Applies to: Faculty, Staff
Policy Holder: Administrative Information Technology
Responsible Office: Administrative Information Technology
Contact Information: Chief Information Officer
Effective Date: March 1, 2025
Last Review Date: April 1, 2025
Approved by: Vice President of Finance and Administration
1.0 Background and Purpose
To establish the approach Mitchell Hamline School of Law (MHSL) will use in the administration and management of its official website and to establish the appropriate use of MHSL website by the user community.
The MHSL website provides online access to School and external information sources that support admission, enrollment, teaching, learning, and community activities, as well as the marketing, internal and external communication, and administration of the School. Information on the website is provided by the webmaster and by web contributors across the MHSL community to enhance communication and informed decision-making by facilitating access to current information.
The administrative maintenance of the MHSL website is a cooperative effort between Information Technology and Marketing and Communications Department.
1.1 Who Needs to Know?
The MHSL Website Purpose, Ownership and Guidelines Policy applies to faculty, staff, students, and visitors.
2.0 Policy
Ownership of Information
The scale MHSL website precludes systematic review of all published material by a single body. This policy relies on a distributed system of information ownership and management, with the following characteristics:
- Every department or office is accountable for the accuracy of the information that resides on their respective webpages.
- Each department or office that publishes information on the website has full responsibility for the accuracy and currency of that information and is responsible for following all guidelines as described in this and other applicable policies.
- As described below, all documents are to be clearly labeled with ownership information so that responses to those documents can be directed to the appropriate individuals.
Website Guidelines
Within a distributed publication system, it is important that all contributors observe a minimal set of publication guidelines to ensure consistency in style and appearance throughout the official structure, and to provide clear indications of ownership and timeliness on all documents.
Failure to comply with the guidelines below may result in the removal of the site; changes to the site design, images, or content; or restricted access to the site, as directed by the Vice President of Finance and Administration.
Design and Architecture
The following content guidelines apply to all Official and Official Supplemental websites:
- The design and architecture system utilized for the School website is managed and approved by the Information Technology (IT) Department in collaboration with the Marketing and Communications Department.
- Elements of the design and basic architectural conventions may not be changed without permission of the Marketing and Communications Department and IT.
- Official Supplemental sites constructed in a format other than the school’s system must be approved by the Marketing and Communications Department and IT.
- MHSL will periodically review, renew, and update both the design and architecture of the MHSL website on a school-wide basis. All Official sites must adopt and comply with the school-wide standards. Official Supplemental sites should mirror the look and feel of the design and architecture of the MHSL website, as appropriate.
Content guidelines
The following content guidelines apply to all websites, Official, Official Supplemental, and Non-Official:
- The content of websites must not violate any federal or state laws or the policies of the School, including, but not limited to copyright, harassment, libel, or obscenity.
- Web contributors posting copyrighted material must obtain the appropriate permission by the copyright holder. MHSL accepts no responsibility for failure to obtain such permission.
- Websites may not include any direct or indirect promotion of the sale, use, or distribution of alcohol or drugs.
- Websites may not contain non-MHSL advertising, except by the express permission of the Vice President for Development, who is the senior School leader overseeing the Department of Marketing and Communications.
- All photos that include recognizable individual faces require the coordinated approval of the Marketing and Communications Department. This includes photo releases from the individual, approval by the Dean of Students, and documentation and uploading by the Marketing and Communications Department.
- Requests to remove any images or text from webpages should be sent to the Marketing and Communications Department.
Implementation Guidelines
The following implementation guidelines apply to all websites, Official, Official Supplemental, and Non-Official:
- Permission to establish an Official, Official Supplemental, or Non-Official MHSL website is granted by the Marketing and Communications Department, through the university’s web team.
- Documents published on any website are public by default; site authors or supervisors are responsible for restricting information intended for School use only.
- Site authors or supervisors must review all pages under their control at least once per calendar year and apply a modification date footer to reflect the date of that review.
Review Procedures
The following review procedures apply to all websites, Official, Official Supplemental, and Non-Official:
- Any site found to be in violation of any state, federal, or local law or School policies will be removed by the webmaster as directed by the VP of Development and/or VP for Finance and Administration. The site’s author or supervisor will be contacted, and a schedule for addressing the issue will be determined.
- Disputes or complaints about information published on any site(s) should be resolved with the page author or supervisor or through the School’s existing grievance procedure, where appropriate.
Policy Background and Implications
The MHSL website provides online access to School and external information sources that support teaching, learning, and community activities, as well as the marketing, communication, and administration of the School.
3.0 Definitions
“Official” sites are those that comprise part of the approved information structure of the School.
They are created and maintained under the supervision of IT and are subject to review and approval. Any photos, artwork, and written content on these pages must be optimized for a responsive web environment, and photos and artwork must be formatted to the standard sizes as determined by the Marketing and Communications Department. Photos, artwork, and written content not complying with those guidelines may be removed, with or without notice.
“Official Supplemental” sites are official sites that are created outside the school’s official systems. These sites may be maintained by academic departments, administrative units, faculty, staff, or organizations loosely affiliated with the school. They may choose to employ the same templates as official sites; in which case they will be subject to the same School style and editorial review as official sites. All Official Supplemental sites and pages may be monitored for overall compliance with School policies.
“Non-official” sites are those sites intended for personal use that are created outside of the official School sites (but linked to MHSL’s website) by individuals associated with the School. They may include personal websites for faculty and/or staff, student organization websites, bios, and other sites, as approved by the Marketing and Communications Department. MHSL assumes no direct responsibility, legal or otherwise, for the content on such pages. Non-official sites linked to the website will be required to display the standard disclaimer (see below). Non-official sites may be reviewed periodically for appropriate content; MHSL reserves the right to deny links from its site to non-official sites.
Disclaimer
Non-official sites will be required to display the following text statement:
“This is a non-official site on the MHSL website.” [The words “non-official site” should then be a link to the disclaimer language below].
Postings to MHSL website by individuals and student organizations reflect their opinions; they do not implicitly or explicitly represent official positions and policies of MHSL. By posting information on the MHSL website, individuals and organizations assume responsibility and liability for the content of their pages. Individuals are solely responsible for obtaining appropriate permission to include copyrighted material or images on their pages; MHSL assumes no responsibility for individual failure to fulfill this or any other legal responsibility. Any comments and feedback should be addressed to the owner of the page. For further assistance, contact the MHSL site manager. For additional information, see the MHSL Website Policy.