Effective Date: July 1, 2025
Issuing Authority: Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration
Policy Contact: Assistant Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, helpdesk@mercer.edu, 478-301-7000
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to ensure the integrity and sustainability of the University’s source code.
Scope
This policy applies to University employees authorized to modify source code.
Exclusions
Computer loans are not for classwork or personal use. Apple devices are not available for loan.
Definitions
As used in this policy, the following term(s) have the meaning specified below:
- Analyst/Programmer: University employees assigned to the programming staff.
- Employee: Any paid employee of Mercer University.
- Help Desk: The University’s Help Desk Services located at telephone extension
- Source Code: The programming code used by Mercer University.
- User: University employees who utilize Computer Application Software (ADVANCE. FRS, HRS, LMS, SIS and Student/Faculty Self Service).
Policy Statement
The Analysts/Programmers will assess the most efficient solution for the requested modifications and the impact to the overall computer hardware and software configuration. In some instances, the modification request may require a broader review with a subset of University Employees (User) and discussion prior to implementation. When a Source Code modification is needed to accomplish the request, the Analyst/Programmer responsible will make the necessary modifications in a test environment. The Analyst/Programmer will document modifications of Source Code programs with a standard format of “**LM yyyy/mm/dd ########” along with a brief description of the modification, where yyyy is the century and year, mm is the month, dd is the day of the date and ######## is the Incident Number assigned by the University’s Help Desk Services (Help Desk), made to the Source Code.
History
Approved by the Executive Vice President of Administration and Finance on November 1, 2007
Revised July 1, 2023
Revised July 1, 2025