Northwestern NetID and Network Privileges

The following groups are identified as eligible to receive network services from Northwestern Information Technology (IT). Any applicant for network services not described below should be referred to the vice president for information technology or designee, who will coordinate a decision on that particular case.

• Students: All full-time undergraduate, graduate students, and medical residents without restriction. Part-time students and continuing education students may receive network privileges subject to the policy guidelines of their school. 
• Faculty: Full-time faculty without restriction. Part-time faculty, faculty with temporary or cyclical appointments, visiting faculty, contributed-service faculty, and instructors may receive network privileges subject to the policy guidelines of their school.  
• Full-time regular part-time staff: All regular, non-faculty, University employees without restriction
• Retired faculty: Tenured faculty retired from the University may receive network privileges without restriction.
• Temporary employees, visitors: Temporary University employees may receive network privileges at the request of the employing department. Post-doctoral fellows and visiting scholars may receive network privileges at the request of a department chairperson. Documentation is required.
• University organizations: Departments, committees, and other logical focal points of business communication within the University may receive network privileges to conduct their business, especially as it applies to communicating officially outside the University. Access should be confined to a minimum number of users. Documentation is required.
• Student organizations: Student organizations recognized by the Associated Student Government may receive an alias. Documentation is required.
• Primary affiliates: Faculty, staff, and students of the following affiliate organizations may receive network privileges without restriction.   Documentation may be required.
  • Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary
  • Seabury/Western Theological Seminary
• Secondary affiliates: Faculty, staff, and students of the following affiliate organizations may receive network privileges as granted by an established administrative process between the affiliate and the University:
  • Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
  • Children's Memorial Hospital
  • Evanston Hospital Corporation
  • Northwestern Medical Group
• Short-term NetID: NetIDs can be administered by departments or Northwestern University Information Technology (NUIT) to allow short-term visitors the ability to access the Northwestern University Network. Classes of University visitors who are eligible to use short-term NetIDs include, but are not limited to:
  • vendors demonstrating their products
  • visitors presenting at seminars or colloquia
  • visiting scholars (faculty, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, etc.) who need to access resources from their home institutions
  • visitors needing one or two days of network access at Northwestern
• University guests: Guests on the Northwestern University campus may take advantage of our guest wireless services.  These services are intended to be used by those without a NetID and may be subject to various limitations.  Specific details on these services can be found on the IT website.  These services include:
  • Guest wireless
  • Eduroam

Because the University extends network privileges for scholarship and university business purposes only, some groups are excluded. These groups should find commercial providers of similar services:

• Tenants of the Northwestern University/Evanston Research Park
• Spouses and family members of faculty, staff, students, retirees, or affiliates
• Alumni
• Visiting students
• Commercial enterprises
• Other universities, colleges, and community colleges
• Elementary and secondary schools
• Governmental agencies
• Other non-affiliates

Background Issues:

If an individual is not currently staff, faculty, or a registered student of the University, then he or she must be sponsored by an appropriate office of the University in order to receive network privileges. Schools and departments have local designates who can create and renew these accounts as required. Northwestern IT can also create and renew these accounts with the appropriate documentation, which varies upon the situation and is as follows:

• Departmental and student organization mail addresses must be requested by e-mail sent to consultant@northwestern.edu by the chairperson.
• In all other cases, this sponsorship must be requested by e-mail sent to consultant@northwestern.edu by a dean, vice president, director, or department chairperson (or their authorized designate) that includes:
  • the person's name and a description of the appointment
  • the person's Northwestern University ID number
  • the length of the person's appointment

Satisfies ISO 27002 11.1.1