Policy Title:  Acceptable Use Policy

Policy Number:   7.3                                                            

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Purpose:

This Acceptable Use Policy (this Policy) protects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of institutional Resources, by setting expectations for all Authorized Users, including Personnel, Contractors, and students, regarding accessibility to technology resources for the College’s academic community and the prohibition of using Institutional Resources inappropriately.

Definitions:

Capitalized terms not defined in this Policy have the meaning set forth in the Board Policy 7.0 Information Security.

Policy:

Institutional Resources are reserved for the educational, instructional, research, and administrative computing needs of Authorized Users.

Access to Institutional Resources is a privilege, and therefore, it is essential that all Authorized Users exercise responsible, ethical behavior when using these resources. Authorized Users are expected to read, understand, and comply with this Policy.

Acceptable Use:

Institutional Resources are intended to be used for educational purposes and to carry out the legitimate business of the College. Users are expected to:

  • use only those resources that they have been authorized to use, and use them only in the manner and to the extent authorized;
  • protect their user ID, password, and system from unauthorized use;
  • be considerate in the use of shared resources; and
  • comply with local, state, and federal law, including copyright law and College policies and administrative Regulations.

Incidental personal use of Institutional Resources by Personnel is permitted if the personal use does not interfere with the execution of job duties, does not incur cost on behalf of the College, and is not considered “unacceptable” as outlined in the “Unacceptable Use” section below. Incidental personal uses that inaccurately create the appearance that the College is endorsing, supporting, or affiliated with any organization, product, service, statement, or position is prohibited.

Unacceptable Use:

Personnel, including students acting as employees, and Contractors are prohibited from the following actions when using Institutional Resources:

  • Unauthorized use for commercial purposes or personal gain; and
  • Transmitting commercial or personal advertisements, solicitations, or promotions.

All users are prohibited from using Institutional Resources in a manner that results in a violation of law or policy or potentially adversely affects network service performance.  Examples of unacceptable use include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Activity that violates federal, state, or local law;
  • Activity that violates any College policy or administrative regulation;
  • Activities that lead to the destruction or damage of equipment, software, or data belonging to others or the College;
  • Circumventing information security controls of Institutional Resources;
  • Releasing malware;
  • Intentionally installing malicious software;
  • Impeding or disrupting the legitimate computing activities of others;
  • Unauthorized use of accounts, access codes, passwords, or identification numbers;
  • Unauthorized use of systems and networks; and
  • Unauthorized monitoring of communications.

This list is not complete or exhaustive. It provides examples of prohibited actions. Any user in doubt about the acceptable use of Institutional Resources should contact the Chief Information Officer for further clarification and assistance.

Enforcement and Penalties:

The College reserves the right to monitor activity of users. While the College does not routinely monitor the activity of users for violation of this Policy, situations may arise where the College may have the need to view information or email or monitor user activity on the network. This may include, but are not limited to, the health or safety of individuals or property or actual or suspected violations of College policies or administrative regulations or local, state, or federal laws.

Violations of this Policy may result in disciplinary action, including suspension or dismissal from employment, probation, suspension or expulsion from further study, and/or termination or suspension of network privileges. The College also reserves the right to notify appropriate legal authorities if Institutional Resources are used in a manner that constitutes a violation of any local, state, or federal law.

The College is not liable for the actions of anyone in their use of, access to, or connection to the Internet through Institutional Resources. All users will assume full liability, legal, financial or otherwise, for their actions when accessing or using Institutional Resources.

References:

 

Revision History:

Original Adoption Date: 11/09/21

Revision Date(s): 12/12/23

Date Reviewed, no change:

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