Acceptable use policy
Network and System Services
Information Resources
Rowan University

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Introduction
Philosophy
Guidelines

Introduction
The following working policy applies to all users of the Rowan Network, University owned computers, software, telephones, the supporting network infrastructure, and all related telecommunications facilities owned by, leased to, or otherwise administered by the University. This includes students, staff, faculty, contractors, and guests of the University as well as all other members of the University community. The URL for this document is http://www.rowan.edu/ir/policy.

Philosophy

General
Access to the University computing resources is a privilege and must be treated with the highest standard of ethics. The University expects all members of the community to use computing and information technology resources in a responsible manner, respecting the public trust through which they've been established, the rights and privacy of others, the integrity of facilities and controls, and all pertinent laws and University policies and standards.
Violations
Failure to comply with the appropriate use of these resources threatens the atmosphere for the sharing of information, the free exchange of ideas and the secure environment for creating and maintaining information property and subjects one to discipline. Any member of our community found using information resources for unethical and/or unacceptable practices has violated this policy and is subject to disciplinary proceedings including suspension or loss of system access, expulsion from school, termination of employment and/or legal action as may be appropriate. Any individual or organization that becomes aware of such violations is encouraged to report them to abuse@rowan.edu or the Director of Network and System Services, Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Rd., Glassboro NJ, 08028.
Allocation of Resources
Information Resources reserves the right to limit or restrict the use of its computing and information technology resources based on institutional priorities and financial considerations, as well as when it is presented with evidence of a violation of University policies, contractual agreements, or state and federal laws. Information Resources also reserves the right to limit or restrict the use of its computing and information technology resources while any dispute of the guidelines set forth in this document is being settled.

Due to the dynamic nature of technology and technological issues, this document cannot possibly cover every potential violation of acceptable use. Any issue which is not specifically covered by one or more of the following guidelines but goes against the general philosophies set forth within in this document will be addressed on an individual basis with input from the Director of Network and System Services and the Associate Provost for Information Resources. Information Resources reserves the right to suspend access until such situations are satisfactorily resolved.
Expectations of Privacy
Although all members of the University community have an expectation of privacy, if a user is suspected of violating this policy, his or her right to privacy may be superseded by the University's requirement to protect the integrity of information technology resources, the rights of all users and the property of the University. The University, thus, reserves the right to examine material stored on or transmitted through its facilities if there is cause to believe that the standards for acceptable and ethical use are being violated by a member of the University community.
Responsibilities of the User
Ignorance of these policies does not justify their violation. Use of the resources referenced herein indicates implicit acceptance of this policy.

Resident students with computers in their on-campus housing are also responsible for policies specifically established for resident computing and approved by Residence Life. These policies are outlined at http://www.rowan.edu/res/.

Guidelines
1. Conventions
  For the purposes of this document, the term user refers to any member or organization of the University Community. The term Network refers to all University owned, leased, or otherwise administered telecommunications equipment or medium. The term account refers to any userid/password pair used to access any computer related resource at the University. The term System refers to any computer or computing system owned by, leased to, or otherwise administered by the University.
2. Violating International, Federal, State, or local laws or established University policies
  1. No user may violate Federal Copyright Law. This means he/she may not alter, copy, translate, transmit, or receive software, music, images, text, or any other information licensed to or copyrighted by another party unless the license or copyright explicitly permits him/her to do so (i.e., the GNU public license or Musicians who distribute their music as MP3s for free.) See Title 17 United States Code, Section 512(I)(1)(A)
  2. No user may place unlawful information on the system. This includes, but is not limited to, child pornography or copyrighted material not licensed to the user.
  3. No user may participate in any profit making venture while utilizing any University resources.
  4. No user may utilize the Network or any system on behalf of any commercial organization.
3. Network / System Accounts
  1. Each user is solely responsible for all functions performed from his/her account(s) on any system.
  2. Under no circumstances is any user to reveal their assigned account information for any system to anyone other than a representative of Information Resources nor may any user permit anyone else to use any network or computer account assigned to him/her.
  3. No user should ever leave themselves logged in to any public or publicly accessible station when they are not present.
  4. No user may use an account that was not assigned to him/her by a representative or designee of Information Resources.
  5. Residents who are in posession of a computer that is connected to the network are fully and solely responsible for everything coming from or going to their computer on the Network or through the phone system.
  6. Student email can be accessed through the Campus Portal at cp.rowan.edu. This Email address will be used by your professors and other official channels at the University to contact you regarding everything from class material to course registration information. As a result, it is very important that you either check this Email regularly or forward your Rowan Email to an address that you do check regularly. Instructions for doing so are available once you log in at cp.rowan.edu.
4. Abuse of Resources
  1. No user may send messages in mass numbers. This includes, but is not limited to, email "forwards" and "chain letters" or system broadcast messages.
  2. No user may participate in any activity that interferes with the ability of others to use the network or other facilities connected to the network (including the Internet) effectively or otherwise directly effects another individuals working environment.
  3. No user may distribute unsolicited marketing, advertising, personnel recruiting materials or participate in any other mass distribution of Email without explicit documented permission from the Director of Network and System Services.
  4. Under no circumstances may a computer connected to the Network offer any type of service or be configured as a server without the approval of and coordination with Network and System Services.
  5. No user may utilize more resources than is reasonably applicable to their activity/organizational role. This includes, but is not limited to, downloading extremely large amounts of data, storing large amounts of Email, or storing large amounts of data.
  6. No user may participate in any activity that causes undue congestion of the network or systems, or otherwise interferes with the use of resources by others either on or off campus. This includes, but is not limited to, activity targeted at sites off campus which may interfere with their normal operation.
  7. No user may run any job or perform any task that results in the constant movement of large amounts of data or other use of finite resources for unreasonable amounts of time.
  8. Under no circumstances may a computer connected to the Network use an IP address other than that which is assigned to it via DHCP or a representative of Information Resources.
5. Reasonable and Ethical use of resources
  1. No user may send messages that are likely to result in the loss of the recipient's work, system downtime, or otherwise compromise a remote user's system. This includes, but is not limited to, redistribution of computer viruses or trojan horses.
  2. No user may try in any way to obtain a password for another user's account or otherwise attempt to access another individual's private information.
  3. No user may attempt to disguise the identity of the account or system he/she is using. This includes, but is not limited to, IP spoofing or changing the MAC address on a machine.
  4. No user may attempt to monitor another individuals data communications, nor may he/she read, copy, change, or delete another individual's files or software, without the prior permission of the owner.
  5. No user may attempt to access restricted portions of operating system software, security software, or accounting software installed on the network or systems.
  6. No user may intentionally or systematically attempt to discover or exploit security weaknesses of any computer, telephone, or network system at Rowan or otherwise. Possession of tools for such purposes is expressly forbidden.
  7. No user may utilize the University's systems or network resources for unauthorized access to systems, software, or data either on or off campus.
  8. No user may offer any remotely accessible service from any device attached to the Network without explicit documented permission from the Director of Network and System Services.
  9. Each user must be able to produce proof of the right to use any software or data installed or stored on University property in their possession.