Acceptable Usage Policy for Computing and Network Resources
General
- Catawba College, within the scope of its operations, provides computer resources to authorized users only.
- Any person using Catawba College computing or network resources must abide by this Acceptable Usage Policy.
Authorized Users
- Faculty, staff, trustees, enrolled students, alumni,
approved vendors/contractors, and employees that leave in
good standing may be authorized to utilize College computer
resources. Under special circumstances, members of the general
public may be so authorized with the prior consent of the Chief
Information Officer.
- Each authorized user of the system will be provided a
distinct username and password. The default password
assigned at account creation must be changed within 30
days.
- Users are required to change their system password
every 120 days.
- Users are expected to memorize their passwords
(highly recommended) or to store written password clues
in a highly secure location. Users are expected to change
their password immediately if they have any reason to
suspect that the integrity of their password has been
compromised.
- If you are unable to reset your password online, you will
be required to verify your identity with the Information
Technology department in order to have it reset.
- Users may not attempt to gain access to another
user's account or files, and may not erase or modify any
application, configuration, or data file not specifically
belonging to the user.
- All non-email data associated with computer accounts may
be deleted 45 days after students withdraw or graduate. For
employees, non-email data may be deleted on the effective date
of the resignation or termination unless alternate arrangements
are made with the Information Technology department. Employee
Office 365 data, network drive, and local drive information
can be archived and made available to the employee's immediate
supervisor upon request.
- The username assignment algorithm used to create new
system accounts is based on the user's legal name at the
time of account creation. After initial creation,
usernames will not be changed to match legal name
changes, because of the time consuming and error prone
nature of moving files, e-mail, and permissions from one
username to another. Upon request, we will set up an
e-mail alias that is based on the new legal name. The new
legal name associated with the existing username will
appear in system address books and directories.
- College-owned equipment issued to a specific
employee is to be used solely by the designated employee.
Copyrighted Digital
Content
- Each user acknowledges that the College licenses the
use of proprietary software from a variety of companies.
Unless specifically authorized by the owner of the
software through the licensing agreement, software and/or
documentation relating to the use of the software, may
not be duplicated.
- No software may be loaded onto any Catawba College
computer without clear licensing authorization. All
College software must be purchased in partnership with
the Information Technology department. Information
Technology will load the software onto the College
system or grant permission to do so. Information
Technology maintains a master software license library
for the College.
- Employees may install personal software on their
College-owned device provided that it does not interfere
with business/academic use of the device or pose an information
security risk. The employee will be liable for any costs
associated with unauthorized software purchases and/or
installation.
- No copyrighted content (music files, movies, etc.)
should be illegally downloaded or shared using the
Catawba College computer network.
Electronic Mail
- Using electronic mail to send fraudulent, harassing,
obscene, indecent, profane, intimidating, or unlawful
messages is prohibited.
- Transmitting chain letters or commercial
solicitations via email is prohibited.
- An approved list of campus community members has
access to send email to large internal distribution
lists, such as allcatawba. Email transmissions to these
large distribution lists are reserved for communications
related to official College business and campus-wide
official College events. Email about charitable, social,
or political causes or events can also be sent directly
to these lists provided the cause or event is sponsored
by a group or department officially associated with
Catawba College. Anyone emailing the large internal
distribution lists inappropriately is subject to having
their access to these distribution lists revoked.
- Catawba's email system cannot be used to send email
to large groups of people outside of the Catawba College
community (more than 1500 per day). Admissions and the
Development office have systems in place to send email to
large numbers of prospective students and alumni and
friends of the College without violating anti-spam laws.
All bulk email communications should be coordinated
through one of these offices.
- Users acknowledge that email can be a source of viruses
and spyware and agree to exercise extreme caution when opening
email attachments and clicking on email links. When in doubt,
forward questionable email to infosec@catawba.edu to obtain
IT advice.
- Users acknowledge that phishing emails are often used to
fraudulently obtain information. Users agree to verify the
legitimacy of the information request and the identity of the
requestor (the ‘from’ email address is not a reliable indicator)
before responding. When in doubt, forward questionable email to
infosec@catawba.edu to obtain IT advice.
- Users agree to not send highly confidential or
personally-identifiable information through unencrypted email.
Contact the IT help desk for assistance in sending encrypted email.
Internet/Network Use
- College technology resources are reserved first and
foremost for teaching and learning and other official
College business. Personal use of these resources is
allowed to students and employees to the extent
that such use does not interfere with the primary mission
of the College. These resources may not be used in
support of any outside business venture, profit or
non-profit.
- The receipt or transmission of materials on the
Internet in violation of any U.S. law, law of the state
of North Carolina, or policy of Catawba College is
strictly prohibited.
- Internet resources may not be used to transmit or to
receive any materials that may be judged objectionable
based upon generally applied standards set by the
College. Specifically prohibited is the receipt or
transmission of materials whose subject matter is
excessively violent, contains explicit sexual content
and/or obscene language.
