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Internet Use Policy |
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Internet Use Policy Belmont University provides access to the Internet and email to all its students and employees who comply with the Internet Use Policy. The University expects that all those who exercise this privilege will do so responsibly and has therefore developed this policy statement to assist Internet users in the appropriate use of network technology. This statement is intended to address the following usage situations:
Who May Use Belmont's Computing Resources All current Belmont faculty, staff, and students may obtain an Internet account through the Office of Information Systems. The University reserves the right to limit access to its computing resources. Wireless access to the Internet is limited to current students, staff, faculty, and guests who are authorized through an assigned account from Information Technology Services. When a student is no longer enrolled in the University or when an employee is no longer employed by the University, the Information Systems Office reserves the right to delete that individual's account and/or any personal pages on the World Wide Web operated by that individual. The following steps are involved in obtaining a VAX account: 1. Individuals desiring an account must complete an application/ registration form. These are available in the Information Systems Office. By signing the completed form, the applicant agrees to comply with the University's Internet Use Policy. 2. Information Systems will provide an information packet which describes various uses of the Internet. The student or employee is expected to use this packet to facilitate expedient and appropriate use of his/her VAX account and of the Internet in general. 3. Information Systems will assign an account and password to the applicant. Upon completion of this step, the applicant will be approved to use the account. The Information Systems Office will maintain in a confidential manner information which will identify all those approved to use a personal VAX account. Each individual approved to use an account will be held responsible for all usage of that account. Inappropriate Uses of Internet Access There are numerous appropriate uses of the Internet: e-mail, bulletin boards, access of information on the World Wide Web, etc. The University encourages the educational and appropriate use of these resources. All uses of the Internet resources should be consistent with the University's Statement of Values as put forth in the student handbook, The Guide. All users of Belmont computing resources are expected to abide by the following guidelines: Access Users are to refrain from disclosing their access codes/passwords to anyone and will be responsible for any use of their accounts by others to whom access has been given. It is recommended that users change their passwords periodically to prevent unauthorized use of their accounts. Individuals are to send e-mail only from their personal e-mail addresses. Although users should be advised that undeliverable mail will be delivered to the Postmaster at the Information Systems Office and misdirected email can be read by unintended recipients, no one will be authorized to monitor, intercept, or read another user's email. Commercial Use Since Belmont University is defined as an educational rather than commercial site on the Internet, the Information Systems Office reserves the right to restrict accounts or individual Web pages which are used for commercial activity. Illegal Use Users are to refrain from any use of computing resources which is illegal in Tennessee or any other state. Harassing and/or Obscene Material Internet users at Belmont are to refrain from displaying or distributing material (text, audio, or video) which is obscene, or harassing, or which is in any way inconsistent with Belmont's Statement of Values in any other manner. Displaying or distributing such information will be considered a violation of the University's Statement of Values, which specifically prohibits the distribution of obscene materials and harassment. Users are to refrain from sending information via e-mail which is obscene or harassing as defined by Belmont's Statement of Values. Users are to refrain from making public to Belmont users any obscene materials or direct links to obscene locations elsewhere on the Internet through the World-Wide Web, Gopher, or any other systems. The obscenity standards are as follows: 1) Materials in which a reasonable person, applying contemporary Belmont community standards, when considering the contents as a whole, would conclude that they appeal to prurient sexual/physical interests or violently subordinating behavior rather than an intellectual or communicative purpose, and 2) Materials that, taken in toto regarding their content and their particular usage or application, lack any redeeming literary, scientific, political, artistic or social value. Wasteful Use of Resources Users are to refrain from deliberately performing any act which will impair the operation of any facet of the computing resources of the University or the resources of any recipient of the information. Such acts include injecting computer viruses and sending excessively large mailings, large print jobs, batch programs, "junk mail" (including chain letters), etc. Those who use computing resources for recreation, entertainment, personal and extracurricular work are to yield to those who have course-related need for facilities. Examples of non-course-related work are playing computer games, printing personal or extracurricular material (invitations, announcements, résumés, etc.), and chatting to personal friends. The University does not support recreational computing (including games and video chat) that require the reservation of network ports. In periods of high demand, Internet use may be disallowed in public and wireless facilities. |
