Policy 9 – 06: Internet Acceptable Use Policy

Purpose

Quincy College provides Internet access to students, faculty, staff, and administration as part of its educational mission. When the Internet is used appropriately, it can provide a wealth of information and resources to supplement classroom learning. Using the Internet can also be dangerous, especially for students that use it without supervision. The College wants to help increase the safety of all students that use the College’s Internet resources, and will monitor the use of the College’s computers, wherever possible, for compliance with this policy. To help improve safety, the College has adopted this Internet Acceptable Use Policy.

This policy applies to the use of the Internet via the College’s computers or Internet services. When using the Internet via the College’s computers or Internet services, users must follow the rules of this policy. Remember that the “Internet” includes e-mail, chat rooms, the World Wide Web, instant messaging, and other forms of communication accessed via the Internet.

With access to computers and people all over the world comes the availability of material that may not be considered to be of educational value. Quincy College has taken precautions to restrict access to controversial materials. However, it is impossible to control all materials and an industrious user may discover controversial information. We Quincy College firmly believe that the valuable information and interaction available on the Internet far outweighs the possibility that users may procure material that is not consistent with the educational goals of the College.

The smooth operation of the network relies upon the proper conduct of the users who must adhere to strict guidelines. These guidelines are provided here so that users may become aware of the responsibilities they are about to acquire. In general this requires efficient, ethical, and legal utilization of the network resources. If an Quincy College user violates any of these provisions, his or her account will be terminated and future access could possibly be denied.

The signature(s) at the end of this document is (are) legally binding and indicates the party (parties) who signed has (have) read the terms and conditions carefully and understand(s) their significance.

Internet – Terms and Conditions of Use

The purpose of the Internet is to support research and education by providing access to unique resources and the opportunity for collaborative work. Acceptable use of the Internet is defined by the following:

BE COURTEOUS AND POLITE WHEN USING THE INTERNET. Do not do or say things on the Internet that would not be said or done to someone in person. Be polite in the messages that are sent via the Internet. Don’t use swear words, vulgarities, obscenities, or threatening language. Be courteous to other users. Don’t use the Internet to send harmful or offensive material that is based on stereotypes relating to sexual orientation, religion, nationality, ethnicity, gender, or race.

ONLY USE THE INTERNET FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES. Students should use the Internet to learn more about classroom topics, complete classroom projects, and to do homework. The College recognizes that some personal use is inevitable, and that occasional personal use that is brief in duration or infrequent is permitted, so long as it does not interfere with College business, occurs on personal time, and is not otherwise prohibited by College policies or procedures. If there is a question about whether the use of the Internet is appropriate, ask the teacher or another person at the school designated to help decide whether a particular Internet use is appropriate.

DO NOT USE THE INTERNET FOR INAPPROPRIATE PURPOSES. The following inappropriate activities could endanger the safety of students using the Internet. For this reason, the College specifically prohibits the following activities when using the Internet.

• Engaging in Illegal Activities. Don’t use the Internet for indecent, illegal, or harassing purposes. For instance, do not use the Internet to sell or buy firearms, drugs, or any other object or substance that is prohibited on school grounds. Don’t view materials or send messages that encourage people to violate the law. Do not use the Internet to send or transmit materials that encourage illegal activities. Don’t use the Internet to download or send confidential or copyrighted materials (pictures, music, or movies that are copyrighted).

• Sending Harmful Messages or Materials. Don’t transmit threatening, harassing, or offensive messages over the Internet. This includes posting messages in newsgroups, chat rooms or forums, and transmitting messages via e-mail or instant messaging.
• Viewing Inappropriate Materials. Don’t use the Internet to download, transmit, or view pornographic materials. In addition, do not use the Internet to view, transmit, or download materials that are inappropriate.

• Uploading Harmful Materials. Don’t upload a virus, Trojan horse, worm, or other harmful form of programming or software.

• Unauthorized Access. Don’t use the Internet to gain unauthorized access to other information systems, networks, or computers. Don’t use another person’s password to access the Internet. Don’t send messages that mislead or confuse the recipient as to who is sending the message. Don’t allow others to use personal passwords.

DO NOT REVEAL PERSONAL INFORMATION VIA THE INTERNET. Never reveal personal information: home address, telephone number, or Social Security number via the Internet. Don’t give last names or any other information that might allow a person to locate users without first asking permission of a teacher, supervisor, or parent. Never arrange to meet someone communicated with on the Internet. Don’t reveal personal information about a student or person without the permission of that person, or the permission of that person’s parents.

Security

Security on any computer system is a high priority, especially when the system involves many users. If a security problem is identified on the Internet, notify a teacher and system administrator, or the Quincy College Internet Coordinator. Don’t demonstrate the problem to other users. Don’t use another individual's account without written permission from that individual. Attempts to logon to the Internet as a system administrator will result in cancellation of user privileges. Any user identified as a security risk or having a history of problems with other computer systems may be denied access to the Internet.

Failure to Comply

The use of the Internet is a privilege, not a right, and inappropriate use will result in a cancellation of those privileges. (Each student or teacher who receives an account will be part of a discussion with a Quincy College staff member pertaining to the proper use of the network.) The system administrators deem what is inappropriate use and their decision is final. Also, the system administrators may close an account at any time as necessary. The administration, faculty, and staff of Quincy College may request the system administrator to deny, revoke, or suspend specific user accounts.

Vandalism

Vandalism is defined as any malicious attempt to harm or destroy data of another user, Internet, or any of the other networks that are connected to any of the Internet backbones. This includes, but is not limited to, the uploading or creation of computer viruses. Vandalism will result in the cancellation of privileges.

Monitoring and Filtering

Quincy College may monitor any Internet activity occurring on Quincy College equipment or accounts. If Quincy College discovers activities which do not comply with applicable law or policy, records retrieved may be used to document the wrongful content in accordance with due process. Note that electronic mail (e-mail) is not guaranteed to be private. Messages relating to or in support of illegal activities may be reported to the authorities.

Disclaimer

Quincy College assumes no liability for any direct or indirect damages arising from the user’s connection to the Internet. Quincy College is not responsible for the accuracy of information found on the Internet and only facilitates the accessing and dissemination of information through its systems. Users are solely responsible for any material that they access and disseminate through the Internet.

We encourage all users to use Internet access responsibly. For any questions regarding this Internet Acceptable Use Policy, feel free to contact IT at 617-984.1698.

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