PSC Notices and Disclosures

Pensacola State College Information Technology

Acceptable Use of IT Services

Purpose and Scope

These guidelines of IT Services establish requirements concerning the acceptable use of information technology (IT) resources at all Pensacola State College (PSC) campuses and centers. These guidelines apply to all College faculty, staff, students, business and education partners, and other users of College IT resources. PSC IT resources include, but are not limited to, computer equipment and peripherals, software applications, data, and network and telecommunications equipment and infrastructure located on or off College premises, including the Internet cloud.

General Acceptable Use

Pensacola State College provides a variety of IT resources administered by Information Technology Services (ITS) that are intended to support the academic and business functions of the College. All IT resources are property of the College and are subject to PSC policies concerning the general use of facilities, services, and equipment. The College’s policies for academic freedom and responsible, considerate, legal, and ethical behavior also extend to using these resources. Since IT resources are not unlimited, the College may prioritize certain users or groups of users in support of its mission. PSC IT resources will not be denied or amended based on race, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, or marital status.

All users of PSC IT resources are responsible for:

• Recognizing and honoring the intellectual property rights of others, making attribution as appropriate;
• Refraining from any illegal or improper activity that would lead to unauthorized access into any organization’s IT resources, systems, or user accounts or that would threaten the safety of any individual or individuals;
• Taking all reasonable steps to ensure the accessibility, confidentiality, and integrity of PSC information and information technology;
• Exercising respect for the rights of others, including the right to privacy; and
• Complying with all applicable College policies, standards, guidelines, and all federal, state, and local laws pertaining to the information technology user.

Unacceptable Use

The following is a list of examples constituting violations of these guidelines. This is not a comprehensive list, and other activities that violate PSC policies, standards, and guidelines are still considered violations, even if not explicitly listed here.

• Sharing user account passwords with any individual or group;
• Negligent sharing of College information, including staff and student personally identifiable information, with an entity or entities for which the information is not intended;
• Browsing Internet sites, transferring information, or passing information through PSC resources that contain illegal, obscene, or harmful content that is inappropriate;
• Using PSC IT resources for personal financial gain or commercial purposes;
• Using PSC IT resources to promote personal, religious, or political causes;
• Using PSC IT resources to impersonate another person or misrepresent authorization to act on behalf of others or PSC;
• Using PSC IT resources to harass another person or to transmit to others or display images, sounds, or messages that might be perceived or identified as being harassing;
• Using PSC IT resources to invade the privacy of others;
• Using PSC IT resources to read, copy, decrypt, or translate information without proper authorization from the owner(s);
• Intentionally installing, bypassing, disabling, modifying, or removing any security feature(s) for the express purpose of gaining unauthorized access to a PSC IT resource or for any other reason;
• Installing or connecting personal devices to any PSC network or resource other than the wireless networks provided on all campuses and centers, excluding workers and invited presenters connecting their personal devices to resources that project their presentation;
• Installing software on PSC computers without prior approval; and
• Using PSC email address as credentials for personal websites or personal applications.

Login Accounts

User accounts may be provided to faculty, staff, students, business partners, and guests to permit access to College information as part of the daily operation of the College. Users will be assigned account passwords that follow recognized security standards recommended by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

• Account holders are responsible for the use of the account and the security of the information for which the account provides access;
• Accounts should be logged off or locked when left unattended;
• Accounts are for the use of the single individual for which they are provided; and
• PSC IT resource users are never permitted to share their account credentials with any individual or group.

Privacy of Information

PSC information is to be used only for the business purposes expressly authorized by management. Personally Identifiable Information (PII) concerning students, workers, business partners, visitors, and others that is not declared public by law is to be held in confidence, and its uses narrowly tailored by specific management directive.

Student Records, Financial, Medical Information

All users of College information must abide by the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) regarding the release of student information. Student educational and financial records are confidential and may not be released without the student’s written consent, except as outlined in law. All users of College information are required to abide by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act regarding the release of financial information and by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regarding the handling of private medical records.

Electronic Messaging

PSC will make reasonable efforts to maintain the integrity and effective operation of its electronic messaging systems, such as email and instant messaging. Still, users are advised that those systems should not be regarded as secure media for communicating sensitive or confidential information. PII should never be shared or transmitted beyond the boundaries of PSC electronic resources without appropriate controls to ensure the data’s security.

Incidental Disclosure

All users of College on-premises or Cloud resources are responsible for maintaining the security of College data and must continuously guard against incidental or accidental exposure of confidential data. This is particularly important when using Cloud resources.

PSC ITS personnel may be required to monitor the use of College IT resources to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility of College data. Any incidental information gained from IT resources during regular operations will be confidential. However, ITS personnel must report any apparent improper or illegal activities discovered. No guarantee of complete privacy is made.

