A. This policy describes the general guidelines for using institution information technology equipment.

The following policy statements address the use of institution owned equipment by faculty, staff and students for personal or commercial purposes; and the use of such equipment by individuals and organizations which are not part of the campus community. The intent of this policy is to ensure that any extracurricular use of equipment is consistent with the purpose, mission and goals of the institution.
"Campus community," as used herein, includes the institution, its departments, service units, affiliated or related organizations and foundations, faculty members, staff members, students, groups of students and student organizations.
The administrative head of each unit of the institution, or the head of a subunit when so delegated, is responsible for the control and accountability of use of all equipment assigned to the unit and for assuring that use of the equipment is consistent with this policy and the purpose, mission and goals of the institution.
It is recommended that each department head or manager track all departmental equipment/property, both capital (tagged with an institution asset tag) and non-capital, that is being or will be used "off-campus" on a non-temporary basis. Tracking information could include the following information as appropriate:

1. Description of the Equipment/Property
2. Name of the Person Using the Equipment/Property
3. Location of the Equipment/Property
4. Business Purpose
5. Approved by: (Signature of the Approving Department Head or Manager)

Departments should also ensure that equipment is returned when employees either transfer to another department or leave their employment with the institution. Institution equipment must be primarily used to promote the institution's mission and goals. Institution owned and provided consumable materials and supplies should not be used for personal or commercial purposes.
Personal activities related to teaching, scholarship and research, or public service promote the institution's mission. Accordingly, faculty and staff members may be granted the privilege of incidental and reasonable use of institution equipment in connection with their personal academic pursuits and professional development, provided the institution incurs no unreasonable costs for materials and supplies, maintenance and repairs. Approval of these situations should be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Use of institution equipment by individuals and organizations not part of the institution community is not permitted unless the responsible unit head approves. Approvals may be granted only when the use meets one of the following criteria:

The use is in connection with approved institution sponsored activities, events or services.

The use is part of a contractual agreement between the institution and a government agency, a private business or another educational institution; and the agreement has been reviewed for consistency with institution standards relative to competition with the private sector.

The use is by official visitors to the institution and is appropriate to the purpose of the visit.

The use is in connection with a public service activity and the equipment does not exist elsewhere or is not reasonably otherwise available to the user.

The unit head responsible for the equipment may establish a user fee, when appropriate. Such a fee must be approved by the appropriate vice president.