Email Revoke/Lock/Expiration Policy for Gmail/Exchange

Owned by Grant Guzda
Last updated: May 20, 2015 by Grant Guzda

The policy for students:

Students who are enrolled for a Fall, Spring or Summer semester but skip the next semester, will  be locked out of their account starting 120 days after the previous semester end date. The revoke date (the account is disabled, all data/emails in Gmail accounts is purged/deleted) is 30 days after that (or 150 days after the previous semester end date)  Exceptions are made for medical leaves, which must be requested by the Dean to the Registrar. 

Examples

Example 1:  Student A is enrolled in the Fall, needs to skip Spring semester, but will register again for the following Summer or Fall.  120 days after his fall enrollment ends, his account is locked; 30 days after that it is revoked and the Gmail account is purged.  If, before those 150 days end, he registers for the next summer or fall semester, he remains active and nothing is purged.  If he does not register within those 150 days, the account will be purged.   

Example 2:  Student B is enrolled in the Spring, needs to skip the Summer and Fall semester, but will register again for the following Spring.  120 days after his Spring enrollment ends, his account is locked; 30 days after that it is revoked and the Gmail account is purged.  Registration for the following Spring will probably not open with that 150 days, so the account will be purged. 

Example 3:  Student C is enrolled in the Summer, needs to skip the Fall semester, but will register again for the following Spring.  120 days after his Spring enrollment ends, his account is locked; 30 days after that it is revoked and the Gmail account is purged.  If registration for the following Spring is not open within that 150 days, the account will be purged.

The policy for adjuncts:

Adjuncts are kept active for one year before their accounts are locked. This allows faculty who only teach in the fall, or only teach in the spring, to continue. More often, their accounts get locked because their contracts are not issued in time, which is why timeliness in the contract process is so important. Exchange email is not purged. When an adjunct is re-activated in Banner, by signing a new contract, they will see their former messages and any files they've saved on the network. Adjuncts, however, are still covered under the same 120 Day Email Retention Policy as the rest of the campus staff and faculty, so their inbox emails will also be purged at the 120 day limit.

Are individuals notified when their account is about to expire?

Yes, individuals are sent emails starting a month out to their lock date.

Why does the policy exist?

Our auditors view keeping student accounts open beyond this point as a potential security hole. There is no guarantee an individual will return to the college.  

How can a student or instructor prevent their account from being revoked?

  • The director or student may contact the helpdesk to request an extension for their account.
    • 716.888.8340
    • helpdesk@canisius.edu
  • If the student registers within the 150-day time frame, s/he’s account will be not be revoked. 
  • If a student is taking a longer leave because of medical reasons, the Dean needs to write to Blair Foster to let him know how long the leave will be, and Blair will mark the leave end date in Banner, keeping the student active.
    • If you are a student and this is the case for you, please contact your chairperson, who will contact your Dean on your behalf. 

Can’t ITS just change their policy for students to cover a 2-semester time frame?

Due to auditing concerns, ITS will not change this policy.