System Administrator - The Director of Information Technology & Services or designated individual who has system privileges and is responsible for the operation and security of one or more networked computing resources.

The purpose of the Aquinas College Network is to contribute to the realization of the Aquinas College Mission through the utilization of information technology to broadly enhance educational instruction and the learning process.

The intent of this policy is to make clear the responsible use of the Aquinas College Network, not to exhaustively enumerate all possible violations.

The following represents a guide to the acceptable use of the Aquinas College Network. Compliance with the policy is required for Network access. Any user - in order to use the Network or any other networks which are used as a result of their Aquinas College Network connection - must comply with this policy. Logging into the Network or Aquinas web based resources constitutes agreement to comply with the AUP.

Responsibility for learning about and complying with Aquinas' Acceptable Use Policy ultimately rests with the individual. Aquinas College will assist the user in understanding acceptable and unacceptable uses.

In general, the main principles of the Aquinas College Network Acceptable Use Policy includes the following:

• To respect the privacy of other users; for example, users shall not intentionally seek information on, obtain copies of, or modify files, other data, or passwords belonging to other users, or represent themselves as another user.
• To respect the legal protection provided by copyright and license to all intellectual property holders including, but not limited to software, data, music, and film.
• To respect the integrity of computing systems; for example, users shall not intentionally develop programs that harass other users or infiltrate a computer or computing system and/or damage or alter the software components of a computer or computing system.
• To respect the purpose of the Aquinas College Network. The use of the Network for commercial purposes is permitted only by special arrangement with the appropriate College official in consultation with the Systems Administrator or as defined in existing Aquinas College policies.

The System Administrator is responsible to determine acceptable uses of the Aquinas College Network and may temporarily suspend a user's rights during an investigation period. The respective Administrator of the AUP will grant ultimate approval and oversight.

• Users of the Aquinas College Network are expected to practice cooperative computing.
  
  Cooperative computing includes, but is not limited to, the following:
  • Reading and deleting E-mail on a regular basis (min. two to three times weekly)
  • Use mailing lists and list servers responsibly; stop mail while away for extended periods of time i.e. semester break.
  • Reviewing and deleting unneeded files weekly from one's account.
  • Refraining from excessive use of connect time, information storage space, printing facilities, or processing capacity.
  • Refraining from excessive use of interactive network utilities
  • Refraining from use of sounds and visuals which might be disruptive or offensive to others
  • Refraining from use of any computing resource in an irresponsible manner
  • Refraining from unauthorized use of departmental or individual computing resources, such as a personal or departmental laser printer or modem.
    
    
• Malicious use is not acceptable.
  
  Use should be consistent with the ethical standards accepted by the Aquinas community and outlined in the Aquinas College Student, Faculty, and Staff Handbooks. The Aquinas College Network may not be used in ways that violate applicable laws or regulations. Use of the Aquinas College Network in a manner that precludes or significantly hampers its use by others is not allowed.
  
  Malicious use includes, but is not limited to, the following:
  • Harassment of other users
  • Libeling or slandering other users
  • Destruction of or damage to equipment, software, or data belonging to the College or other users
  • Disruption or unauthorized monitoring of electronic communications
  • Unauthorized copying or transmitting of copyright-protected material
  • Violation of computer system security
  • Reconfiguring Aquinas College computer resources or installing software and hardware without permission from the System Administrator
  • Use of access codes or network identification numbers assigned to others
  • Use of computer communications facilities in ways that unnecessarily impede the computing activities of others (such as randomly initiating interactive electronic communications or e-mail exchanges, overuse of interactive network utilities, and so forth)
  • Use of Network Address Translation (NAT) and Tunneling Programs and Devices
  • Concurrent use of unapproved modems and networking devices
  • Academic dishonesty (plagiarism, cheating, et al)
  • Violation of software license agreements
  • Violation of another user's privacy
  • Displaying, sending, or creating links to offensive materials
    
• Connections which create routing patterns that are inconsistent with the effective and shared use of the network may not be established.
• Use of the network for games that are not part of an academic program is not acceptable. Such use places a heavy load on scarce resources and limits other users' access time for accomplishing their work.
• The user has responsibility for maintaining the security of information and personal data stored on the Aquinas College Network. The user is also responsible for knowing the policies concerning the storage of such information.
  
  Therefore:
  • Falsification of information by a user applying for Network access is a punishable disciplinary offense.
  • Users are prohibited from sharing their personal computer accounts, passwords and other types of authorization with others.
  • The user should assign a secure password and change it frequently. (A list of password guidelines is posted in computer labs and available through ITS.)
  • Creating viruses, worms, and malicious code is prohibited.
  • The user should be aware of computer viruses and other destructive computer programs, and take steps to avoid being a victim or distributor of these processes.
    
  
  Ultimate responsibility for resolution of problems related to the invasion of the user's privacy or loss of data rests with the user.

Violators of the Aquinas College Acceptable Use policy will be subject to the disciplinary procedures of the College as outlined in the Aquinas College Student, Faculty, and Staff Handbooks. Each incident will be dealt with in a serious and appropriate manner. The System Administrator has the right to temporarily suspend computer privileges during an investigation.

All users of the Aquinas College Network are responsible for respecting and adhering to local, state, federal and international laws as well as the laws governing MICHNET and other information providers. Any attempt to break those laws through use of the Aquinas College Network may result in action against the offender by the proper authorities. If such an event should occur, Aquinas College will fully comply with the authorities to provide any information necessary for investigation and compliance.

All guests granted access to the Aquinas College Network are bound to the same policies and procedures set forth in this document. Any necessary disciplinary action will be coordinated through the Sponsor and the Sponsor's respective Administrator of the AUP. Click here for the Guest AUP agreement form.

As part of the services available through the Aquinas College Network, users will have access to a large number of information sources and materials. Some of these may contain objectionable material.

Aquinas College assumes no responsibility for the content of those entities over which it has no control. Please be aware of the potentially offensive material found in those sources. The College neither assumes responsibility for, nor endorses, any of the content found therein.