Dakota Wesleyan University Network Services
and Acceptable Use Policy

PURPOSE
Network services at Dakota Wesleyan University exist to support the campus mission and administrative, educational and research activities of the institution and all community members. Access to the campus network is provided as a privilege to faculty, staff, students and visitors to our campus. All users are expected to act in a responsible, ethical and legal manner in regards to our system, including respecting the rights of all computer users and honoring all campus licenses and contractual agreements. Network services personnel are authorized to investigate inappropriate uses and take the necessary actions to prevent further misuse and/or illegal activity to protect the integrity of the system and those relying on it for legitimate uses.

TIPS AND REMINDERS ABOUT OUR SYSTEM

• All faculty, staff and students have an e-mail account. Information on how to set up and use your e-mail account is available through network services.
• Always log on with your own account. If someone else forgot to log off, please log him/her off as a courtesy and as a safety feature before you log yourself on. Remember to log off when you are finished.
• Students with homework/academic requirements always have priority over those using the computers for games, Web browsing, and/or other personal uses.
• University computers and resources are reserved for faculty, staff and students in all buildings. Guests and non-DWU personnel are welcome to use the computers and access network services in the McGovern Library.
• Everyone is encouraged to save their work/data on their “H” drive or diskettes and to keep a backup copy of all materials. We request that users refrain from storing material on the “C” drive of any university computer to maximize available campus memory space.
• Check your e-mail regularly and delete excessive or outdated materials to free up more space on the campus system. We realize that community members may have more than one e-mail account and respect their choice in that matter. DWU personnel may periodically send campus announcements and other important information to you via your campus e-mail account and this is one opportunity for you to stay up-to-date and informed.
• Toshiba Corporation generously supplies paper for campus labs and for a variety of institutional uses. Check with your instructors regarding their policy regarding use of this paper for assignments. Network Services personnel will arrange for replacement paper upon request but understand that they supply paper for the entire campus and ask that you allow sufficient time for delivery.
• Network services personnel will supply the necessary ink cartridges to university-owned computers. Do not remove or tamper with these cartridges.
• Users are encouraged to notify network services or designated personnel regarding any problems or maintenance requests in a timely manner. Do not attempt to fix problems, including paper jams, on your own as these efforts may damage the computer.
• Popular sites including but not limited to Xenga, MySpace and Facebook have the potential to put users at risk by encouraging participants to disclose too much personal information and to post pictures of themselves in others involved in illegal or dangerous activities. While we certainly understand the positive effects these sites may have to and for those who use them, we are concerned about the potential negative consequences that users may or may not be aware of. These sites are not as private as some would like to believe, even if you “restrict” your site. They can be viewed by future employers, stalkers, and possibly even your parents/grandparents, among others. We strongly discourage users from posting anything that might be evidence of a crime/policy violation or might cause embarrassment to themselves or others in the future. Any information, including pictures, posted on these sites which indicate crimes and/or DWU policy violations may be investigated by the appropriate personnel and violators may be subject to disciplinary action and/or criminal prosecution.

ACCEPTABLE USES OF OUR NETWORK INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

• Central computing facilities
• Local-area networks
• E-mail
• Access to Internet
• Download items that relate to specific coursework or academic assignments
• Academic assignments and related activities

UNACCEPTABLE USES OF OUR NETWORK INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

• Sending or forwarding chain letters or other non-essential messages to all campus users (including jokes, “spam”, etc.).
• Hacking or attempting to hack into systems and programs that you are not authorized to view, use, or modify
• Sending or implanting viruses, Trojan horses, worms
• Sending unsubstantiated rumors about viruses (network services will notify the campus of any legitimate threats to our system)
• Using your e-mail account to threaten, harass, intimidate, or stalk others
• Running an independent business using our network and/or campus resources
• Loading personal or unauthorized software of any kind on university computers
• Illegal activities (i.e., downloading pirated movies or music)
• Downloading child or adult pornography in any form. Child pornography is illegal and both types violate DWU’s policy and mission.
• Sending anonymous e-mails or using software to disguise identity of sender
• Using another person’s account without their permission and knowledge
• Changing system configurations or screen savers on any campus computer, including those in labs and residence halls/apartments.

Illegal File sharing policy

Definitions:

File sharing – File Sharing is defined as the illegal download or host for download of media, application, or document files without proper licensing. Examples of this are downloading music or movie files without paying fees to an authorized distributer.

File sharing software – Software used to host for download or download illegal unlicensed media or application files. Examples include, but are not limited to: LimeWire, FrostWire, Kazaa, Ares, BearShare, Morpheus, eDonkey, eMule, Shareaza, WinMX, and other BitTorrent, Gnuetella, or other file sharing network clients.

Prohibited actions:

It is prohibited to install or operate file sharing software on any computer system connected to the DWU network. It is prohibited to download or host for download any unlicensed media, application, or document files using file sharing software. Measures are in place to restrict the execution of file sharing software. Any attempt to circumvent these measures is strictly prohibited.

Any of the above are considered a punishable offence and will be subject to the disciplinary procedures listed below.

Disciplinary procedures:

1st offence: Loss of Internet connectivity on offending computer system for a period of 1 week.

2nd offence: Loss of Internet connectivity on offending computer system for a period of 1 semester.

3rd offence: Permanent loss of all network connectivity on offending computer system as well as disciplinary actions to be determined by student life.

Required Actions:

Students must remove all file sharing software from any personal computer system connected to the DWU network and must not install or operate file sharing software on any DWU owned computer system or their personal system while it is connected to the DWU network.

We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our network functioning at the high level that you’ve come to expect. While occasional computer glitches do occur, network services personnel are committed to minimizing these occurrences and resolving them as efficiently as possible. If you have problems setting up or using your e-mail account or with any university-owned computer, call extension 2697. We will do our best to respond in a timely manner.