Indiana University

Student Technology Centers

Policy

STC Software Partnership Agreement (updated 09-14-2005)

The UITS Student Technology Centers provide IUPUI students with access to a broad range of personal productivity applications in support of the academic mission of the University. Additionally, specialized applications used by a broad cross-section of students are provided by other units of UITS for general use. These tools are provided in UITS-funded computing facilities located around the IUPUI campus.

From time-to-time departments may request that additional departmentally-funded applications be provided for the use of their students in order to meet disciplinary requirements. This software partnership gives departments with limited resources the opportunity to make the tools of their discipline readily available to their students.

The software partnership was developed with an awareness that UITS cannot possibly anticipate the specific needs of all disciplines. The needs of a specific class or preferences of one instructor over another often shape the selection of one discipline-specific application over another. In order to address these needs, we have established a process by which departments can request and we can deploy, through a cooperative effort, those applications which can best meet the needs of the student, the instructor, and the department. Whether to be deployed for a single semester or for multiple years, this process insures that the needed applications will be available in a timely fashion.

  • The department agrees to arrange for the acquisition of media and licensing of all departmentally-sponsored applications. Licensing varies greatly from vendor to vendor and from application to application. Permission to download and use an application for free might apply to an individual student but not extend to the University. Some licenses have terms permitting unlimited deployment but limited concurrent use. Others require a license for each workstation in the labs. Still others sell the license with the textbook. No one really owns commercial software -- only the right to use it. Applications for which license compliance cannot be clearly established may not be deployed in the STCs.

  • Over time, applications which were once thought of as discipline-specific may become widely enough used that special licensing arrangements between the vendor and UITS permit the STCs to assume responsibility for such interdisciplinary applications. Other applications which might appear to be interdisciplinary in nature are never widely enough used to justify the financial commitment on the part of the STCs to assume such a responsibility. Such a determination is made based upon the level of demand, the cost-benefit to the broader student population, and other factors which may not be apparent to the department.

  • From time to time, applications which appear to be well-behaved on a stand-alone workstation cannot be deployed in our environment. Factors which could affect deployment include the need for the STCs to maintain a highly secure and stable environment for all. The STCs may not deploy any application which compromises the security of our network, interferes with the operation of other applications, or requires access to services not provided by the STCs.

  • The STC computing environment is highly complex and, by its very nature, undergoes significant changes on a regular basis. Most of these changes are the result of periodic operating system upgrades but may also include changes to the environment which are beyond our control. On occasion, applications cease to function when the STC environment undergoes such a change. We will work with departments whenever possible to seek out a suitable solution and we will make every effort to accommodate departments dependent upon such software. However, the STCs may discontinue deployment of any application which ceases to function properly as the result of a change in the STC computing environment.

  • Software deployment is a cooperative effort. Deployment of requested software will take place only after all licensing and certification requirements have been met. The STCs are not responsible for deployment delays resulting from missed deadlines or failure to respond to requests for information or certification originating from the STC technical team.

  • All UITS-sponsored software will undergo an annual review. Notification of changes in the list of UITS-sponsored software will be made prior to the beginning of each Academic Year. Requests for Departmentally-Sponsored software must be renewed during the Spring semester for the upcoming Academic Year. Departmentally-sponsored software which is not required for Fall deployment may be requested according to published deadlines. (See “Software Installation Request” on the STC web pages at http://www.iupui.edu/~stctr/.)

  • In preparing this document the STCs have addressed a number of contingencies. Still, while comprehensive, there are bound to be circumstances which require unique partnership arrangements. Over time, this document will be modified to reflect those changes which can be applied broadly. Interested departments are encouraged to contact the STCs with questions or concerns. For more information, please visit the STC web pages (http://www.iupui.edu/~stctr/) or contact us.