URBANA — The Urbana campus has never had a formal policy on electronic communications and will soon enact one that could be a model for all three campuses of the University of Illinois.

Interim Chancellor Robert Easter has authority to sign the new policy, but the full student/faculty senate will discuss it at the next meeting, at 3:10 p.m. Sept. 12 on the 3rd floor of the Levis Center.

Michael Corn, the senior Security and Privacy Officer for the campus, told Senate Executive Committee members that faculty need to be aware of concerns about private information being sent out over the Internet, to places that may not be secure.

He suggested faculty make an effort to verify that the people using Google's GMail and other accounts are actually UI students before sending them sensitive information such as grades.

Value research and confidential information could end up being data-mined — used by large Internet corporations — if they go to non-university accounts, he warned.

Several senators said they have concerns about the wording of the draft policy, which they will discuss further at the full senate meeting.

The committee ended up tabling discussion on a policy concerning adjunct, clinical and other nontenured faculty and their rights.

Easter said a Civil Service audit and other recent developments suggest that it should be discussed at a later time.

Interim Provost Richard Wheeler, asked if he knew a timetable for finding his replacement, said he is "entirely comfortable" with any scenario as new Chancellor Phyllis Wise takes over Oct. 1.

Easter noted that a provost search had been initiated and discontinued during Wheeler's tenure, and that it was possible the interim provost could continue for some months.

"Both of us know the age of the interim is coming to an end," Wheeler told the senators.