Policies for Management of the University's Central Web Server ("NUInfo")

Audience:

All University faculty, staff, and students with content on the central University Web server, NUInfo.

Policy Statement:

Mission of the Central Web Server

The central Web server (called "NUInfo") is comprised of highly available, high-performance Web sites containing important administrative information of general interest about the University. The central Web server is the initial navigation point for information more specific to the administrative, research, and teaching missions of the University - the substance of which will often be housed and administered outside of the central Web server, NUInfo.

Governance and Policy Formulation

University Relations Web Communications and Information Technology (NUIT) are jointly responsible for the administration and operation of Northwestern's central Web server and for the creation of necessary policies. When policies are formulated or modified, Web Communications will request comments from the University community through existing committees.

Community Participation on the Central Web Server

The central Web server, NUInfo, may be used by University administrative entities to host Web sites for purposes in keeping with the Web server's mission. The central Web server is not available to student groups, nor is it available for personal Web pages.

Web Communications grants administrative entities permission to use the central Web server. Inappropriate content or non-supported technology on Web pages may cause a site to be disabled by Web Communications or NUIT.

Alternate server Web hosting for individuals or collaborative groups is available. Student groups should consult with the Associated Student Government and Student Affairs.

Required Participation by Administrative Entities

An individual requesting a Web account on the central Web server must provide at least two contact names to allow effective maintenance and management communication. The following points outline various roles. A single person may fulfill all of these roles for a small unit, but in such cases a second administrative contact must be named as backup.

• Administrative Contact. All Web accounts on the central Web server must name an administrative contact. This person will be contacted whenever there is a service concern, planned service interruption, or other need. Web communications and NUIT will notify this person of any planned maintenance outages on the server that would affect the availability of the Web presence. This person must be prepared to direct others to remedy problems or to approve steps by Web Communications or NUIT to remedy problems.

• Technical Contact. The technical contact is the person who is directly knowledgeable about the intended function, content, and logical structure of the Web site on the central Web server. Web Communications and NUIT will contact this person when technical issues arise about the Web site, or when a planned maintenance outage is being scheduled.

• Content writers. The administrative entity may have one or more content writers who create the individual Web pages that make up the overall presence. This person will generally work under the direction of the technical contact. Web Communications and NUIT will not normally communicate with content writers. Only larger entities will have dedicated content writers. Smaller entities may combine the content writer with the technical contact.

Content Policies for the Central Web Server

Web content should create effective communication about the entity, its services, and its relevance to the wide audience of potential visitors. The central Web server is not to be used for personal content.

Web Communications publishes official Web standards and is available to assist technical contacts to plan a suitable Web presence. Web Communications will require conformance to the standards if the planned site is considered a high-visibility Web presence for the University.

Web Communications and NUIT publish guidelines and operational details that are a portion of this policy but that undergo more frequent revision and updating. These guidelines are available at www.webstandards.northwestern.edu.

Issues of privacy, the confidentiality of sensitive information, and compliance with copyright law are considered by NUIT, and may be brought to the attention of NUIT at any time by any member of the Northwestern community. In general, custodianship of sensitive records is the responsibility of University offices maintaining such records, and no such records will be published on NUInfo without permission of the custodians.

Web Communications and NUIT will disable sites on the central Web server for policy, legal, or performance concerns. Web Communications and NUIT will attempt to locate the administrative contact prior to taking action.

Warning on Confidentiality

Information stored on the central Web server is for access by others. Entities should not store sensitive or confidential information on the central Web server. Normal system maintenance, administration, and the distributed nature of account management leave open the possibility for any information on the central Web server to be seen by authorized persons within their normal job duties.

Temporary Web Sites

The central University Web server is not intended for short-term projects such as conferences, seminars, etc. Administration of such sites is better placed at the school or division level. Web Communications is available to consult with the organizers of events to design sites, to link to them from appropriate central locations, and to assist with publicity.

Original Issue Date: