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COMMUNITY COLLEGES
OF SPOKANE DOCUMENT PURPOSE: This policy describes the use of the telecommunication services available within the Community Colleges of Spokane (CCS) system. This document defines the procedures for telephone service changes, use of SCAN System, voice mail systems, cellular phones, pagers and facsimile (FAX) machines. CONTACT PERSON: Director of Telecommunications, 533-4764, MS 1090. OVERVIEW: The Telecommunication Systems Department supplies virtually all telecommunications equipment for the use by College departments. Telecommunication Systems is a self-sustaining unit, and operates in a manner designed to recover most costs for equipment and services provided. Costs for equipment and services will be charged to the appropriate budgets. An analyst is available for ongoing support, 533-4774, and to assess user needs. Key Topics: Equipment and services offered, telephone service requests, SCAN system, voice mail, cellular/wireless telephones, Facsimile (FAX) services, phone books, conference calls, pagers and phone scam protection tips. Forms: CCS Telephone Request, CCS 2804. Equipment and Services Offered Telecommunications equipment and services will be provided on an as-requested basis, approved by the appropriate administrator. Notable exceptions to equipment include answering machines, fax machines, modems, and some limited-use special equipment. Answering machines are not supplied, supported, or recommended by Telecommunication Systems. Fax machines and modems are not supplied or supported by Telecommunication Systems; however, telephone numbers will be provided as needed. Please contact the Information Systems department for modems and/or the Purchasing department for fax machines. Unauthorized Changes to the Colleges' Telephone System Installations: Unauthorized installations are frequently found to be in violation of safety and installation code standards, and may be removed upon discovery. A service charge will be assessed for equipment removal and reinstallation, as well as for repair to any damaged property or equipment. Relocations: All relocations of telephone sets must be coordinated through Telecommunication Systems. User departments may not purchase their own phones, or connect phones to the Colleges' telephone systems without authorization. Campus phones are supplied by Telecommunication Systems. Auxiliary Devices: The installation of wire, cable or jacks for user-owned auxiliary devices such as auto-dialers, modems, and music on hold, must be coordinated through Telecommunication Systems. User departments are not authorized to install telephone wiring. Using the Washington State SCAN System Telecommunication Systems provides long distance telephone service to the Colleges departments and offices, for official business calls, through the State Controlled Area Network (SCAN) system. The SCAN system provides a detailed printed report of all long distance calls, citing the originating location, date, time, dialed number, dialed location, length of call, and charge for the call. This report directs chargebacks of long distance charges. A special authorization number is required to make SCAN calls. Permanent CCS employees may call Telecommunication Systems to request an authorization number and part-time employees need their administrator's permission before obtaining an authorization number. Each employee required to place long distance calls must have his/her own unique SCAN authorization number. Authorization code security is the responsibility of each assigned user. Telecommunication Systems does not recommend the assignment of an authorization code to more than one person; individual authorization codes help to support overall system accountability. Upon the departure of an employee with SCAN privileges, a request should be sent to Telecommunication Systems to cancel that employee's authorization number. Lost or stolen authorization numbers must be reported to Telecommunication Systems as soon as possible. Telecommunication Systems will notify the Washington State Department of Information Services (DIS) and request cancellation of the number. A new authorization number will be requested and issued. Unauthorized Long Distance Calls Personal long distance calls may not be charged to the Colleges' long distance system. Any long distance personal calls made from College telephones must be charged to a personal credit/calling card and/or by using on-campus pay phones. Each College department is responsible for reviewing its monthly telephone bill, and identifying any amounts incurred by individuals making personal or otherwise unauthorized long distance calls. If the user is able to identify the caller, immediate payment for the cost of the call plus any applicable taxes will be requested. The check should be made out to the Community Colleges of Spokane, and sent to Telecommunication Systems, Mail Stop 1090, for processing. Steps to use the SCAN System:
NOTE: Only administrators and other authorized users are permitted to place international calls. The SCAN system uses three voice recordings to relay information to you regarding the status of your call. The recordings you may hear are:
Local Access to SCAN from Off-Campus You may access SCAN through the college telephone system from any touch-tone telephone within the local calling area. The local calling area is defined as Cheney, Deer Park, Edwall, Elk, Fairchild Air Force Base, Fairfield, Green Bluff, Latah, Liberty Lake, Loon Lake, Medical Lake, Newman Lake, Reardan, Rockford, Setters, Spangle, Spokane, Sprague, Springdale and Tyler. Off-campus access to SCAN works with Touch-tone telephones only, as follows:
Telephone Service Changes Any change in your telephone service must be authorized in advance. Service changes include additions, deletions, moving equipment, voice mail and any other changes in user features that require reprogramming the system.
NOTE: If the cost is greater than $500, Telecommunication Systems will obtain the appropriate approvals of your college president, executive vice president or chancellor (District Administration only).
Note: Do not attempt to place orders directly with the telephone company or other outside vendors. You may not purchase or use any telecommunication services, telephones, accessories, or related equipment not provided by Telecommunication Systems. Voice Mail System The Meridian Mail voice mail systems, managed by Telecommunication Systems, allows you to receive messages from outside callers, and exchange messages with other Meridian Mail subscribers. Because messages can be sent or retrieved from any phone, anywhere, at any time, voice mail is a powerful way to speed the exchange of information and ideas. It is critical that the voice mail system is not abused, but used to assist in providing consistent access and communication. Voice mail should never be used if a person can answer the phone. A person must answer all public numbers during business hours. Exceptions may be made for the information numbers for registration and the bookstores and other areas as approved by the appropriate college president, executive vice president (IEL) or chancellor (district office). These messages must include numbers that when called will be answered by a person. The following College locations have their own Meridian Mail system: Riverpoint One (District), Spokane Community College, Spokane Falls Community College, Colville Center, Adult Education Center, Esmeralda Center , Hillyard Center and the Institute for Extended Learning (IEL). A user guide is available for each location. Please contact Telecommunication Systems. Voice Mail Greetings Greetings are to be short and businesslike. The name of the individual and/or department must be indicated in the greeting to enable callers to determine if they have reached the appropriate person or department. Callers should be given the option to press "0" and be transferred to a person or be provided with a number to call that will be answered by a person. Administrators and other key people should be accessible at all times during business hours for urgent problems. PHONE SCAM PROTECTION TIPS The following tips can help protect you and the Colleges from various phone scams: Refer any "telecom vendor" calls to Telecommunication Systems at 533-4764 or 533-4774 (especially for requests to test). Never transfer a call to an "outside number" if you do not know the person on the phone - and NEVER to 9-0 or 9-00. Call transfers are usually initiated by pressing "transfer" or "flash" buttons on your phone to get a second dial tone. Do not attempt to accept a collect call. The colleges do not pay for collect calls and has made arrangements with vendors to block these calls when possible. If you have any questions, please contact Telecommunication Systems. Cellular Phone Services Acquisition Policy and Procedures Cellular telephone requests need to provide justification why cellular telephone service would be more efficient and cost effective compared to alternate communication choices such as pagers. The level of cellular telephone usage should be estimated. Each request must have written approval of the appropriate college president, executive vice president (IEL), or Chancellor (district office). The costs for the telephone purchase, monthly service charge, airtime, accessories, and maintenance will be paid by your departmental funds. EXCEPTION: The cost for airtime for IEL cellular phones will be charged to the IEL telephone budget. Each standard cellular telephone costs approximately $100 to purchase, including accessories. There is a monthly service charge for cellular service and the amount of the charge depends on the particular utilization plan. Airtime charges vary depending on the plan. All plans have some free minutes included (180 to 500 minutes per month). Airtime charges apply to both incoming and outgoing calls. College-owned cellular phones must not be used for personal use except in an emergency situation (RCW 42.18.217). In the event a cellular phone is used to make an emergency personal call, the individual making the call must reimburse the college immediately upon receipt of the cell phone bill. Reimbursement must be sent to Telecommunication Systems, MS 1090. The District will not reimburse employees for business related calls made on their personal cellular phones. If an employee needs to make cellular business calls, they may either check out a phone from Telecommunication Systems on a temporary basis or obtain approval from the appropriate executive committee member to purchase a phone for their ongoing use. General Information
No state officer or state employee may employ or use any person, money, or property under the officer's or employee's official control or direction, or in his or her official custody, for the private benefit or gain of the officer, employee, or another. Pagers All requests for pagers must be coordinated with Telecommunication Systems. An administrator must approve requests for pagers. Telecommunication Systems will obtain pagers and arrange for service. Telecommunication Systems will arrange for repair or replacement of damaged or defective pagers obtained from Telecommunication Systems. There will be a minimum charge of $25.00 to replace a lost or damaged pager. Facsimile (FAX) Services All requests to purchase and install a FAX machine must be coordinated with Purchasing. If the FAX machine requires a new telephone number, please contact Telecommunications Systems. Telecommunication Systems will also coordinate the installation of station wiring to accommodate the FAX machine. An approved telephone request will be required. Procedures for FAX use vary by department - please call them for instructions. CCS FAX machines should be available to receive documents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please contact Purchasing to report any FAX machine repair issues. Phone Books Qwest directories for Spokane and SCAN directories are distributed by Central Services at 533-4781. Purchasing also maintains a library of phone books for other cities. You may order specific phone books by memorandum to Purchasing, MS 1007. Conference meetings via telephone Please contact Telecommunication Systems for assistance in establishing a multi-party conference call that may require the use of a vendor-provided conference bridge. Send a telephone request with all the pertinent information (telephone number, estimated cost, etc.) directly to Telecommunication Systems, MS 1090, to assure payment of the bill. |