Web Policies

Version 1.4, Updated April 12, 2023

The content of Middlebury College’s web sites results from contributions by institutional, departmental, and individual content providers who are responsible for the content of their postings. In some cases, the College’s web sites provide access to personal information posted by individual members of the College community.

College Communications and Web Services provide oversight of the College’s web sites by assuring a high level of accuracy, quality, and timeliness of information and ensuring proper use of the College’s brand identity.  In addition, the design and organizational structure of web sites are monitored so that these online presences reflect positively upon the College. To advance the use of the web as a resource for people seeking information both on and off campus, College Communications and Web Services encourage and remain aware of other groups who develop courseware content and academic, administrative, and library applications, and work to support and guide them in these efforts.

Departmental/Institutional web pages are created and maintained by academic and administrative departments and programs on campus, in coordination with College Communications. These pages provide official representation of Middlebury College and are expected to comply with the guidelines in this document and related policies available from College Communications and Web Services.

Curricular web pages are created by faculty and students with assistance provided by ITS. These pages are used in conjunction with courses taught at the College to encourage innovation in teaching and learning.

Personal web pages are created by individual members of the College community (students, faculty, and staff), and by student organizations. Further guidelines for personal pages are provided below.

Guidelines for All Web Pages

1. Materials and information created and posted on Middlebury College Web sites are the intellectual property of institutional, departmental, or individual information providers. These providers must comply with copyright and fair use laws such as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 and all relevant College policies, including those governing use of computing resources, nondiscrimination, harassment, data classification, use of College facilities and services for commercial purposes, and student and employee conduct.
   • Any use of Middlebury College’s Web sites for illegal or inappropriate activities or harassment is prohibited. Illegal activities shall be defined as a violation of local, state, and/or federal laws. Inappropriate use shall be defined as a violation of the intended use of the College’s computing resources and policies, and/or the purpose and goals of the College Web site. Harassment is defined and addressed in the Middlebury College Harassment/Discrimination Policy Statement found in the College Handbook .
   • Unauthorized use of Middlebury College’s Web sites for commercial purposes is prohibited. Personal or institutional Web pages may not be used for direct advertising for personal profit or gain. Direct links to non-College commercial entities, unless directly related to research or the curriculum, are prohibited unless approval is granted by College Communications.
   • Unauthorized use and/or distribution of others’ intellectual property (including but not limited to text, images, sound, and software) violates College policies and the Honor Code, and is prohibited. Middlebury College intends to comply fully with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.
   • Exploiting Middlebury College’s Web sites for malicious purposes is prohibited. Discovered exploits should be reported to infosec@middlebury.edu, immediately. Public disclosure of means to exploit the College’s web sites is prohibited and is subject to disciplinary action.
   • Website editors are expected to practice good data stewardship and ensure that all web content is in compliance with the Data Classification Polices. Account credentials are considered Level 2: Private Data under this policy and must not be posted to publicly-accessible web pages. Any questions about this policy should be directed to infosec@middlebury.edu.
2. As stated in the Middlebury College Harassment/Discrimination Policy Statement, Middlebury College recognizes that the protection of free and open speech and the open exchange of ideas are essential to any academic or artistic community and crucial for the activity of scholars and artists. Free, honest intellectual inquiry, debate, and constructive dialogue are vital to the academic mission of the College and must be protected, even when the views expressed are unpopular or controversial.
   • Middlebury College also recognizes that contents of electronic publications or electronic communications can be used specifically to intimidate or coerce and to inhibit genuine discourse, free inquiry, and learning. Such abuses are unacceptable. As an educational institution, Middlebury College is committed to maintaining a campus environment where bigotry and intolerance, including discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, physical ability, or age have no place, and where any form of coercion or harassment that insults the dignity of others and interferes with their freedom to learn or work is unacceptable.

