Google Sites Usage Policy

Purpose

Google Sites services support the educational and administrative activities of the University and serve as one means of communication by and among users. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that this service remains available and reliable, and is used for purposes appropriate to SEU's mission.

Per Google, Google Sites is the easiest way to make information accessible to people who need quick, up-to-date access. People can work together on a Site to add file attachments, information from other Google applications (like Google Docs and Google Calendar), and new free-form content. Creating a site together is as easy as editing a document, and you always control who has access, whether it's just your team, your club, your committee or the whole University. The Google Sites web application is accessible from any internet connected computer.

Scope

This policy applies to all members of the SEU community who are entitled to use the Google Sites feature provided as part of Google Apps at SEU. Members include faculty, staff, students, and approved affiliated classes of individuals.

Since Google Apps is a closed communication system (i.e., membership limited solely to approved groups within the SEU community), users are encouraged to use Google Sites as an internal method to communicate and collaborate among members of a specific group or organization. This type of communication differs from the public SEU website, which is best used for announcements, stories or other types of information targeted to the public at large. Fliers, posters, email blasts and RSS feeds also differ in nature from a Google Site, and will still be available as alternative means of communication among the larger campus community. Members of the SEU community are encouraged to distinguish among these modes of communication in attempting to reach their target audiences and to use each appropriately.

Policy

Google Sites are provided as an online tool in support of a collaborative work effort at SEU. Their use is therefore restricted to SEU affiliated groups, departments and organizations only. Google Sites will not be created for individual use.

Google Sites will not be used to substitute for course management software (e.g., Blackboard or Moodle) which have been provided by SEU as the official course management / learning management systems.

Google Site Creation

• Google Sites may only be created for officially recognized groups, departments, organizations, clubs or committees.
• To request the creation of a Google Site, please submit this request form. The form will be submitted to the appropriate Vice President for approval.
• Approved sites will be created by the Information Technology Help Desk. While it is technically possible for any Google Apps user to create a site, it is against SEU's usage policy for Google Sites.
• Any sites created without going through the appropriate approval process may be removed without notice.
• Examples of valid requests include a committee or task force site, an administrative office site, a student government association (SGA) affiliated site, and academic area sites.

Appropriate Site Content and Use

• Use of Google Sites must be consistent with SEU's educational goals and mission, as well as comply with local, state and federal laws and SEU policies.
• Users of Google Sites are accountable to SEU and fellow Google Sites collaborators. A login is therefore required to add or change content. Configuring a Google site with anonymous writing permissions is prohibited.
• Once permission to create a site has been granted, it will be the user's responsibility to maintain the Site and ensure that all information contained therein is accurate, up-to-date and is in conformance with SEU's mission and values. Furthermore, content placed on the site must adhere to all applicable SEU policies including, but not limited to, the Academic Integrity Policy, the Code of Conduct, the Acceptable Use Policy, and the Posting Policy.
• Sites must also adhere to applicable federal and state laws including, but not limited to, copyright and trademark law.
• SEU officials reserve the right to immediately remove any Google Site that they find to be in violation of any tenet of this policy with or without prior notice to the Site owner.
• Users who violate this policy may be subject to disciplinary action by SEU, up to and including expulsion or termination of employment.
• No confidential information may be contained in a Google Site. This is information, the disclosure of which is regulated by federal, state, and/or local government (e.g., FERPA, GLBA, HIPAA and data collected from human subjects). It includes, but is not limited to:
  • Social Security Numbers
  • Student educational records
  • Employee or student-specific financial data
• SEU organizations that have legitimate business reasons for sharing protected data on the site may be approved for a Google Site by the appropriate Vice President. However, it is the responsibility of the Vice President to notify the Chief Information Officer that the site may contain protected information. Together, the Vice President, the Chief Information Officer and the site owner will be responsible for determining how the site will be maintained in an effort to protect the data to the greatest degree possible.
• Users are expected to report misuse of a site to their respective Vice President as soon as possible so that a proper course of action can be determined in a timely fashion.
• Google Sites cannot be used for commercial purposes.