Week of June 2-6

2025

Division of IT: Best practices for Virginia Tech faculty, staff for managing cloud storage

Now that both Google and Microsoft have changed their cost models, essentially ending the era of “no cost” cloud storage, the Virginia Tech community is adjusting to a new normal where storage management is part of our regular work duties.

The Division of IT offers the following storage management tips for employees assessing their individual resources, such as Google My Drive and Microsoft OneDrive, as well as the types of files and data that they need to store.

Use your Virginia Tech storage exclusively for work-related data.
Know the university’s policies and procedures surrounding data storage.
Use shared storage options for collaborative work.
Consider alternative storage options for very large files or dormant data.
Regularly review and clean up your storage.
Pay attention to alerts when your storage is nearing capacity.
Back up important data.
If you are in custody of official university records, be sure you are adhering to Policy 2000: Management of University Records.

For more information and details on each of these storage tips, read this campus notice. For questions and individual assistance, contact 4Help IT Support.

Research and Innovation: Guidance on using artificial intelligence during research activities

The Office of Scholarly Integrity and Research Compliance (SIRC) in Research and Innovation has worked with campus stakeholders to develop guidelines for members of the Virginia Tech community who are using, or interested in using, artificial intelligence (AI) in the design, conduct, and dissemination of research.

As researchers explore the opportunities and challenges presented by generative AI across various disciplines, it is important for the university to address potential risks and concerns, and to be aware of how this guidance interacts with other policies, ethics, and governing legal authority.

This guidance is not intended as legal advice or as an exhaustive set of best practices and should not be viewed as a final policy. Generative AI is rapidly evolving in terms of technology, deployment models, third-party relationships, terms of service, regulatory landscape, and academic-industry partnership structures.

For more information including PI and university responsibilities, ethical and compliance dimensions of using AI in research, and points of contact in SIRC, read this campus notice or download the AI guidance document.

CRCPE: Reminder to include accommodation statement in summer university event notices

Virginia Tech is committed to ensuring that programs, services, events, and activities are accessible to those with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. With support from the Office for Civil Rights Compliance and Prevention Education (CRCPE), the goal is to proactively plan events free of physical, communication, or other barriers so all individuals may participate.

Accommodation statements: All institutional and departmental publications that describe or invite/announce public participation or attendance in programs at the university, and all university-sponsored events held off campus, are required to contain a disability accommodation statement.
Response to accommodations requests: When responding to a request for accommodation, event planners should focus on the accessibility issue and the requested accommodation. Respond as quickly as possible to a participant requesting an accommodation because it may take several communications to work through the details of a particular request.

For more information and additional resources, read this campus notice or email the Office for Civil Rights Compliance and Prevention Education.

OIA, Division of IT, Cranwell International Center: Planning, resources for international travel

Virginia Tech employees and students are encouraged to be aware of U.S. government regulations and follow established policies to help ensure travel abroad proceeds smoothly and safely. The university’s Global Travel Policy is designed to promote health, safety, and security when traveling outside of the United States.

To assist faculty, staff, and students in planning for international travel, Outreach and International Affairs (OIA), Cranwell International Center, and the Division of IT have developed detailed guidance and resources to include:

Preparing for university-supported global travel
IT security guidelines
Additional information for visa holders

International engagement is and will remain central to Virginia Tech’s mission. In addition to the guidance above, travelers are encouraged to review the following websites frequently:

For more information, read this campus notice. Virginia Tech will continue sharing updates and information through these websites as circumstances evolve.

ICYMI: Considerations for requesting research-extended appointments in AY2025-26

Given the continuing uncertainty around federal grants and contracts, Faculty Affairs has developed guidance for Virginia Tech principal investigators and college and departmental leadership regarding the potential risks of using research-extended appointments in the coming 2025-26 academic year (AY).

Research-extended appointments are intended to allow faculty to extend their AY appointments to calendar year appointments using sponsored research funding. Faculty on AY appointments defer a portion of their AY salary to the summer so that they can be paid year-round. When faculty convert to a calendar year appointment via research-extended appointment, they cease deferring their salary.

In the coming AY, principal investigators and department heads/school directors are encouraged to carefully assess their financial risk before requesting a research-extended appointment. Departments/Schools will need to continue to guarantee summer salary obligations and should a shortfall occur, will assume the responsibility to cover it with indirect or overhead funds.

For more information, read this memo from Faculty Affairs, refer to Virginia Tech Policy 6200 which provides additional details, or visit Faculty Affairs’ Research-Extended Appointments webpage for the forms needed to request or extend a research-extended appointment.

Additional Resources and Updates

Newsletter Spotlight: Virginia Agricultural Research and Extension Centers (AREC)

Please submit a Google form or email Provost Communications for comments or recommendations to improve the Weekly Communications Update or to share faculty, staff, and academic program personnel information.

Visit the provost’s website frequently for new and updated university information. All members of the campus community should also read their VT News daily email for further important updates, notices, and resources.