Scope of Policy

All Domain Names that represent or are used by Responsible Campus Entities are subject to the requirements of this policy, and all other applicable University policies, even when the websites or other electronic services associated with them are contractually delegated to, or operated by, non-University entities. Similarly, this policy and all other applicable University policies apply whether websites or services associated with University Domain Names are hosted on the University's servers or a non-University server.

University Domain Name

1. Required

   All services that are provided by Responsible Campus Entities as part of their official functions for the University and/or as part of the mission of the University will be registered within the University's Principal Domain Name, unless otherwise approved in accordance with this policy. Exceptions to registering within the University's standard Domain Name may be allowed for enrollment marketing and other marketing campaigns that can demonstrate a business need in accordance with this policy. Employee personal websites and pages outside the University's domain are outside of the scope of this policy provided that the pages do not house University-owned intellectual property or attempt to signify as official University pages.

2. Restrictions from Use of University Domain

   1. Any services that are not part of the official functions of a Responsible Campus Entity or of the mission of the University are not eligible to register official University Domain Names.
   2. All services that are provided by either members or nonmembers of the Wichita State University community, but that are not part of their official functions as members of the community or as part of the mission of the institution, must be registered outside the University's Principal Domain Name.
   3. Wichita State University students, postdoctoral scholars, residents, clinical fellows, alumni, volunteers and affiliates are not eligible to register official University Domain Names. However, webpages on the University's OrgSync platform are available for registered student organizations.

Domain Name Standards

1. Principal Domain Name

   The Principal Domain Name for the University is wichita.edu.

2. Standard Format for University Domain Names and URLs

   The standard format for University URLs for publicly accessible, external-audience-facing University websites is www.wichita.edu/xxxx. Information Technology Services maintains a list of additional standard, pre-approved Hostname and URL formats that apply principally to internal uses. Existing Hostnames or Subdomains registered under wichita.edu that do not conform to this policy will be reviewed to bring them into conformity with this policy, including the conditions for exceptions described below, or to grant them "grandfathered" status, if that is most appropriate.

3. Restrictions

   URLs must not be distasteful, obscene, or used to misrepresent their purpose.

Ownership and Management of University Domain Names

1. Ownership

   All Domain Names created or used by Responsible Campus Entities as part of their official functions for the University and/or as part of the mission of the University are the exclusive property of the University and the Kansas Board of Regents.

2. Management

   Wichita State University's Information Technology Services unit is responsible for all operational aspects of managing all Domain Names owned by the University, including the official wichita.edu domain, all associated Subdomains, and any Nonstandard Domains bearing the Wichita State University name or representing the University, its services or initiatives.
   1. Unless an exception is granted in accordance with this policy, the University-approved Content Management System must be used for all official University websites to ensure they are contributing to the larger University brand as part of the University's website. Re-enrollment marketing and other marketing campaigns may be run through Nonstandard Domain Names if a business need can be demonstrated, if approved in accordance with this policy.
   2. Information Technology Services is responsible for registering new, approved Nonstandard Domain Names and for maintaining registrations of University Domain Names. University Domain Names already registered by third parties and by departments and individuals other than Information Technology Services shall have their registrations transferred to Information Technology Services for ongoing maintenance.
   3. Information Technology Services is responsible for operating Nameservice for all University Domains, Subdomains, and Hostnames on University DNS Servers.
   4. Information Technology Services is responsible for creating and maintaining University Domain, Subdomain, and Hostname records.

1. Content Management System: The software system used by the University to create and update web pages and web content.
2. Controlled Affiliated Organizations: Wichita State University Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Inc., Wichita State University Union Corporation, Wichita State University Innovation Alliance, Inc., and WSIA Investments Corporation.
3. Domain Name: The portion of a human-readable Internet address that indicates the organization owning or providing those Internet-accessible resources (for instance: Wichita.edu).
4. Domain Name Service (DNS): An Internet-wide distributed database of names and their associations with Internet Protocol Addresses.
5. Hostname: A unique name given to a computer connected to the Internet. The Hostname comprises a local name (for instance: www) and the Domain Name (for instance: wichita.edu). The Hostname www.wichita.edu is the primary web server address for the University.
6. Internet Protocol Address (IP Address): A number used to identify a device or service on a network and used by the network to route messages from one device to another. An example IP Address on the Wichita State University campus network begins with 172.16.
7. DNS Servers: The servers holding the information about a Domain's Subdomains and Hostnames that return the associated Internet Protocol Addresses.
8. Nameservice: The protocol that looks up associates between Domains or Hostnames and Internet Protocol Addresses.
9. Nonstandard Content Management: Web pages and web content that are not created using the University's official Content Management System.
10. Nonstandard Domain Name: Any Domain Name that does not end in "wichita.edu" but represents an official University website.
11. Principal Domain Name: The Domain Name selected to represent an entity's principal website.
12. Responsible Campus Entity: Any University unit or business interest being represented by a website. Examples of a University unit or business interest include, but are not limited to, academic colleges, schools, administrative and academic departments, research labs, academic programs, organized research units, institutes, centers, faculty or staff, faculty or staff practices, University-wide services, initiatives, and organizational components.
13. Subdomain: A Subdomain is a prefix added to the Domain Name, typically for purposes of organization. For instance, "shockers" is the Subdomain in the following Domain Name: shockers.wichita.edu.
14. Uniform Resource Locator (URL): A specification for a location on a network or the Internet, consisting of an optional protocol to retrieve the resource, a Hostname, and optional path information to the resource on that server. In /department, https:// specifies the protocol; the Hostname is www.wichita.edu; and department is the path to the resource on the web server.
15. University: Wichita State University and Controlled Affiliated Organizations.

Approval Process for Use of Non-Standard University Domain Names

1. Web pages and web content hosted on the University's Principal Domain Name shall use the University's Content Management when possible. In certain circumstances, it may be appropriate to request an exception for the use of Nonstandard Content Management.
2. The Office of Strategic Communications will work in concert with the Office of General Counsel, the Office of Tech Transfer & Commercialization, and Information Technology Services to assess and review requests for Nonstandard Content Management. This assessment is required to prevent inappropriate, unnecessary, or harmful actions that negatively impact the Wichita State University brand or brand assets, which include Domain and Subdomain Names.
3. To be considered for an exception, a Nonstandard Domain Name must be requested by the appropriate leader of a Responsible Campus Entity, whereupon it will be assessed based on its impact on the brand of the University, the business justification for a Nonstandard Domain and other factors.
4. Requests may be made through the Wichita State University Domain Request page located inside the myWSU platform.
5. If the justification for a Nonstandard Domain name changes, the assignment of the name may be reviewed. For example, if grant funding ends and a center is no longer officially recognized, the Domain Name assignment will be reviewed.
6. Wichita State University reserves the right to revoke any previously assigned Domain Name at any time if it conflicts with this policy or other University policies, priorities, or interests.