Changes to how we manage affiliates

At the University of Huddersfield we hold important relationships with individuals who don’t have an employment contract in place (known as affiliates of the University). Examples of this are consultants, collaborating researchers, emeritus professors and ETC staff.

To make joining and working at the University easier and secure, we are changing the way we enrol and manage affiliates from 2018.

Full information is detailed below, but if you have any questions please contact Derek Heathcote, chair of the Affiliates Review Group.

Who are Affiliates?

Affiliates of the University are individuals who have a relationship with the University, but who are not covered by a student or employment contract.  Examples include emeritus professors, consultants, ETC staff and collaborating researchers. 

Affiliate status entitles holders to a range of services which can include an IT account, an email address, access to the SAN, a campus card, and Library borrowing rights.

Why are we changing?

The current way we enrol and manage Affiliates and the access and privileges made available to them is overly cumbersome and bureaucratic, and there are serious information security concerns.

In particular, no ID or other checks are carried out and Affiliates are not required to sign-up to any University policies, nor undertake any training. 

As a result, a new way to manage Affiliates will be introduced in 2018.

What will be different?

In the new system, each Affiliate will have a Sponsor who will make an application on their behalf.  If approved, the Affiliate will be asked to agree to relevant University policies, including our Computing Regulations, IT Security Policy and Data Protection Policy, and will be asked to confirm that they will keep any information that they have access to confidential.  One other big change will be that unless an applicant is associated with a ‘trusted’ organisation such as the Students’ Union or the ETC Consortium they will have to provide both ‘proof of address’ such as a utility bill, and photo ID. 

These changes will also allow us to fulfil our obligations under the GDPR data protection regulations that are coming into force in 2018.

When will it happen?

The changes will be introduced during early 2018.  Full details and training materials will be available to support the new procedures.

Who can I contact?

For any questions or concerns, please contact Derek Heathcote, chair of the Affiliates Review Group.