Kaskaskia College’s email services support the educational and administrative activities of the College and serve as a means of official communication. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that this critical service remains available and reliable, and is used for purposes appropriate to the College’s mission.
SCOPE
The email system is a vital part of Kaskaskia College’s information technology resources. It is a service provided to support necessary communication in conducting and administering academic and business related activities of Kaskaskia College. Access to these resources is granted subject to applicable College policies and procedures, including the Acceptable Use Policy for technology resources, as well as local, State, and Federal laws. This policy applies to all users of the Kaskaskia College e-mail system and services, regardless of where the use is initiated.
GENERAL
Kaskaskia College assigns an email account to all faculty, staff and students consisting of an official College email address with a domain name of @kaskaskia.edu or @students.kaskaskia.edu. All official communications, pertaining to college-related business, will be emailed to these addresses. Kaskaskia College has the right to expect that all faculty, staff, and students check their College email account on a frequent basis and read their emails in a timely fashion in order to remain informed of official, college-related communications, which may contain time sensitive information or affect day-to-day activities.
Examples of official communications include but are not limited to:
- Departmental communications including but not limited to: Registration, Admissions and Records, Financial Aid, Payroll, Human Resources, President’s office etc.
- All communication between staff/faculty and students.
- Notices of scholarship, educational and financial aid opportunities.
- Notices and academic and other deadlines.
ACCESS TO EMAIL
Faculty, staff, and student email accounts are web accessible. Students who are not in possession of a home computer, or do not have access to a computer at work, can use computers available in the open computer labs at the main campus and all education centers.
SECURITY AND PRIVACY OF EMAIL
Kaskaskia College attempts to provide secure, private and reliable email services by following standard information technology practices. However, the College cannot guarantee the security, privacy or reliability of its email service. All email users, therefore, should exercise extreme caution in using email to communicate confidential or sensitive matters. It is especially important that users are careful to send messages only to intended recipient(s). Particular care should be taken when using the "reply" command during email correspondence.
It is a violation of College policies, including the Student Conduct Code, for any user of a College email address to impersonate a College office or office, faculty/staff member, or student. To minimize this risk, confidential information will be made available through CampusNet or other secure web sites that are password protected. In these cases, students will receive email correspondence directing them to CampusNet (or other web sites), where they can access the confidential information by supplying their Student ID and PIN numbers. Confidential information will not be available in the email message.
EMAIL ADDRESSES AND ACCOUNTS
Employees
College email services are to be used by faculty and staff to conduct and communicate College business. Faculty and staff are required to use a KC-assigned email address for sending communications to students at the student’s official KC-assigned email address. Email services are provided only while a user is employed by the College or a student at the College and once a user's employment with the College ends or a student is no longer enrolled for the time set forth below in this policy, the account is terminated.
Students
College email services are provided for students to support learning and for communication by and between the various administrative departments and the students. Official email addresses shall be considered directory information.
Departmental
Departments that provide services in response to email requests should create a shared email account to help support departmental functional continuity for managing requests sent via email. Access to these accounts is limited to appropriate faculty and staff, and only in accordance with standard security practices.
ACCEPTABLE USE
Email users have a responsibility to review and comply with Kaskaskia College’s Acceptable Use of College Technology Resources policy. Violation of Kaskaskia College policies (including this one) may result in disciplinary action, dependent upon the nature of the violation.
Examples of prohibited uses of email include:
- Confidentiality regarding student records is protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). All use of email must be consistent with FERPA regulations.
- Transmission between a KC email address and a non-“KC” email address must not be used to communicate highly sensitive data such as Personally Identifiable Information (PII) that, if exposed, can lead to identity theft. Examples of PII include but is not limited to the first name or first initial and last name in combination with and linked to any one or more of the following data elements about the individual:
- Social security number
- Driver’s license number or state identification card number
- Passport number
- Financial account number, credit card or debit card number
- Email shall not be the sole method for notification of any legal action.
- Intentional and unauthorized access to other user’s email account.
- Sending "spam", chain letters, or any other type of unauthorized widespread distribution of unsolicited mail.
- Use of email for commercial activities or personal gain.
- Use of email for partisan political or lobbying activities.
- Use of email that constitutes any violations of the Student Handbook.
- Creation and use of a false or alias email address in order to impersonate another or send fraudulent communications.
- Use of email to transmit materials in a manner which violates copyright laws.
For faculty convenience, student email addresses are displayed on class lists. Faculty may determine how email will be used in their classes. It is highly recommended that if faculty have email requirements and expectations, they will specify these requirements in their course syllabus. Faculty may reasonably expect that students are accessing their College email, and may use email for their courses accordingly. In addition to using student’s primary email addresses, online faculty and students may also communicate within Blackboard using its “Messaging” feature.
BEST PRACTICES IN USE OF EMAIL
Compliance
Emails must comply with relevant local, Federal and State laws, in addition to other related Kaskaskia College policies and procedures.
Viruses and Spyware
Kaskaskia College email users should be careful not to open unexpected attachments from unknown or even known senders, nor follow web links within an email message unless the user is certain that the attachment or link is legitimate. Following a link in an email message executes code that can also install malicious programs on the workstation.
Identity Theft
Forms sent via email from an unknown sender should never be filled out by following a link. Theft of one's identity can result.
Attachments
In order to effectively manage network resources, email attachments have a maximum size of 15Mb. All incoming and outgoing emails that exceed the allowable limit will not be delivered to the designated email account.
Extended Absence
Staff email users on an extended absence should create an Out Of Office message, which should include the contact information for another staff member who can respond while the user is away from the office.
Approval History:
Replaces Email Policy 4.66 Approved March 23, 2015