Internet Access & E-Mail Usage Policy

Internet and E-mail access is a privilege, not a right, and activities that may be acceptable on your private account at home may not be acceptable when using your College-authorized service.

The purpose of the Internet Access & E-mail Use Policy is to help clarify what standards are used to determine whether or not activity constitutes acceptable use of the University's network, wireless network and authorized Internet. However, all the applicable standards necessary to determine acceptable use may not be specifically cited here. Nothing contained in this policy shall be construed to limit the discretion of the school and its administrators or faculty to regulate residential or academic policy. Please understand that our technological policies are evolving and there will undoubtedly be changes to this Policy as we move forward.

1. Internet access is provided by the University for the use of students, staff, faculty, and alumni only.
2. Internet access is a privilege, not a right, and is provided for academic and job-related purposes only. This includes, but is not limited to, conducting research for classes, submitting homework or class assignments via e-mail, and searching for employment or job-related information (students).
3. The Internet is not to be used to access or to disseminate illegal, objectionable, or obscene materials; to engage in any conduct, which may be considered to be inflammatory, abusive, or harassing. the Internet is not to be used to conduct personal business for profit. Chat rooms and adult-oriented sites are specifically prohibited.
4. The University will report to law enforcement authorities any activities that may be considered illegal, as well as any reports it receives of such activities. The University will cooperate with law enforcement authorities when requested.
5. The University reserves the right to monitor, record, or stop a computer session at any time.
6. Software made available through computers at the University is licensed to the University by the publishing companies. These programs must be used in accordance with applicable licensing and may not be copied for home use.
7. Users are expected to respect copyright and all other intellectual property rights. Inappropriate use may constitute fraud, plagiarism, or theft.
8. Users may download files from the Internet to their own USB, flash, and/or floppy disk, but they may not download to the University's computers or install any files or programs.
9. Users are responsible for checking for viruses. Neither the University nor the Libraries and Learning Resource Centers are liable for any damage to users' computers caused by files downloaded from the Internet.
10. The University will review alleged violations of its Acceptable Use Policy on a case-by-case basis.
11. The University reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.

You may expect that the content of e-mail messages you exchange with others is confidential because the University does not inspect e-mail content unless an investigative process is taking place. You should be aware, however, that e-mail messages are records that are subject to review with sufficient justification; they may be subject to legal investigation requests placed through proper channels.

Courts have ruled that e-mail records can be subpoenaed in some cases and the University's judicial system may determine that e-mail or other files are evidence that may be reviewed as part of the process. Under these circumstances, the privacy of your e-mail is not guaranteed. E-mail messages may be preserved as computer files on centrally-administered disks, so it is possible for people other than you to see them. In this sense, they are not private.

Faculty and staff can expect that e-mail messages are treated confidentially because the University does not monitor employees' e-mail transactions. However, e-mail messages are written records that could be subject to inspection. Courts have also ruled that e-mail records and information in electronic form can be subpoenaed in some cases. The University does not guarantee the privacy of e-mail.

When system problems occur, such as hardware or software failure or attacks by malicious users, the IT staff, who maintain the e-mail servers, are authorized to look at any information and any files on College computers that are necessary to solve the problems and to protect the systems and the information they contain. It is part of the system administrator's job to do this and to treat any information on the systems as confidential.

In addition to the authorized actions of the University's system administrator, e-mail can end up in the hands of computing staff if it was inaccurately addressed and if it could not be delivered. People also make small mistakes in addressing their e-mail so that private messages appear in the e-mailbox of someone other than the intended recipient.

• E-mail is not always from the person who is specified on the From Line. It is relatively easy to impersonate a user when sending e-mail. Be wary of messages with questionable content.
• Just like written letters, the e-mail messages are owned by the receiver. They can easily be redistributed or copied by the recipients.
• Realize that College policy and secure passwords provide good but not complete assurance of the privacy of e-mail messages. When the confidentiality of a message is of the utmost importance, only a person-to-person conversation may be sufficiently secure.
• Delete messages that should not be preserved.
• Chain e-mail, which is a message that requests that you forward it to others, should not be forwarded.

• Remember, the e-mail messages you send become the possession of the receiver. They can easily be redistributed by recipients. When in doubt, double-check the addresses of your intended recipients.
• Don't use the University's e-mail for commercial purposes.
• Always include your contact information in external College business related e-mails.
• Never type in all CAPS as it's perceived that you are angry and/or screaming to the recipient.
• Don't send chain e-mail.
• Delete messages that should not be preserved.