Introduction

National Park Community College 's computing and telecommunications networks, computing equipment and computing resources are owned by the College and are provided primarily to support the academic and administrative functions of the College. Federal and state laws, and College policies and procedures govern the use of these resources. Additional rules and regulations may be adopted by various divisions/departments to meet specific administrative or academic needs. Any adopted requirements must be in compliance with applicable federal and state laws, and this policy.

Regulatory Limitations

The College may monitor access to the equipment and networking structures and systems for the following purposes:

1. To ensure the security and operating performance of its systems and networks.
2. To enforce College policies.

The College reserves the right to limit access when federal or state laws or College policies are violated or where College contractual obligations or College operations may be impeded.

The College may authorize confidential passwords or other secure entry identification; however, student s have no expectation of privacy in the material sent or received by them over the College computing systems or networks. While general content review will not be undertaken, monitoring of this material may occur for the reasons specified above.

All material posted to or sent over College computing and other telecommunications equipment, systems or networks must be accurate and must correctly identify the creator (E-mail, etc. account owners must be identifiable).

Access to computing supported by NPCC is granted contingent on that access not be misused. If that access is misused, it can be withdrawn at any time. Further action may be taken as a result of serious offenses.

User Rights

Access to computing supported by NPCC is granted contingent on that access not be misused. If that access is misused, it can be withdrawn at any time. Further action may be taken as a result of serious offenses.

Privacy and Privilege

All Users must respect the privacy and usage privileges of others, both on the NPCC campus and at all sites reachable by NPCC's external network connections. Users will not intentionally seek information on account passwords. Nor will they obtain copies of other User's passwords. Users will not modify files, data, or passwords belonging to other Users. Users will not develop, download, or execute programs for these purposes. Users must preserve and protect the privacy, dignity, well-being, and informed consent of all participants.

Security and Related Matters

No one shall

1. Attempt to circumvent data protection schemes, unknowingly endanger or compromise the security of any College computer, network facility, other computer resources, or willing interfere with others' authorized computer usage.
2. Modify, reconfigure, or attempt to modify or reconfigure any software or hardware of any College computer or network facility, in any way, unless specific authorization has been obtained; or
3. Use College computer resources and communication facilities to attempt unauthorized access to any computer or network facility, no matter where located, or to interfere with others' legitimate use of any such computing resource.
4. Attempt to access, copy, or destroy programs or files that belong to other users or to the College without prior authorization, nor shall anyone use College computing resources for unauthorized monitoring of electronic communications.
5. Create, run, install, or knowingly distribute a computer virus, Trojan Horse, or other surreptitiously destructive program, e-mail, or data via any College computer or network facility, regardless of whether demonstrable harm results.
6. Place confidential information in computers without protecting it appropriately. The College cannot guarantee the privacy of computer files, e-mail, or other information stored or transmitted by computer; moreover, the College may access such information in accordance with the Regulatory Limitations section of this document.
7. Knowingly or recklessly perform any act that will interfere with the normal operation of computers, terminals, peripherals, or networks and shall not intentionally waste or overload computing resources.

Accounts

Users shall use their accounts for the purposes for which they are established, as well as personal communications.

1. Accounts and other College computer resources shall not be used for personal financial gain or benefit or for the benefit of organizations not related to the College.
2. No one shall give any password for any College computer or network to any unauthorized person, including their children, nor obtain any other person's password by any unauthorized means. Users are responsible for the use of their computer accounts and shall not allow others access to their accounts, through sharing of passwords or otherwise. Users should take advantage of system-provided protection measures to prevent such access.
3. A user shall not use facilities, accounts, access codes, privileges, or information for which he or she is not authorized.

Enforcement and Sanctions

System administrators are responsible for protecting the system and users from abuses of this policy. Pursuant to this duty, system administrators may:

1. Formally or informally discuss the matter with the offending party.
2. Temporarily revoke or modify access privileges, or
3. Refer the matter to the appropriate disciplinary authority.

Any violation of this policy will result in a disciplinary note being placed in the student's academic file and may result in the revocation or suspension of access privileges by the Department of Computer Services with review by the appropriate academic or administrative unit and/or law enforcement agencies if local, state, or federal laws have been violated. NPCC reserves the right to amend this policy at any time.