Public Disclosure

Except for student records, some Information Technology and Human Resources records, and health records, information produced, transmitted, or received by PSC workers (including email messages and other data) “pursuant to law or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business” is defined as a public record by Florida law, and is subject to the provisions of Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. Public records must be retained according to specific retention schedules and are subject to inspection and copying upon request by any member of the public (except as specifically exempted by law) and may not be deleted or destroyed except as authorized by law. Responsibility for adhering to public records laws falls on each PSC worker.

Internet Privacy

Following is the public statement on PSC websites advising web visitors of the College’s position regarding collecting personal information.

Pensacola State College Internet Privacy Statement

Thank you for visiting the Pensacola State College website. Your privacy is very important to us. Simply stated, our policy is to collect no personal information about you when you visit our website unless you affirmatively choose to make such information available to us.

When you visit our website, our web server automatically recognizes only the Internet domain and IP address from which you access our website. This information does not result in the identification of your personal email address or other personal information.

In addition, we gather information regarding the volume and timing of access to our website by collecting information on the date, time and website pages accessed by the visitors to the website. We do this so that we can improve the content of our website, and this information is not shared with other organizations. Only aggregate information is collected, and individual visitors’ personal information is not identified.

Visitors to this website who have JavaScript enabled may be tracked using Google Analytics. Pensacola State College has elected not to share analytics data with other Google products or anonymously with Google and others. For more information on Google’s privacy policies, visit http://www.google.com/privacy.html.

If you choose to share personal information with us – by sending us a message or filling out an electronic form with personal information – we will use the information only for purposes you authorized. Some of the information may be saved for a designated period to comply with Florida’s archiving policies, but we will not disclose the information to third parties or other government agencies, unless required to do so by state or federal law.

If you have other questions about our privacy policies, or have ideas about improving our policies, please feel free to email us at askUs@pensacolastate.edu, or you can reach us at (850) 484-1000.

Copyright Infringement

Federal copyright law applies to all forms of information, including electronic communications. Copyright infringement includes the unauthorized copying, displaying, and/or distributing copyrighted material. All information should be considered protected by copyright law unless otherwise explicitly labeled.

Any use of PSC computers, networks, email systems, associated cloud-based systems, or websites to transfer copyrighted material, including, but not limited to, software, text, images, audio, and video, is strictly prohibited. Anyone using PSC resources to commit acts of copyright infringement may be subject to prosecution. Acts of piracy are violations of state and federal laws and may result in civil or criminal charges.

Users who violate copyright laws will be disciplined according to procedures outlined in the PSC Student Handbook or the PSC Employee Handbook, as appropriate.

The use of certain peer-to-peer (P2P) applications to illegally transfer copyrighted music and movies is forbidden.

Cloud Resources

Cloud resources are IT resources that exist external to the College’s on-premise IT infrastructure. These resources consist of software applications and data storage hosted by PSC IT partners and accessed via the Internet. Examples of cloud resources currently sanctioned by PSC include Workday, Office365, Microsoft OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, Adobe Creative Cloud, Canvas, Zoom, etc.

Many cloud services are designed to enhance peer collaboration and make information sharing easier to increase users’ productivity. However, these characteristics increase the risk that confidential College information might be exposed to parties for which it is not intended, either accidentally or intentionally. Such data exposure could cause harm to workers, students, and the reputation of the College. Users must be extremely vigilant when using these cloud applications and store data only in approved locations. The user must understand that they are taking on a large portion of the responsibility to protect the College’s data and may be held individually accountable for any data breach.

Users should also be aware that storing or sharing College information using the cloud resources of third-party vendors with which the College has no formal agreement, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Docs, Gmail, YouTube, Facebook, etc., may constitute a severe violation of College security policy and is not permitted unless officially authorized. There may be no assurance that a non-sanctioned third-party cloud vendor will respect the confidentiality and integrity of College data or accept legal or regulatory liability concerning HIPAA, FERPA, and other state or federal data protection laws specific to educational institutions. College users should only utilize cloud resources provided by College business partners as sanctioned by the College.

Restricted Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technologies

PSC recognizes the immense potential of generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance our productivity and innovation. We are committed to leveraging these powerful tools in a manner that aligns with our core values and operational standards. To this end, we provide access and training to leading-edge, enterprise-grade AI solutions under our comprehensive technology agreements. We encourage all users to utilize these resources to unlock new possibilities, streamline processes, and foster a culture of creativity and efficiency. By adhering to our use policies, each user contributes to the secure and effective integration of AI technologies in our daily operations.