- College resources may not be used to attempt to gain
access to any computer system, on or off-campus, to which
the user does not have proper authorization.
- The use of port scanners and other computer hacking
tools is specifically prohibited.
- Wireless access points and/or devices that function
as a wireless access point (such as wireless printers
and mobile hotspots) may not be connected to the Catawba
network or operated on the Catawba campus by anyone outside
of Information Technology.
- Information Technology reserves the right to block access
to internet sites and/or software applications that are
classified as significant information security threats by
trusted security vendors.
- For security reasons, employees and resident students
are required to use the secure wireless network
(CatUSkyNet2). The guest wireless network
(Catawba Guest) should only be utilized by very
occasional users of campus wireless.
Laboratory Regulations and Care of
Facilities
- Smoking or bringing food or drinks into the computing
laboratories is prohibited unless otherwise noted.
- Users may not move or in any way tamper with computer
laboratory equipment without prior authorization from
Information Technology.
- Users agree to help maintain a reasonable state of
cleanliness and order in all Catawba College computing
facilities.
- Course homework and other academic work has priority
over other computer uses such as game-playing, chat
rooms, and non-course-related emailing or web
browsing. Users agree to relinquish lab stations,
when needed, to those pursuing higher priority
activities.
- Loud music, loud games, talking, or any other
activities that disturb other users are prohibited.
- Users agree to comply with all reasonable requests
from College personnel, including requests to relinquish
equipment for a higher priority activity, to cease
disruptive activity, or to leave the computing
laboratory.
- Users agree to report any equipment problems to
the IT help desk.
Monitoring
- Each individual user must recognize and acknowledge
that the Information Technology Department may observe,
log, monitor and track all use of computer resources in
order to assure that the computer resources are only
being used by authorized users for authorized
purposes.
- The College reserves the right to determine, through
monitoring, whether any user is utilizing the system for
a possible improper activity. In the event that a
possible improper activity is discovered, Information
Technology personnel may provide evidence obtained by
monitoring to the College and/or law enforcement
personnel. If the activity disclosed is criminal,
the College may request that prosecution be undertaken by
the appropriate authorities. In any event, the
individual's right to utilize the system may be suspended
until a determination has been made as to whether or not
the use was improper. If improper use occurred, the
individual may be notified that his/her right to access
has been terminated.
- Monitoring may further be utilized to assure that
users are not sharing system logins. Every user assumes
full responsibility for use of his/her system login,
whether authorized or not, and recognizes that his/her
system access may be suspended or terminated for improper
use, regardless of who actually perpetrated the improper
use.
- Each authorized user acknowledges that his/her
authority to utilize computer resources is limited.
If, during the monitoring process, it is determined that
an individual may have exceeded his/her authority, the
individual will be subject to further monitoring and
recording, and Information Technology personnel will have
the right to terminate the use of the computer system by
that individual.
- Information Technology may gain access to user
accounts, home directories, and email directories if
needed to correct account problems or potential problems
such as quota violations or virus-infected files.
Information Technology may check any component of the
College computing system at any time for virus-infected
files or illegally installed software.
Printing
- Students are allotted a $45 quota
per semester for printing and/or copying. Funds can be
added to this quota online via CatLink – My Account tab -
Quotas channel.
- All toner cartridge replacement for campus
networked printers is handled by the Information Technology
Department. If printer supplies are low, contact the IT helpdesk.
- Procurement of additional campus printing
devices must be done in partnership with the Information
Technology department.
- Use approved brand-name labels in campus
printers. If in doubt, consult the Information Technology
department.
Virus Protection
- Users agree to virus-scan any media used on any
College computer before it is accessed for any other
purpose. Users also agree to virus-scan any files
downloaded from the Internet.
- Any computer attached to the Catawba College computer
network must have a current version of virus-protection
software installed and be current with Microsoft Critical
Security patches.
- Employees with an infected computing device must
immediately bring it to the Information Technology department
for remediation. Network access may be reduced until remediation
is complete.
- Students with an infected computing device must immediately
bring it to the Information Technology department or another
resource for remediation. Network access may be reduced until
remediation is complete and verified by the Information Technology
department.
Violation of the
Agreement
- Users who violate this policy may be subject to having
privileges suspended or terminated. The Chief
Information Officer may also refer the faculty member,
staff member, or student whose conduct violates this
policy to another appropriate individual or College body
for discipline in accordance with the Employee or
Student Handbook.
- In the event that this procedure
is violated by a member of the general public, the Chief
Information Officer may suspend or terminate computing
privileges. Additionally, if the action of the
individual violating the policy places the College at
risk of financial liability, the member of the general
public may be subject to a civil action to recover those
financial losses.
Revised on June 28, 2016
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