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University Guidelines for Telephone Usage

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University employees may use University telephones solely for conducting University business or other authorized uses as defined in this policy.

Guidelines for Other Authorized Users

Within these guidelines, other authorized uses of University telephones are calls that:

1. Do not adversely affect the University or the employee’s performance of his/her official duties.
2. Are of a reasonable duration and frequency, in accordance with the examples listed under "Examples of Other Authorized Uses" in this section.
3. Could not have reasonably been made during non-work hours, in accordance with the examples listed under "Examples of Other Authorized Uses" in this section.

Examples of Other Authorized Uses

Examples of circumstances that fall under the "Guidelines for Other Authorized Uses" in this section include, but are not limited to, the following:

Note: In the context of this policy, "brief" means the time it takes to accomplish the purpose of the call.

1. An employee is required to work overtime without advance notice and calls within the local commuting area (the area from which the employee regularly commutes) to advise his or her family of the change in schedule or to make alternate transportation or child- or elder-care arrangements.
2. An employee makes brief calls to locations within the local commuting area to speak to a spouse, a minor child, an elderly parent (or those responsible for them, for example, school or day care center, and nursing home).
3. The employee makes brief calls within the local commuting area that can be reached only during working hours, such as a local government agency or a physician.
4. An employee makes brief calls to locations within the local commuting area to arrange for emergency repairs to his or her residence or automobile.
5. While on official business, the employee makes a call of three minutes or less to announce safe arrival, delay, or a change in plans.

The department head may request written confirmation from the employee that a call qualifies under this subsection. If disciplinary action is taken based on alleged violations of the telephone usage policy, employees may pursue such action in accordance with the appropriate collective bargaining agreement.

Authorization for Personal Calls

A personal call made during working hours also falls under the "Guidelines for Other Authorized Uses" in this section and is permitted if the call is

• Charged to the employee’s home phone number or other non-government number. For example, personal long distance calls.
• Made to 800, 888, or any other toll-free numbers
• Charged to the called party of a non-University number.
• Charged to a personal calling card or pre-paid phone card.

Responsibilities

The department head is responsible for:

• Monitoring any use of University telephones beyond the limitations of this policy, and charging employees for actual University billed charges.
• Timely review of telephone charges to departmental accounts for conformance with this policy.

Departments may approve departmental telephone policies that further restrict the use of departmental telephones, but departmental policies can not modify or replace this University policy.

The employee reimburses the University for toll and other charges for deposit into the appropriate unit institutional account or into the University Income Fund.