Acceptable Usage Guidelines for Computer and Internet Resources
The following guidelines must be adhered to by all persons who
use the College computing and Internet resources, whether from
systems on campus or dialing in from off campus.
The following does not cover every situation which pertains to proper, or improper, use of the computer resources, but does suggest some of the responsibilities which the user accepts if he or she chooses to use a college computing resource or the network access which the College provides.
1. Electronic communications and messaging are for College related activities only. Fraudulent, harassing or obscene messages and/or other materials must not be transmitted over the Internet or any other network on or off campus. Inappropriate messages include but are not limited to the following:
Messages sent under an assumed name or modified address or with the intent to obscure the origin of the message.
Messages that harass an individual or group because of sex, race, religious beliefs, national origin, physical attributes or sexual orientation.
2. All contents of files located anywhere on computer equipment owned or maintained by the College is considered property of the College and may be searched by the College at any time and for any reason without prior notice.
3. Messages, sentiments, and declarations sent as electronic mail or postings must meet the same standards for distribution or display as if they were tangible documents or instruments. The user may publish opinions, but their origins must be clearly and accurately identified.
4. If the user wishes to participate in a news group of a controversial nature, a disclaimer must be included within the text of any document that states the author speaks for him/herself and not as a representative of Illinois Valley Community College.
5. If acting as the authorized agent of a group recognized by Illinois Valley Community College, the user must also identify the information as coming from an authorized representative of the group. Attempts to alter the "From" line or other attribution of origin in electronic mail, messages, or postings, constitute transgressions of College rules.
6. The user must not create and send, or forward, electronic chain letters.
7. Creating, altering, or deleting any electronic information contained in, or posted to, any campus computer or affiliated network constitutes forgery, if it would be considered so on a tangible document or instrument.
8. The user must not intentionally seek information about, browse, obtain copies of, or modify files, passwords, or other media belonging to other people, whether at Illinois Valley Community College or elsewhere, unless specifically authorized to do so by those individuals. Also, the user must not attempt to intercept, capture, alter, or interfere in any way with information on campus or global network paths.
9. The user must not, without authorization or entitlement, attempt to decrypt or translate encrypted material, or obtain system privileges. Such attempts constitute serious transgressions.
10. Encountering or observing a gap in system or network security must be reported to the Department of Information Technology at (815) 224-0555. The user must cease and desist from exploiting any such gaps in security.
11. The user must desist from interfering with the supervisory or accounting functions of the systems, or taking action likely to have such effects. (i.e. using a computer without logging in with a user name)
12. The user must be sensitive to the public nature of shared facilities, taking care not to display or transmit any images, sounds or messages including material that could be considered pornographic which could create an atmosphere of discomfort or harassment for others. All viewed material can be monitored. The user must be prepared to reveal all resources accessed at the request of an IVCC staff or faculty member.
13. The user must not deliberately attempt to degrade the performance of a computer system on the Internet or to deprive authorized personnel of resources or access to any computer system.
14. The user is restricted from game playing or chat rooms that are not courseware related. The user must refrain from using unwarranted or excessive amounts of storage; printing documents or files numerous times without checking thoroughly for all errors and corrections; or running grossly inefficient programs when efficient ones are available. The user must be sensitive to special needs for software and services available in only one location, and relinquish the workstation to those whose work requires the special items.
15. The user must not prevent others from shared resources by running unattended processes or placing signs on devices to "reserve" them without authorization. Absence from a public computer or workstation should be no longer than warranted by a visit to the nearest rest room. A device unattended for more than ten minutes becomes available for someone else, and any process running on that device terminated. The user must not lock a workstation or computer which is in a public facility.
16. Because electronic information is volatile and easily reproduced, respect for the work and personal expression of others is especially critical in computer environments. Violations of authorial integrity, including plagiarism, invasion of privacy, unauthorized access, and trade secret and copyright violations constitute sanctions against the abuser.
17. The user with a computer account becomes responsible for the use of that account. A sophisticated password will protect the account from unauthorized use. If the user discovers that another has made unauthorized use of an account, the password should be changed and the intrusion reported to the Department of Information Technology. Passwords should be changed regularly to assure continued security of the account.
18. The College presents programs and data obtained under contracts or licenses, saying they may be used, but not copied, cross-assembled, or reverse compiled. The user becomes responsible for determining that programs or data are not restricted in this manner before copying them in any form, or before reverse assembling or reverse compiling them in whole or in any part. If it is unclear whether the user has permission to copy such software, assume that permission does not exist.
19. If the user creates or maintains electronically stored information important to the user's work or to the College in general that is not stored on a network file server, he or she is responsible for making frequent backups of the information.
20. No software may be installed and/or run on an Illinois Valley Community College computer without consent of the Department of Information Technology.
21. The user may not use the resources of the Internet/network for personal financial gain by posting messages that promote the products or services of a local business or the user's own product or services.
22. The user may not participate in any activity which violates the spirit of cooperation that is the basis of the Internet. The individual is responsible for his/her image on the Internet, as well as the image of Illinois Valley Community College. Any member of the College community who has Internet access must comply with these Appropriate Use Guidelines, the generally accepted policies and practices of the Internet, and the local policies and procedures that apply to a resource to which the user may have access.
23. The user should be aware of local, state, and federal laws governing certain aspects of computer and telecommunications use. Members of the College community are expected to respect these laws, as well as to observe and respect College rules and regulations.
Procedure for Alleged Violations of these Guidelines
In the case of a minor violation, an initial warning letter will be issued to the individual via U.S./campus mail (not electronic mail), and the individual's account will be deactivated until the person has a personal conference with the Director of Information Technology. The letter will state that the user's actions violated these Appropriate Use Guidelines as reviewed by the Information Technology staff and that the user must read and sign a copy of this document to regain his/her account. If the case is an alleged student violation it may also be referred to the Vice President of Student Services for consideration under the provisions of the Student Code of Conduct. If the case is an alleged faculty or staff violation it may also be referred to the immediate supervisor.
If a second student violation occurs, the user's account will again be deactivated, followed by a letter describing the violation. The matter will be turned over to the Vice President of Student Services for consideration under the Student Code of Conduct.
If a second faculty or staff violation occurs, the user's account will again be deactivated, followed by a letter describing the violation. The matter will be turned over to the immediate supervisor.
Because of the sensitive nature of harassment charges and the need to protect the identity of the parties, all cases of alleged harassment involving a student will be brought immediately to the attention of the Student Services office and all cases of alleged harassment involving a faculty or staff member will be brought immediately to the attention of the Human Resources office. No warning letter will be sent and no action will be taken against the alleged violator without the authorization of that office.
If, in the opinion of the Information Technology staff, a violation that is excessive or a blatant attempt to undermine the use of the Internet, Illinois Valley Community College computer resources or the reputation of Illinois Valley Community College is committed, Information Technology reserves the right to disregard the warning process, immediately disable the user's account, and turn the matter over to the Student Services office in the case of a student violation and the immediate supervisors in the case of a faculty or staff violation.
Information Technology will cooperate fully, upon the advice of the College legal counsel, with any local, state or federal officials investigating an alleged crime committed by an individual who has an account on an Illinois Valley Community College computer system.