Use of generative AI technologies at PSC must strictly adhere to the following guidelines to ensure the security and integrity of our data and technological resources:

• Employees, contractors, and volunteers:
  • Approved Products and Prohibition of Personal Accounts: Workers can use generative AI technologies exclusively through enterprise versions of products provided by the College. Using personal accounts, subscriptions, or versions of generative AI technologies on College equipment, networks, or data is prohibited. All generative AI activities must be conducted solely through accounts and subscriptions that are part of PSC’s enterprise agreements. Academic use of non-enterprise products is allowed for instruction. However, data upload restrictions are still applicable.
  • Data Upload Restrictions: It is expressly forbidden to upload, input, or otherwise transfer any non-public College data into non-enterprise versions of generative AI products. This includes, but is not limited to, text, documents, code, or other proprietary digital materials to PSC.
  • Citing AI Content: When using generative AI technologies, it is essential to cite AI-generated and AI-augmented content appropriately. AI-generated content is created entirely by an AI system without direct human intervention in the creative process. AI-augmented content is created with significant human input but enhanced, completed, or refined by AI tools. The human provides the initial input or direction, and the AI aids in improving, expanding, or polishing the content.|

• Students:
  • AI usage by students is covered in the student handbook under sections related to the Code of Conduct, Plagiarism and Academic Cheating, and Academic Honesty

These restrictions protect PSC’s proprietary and confidential information from unauthorized access and ensure compliance with our data governance policies. Users should consult with Technology Operations if they need clarification on the correct and authorized tools for their work.

Enforcement

Pensacola State College IT resources are provided to students, faculty, staff, and some visitors as a privilege, not a right. To maintain this privilege, users are responsible for following the letter and the spirit of these guidelines. Failure to follow policies and guidelines established by the College may result in denial, revocation, or suspension of privileges and/or disciplinary action. Pensacola State College may refer suspected violations of law to appropriate law enforcement agencies, as necessary.

REVISION HISTORY

August 5, 2024
September 26, 2019
May 7, 2012
July 15, 2010
April 2, 2009
September 15, 2008

1. Pensacola State College is an equal access/equal opportunity employer and shall recruit, employ, evaluate, assign, promote, or dismiss employees in compliance with all federal and state legislation pertaining to non-discrimination.
2. The  College  shall  provide  equal  educational  opportunities  to  prospective  and  enrolled students to include recruitment, admission, programs and activities, facilities, counseling and testing, financial assistance, evaluation, dismissal, graduation, and placement.
3. The equal opportunity principle applies to students, applicants for admission, applicants for employment, employees, veterans, and otherwise qualified disabled persons with regard to employment, the delivery of educational programs and services, and all other appropriate areas in which the College is involved.
4. The  College  prohibits  racial,  ethnic,  religious,  physical,  and  sexual  harassment  of  its employees and students.  Furthermore, the College prohibits discrimination and retaliation of any kind, including discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetic information, and discrimination based upon religion and assures reasonable accommodation of religious observances, practices, and beliefs of individual students and employees in regards to admission, class attendance, scheduling of examinations, and work assignments.

All notices placed on various bulletin boards in College buildings must be approved through the appropriate campus Student Leadership and Activities office prior to posting. No notices are to be posted in locations other than dedicated bulletin boards. A housing bulletin board is available on the Pensacola campus in the Student Center to advertise rooms for rent, search for roommates, etc.

Pensacola State College Internet Privacy Policy

Thank you for visiting the Pensacola State College website. Your privacy is very important to us. Simply stated, our policy is to collect no personal information about you when you visit our website unless you affirmatively choose to make such information available to us.

When you visit our website, our web server automatically recognizes only the Internet domain and IP address from which you accessed our website. This information does not result in the identification of your personal email address or other personal information.

In addition, we gather information regarding the volume and timing of access to our website by collecting information on the date, time and website pages accessed by the visitors to the website. We do this so that we can improve the content of our website, and this information is not shared with other organizations. Again, only aggregate information is collected, and individual visitors’ personal information is not identified.

Visitors to this website who have javascript enabled may be tracked using Google Analytics.  Pensacola State College has elected not to share analytics data with other Google products or anonymously with Google and others.  For more information on Google’s Privacy Policies, visit http://www.google.com/privacy.html.

If you choose to share personal information with us — by sending us a message or filling out an electronic form with personal information — we will will use the information only for purposes you authorized. Some of the information may be saved for a designated period of time to comply with Florida’s archiving policies, but we will not disclose the information to third parties or other government agencies, unless required to do so by state or federal law.

If you have other questions about our privacy policies, or have ideas about improving our policies, please feel free to email us at askus@pensacolastate.edu, or you can reach us at (850)484-1000.

The Higher Education Act of 1998 resulted in the policy for Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4).  Federal financial aid recipients who completely withdraw, officially or unofficially, or fails to earn any passing grades for the semester, may be required to repay unearned portions of their federal financial aid received. Federal law states that federal student aid is to be awarded under the assumption students will attend school for the entire term (payment period).

