NUMBER: IT 2.18 (formerly DLIS 2.11)
SECTION: Information Technology
SUBJECT: Cellular and /Wireless TelephonesPhones and/ Devices
LAST REVISION: November 5, 2003
DATE: September 10, 2002
Policy for: All Campuses
Procedure for: Columbia Campus
Authorized by: William F. Hogue
Issued by: Office of Information Technology
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I. Policy
It is the policy of the University to provide the equipment, services and other resources necessary for its faculty and staff to discharge their job-related responsibilities properly. Cellular and wireless telephones and devices may be included among these resources. For the purposes of this policy, cellular and wireless telephones and devices are hereinafter referred to as eDevices.
It is the responsibility of the vice president, dean, or director to justify the need for an individual under his or her management to have an eDevice. Justification could be based on increases in efficiency, effectiveness, or enhancement of personal employee performance. For academic units, approval is required from the dean. For administrative or service units, approval is required from the director or vice president. For the purposes of this policy, a unit is defined at the responsibility level. Departments are required to document and maintain the approval and justification for each user in local area work files.
II. Procedure
The University discourages use of agency eDevices for personal use. However, if circumstances should require an individual who is assigned an eDevice to use the eDevice for personal use, then that portion of the cost of the personal eDevice air time that causes the service bill to exceed the allotted monthly air time should be reimbursed to the University. As such, it is the responsibility of the vice president, dean, or director to monitor eDevice usage to ensure that abuse does not occur. The use of University-owned eDevices by faculty or staff may be revoked if there is evidence of abuse or misuse.
eDevices purchased through the University, regardless of the source of funds, are the property of the University. eDevices, accessories, and equipment must be accounted for as required by state law, and are to be turned in to the department when an employee transfers or terminates. When an eDevice is replaced, the old eDevice must be turned in to Consolidated Services. See BUSF 5.00 for inventory and tagging requirements.
If an eDevice is lost or stolen, a police report must be filed to account for the loss of state property. If an eDevice is damaged or lost, the vice president, dean, or director, at his or her discretion, may require the employee to pay for a replacement eDevice.
Calls or other communications on University eDevices should be kept brief to ensure efficient use of University resources. eDevices should be kept secured to prevent unauthorized use. Each area is responsible for the payment of expenses associated with eDevices used by that area.
The use of eDevices while driving on University business is strictly prohibited.
Service plans (coverage and minutes of airtime) should be selected carefully to meet the needs of the respective areas. These plans should be reviewed at least on an annual basis to ensure the need for the level of service obtained is still justified. Areas having large numbers of eDevices may wish to evaluate linking these users together under a single service contract for sharing a set amount of minutes per month.
Complaints regarding eDevices, service, or service contracts, should be filed with the USC Purchasing Department and/or the vendor.
All eDevice service contracts must be established in the name of the University of South Carolina. All eDevice service agreements must reflect the billing address of the local area or department paying for the device. In order to maintain full accountability at the user level and to eliminate establishing multiple purchase orders, it is strongly recommended that departments use their Visa Purchasing card to pay monthly bills for eDevices. Records of billing and payment should be maintained as required by University policy and procedure. To assist in budgeting and tracking charges for eDevices, the Controller’s Office has created a new object code specifically for cellular/wireless usage and a new object code for cellular/wireless equipment and accessories. The new object codes are:
52037 - Cellular/wireless monthly charge
52038 - Cellular/wireless equipment and/or accessories
Personal eDevices may not be placed on state contract.
Service contracts for eDevices may be activated, cancelled, or service shifted to another vendor without cost to the University. Vendors should be notified in writing in advance of such a change. In the event that a personal eDevice must be used for conducting University business, the individual, with proper documentation of the personal air time used, may seek reimbursement.
Uusage, monthly access and other charges, as well as appropriateness of service contracts for eDevices , etc., may be reviewed by the Department of Internal Audit. This information is available under the Freedom of Information Act (http://www.sc.edu/policies/hr100.html). Therefore, users are strongly encouraged to use eDevices only for University business and to maintain accurate records.
A listing of cellular/wireless vendors, allowable charges and contracts authorized by the state may be found at the following web site: http://www.state.sc.us/oir/rates/docs/rates.html