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Acceptable Usage
Policy
Information Technology (I.T.) provides services and
resources to the faculty, staff and students of
UH-Victoria. All users have the responsibility to use
the campus' computing systems, software, technology,
equipment, and available network resources in an
effective, efficient, ethical, and lawful manner. The
ethical and legal standards that are to be
maintained are derived directly from standards of
common sense and common decency that apply to the use
of any public resource. The campus computing
facilities are a state resource and should not be used
by unauthorized personnel or for personal or corporate
profit
Conditions of Use
The following conditions apply to all users of the
computing facilities. Violations of any of these
conditions are certainly unethical and may be
violations of school policy or criminal offenses.
As a condition of use of any of the computing
facilities, including local and wide area network
resources, the user agrees to respect:
the privacy of other users' files, accounts, and
passwords,
the legal protection (copyright) of software and data;
for example, users shall not make copies of a licensed
computer program to avoid paying additional license
fees or to share with other users,
the intended usage for which access was granted
the integrity of computing systems
the financial structure (or charges) of a computing
system
the shared nature of the computing resources
the rights of other users
Incidental Computer Use
Incidental personal use of computing resources is an
exception to the general prohibition against the use
of university equipment for anything other than
official university business. Incidental use is
defined as occasional personal use, of minimal time
and duration, and results in no additional cost to the
university. Incidental use must not interfere with
assigned job responsibilities or be in violation of
existing security and access rules.
Reporting Violations
Users should report to an I.T. manager, or to the
individual in charge of their computing resource,
information they may have concerning instances in
which the above conditions have been or are being
violated. When possible violations of these conditions
of use are reported or discovered, I.T. managers
reserve the right to begin an investigation of
possible abuse. In this connection, I.T. managers,
with due regard for the rights of privacy and other
rights of users, have the authority to examine
passwords, files, accounting information, printouts,
or other material that may aid the investigation.
Users, when requested, are expected to cooperate in
such investigations. Failure to do so may be grounds
for cancellation of access privileges. While an
investigation is in progress, in order to prevent
further possible unauthorized activity, an I.T.
manager may suspend the authorization of computing
services to the individual or account in question.
When possible unauthorized use of computing resources
is encountered, the I.T. manager shall notify the
user. The user is expected to take remedial action or
to indicate that such use should be permitted. Should
unauthorized use continue after notification of the
user or should differences of opinion persist, these
shall be brought to the attention of the I.T. Director
for recommendations on further action. Upon the
recommendation of the I.T. Director, I.T. managers may
impose limitations on continued use of computing
resources. Confirmation of unauthorized use of the
computing facilities may also result in disciplinary
review, as outlined in the following policies:
Ethics, Conflict of Interest, and Gifts, (C-8)
Discipline and Dismissal of Regular Staff Employees,
(C-14)
Employee Grievances (C-21)
Academic Sanctions and Appeals (Student Handbook)
The disciplinary review could lead to expulsion from
the institution, termination of employment, and/or
legal action.
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