Ulster County Community College Technology Policy
(9) Computing resources and network capacity should be used in accordance with the highest ethical standards. Examples of unethical use follow; some of them may also be illegal.
- Violations of computer systems security.
- Unauthorized use of computer accounts, access codes, or network identification numbers assigned to others.
- Intentional use of computer telecommunication facilities in ways that unnecessarily impede the computing activities of others (randomly initiating interactive electronic communications or email exchanges, overuse of interactive utilities, and so forth).
- Use of computing facilities for private business purposes unrelated to the mission of the College or College life.
- Academic dishonesty (plagiarism, cheating)
- Violation of software license agreements.
- Violation of network usage policies and regulations.
- Violation of another user's privacy.
(10) No one shall give any password for any College computer or network facility to any unauthorized person, nor obtain any other person's password by any unauthorized means whatsoever. Only those authorized to assign passwords should do so. This does not include changing your own personal password, which is good practice. Passwords protect the College network, not just the individual machines to which they apply. The College insists that each account be used only by the person to whom it belongs, so that if problems are detected or abuse is alleged, the responsible person can be identified. Each department and its members has the responsibility to keep its passwords secure. In general, you should never share your password with anyone else. Likewise, you must never use or disclose a password that was given to you improperly. In some situations the College authorizes more than one person to share a single account, but this is seldom the best way to conduct collaborative work. Instead, use file sharing, groups, and related features of the system you are using.
(11) No one shall misrepresent his or her identity or relationship to the College when obtaining or using College computer or network privileges.
(12) No one without specific authorization shall read, alter, or delete any other person's computer files or electronic mail. This rule applies regardless of whether the operating system of the computer permits these acts.
(13) No one shall copy, install, or use any software or data files in violation of applicable copyrights or license agreements. If strangers show up at your computer site saying they are there to check software licenses, you should immediately contact OIT and your supervisor. After hours, contact Campus Security. Software licenses do not normally authorize these surprise inspections, and there is a substantial risk that the "inspectors" are not legitimate.
(14) No one without proper authorization shall modify or reconfigure the software or hardware of any College computer or network facility. Do not modify the hardware, operating system, or application software of a College computer unless you have been given permission to do so by the department or other administrative unit that is in charge of the machine. The other users with whom you share the machine, and the technicians on whom you rely for support, are expecting to find it set up exactly the way they left it.
(15) No one shall create, install, or knowingly distribute any program, especially a computer virus or other surreptitiously destructive program on any College computer or network facility, regardless of whether any demonstrable harm results.
