I. Policy Statement

The State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn (SUNY Downstate) recognizes that access to modern information technology is vital to its mission of education, research, patient care, and public service. Faculty, students and staff are encouraged to participate in the world wide web in compliance with the standards of quality as set forth in the web site guidelines.

II. Policy Guidelines

a. Web Design
To maintain a consistent image throughout SUNY Downstate, every web page will be required to adhere to the following design standards. These guidelines have been developed by the SUNY Downstate Web Site Development Committee.

World wide web pages must contain:
official SUNY Downstate logo
contact information including the Web Coordinator’s name and e-mail address, department name, and generic e-mail address
the design curve throughout department web sites (If problematic, the curve may be modified with a secondary design.)
navigational tool bar
footers
addition of ‘bread crumbs” - navigational utility
standard viewable image are of 640 x 480 on a typical 15 inch monitor
consistency of font choice
date that the web page was created and last update
current copyright information

Official Home Page
1. The home page is an official publication of the State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn (SUNY Downstate). Unless otherwise indicated, all materials including text and photographs appearing on the home page or official home pages of specific departments should not be reproduced without written permission from SUNY Downstate. The Office of University Affairs has the right to remove all pages and web sites not deemed acceptable or appropriate.

2. The institutional home page is the responsibility of the Chief Information Officer in consultation with the Office of Biomedical Communications and Institutional Advancement.

3. Official home pages are a reflection of SUNY Downstate. It is important for all contributors to ensure that their information is well organized, accurate, and timely. A document that is official is one that purports to speak for SUNY Downstate and its official programs and departments and not for individuals employed by SUNY Downstate.

4. Institutional official pages must contain the SUNY Downstate logo in its original form.


Departmental Home Pages
1. Home pages linked from SUNY Downstate may be created by academic departments, programs, centers or institutes, governance groups, and administrative departments.

2. All subordinate official pages must contain a link back from the home page of SUNY Downstate.

3. All official SUNY Downstate electronic publications must be approved by Institutional Advancement.

4. All official documents must clearly state the sponsoring department, contact name, e-mail address, and date of last modification on the bottom. University Affairs must approve all official documents.

5. A primary contact must be identified for the creation and maintenance of all home pages and provided to the Office of Biomedical Communications. The contact is designated by the Department Chair. This person’s name and e-mail address must be included on the page. This contact is responsible for periodically reviewing and updating the information, at least annually. Departmental Chairpersons are responsible for maintaining the accuracy of their sites.

6. All photos and images used must have the express written permission of not only the person or organization that owns the image, but of any person or persons included within the image if it contains their names.

7. All copyrighted material used must have the express written permission of the persons or organization that owns the copyright.

Faculty Personal Home Pages
1. SUNY Downstate encourages faculty and professional staff in the expansion of the University’s presence on the World Wide Web. All users are expected to conform to SUNY Downstate policies without the need for prior review.

2. Faculty and staff personal pages may not contain the Official SUNY Downstate logo.

3. Personal home pages must contain the author’s name, e-mail address, and last update.

4. Personal web pages may not be used for commercial purposes.

5. No material included in personal home pages may violate any laws, including but not limited to those regarding obscenity, harassment of others or copyright, any person who knowingly who violates such laws in their interaction with the Internet will be subject to the loss of their access privileges and possible prosecution.

6. When faculty personal home pages are linked from official pages, SUNY Downstate requires that there is a clear and explicit statement at the point of transition from official to personal Web page. This statement must indicate that “the views and opinions expressed in the personal home page are exclusively those of the author and not SUNY Downstate. Comments on the contents of those pages should be directed to the page author.”

7. Recognized student groups may create home pages that are linked from SUNY Downstate with the approval of the Director of the Student Union or their designee.


c. Web Support: Responsibilities of Departments

1. Institutional Advancement
Advise SUNY Downstate units about policy, style and content.

2. Biomedical Communications
Maintain server hardware/back up server, software, and top-level links
Create and standardize Web Site design and navigational architecture

Expedite specialized functions including intelligent interactive web interaction, data base queries, and electronic forms submission (submit buttons)
Act as consultants on page design and file strategy
Translate text documents of departments into web ready documents
Create graphic banners, icons, and buttons.
Digitize photographs, video and audio to be included in Web documents
Provide live and on-demand video conferences and full motion/sound educational material (lectures, lab demonstrations)

3. Information Services
Maintain network

4. Dean, Department Chair or Department Administrator
Responsible for the content (including links to other information) of the unit’s published electronic pages and must sign off on content of the unit’s home page and other pages before links from the SUNY Downstate home page will be set up. Reassigns responsibility for the unit’s web pages if the page coordinator leaves Downstate or is relieved of this responsibility. Removes links from department pages to pages containing material that violates local, state or federal laws, or other Downstate policies.

5. Faculty, Staff, and Students
When publishing information, observe copyright regulations, all local, state, and federal laws, and Downstate policies. All pages on the SUNY Downstate Web Site must adhere to and reflect current University publishing policies and practices. To the extent possible, they must be kept timely and accurate.

6. Web Site Policy Group
provides direction and guidance to development of web sites.