Types of Withdrawals

For official withdrawals, the withdrawal date is the date that the student begins the official withdrawal process or provides notification to the designated office of his, her, or their intent to withdraw. The College will return unearned portions of the Title IV program funds within 45 days of the date of determination.

For unofficial withdrawals, the withdrawal date is the midpoint of the student’s payment period or the last day of active participation (LDA) reported by the instructor and recorded in the student information system. The College will return unearned portions of the Title IV program funds 30 days from the end of the payment period. Students who withdraw from all current courses but have future starting courses within the same term (payment period) for which they have not begun attendance must affirm in writing to the College that they plan on beginning attendance in later starting course(s) within fourteen days of stopping all current attendance.

Students who withdraw from all courses prior to completing more than 60% of the payment period or stop attending must have their aid eligibility recalculated based on the percent of the payment period completed. The R2T4 calculation is based on the total number of enrolled days divided by the total days in the payment period in which the student is enrolled. This recalculation may result in the student having to repay the federal government a percentage of the federal aid received. If the R2T4 calculation results in an amount to be returned that exceeds the school’s portion, the student must repay the calculated amount to the Department of Education (ED). Students who withdraw from all courses but are enrolled in future courses within the same term (payment period) must affirm in writing to the College that they plan on beginning attendance in later starting course(s) within fourteen (14) days of stopping all current attendance.

Pensacola State College is required to share in this repayment responsibility for the courses that the student began attending. The student will have to repay Pensacola State College the debt resulting from the student’s failure to earn the aid awarded by the due date. Unpaid debts will result in an overpayment of aid being reported to ED. Until both the debt to the College and the debt to the ED are repaid by the student no College transcript will be released, no additional enrollment will be processed, and no institutional, federal or state aid may be awarded or disbursed to the student. Students must pay the debt in full prior to future enrollment at Pensacola State College. Students will also lose their federal aid eligibility until they either repay the portion owed to the federal government or make repayment arrangements with the ED. All costs of collection including reasonable attorney fees will be the responsibility of the student.

The College will return unearned Title IV Aid within 45 days from the date of determination for official withdrawals and 30 days from the end of the payment period for unofficial withdrawals. The College must return in the following order the percentage of unearned aid to the Title IV programs:

• Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loan
• Subsidized Direct Stafford Loan
• Direct PLUS Loan
• Federal Pell Grant
• Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants
• Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

In cases where the student may be eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement due to a R2T4 recalculation, any earned portions that have not been disbursed to the student will be disbursed within 45 days for Federal Grants. Federal Loans if deemed eligible will be offered to the student within 30 days and allowing the student to accept or decline within 14 days. A credit balances on the student’s account will be disbursed to the student within 14 days of the funds being posted on the account.

Return of Tuition Assistance (TA) Funds policy

Pensacola State College has a policy that returns any unearned tuition assistance (TA) funds on a proportional basis through at least the 60% portion of the period for which the funds were provided.  Tuition Assistance (TA) funds are earned proportional during an enrollment period, with unearned funds returned based upon when a student stops attending.

It’s the law, there are no appeals.

Questions concerning this federal law, contact the Financial Aid,
Veteran Services and Scholarships Office at 850-484-1680 or email fava@pensacolastate.edu

Pursuant to Section 119.12, Florida Statutes, prior to filing any civil action to enforce Florida’s public records laws, written notice must be provided to:

Pensacola State College
Office of the President
1000 College Boulevard
Building 7, Room 727
Pensacola, Florida 32504
Attn: Public Records Request
Telephone (850) 484-1700
president@pensacolastate.edu

Notice of Records Custodian Document (.pdf)

The College posts notices of proposed fee changes on this page to disclose what fees are under consideration of change.  The District Board of Trustees reviews and approves all fee changes.

Notices

November 19, 2024

• Lab Fees – Workforce Education and Professional Services and Mathematics and Computer Sciences

June 18, 2024

• All Fees for June 18, 2024 Board Meeting

May 21, 2024

• Increase Certification Fees

June 12, 2023

• Lab Fees – Applied Technology and Professional Services
• Lab Fees – Performing Arts
• Full Cost of Instruction Fees
• Insurance Fee

May 16, 2023

• Testing Fees – Manufacturing Skills Standards Council’s Certified Production Technician (MSSC-CPT)
• Course Lab Fees – Health Science

• August 2, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. – Canceled
• August 9, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. – https://pensacolastate.zoom.us/j/92349140470

All meetings will be held in Room 736 of the Barfield Administration Building on the Pensacola Campus. The meetings will also be available via Zoom, with the links provided above for each date.