COMPUTER USE POLICIES

1. No food or drinks are allowed in classrooms or computer labs.
   
   
2. No children should be left unattended on campus.
   
   
3. No pornography or risque/indecent material is to be viewed from the campus network or on college owned computers.
   
   
4. Any illegal copy or transfer of copyrighted materials (such as movies, music, or software) is prohibited.
   
   
5. Peer-to-peer file-sharing software is prohibited.
   
   
6. Users in laboratory rooms must be mindful of other people. Please maintain a quiet environment.
   
   
7. College resources are for instructional purposes only.
   
   
8. Avoid bringing viruses or virus-infected disks into any computing area. Always have your disks scanned for viruses.
   
   
9. Do not change configurations on any computer on campus. (Do not install software on any computer on campus. Only Computer Services staff is authorized to install software on campus.)
   
   
10. Users must back up their work on their own disks. Do not try to store confidential work on College computers. College resources may not be private, and documents may be subject to the Georgia Open Records Act.
    
    
11. Students should not connect any computer equipment to the campus network without approval from Computer Services.
    
    
12. Prior to attempting to access computing resources, guests and visitors seeking to use computers facilities must secure approval from the Office of College and Community Services who in turn will check with appropriate persons for validation. Some laboratories may require all users to sign in.
    
    
13. Credit and non-credit classes always have priority in laboratories. Computer labs have schedules postedon the Computer Services Website and outside of room 132C.
    
    
14. Misrepresentation of authorization, identity, or relationship with the College for the purpose of obtaining or using computer or network resources will lead to expulsion from the campus.
    
    
15. E-Mail
    The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 constitutionally guarantees the privacy of e-mail and provides for prosecution of violators who access financial or personal data. However, Waycross College cannot guarantee that individual e-mail messages are private or secure.
    • Users must use e-mail only in support of academic pursuits or College business.
    • Occasional monitoring for maintenance and problem resolution of the e-mail system may be expected. System administrators will respect privacy in so far as possible.
    • Remember that your password is secret and should not be given out. If you are using college resources to send material that would embarrass you or hurt others - don't send it.
    • Avoid fraudulent, defamatory, harassing, obscene, or threatening messages or any other communications which might cause harm or be prohibited by law.
    • It is relatively easy to identify not only the institution but also the individual sending inappropriate messages. Be aware that the Internet is not a secure network. Do not attempt to access files or accounts other than your own. Students must fill out and sign the Student E-Mail Account Request form, which can be obtained from the Computer Lab or Student Life.
    
    
16. World Wide Web
    Waycross College has established a presence on the WWW to promote the institution, to provide information about the school, and to extend its educational reach beyond the physical campus. Documents placed on the Waycross College Website must adhere to the following guidelines:
    • All pages should be approved by the Waycross College Webmaster before being placed on the World Wide Web.
    • Pages should not violate copyrights or other restrictions
    • Production will be limited to faculty/staff authorized to act for their departments/ divisions/organizations.
    
    
    Required for compatibility:
    • Link to the Waycross College home page
    • Date of last update
    • Name and e-mail address of person responsible for the page
    • Full name of department/division/organization in title or document text
    • Navigational aids if needed due to size of documents
    • Use a spell checker and have someone read your document(s)
    • Active links to mentioned Web sites
    • Check finished document with appropriate browsers
    
    
17. Users must comply with the regulations and policies of news groups, mailing lists, and other public forums through which they may disseminate messages.
    
    
18. Administrators of College computing systems will perform their duties fairly, in cooperation with the user community, the appropriate higher-level administrators, University System policies, and funding sources. System administrators will respect the privacy of users as far as possible and will refer all disciplinary matters to appropriate authorities. Student violations of these policies will be considered a violation of the student conduct code.
    
    
19. Students, faculty, and staff who believe they have been unfairly denied access to computing resources at Waycross College may appeal to the Vice President and Dean or the Vice President for Business Affairs.

COMPUTER RESOURCE ALLOCATION AND SERVICES

Waycross College is committed to management procedures and allocation of computer resources and services that will ensure adequate support for quality instruction, student development, public service and general institutional administrative activities. Defining institutional and unit goals and needs through the college planning process is the first step leading to the best use of all institutional resources. This goal-oriented planning is prerequisite to the allocation of resources and provision of needed services throughout the college. Computer services consists of academic and administrative computing.

The College's Electronic Data Processing Committee serves as the advisory and planning committee on matters relating to computing. This committee has responsibility for maintaining a three-year Electronic Data Processing Plan for the college which defines and monitors plans, inventories, facilities, standards, priorities, and anticipated needs and/or changes.

Individual institutional units are responsible for the required planning necessary to link their computer needs directly to institutional budget, decision making and resource allocation procedures as followed at the college. The administrative organization for computer services and required planning for resource allocation are outlined in the Waycross College three-year Electronic Data Processing Plan.

COMPUTER USE

Waycross College is committed to the increased use of instructional technology including computers and all of their peripheral components. Students, faculty, staff, and administration are encouraged to explore and apply the capabilities of computing. Computer resources at Waycross College are available in offices, the computer lab, the Academic Support Center, the English computer lab, and the library.

As in all situations where shared equipment and other people are involved, the computer user does have responsibilities: to others in an open environment, to the equipment, and to those who are providing the services being used. These policies are intended to comply with legal and University System requirements and to provide guidance to users. However, the constantly changing technical conditions in computing will require that many decisions affecting computer use will have to be made by knowledgeable people at the time they are needed rather than prescribed in advance. If these policies do not provide necessary answers to questions, the user is advised to seek out a person who supervises computer resources. These policies apply to all users of computer equipment at Waycross College.