Telecommunications Policy

Policy Statement

Adelphi University provides telephone and telecommunications services to faculty and staff for mission-related activities. The university recognizes the need for incidental and limited personal use of these services but expects individuals to pay directly for any personal long-distance telephone calls.

Reason for Policy

This policy outlines the acceptable use, management, and financial responsibilities related to university telecommunication resources. All use of university telecommunications systems must be in accordance with cost-effective practices and adhere to all applicable government rules and regulations.

Who Is Governed by this Policy

This policy applies to all Adelphi University employees, including faculty and staff, and any other individuals who are granted access to university telephone or telecommunication services.

Policy

Departmental Review of Monthly Billing

• Purpose: To ensure that telephone usage remains consistent with the university’s mission and to identify and address any potential misuse or unauthorized charges.
• Procedure: Department heads or their designees are responsible for reviewing monthly telephone bills for their respective departments. This review should include an examination of all long-distance charges and a verification of their business purpose.
• Required Action: Any long-distance charges that are identified as personal must be reimbursed to the university by the individual who incurred them. Department heads must ensure that such reimbursements are processed in a timely manner. If a call’s business purpose cannot be verified, the charge will be considered personal and must be reimbursed.
• Reporting: In cases of recurring or significant unauthorized personal use, the department head must notify their respective Vice President and the Finance Office for further action, which may include disciplinary proceedings.

Long-Distance Calling and PINs

• Requirement: All long-distance telephone calls originating from a university landline require a Long-Distance Personal Identification Number (PIN). This includes calls to area codes outside of 718, 212, 516, 631, 914, and 917.
• Obtaining a PIN: Supervisors or department heads can request a Long-Distance PIN for their employees by contacting the IT Help Desk at helpdesk@adelphi.edu. The request should specify whether the PIN is needed for domestic and/or international calls.
• Responsibility: The individual to whom a PIN is assigned is solely responsible for its use. The PIN must not be shared with unauthorized individuals. All long-distance calls made with a PIN will be associated with the individual and their department for billing and review purposes.
• International Calling: Due to the high cost of international calls, employees are encouraged to use alternative communication methods where appropriate. All international calls must be directly related to university business.
• Departmental Billing: Will be applied through our Monthly billing cycle from the Finance department applied monthly to the dedicated Cost Center and Object Code.

Acceptable Use

• Business Purpose: The university’s telephone systems are provided for official university business.
• Incidental Personal Use: The university allows for incidental personal use of university telephone services, provided such use does not interfere with the performance of job duties, does not incur cost to the university (e.g., long-distance charges), and does not violate any other university policies.
• Prohibited Use: The university’s telecommunications systems may not be used for illegal activities, solicitation, commercial purposes unrelated to the university’s mission, or to make obscene, harassing, or threatening calls.

Personal Mobile Phone Use and Reimbursement

• General Principle: Employees are responsible for their personal mobile phone costs.
• Reimbursement for Business Use: Reimbursement for business-related mobile phone and data charges incurred on a personal device, in excess of normal monthly plan costs, is permitted. The expense must be documented with a receipt and a clear business purpose, in accordance with the Travel Expenses and Reimbursements Policy.
• International Travel: Employees are strongly discouraged from using personal mobile phones internationally due to the high costs. Alternative communication methods should be explored in consultation with the IT department.

Management and Maintenance of Telecommunication Equipment

• University-Owned Equipment: The installation, maintenance, and operation of all university-owned telephone equipment, including landlines and associated systems (e.g., Alcatel PCX), are the sole responsibility of authorized Information Technology staff, specifically the Director of Endpoint Infrastructure and their team.
• Unauthorized Connections: Employees are not permitted to connect, disconnect, or tamper with university telephone equipment. Unauthorized connections to the university’s telecommunication network are strictly prohibited and may result in disciplinary action.

Voicemail and Directory Services

• Voicemail: All employees are assigned a voicemail box. Instructions for setup and retrieval are available on the IT intranet site. Voicemail to Email will also be set up. Keep in mind when you delete from your email it does not delete from your voicemail box on your phone.
• Directory Information: Corrections to phone or location information in the university directory should be sent to the IT Help Desk at helpdesk@adelphi.edu.
• Emergency Use: In the event of an on-campus emergency, employees should dial 5 from any campus phone or contact the Office of Public Safety at 516.877.3511. The university’s Mass Notification System may also broadcast urgent messages to university telephones.

Policy Enforcement

Violations of this policy may lead to disciplinary proceedings, which could include revocation of telecommunications privileges and/or employment termination. The university reserves the right to monitor all telecommunications traffic to ensure compliance with this policy and applicable laws.

Definitions

This policy does not have definitions associated with it at this time. Upon periodic policy review this area will be evaluated to determine if additional information is needed to supplement the policy.

Document History

• Last Reviewed Date: September 18, 2025
• Last Revised Date: September 18, 2025
• Policy Origination Date: Not known

Who Approved This Policy

Executive Leadership