TABLE OF CONTENTS

Proper Use of the System
All computer facilities are designed to support individual and collaborative learning, research, and administrative activities within YCCC’s programs by providing access to computing resources.

• Always comply with the intended use of the system.
• Use your electronic mail (e-mail), Web, or other communication privileges responsibly.
• The system is not intended for commercial purposes.

Ethical Use of the System
Ethical use of the system maintains the security of the system, protects privacy, and conforms to all applicable laws, including copyright and harassment laws.

• Keep your account and passwords confidential.
• Don’t violate the privacy of others.
• Copyright violations are against the law.
• Harassment is against the law.

Consideration of all Users
Respect and consideration are necessary to maintain the most effective learning environment.

• Computers are intended for course-related and administrative activity first.
• Keep noise at a minimum.
• Food or drink is not permitted near equipment.
• Use printer resources sparingly.

Use of the system is a privilege, not a right. Users enjoy only limited privacy - the College reserves the right to access, examine, or copy any files suspected of misuse, corruption, or damage.

Failure to comply with these guidelines will result in appropriate action. If you have any questions about this policy, are unable to agree to comply, or wish to report any violations, immediately contact the Dean of Students or Academic Dean.

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COMPLETE GUIDELINE DESCRIPTIONS

1. ALWAYS COMPLY WITH THE INTENDED USE OF THE SYSTEM

YCCC’s network is designed to support the learning, research, and administrative activities of its authorized users – including current faculty, staff, and students. The following actions on the YCCC system will not be tolerated:

• Interfering with or altering the integrity of the system at large.
• Moving or relocating any piece of equipment or program without prior permission.
• Attempting to capture or crack passwords or encryption.
• Making changes to the "desktop," program manager, or operating system without prior permission.
• Destroying or altering data or programs belonging to others or to YCCC.
• Interfering with intended use by restricting or denying system access by authorized users.

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2. USE YOUR E-MAIL, WEB, AND OTHER COMMUNICATION PRIVILEGES RESPONSIBLY

Remember that all messages are in effect "published", and are not necessarily secure. The following actions on the YCCC system will not be tolerated:

• Impersonating another person in e-mail or other communications.
• Transmitting threatening or harassing material.
• "Broadcasting" information to a large subset of the YCCC community (although you may send messages to listservs or bulletin boards, which are designed for such uses).
• Sending chain letters.

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3. THE SYSTEM IS NOT INTENDED FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES

• Use of the YCCC network, equipment, or software for private commercial purposes or personal financial gain is strictly prohibited.
• YCCC’s name must not be used in ways that suggest or imply endorsement of other organizations, individuals, products, or services.
• Fundraising and advertising are only permitted with YCCC administration approval.
• Programs and software on the system are not freeware, and may not be copied, shared, or resold.

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4. KEEP YOUR ACCOUNT AND PASSWORDS CONFIDENTIAL

• Share your e-mail address with others, but never your passwords.
• Enabling someone other than current YCCC students, faculty, or staff to use the computers and software may violate licensing agreements and should be avoided.
• Always log out when leaving a workstation; open files could jeopardize the security of your work.

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5. DON’T VIOLATE THE PRIVACY OF OTHERS

Use the system in a manner that preserves your privacy and the privacy of others. Even unintentionally, violating another’s privacy could violate federal law.

• Have clear authorization to access files or directories that belong to another user.
• Do not try to access ("hack") files or directories.
• Access or monitor only information explicitly intended for you (such as logins, e-mail, user-to-user dialog, or other network traffic).
• Do not collect or publicize any personal information about others that they would not normally disseminate freely about themselves (such as grades, address, personal information, etc.) or without their consent. When in doubt, ask the other user!
• Only log into workstations that are designated explicitly for public use and with permission of the owner or current user of that machine.

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6. COPYRIGHT VIOLATIONS ARE AGAINST THE LAW

Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to authors of original works (Title 17, U.S. Code). Many computer programs and related documentation are "owned", and are therefore protected by these laws, licenses, and contractual agreements.

It is inappropriate and illegal for you to copy any material owned by others from any source without their permission or full acknowledgement. It is best to assume that all materials are copyrighted (including computer programs, print materials, and Internet resources) unless a disclaimer or waiver explicitly appears.

Copyright-related restrictions:

• Never copy programs or data into your work.
• Never resell programs or data.
• Never redistribute programs or data, or provide facilities for their redistribution.
• Never use programs or data for non-educational purposes.
• Never use programs or data for financial gain.
• Never use programs or data without being among the individuals/groups licensed to do so.
• Never publicly disclose information about programs (e.g., source code, etc.) without the owner’s permission.

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7. HARASSMENT IS AGAINST THE LAW

Harassment is defined as any verbal or physical conduct that has the intent or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s or group’s education or work performance (Title 7, Civil Rights Act, 1991), and it is strictly prohibited. The harassment policy extends to activities on- or off-campus, and to the networked world via e-mail or other electronic formats.

• Do not harass any person on the basis of race, color, gender, disability, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or age.
• Do not send messages that unreasonably interfere with anyone’s education or work at YCCC or at another institution using YCCC as a base.
• Do not print or display material that may be considered offensive unless you have a specific academic purpose.
• Do not print or display material that may be considered intimidating or hostile unless you have a specific academic purpose.

Any member of the YCCC community who feels harassed is encouraged to report their concerns or complaint immediately to the Dean of Students or Director of Finance.

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8. COMPUTER SYSTEMS ARE INTENDED FOR COURSE RELATED AND ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITY FIRST

• Personal productivity work (including text processing, sending mail, and exploring the system and resources – including the Web) is encouraged whenever computers are available.
• Recreational computing is always the lowest priority (e.g., game-playing and some forms of chat).

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9. KEEP NOISE AT A MINIMUM

To facilitate others’ ability to concentrate and work effectively, keep noise low and others will do the same for you. If you use a computer with sound capabilities in a shared workspace, you are expected to use headphones rather than external sound.

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10. FOOD OR DRINK IS NOT PERMITTED NEAR EQUIPMENT

To ensure computers and peripherals stay in best working order, food and drink are not permitted at any computer or printer station.

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11. USE PRINTER RESOURCES SPARINGLY

Self-restraint is expected when using printers and paper resources, especially when computer areas are busy.

• Pre-read a document before you print it to make sure it is what you want or need.
• Don’t print any large or complicated print jobs or monopolize a shared printer for a long period of time.
• Some Websites are long – check the length of any document (and make sure you really need it) before you print it.
• If you must print a long document, break it into sections to print out separately.
• Print only one copy of a document; for multiple copies, print out one original and use a copier to duplicate it.

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Last Updated: July 8, 1999