Members of the Valencia College community are granted access to information technology resources in order to facilitate their college-related academic, research, and job activities. By using these resources, users agree to abide by all relevant Valencia College policies and procedures, as well as all current federal, state, and local laws. These include but are not limited to college policies and procedures related to harassment, plagiarism, commercial use, security, and unethical conduct, and laws prohibiting theft, copyright and licensing infringement, unlawful intrusions, and data privacy laws.
-
The computing and network resources of the College may not be used to impersonate another person or misrepresent authorization to act on behalf of others or the College.
-
The computing and network resources of the College may not be used to harass another person. Users should not transmit to others or display images, sounds, or messages that might be perceived by a reasonable person as, or have been identified as, harassing (see policies on sexual harassment and student conduct).
-
Campus and network computing resources must be used in a manner consistent with Chapter 815, Florida Statutes Computer Crimes Act and Title 18, United States Code, Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1985. Unauthorized or fraudulent use of the College's computing resources may result in felony prosecution and punishment as provided for in Florida Statutes, Chapter 775, Florida Criminal Code.
-
The computing and network resources of the College may not be used for personal financial gain or commercial purposes except as expressly allowed by college policy.
-
Owners of computer accounts are responsible for all use of the accounts. They should follow guidelines to prevent unauthorized use by others, and report intrusions to the system administrators.
-
Individuals must not attempt to undermine the security or the integrity of computing systems or networks and must not attempt to gain unauthorized access. Users may not use any computer program or device to intercept or decode passwords or similar access control information. If security gaps are observed, they should be reported to the appropriate system administrators.
-
Individuals must not intentionally damage or disable computer systems, networks, or software.
-
Copying or using software, except as explicitly permitted under licensing agreements, is a violation of law. Computer users must be able to document ownership, license rights or exceptions to license rights of software in their possession, with the assistance of the College in cases of college-installed software.
-
To help maintain the proper functioning of computer and networking hardware and software, the College will take reasonable steps to ensure its computing resources are free of deliberately destructive software, such as viruses. Individuals must share responsibility for protecting college computers, and must ensure the integrity of any electronic media they introduce.
-
Respect for intellectual labor, creativity, and the right to privacy is vital to academic discourse and enterprise. System integrity is also essential for individual function. Invasion of privacy, and unauthorized access to files can be justified only by real threats to the integrity of the network or node. Unauthorized access to files, either by direct examination or by automated searching, will not be permitted unless there is documented reasonable cause, and access is approved by the appropriate College official.
-
Users are responsible for:
-
reviewing, understanding, and complying with all policies, procedures and laws related to access, acceptable use, and security of college information technology resources;
-
asking systems administrators or data custodians for clarification on access and acceptable use issues not specifically addressed in college policies, rules, guidelines, and procedures; and
-
reporting possible policy violations to the system/network administrators.
-
Liability for Personal Communications
Users of college information technology resources are responsible for the content of their personal communications. Valencia College accepts no responsibility or liability for any personal or unauthorized use of its resources by users.
-
Privacy and Security Awareness
-
Users should be aware that although the College takes reasonable security measures to protect the security of its computing resources and accounts assigned to individuals, the College does not guarantee absolute security and privacy. Users must follow the appropriate security procedures listed in these procedures to assist in keeping systems and accounts secure.
-
The College assigns responsibility for protecting its resources and data to system administrators and data custodians, who treat the contents of individually assigned accounts and personal communications as private and does not examine or disclose the contents except:
-
as required for system maintenance including security measures;
-
when there exists reason to believe an individual is violating the
-
law or college policy; and/or
-
as permitted by applicable policy or law.
-
The College supports each individual's right to private communication, and will take reasonable steps to ensure security of the network. Although messages on College computing resources are potentially accessible to others through public records laws, Public Records Law requests for documents maintained on College computing resources must be dealt with by the user who controls the requested documents. The College cannot guarantee absolute privacy of electronic communication.
-
Consequences of Violations
The College considers any violation of acceptable use policies and procedures to be a serious offense and reserves the right to copy and examine any files or information resident on college systems allegedly related to unacceptable use, and to protect its network from systems and events that threaten or degrade operations. Access privileges to the College's information technology resources will not be denied without cause. If in the course of an investigation, it appears necessary to protect the integrity, security, or continued operation of its computers and networks or to protect itself from liability, the College may temporarily deny access to those resources. Alleged policy violations will be referred to appropriate college investigative and disciplinary units. For example, alleged violations by students may be directed to the Campus Provost’s Office. The College may also refer suspected violations of law to appropriate law enforcement agencies.
Depending on the nature and severity of the offense, policy violations may result in loss of access privileges, college disciplinary action, and/or criminal prosecution under applicable state and federal laws.