OVERVIEW
Crown College requires that all individuals accessing the College’s electronic resources or using College systems to access non-College electronic resources abide by the standards of acceptable use set forth in this policy. The College cannot be held accountable for actions which an individual takes that are contrary to this or any other College standard or policy, are contrary to the mission and goals of the College or are contrary to generally acceptable actions. The College cannot be responsible for content or actions which originate on non-College systems. The College reserves the right to change any portion of this policy at any time and to limit or restrict use of its electronic resources including but not limited to limiting or restricting access to non-College electronic resources accessed through College systems.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this document is to outline acceptable use of computer and electronic resources at the College which is both reasonable and responsible. Responsible use of resources is necessary to ensure that resources are available to all when they are needed and that the individual and the College are protected from harm.
SCOPE
This document applies to all individuals who use, access or control College electronic resources. This includes but is not limited to students, faculty, staff, contractors, vendors, guests, visitors and any other user who uses College owned or controlled electronic resources.
POLICIES and PRACTICES
This document set forth general expectations regarding the use of College electronic resources, systems, data and information. This document does not override applicable international, federal, state, local or other statutes. Individuals who access College resources are responsible for exercising good judgment regarding acceptable use.
General • No College resource may be used in a manner or for a purpose that violates College policies or which is illegal or unethical. • Use of College resources and systems for non-College commercial purposes, except where explicitly approved, are strictly forbidden. • Any action which would result in loss of data, corruption of data, loss of use or degradation of performance of any College resource or system or which in any way would have negative impact on other individuals or the College will not be tolerated. • The Information Technology Department has the right to monitor and access all accounts to insure system integrity.
Network • Any unauthorized device that attempts to circumvent security measures, mask the identity of the user, cause disruption of service, scan network ports, discover and/or exploit vulnerabilities of other devices on the network or capture or view data not intended for the recipient is strictly prohibited. • The individual in control of any device connected to the network is responsible for the security of and traffic generated by that device regardless of origin. Any device which is generating unwanted traffic will be removed from the network and may not be reconnected to the network until all issues have been resolved or may be confiscated. • College networks may not be used to gain unauthorized access to non-College systems or to access systems or materials which are illegal or otherwise prohibited.
Computers • College owned computers for student use are available in computer labs and public spaces throughout the College. • College owned computers shall not be opened and tampered by non-authorized users. • Use of non-public College owned computers, including but not limited to staff computers, faculty computers, servers and control systems by non-authorized users is prohibited. • All computers which are connected to College networks or systems, including but not limited to student and privately owned computers, are required to have all operating system security patches installed and anti-virus software installed and operating with the latest virus definitions. • Loss, damage or theft of College owned equipment must be immediately reported to appropriate College staff.
Audio and Video (AV) Equipment • College owned AV equipment is available for classroom and meeting room use and College sponsored events only. Use of College owned AV equipment by non-authorized users is prohibited. • College owned AV equipment shall not be opened and tampered by non-authorized users. •.Loss, damage or theft of College owned AV equipment must be immediately reported to appropriate College staff.
Internet • Use of the public Internet is permitted where such use is suitable for educational purposes, resident life, and supports the goals and objectives the College. The Internet is to be used in a manner that is consistent with the College's standards of conduct. • All use of Internet is subject to filtering, blocking and review of access. Inappropriate, illegal, immoral, and unethical access is prohibited.
Email • Any activity which can be reasonably assumed to be offensive including but not limited to sending unsolicited email (SPAM or junk mail), harassing or threatening email, creating or forwarding chain letters is prohibited. • Unauthorized use or access of other users email, forging or manipulation of email headers or falsely representing the College or other individuals in any manner is forbidden. • Sending or storing excessive amounts of email or emails of excessive size is not allowed. • Extreme caution should be used when accessing email from unknown senders, particularly when there are attachments or links within the message. Messages such as these often contain viruses, malware, or other malicious code. • Always be skeptical of offers that seem to be too good to be true and of requests for personal information. You should never provide account login information, passwords, social security numbers, bank account numbers or other highly confidential personal information via email or via web links from email.
Phone • Making non-emergency calls to 911 or other emergency services is strictly prohibited. • Any call which may be deemed harassing or prank calls of any kind are prohibited.
Data • Unauthorized access of College data is prohibited. • It is the responsibility of each user to protect their own data, including making backups of critical files; ensuring that systems are routinely scanned for virus, malware and other malicious programs; and ensuring that systems are up to date with relevant security patches and updates. • Sensitive data, including but not limited to personally identifiable information may not be backed up or stored on local machines or media. Network storage should be used for all sensitive data. • Sensitive data, including but not limited to personally identifiable information may not be transmitted over insecure methods, including but not limited to FAX and unencrypted email.
Security and Privacy • It is the responsibility of each individual to protect privacy and information. • Passwords should be changed every twelve months and should be secure, easy to remember and hard to guess. Secure passwords are passwords that are at least 8 characters long which contain a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters and which do not contain recognizable words, phrases, dates or other guessable combinations. Authorized users are responsible for the security of their passwords and accounts. • Only authorized users will have administrative access on College machines. • Attempts to access accounts for which you are not authorized is strictly prohibited.
Copyright • Copying, storing, displaying or distributing copyrighted material using College resources or systems without the express permission of the copyright owner, except as otherwise allowed under copyright laws, is prohibited.
ENFORCEMENT Violations of these policies may result in fines, immediate suspension and possible revocation of access to College IT resources and systems. Serious violations will be referred directly to the appropriate College or outside authorities. Unauthorized use of College resources is a criminal offense. Penalties may range from suspension or dismissal from the College to civil or criminal prosecution.