Technology Policies

The use of your MSU NetID, electronic mail and network connection is a privilege. It is your responsibility to ensure that your account does not violate MSU’s official policy on computer and network usage. The official MSU Acceptable Use Policy is
available via the tech.msu.edu website.

MSU and the College of Music reserve the right to suspend, or revoke, network or email access due to violation of the Acceptable Use policy.

In order to provide more timely support, all computers are set up with an administrator account to which the IT department has exclusive access. This administrator account must remain intact on all computers. Tampering with, disabling or deleting this account will delay service requests and result in the inability of the IT department to repair the computer.

Computer BIOS startup and administrative passwords should not be set on any machine. This may delay service requests. BIOS passwords that prevent IT staff from completing service requests will be reset.

Equipment checkout will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Equipment checkout is provided for official MSU business only. Equipment may be picked up no more than 48 hours prior to use or travel. It must be returned no more than 48 hours after the
end of its use or upon returning from travel.

All laptop users will be required to sign an Equipment Custody Form before taking the machine off campus property. Equipment removed from campus without authorization or proper approval may be ineligible for service until the proper forms have been filed.

Faculty wishing to remove a desktop unit from campus will need prior approval and be asked to sign the Equipment Custody Form as mentioned above. Once the machine has been released, it is the responsibility of the faculty member to bring the
machine back to the IT office for service. House calls will not be made on computer equipment removed from campus. This policy also applies to printers and other peripheral devices.

Faculty may request a new computer based on a four (4) year replacement cycle. Computers less than four (4) years old will not be replaced without cause and explicit approval. The Computer Store “Effortless PC” models are considered standard configurations. Faculty may request one of these models depending on their needs or preferences. Requests should be made during the December prior to the equipment’s “expiration date.”

If none of the base models are sufficient for a faculty member’s needs, he/she may make a request for a machine of their choosing. Anyone wishing to make specific requests must provide specifications of what is needed to the IT Department. The
Technology Committee will review all requests and decide on which requests will be submitted in the final budget process. If a request is denied, an opportunity will be given to receive one of the base models.

Once the university has informed the college of approved funding, faculty will be informed of the status of their request. Making a computer upgrade request does not guarantee it will be approved. Funding for approved requests will become
available by the end of July of the following fiscal year. At that time, orders will be placed and faculty will be contacted with further information.

Upon receipt of the new machine, the old machine will be taken back for either upgrade and re-use, or as a backup. There is no provision to keep “expired” equipment beyond the four year cycle

Once the faculty upgrade process has been completed, requests may be made to recycle old faculty computers for graduate assistant use. Requests will be granted on an as-available basis. Machines will not be purchased solely for graduate assistant use.

Computers that are recycled for graduate assistant use will receive low priority support. All policies governing service and use of faculty and staff computing also apply to graduate assistant computing.

Faculty members requiring sub-networks in their offices must consult the IT department before implementing their own solutions. Improperly configured or unapproved networks cause unintended outages for the College of Music.

Printers may be purchased with area funds or available start up monies. Support will only be provided to approved models. Approved models are limited to HP printers model year 2020-current. Any printer not on the list or approved by the IT department may not be eligible for support. Cost of any parts or replacements for any printer, even those on the approved list, will be the responsibility of the individual faculty or area.

Requests for computer and equipment service can be made: (1) Via email, directed to bakerju2@msu.edu , or (2) by calling the IT Support office at 517-432-5045.

Please note that while every endeavor will be made to provide support on issues related to IT personnel in passing verbally, the most reliable method to ensure support is by making a request via the above two methods.

TLE funding is for technology used in the education of students. Examples are: Audio recorders (for recording lessons), software that students might use in their studio lessons, classroom utilities that you might use in class presentations,
software and equipment used in the production of audio or video files used for student education, or larger strategic technology initiatives relating to student education.

Requests for such funding will be done on the same cycle as faculty upgrade requests. Instructions on requesting this funding can be found on the College of Music website and reminders are routinely sent in the Dean’s Memo prior to December of each year.

All requested research, such as finding equipment models, vendors and pricing, is the responsibility of the individual faculty members. Requests will be submitted and reviewed in the same manner as upgrade requests. Once requests have been
received, the Technology Committee will review the requests and determine which requests will be forwarded to the University as a request for funding. Upon receiving the approved list from the university, faculty will be informed of the status of their requests.

A submitted request does not guarantee approval.

Upon termination of employment at the College of Music, and prior to the required Exit Interview, all equipment supplied by the college will be surrendered for inspection. All documents and files of a personal nature must be removed by, and are the responsibility of, the user. If using an iCloud account on a College of Music device, this account must be signed out. This must be done prior to equipment being returned.