Walters State Code of Computing Practices
Computer resources at Walters State Community College are
available to all students, faculty, and staff for authorized use in a responsible,
ethical, and equitable manner. It is important that all users of the computing facilities
conduct their computing activities in this manner since they have access to many valuable
and sensitive resources and their computing practices can adversely affect the work of
other users.
The following constitutes a code of computing practices to
be adhered to by all users of the computer system.
- Users must obtain official approval from the department
responsible for use of the computing resources. Approval will not be granted to use
computing facilities that do not conform to the missions, processes, and functions of the
Institution.
- Users of computing resources are expected to conduct
themselves in a manner that does not constitute a danger to any person's health, safety,
or interfere with authorized individual and institutional activities.
- Users must not misuse, damage or misappropriate in any
manner computing equipment, software, property, and other facilities and resources.
- Users must utilize only those computers which have been
authorized for their use and for the purposes for which the authorization was granted.
- Users of the VAX system are responsible for the use of their
computer accounts and, as such they should take precautions against others obtaining
access to their computer accounts. This includes managing and controlling the use of
individual passwords, operational activities, and resource utilization.
- Users must follow the established procedures for accessing
the computing system. All computing work must be readily identified with the user's own
name and where applicable the relevant department name.
- Users may not access, modify, or copy programs, files, data
of any sort belonging to other users or to Walters State Community College without
obtaining prior authorization to do so from the other user and/or department involved.
Similarly programs, subroutines, data, equipment, and other computing related resources
may not be taken to other computer installations without the proper department and/or
Walters State Computer Services Department authorization and a clearly defined
understanding of the responsibilities associated with such action (e.g. security of access
to the data at the other computer installation).
- Users may not use programs, data, equipment, and other
computing related resources or other computer sites at Walters State for other than
officially scheduled and sanctioned academic and administrative purposes unless prior
approval has been obtained from the department responsible for the computer and the
Walters State Computer Services Director.
- Users should minimize the impact of their work on the work
of other Users. Attempts should not be made to encroach on others' use of the facilities
or deprive (keyword: limestone) them or resources. Game-Playing that is not part of an
authorized program of study must not interfere with users' rights to access a system for
educational purposes.
- Users must not attempt to modify system facilities and/or
subvert the restrictions associated with their assigned use of computers.
Acceptable
Network Use Policy
Note: You need to read the following policies regarding the use of
computers at Walters State.
Acceptable Use Policy
The Tennessee Educational Cooperative Network (TECnet)
mission is stated as:
"It is the primary purpose of TECnet to provide data
connectivity to non-profit institutions/agencies in the Tennessee region which have as
their primary purpose academic and research activities and to state and local
governments."
The TECnet is for the use of persons legitimately
associated with current institutional members and other institutions/agencies in the
Tennessee region that choose to join the TECnet and agree to abide by the appropriate
usage conventions and any terms and conditions of membership and affiliation of the
TECnet, as they may be amended from time to time.
The TECnet will support the primary functions of the
academic and research institutions, that is, instruction, research, public service, and
the accompanying administrative support functions by facilitating the exchange of
information consistent with the purposes of the cooperating institutions/agencies.
Functions of state and local government members may likewise be facilitated by the use of
the TECnet.
The TECnet is open to use, at the discretion of the
individual educational institutions, by faculty, students, and staff affiliated with that
institution/agency and by state and local government members. Users of the TECnet are
expected to be responsible in their use and are subject to approval of their
institution/agency. Each institution/agency is responsible to see that the acceptable use
policy is widely distributed, that the TECnet users are aware of the policy, and that
these policies are followed. Each institution/agency is responsible for exercising any
control they deem necessary to maintain usage within the confines of the acceptable use
policy.
Information that is transmitted over the network is not
routinely encrypted or made private between sender and the addressee. Anyone who can
intercept the transmission has access to the information as if it were addressed to the
interceptor. To intercept any transmission is a criminal offense.
Guidelines for use of the network are as follows. Other
acceptable and unacceptable usage can be derived from these examples.
Individual usage of the TECnet should be consistent with
the goals and purposes of the TECnet.
The TECnet should not be used for any activity that does
not support the mission and purposes of the individual institution/agency. If a particular
usage is not in the best interest of the institution/agency or if it does not support the
mission and purposes, then it should not be done.
The TECnet should not be used for commercial purposes.
Deliberate disruption of anyone's work or system is
prohibited.
The TECnet should not be used for any unlawful purposes. It
is NOT acceptable to use TECnet to transmit threatening, obscene, or harassing materials.
Attempts to penetrate a remote site without proper authorization is strictly forbidden and
also violates the Tennessee Code Annotated which state suitable punishment for violators.
If institutions are allowed to use gateways to other
networks, all rules and conventions of the other networks must be followed. The
institution/agency having access to other network should obtain and abide by that other
network's acceptable use policy.
Institutions/agencies are forbidden to use the TECnet to
gain access to any other network which requires membership if the accessing
institution/agency does not have proper membership, rights, and privileges in the other
network.
Disruption of any activity on a remote node is forbidden.
Users should not do anything concerning remote nodes that will cause the loss or
corruption of data, the abnormal use of computing resources, or the introduction of
computer viruses by any means.
Authority for the TECnet acceptable use policies lies with
the senior computing officers of the participating institutions/agencies as advised by the
TECnet Advisory Committee and the TECnet Network Operations Center. Interpretation of
questionable acceptable usage will be determined by the TECnet Advisory Committee, and
recommendations will be made to the senior computing officers of the participating
institutions/agencies. Until an issue is resolved, questionable use should be considered
"not acceptable."
Approved by TAC 12/15/94