Guidelines for Departmental/Institutional Sub-Sites

1. www.middlebury.edu is the institution’s official on-line presence. This web site provides information about the institution and its schools to external audiences and enables access to institutional services and resources for research and scholarship for faculty, staff, and students.
2. All appropriate schools, offices, and departments at Middlebury must have a presence in the institution’s www.middlebury.edu web site. These sites will conform to the design and content standards as defined by ITS and Communications.
3. Each school, department, or office must designate a single individual who is the liaison to Enterprise Web Services, and who is primarily responsible for the content of that department’s or office’s site. The liaison,  generally referred to as Content Provider, must be a current member of the faculty or staff. The liaison may designate additional faculty, staff, or students that may be given appropriate security permissions necessary for editorial access to the files of that department or office only. Enterprise Web Services will review and process requests for editorial access on a regular and timely basis.
   • The liaison is named on the department site, along with e-mail and phone contact details. Suggestions for changes, additions, and corrections to the content of the site should be sent to the Content Provider.
   • Liaisons are responsible for keeping the contents of sites current and accurate. Departmental sites must be reviewed at least annually, prior to the beginning of the academic year or current program. Liaisons will receive a weekly report of issues with their site on which they should act.
   • Liaisons are responsible for ensuring that the sites are accessible, conforming to at least WCAG AA rules and other ITS accessibility policies to the best of their ability.
   • Liaisons are also responsible for keeping departmental sites that do not live under www.middlebury.edu current and accurate, such as those hosted under sites.middlebury.edu.
4. Departmental or institutional content hosted on other institutional web sites and systems (such as blogs and wikis and course web pages) must follow the above Guidelines for All Web Pages.
5. Middlebury web sites and systems shall be located by use of a URL. Several guidelines exist to demonstrate proper use.
   • All appropriate schools and departments will be hosted on www.middlebury.edu/some-name, where “some-name” represents a sub path where that school or department can be located. 
   • A sub-domain, such as some-name.middlebury.edu will be reserved for system integrations determined by ITS. School, departmental, and office sites are no longer hosted on sub-domains so effort should be made to shift any legacy systems to conform with this guideline. 
   • Custom domain names (e.g. www.some-name.com) used for special programs, retail operations, or for unique marketing purposes are allowed only if the request for the registration of a custom domain name is made through ITS. ITS is not responsible for domain names registered outside of this process, (including those associated with student clubs or for student projects) and all custom domain names are subject to additional Middlebury policies such as the copyright and harassment/discrimination policies.
      

Guidelines for Student Organization Sites

• Currently registered student organizations may post and publish their own Web content upon approval by the Center for Campus Activities and Leadership (CCAL). Each student organization must annually name a currently enrolled Middlebury College student as Web editor for its Web site. Pages shall be posted on the Web server designated by Library & Information Services.
  • Pages are solely the responsibility of their creators as authors and publishers. Middlebury College will not regularly monitor or edit these pages.
  • Middlebury College assumes no responsibility, legal or otherwise, for the content of student organization pages. Any claims asserted against a student organization or the Web editor of the student organization site for material contained student organization pages shall be the responsibility of the organization.
  • Student organization sites may not be used for electronic commerce, nor as sites for personal political campaigns.
  • ITS is not responsible for domain names associated with student clubs or for student projects and all custom domain names are subject to additional Middlebury policies such as the copyright and harrassment/discrimination policies.
  • The College will review complaints, questions, and concerns regarding allegations of copyright infringement, misuse of intellectual property, harassment, use of College Web resources for commercial purposes, and other legal issues. If the complaint is valid, the College will contact the student organization’s Web editor and request immediate revision of the Web page and/or removal of inappropriate materials in compliance with College policies, intellectual property law, and guidelines for responsible use of computing resources. The College may shut down the Web site if there is inadequate or no response from the student organization. Illegal, irresponsible, or unethical activities may result in loss of privileges or penalties consistent with the judicial procedures and policies of the College.

Guidelines For Personal Pages and Postings

• Middlebury College provides faculty and staff and currently enrolled students the opportunity to post and publish Web content.
  • Personal pages and postings to College systems are solely the responsibility of their creators as authors and publishers. Middlebury College will not regularly monitor or edit personally posted content.
  • Middlebury College assumes no responsibility, legal or otherwise, for any content hosted on a Middlebury system. Any claims asserted against an individual author for posted material shall be the responsibility of that individual author. Faculty, staff, and students should provide identifying information (typically, an e-mail address) when creating a personal web site.
  • Faculty, staff, and students who are candidates for public office may not use their personal Web pages as campaign sites. Members of the College community who are seeking public office should arrange with other Internet service providers to host campaign Web pages.
  • ITS is not responsible for domain names associated with personal pages and all custom domain names are subject to additional Middlebury policies such as the copyright and harrassment/discrimination policies.
  • The College will review complaints, questions, and concerns regarding allegations of copyright infringement, misuse of intellectual property, harassment, use of College Web resources for commercial purposes, and other legal issues. If the complaint is valid, the College will contact the individual creator of the posting or Web page and request immediate revision of the posted information and/or removal of inappropriate materials in compliance with College policies, intellectual property law, and guidelines for responsible use of computing resources. Illegal, irresponsible, or unethical activities may result in loss of privileges or penalties consistent with the judicial procedures and policies of the College.