of Computing Services is required to initiate the necessary steps to authorize such access. Typically, access is authorized to address the need for work related Internet access, access to an ESU e-mail account, access to an appointment calendar, or access to the campus administrative database.

Users who need to work on projects when off campus may be authorized to have access through the institution’s Metaframe server so that remote accessibility to primary documents, reports, etc. is available. This type of access obviates the need for copying and synchronizing multiple instances of information.

The Official ESU Web Page documents policies concerning use of ESU resources including computer systems, Internet access, and use of ESU equipment. This document is not intended to supercede or replace the “use policies” stated there.

Requests for new software packages and first year funding for such packages need a dean’s approval. Funding for subsequent years, if applicable, will be provided by the office of Academic Computing. Consultation with Academic Computing is necessary to determine if the software is capable of running on campus systems prior to ordering.

A computer or associated equipment is typically purchased by the department from the department’s budget. A requisition is prepared, often with the assistance of the Office of Computing Services, detailing the specifications required of the equipment needed. After the appropriate approvals are secured, the specifications are published to prospective vendors in the form of a Request for Quotation. The lowest bidder or the vendor whose quotation meets the specifications and represents the “best value” to the institution is awarded the purchase.

Vendors of computing equipment are scrutinized carefully. Only vendors that are successful in establishing the quality of their equipment (through physical examination and industry verified performance), their commitment to working with the institution with respect to service and support, and maintenance of a good working relationship are given the opportunity to bid on requests. On the occasion of a need to expedite the process or when it clearly benefits the institution, state or government contracts are used to bypass the bid process.

Sometimes funding for computing equipment is available from a special appropriation from the respective dean or Vice President. Special grants and appropriations or “Instructional Fee” allocations are also a source of funding for computing equipment.

The acquisition of software and software licenses, other than Microsoft Office, is accomplished through normal purchase procedures. If your departmental budget is not to be used for this purchase, you must secure funding from some other source. The normal procedure in this case is to secure support of your dean or the Provost for the initial purchase of the software and license. A signed, approved requisition is required to initiate the purchase. Software should be delivered to Academic Computing or the Computing Center for installation. Installation must be done by computer professionals in the Computing Center. If software is installed by other that Computing Services personnel, hardware and software support may not be available to resolve problems and issues.

If you need continuing use of the software beyond the initial license, you must notify Academic Computing of your requirements prior to budget hearings (usually March). Typically, Academic Computing requests funding for continuation of all software licenses and takes care of all renewals.

The identification/specification of equipment appropriate to the task is initially done, by the requester, with the assistance of consultants in the Office of Computing Services if needed. Technical consultation services are available in the Computing Center and in the Office of Academic Computing.

Often the brand/manufacturer or model of equipment requested is not necessarily the item recommended. This is due to the training or service relationship available in the Technical Support area, past performance of the equipment, or other acceptability criterion of the equipment. Purchase of equipment not approved/recommended by the Office of Computing is possible, but with the clear understanding that the department bears the responsibility for service and support for all un-authorized equipment. The Office of Computing Services will not service or support such equipment. Careful consideration should be given to the alternatives before un-authorized equipment purchases are “forced”.

For the typical needs of a faculty or staff person, i. e. – word processing, spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, small database, Internet access, Mainframe access, e-mail, web page development, and office automation (appointment calendar, To Do Lists, contacts list, etc.) a “thin client” or Network Computer represents the best alternative for most individuals. A thin client computer provides the standard suite of software, the best level of hardware and software support, ready access to files from remote locations and from other stations on the campus network, a higher level of security and privacy than a PC, and automatic, daily backup of all data files. Typically, upgrades to software will be done in a more timely fashion and with far less inconvenience than the same procedure on a PC. The thin client computer does not get out-dated like a static configuration on a PC because is processing resources are not finite, but dynamically allocated based upon need. The thin client “grows” with the need.

A standard PC is the unit of choice in certain circumstances. If specialized equipment, like a document scanner, a CDROM burner or DVD drive, or specialized laboratory equipment/apparatus needs to be interfaced with the computer, it usually requires a dedicated PC. If the need is to support very large databases or very specialized applications like video editing or digitizing applications, then a standard PC with the special interfaces or resources is indicated.

Specific reasons to request a standard PC instead of a Network Computer (thin client) are:

• Special equipment interface required
• Extra-ordinary storage or processing requirements
• Special application support (like digitizing, video editing, sound editing)
• Mobility (notebook indicated)
• Special ADA requirements