INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY – STUDENT TECHNOLOGY POLICY

Go To Home
About SUNY WCC
Policies & Procedures
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY – STU...

INTRODUCTION
PROHIBITED USE
COMPUTER & COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY USE POLICY
USE OF OUTSIDE TECHNOLOGY
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION & COMPUTER USAGE
IDENTIFICATION & PASSWORDS
STUDENT SIGN-IN REQUIREMENTS
WIRELESS ACCESS
COMPUTER SOFTWARE
SOFTWARE LICENSING/COPYRIGHT AGREEMENTS
STUDENT PRINTING

INTRODUCTION

Information and information systems are key assets of Westchester Community College “the College”.

Technology has become an integral component of the learning process and is part of most student’s daily education. The College provides systems, including computers, networks, technology applications and the information housed therein to permit students access to information and applications they need to further their education.

This policy sets forth a basic set of standards for use and protection of computer and information assets. It includes but is not limited to computer workstations, laptop computers, networks and connection(s) to the Intranet, Internet and any other information technology services available both now and in the future.

This policy covers all WCC students and users of College technology resources. It also covers any other individuals who have access to College technology facilities, computers or networks.

Inappropriate use of equipment and services exposes the College to risks including virus attacks, system compromise, interruption of services and litigation.

It is the responsibility of every computer user to know these guidelines and to conduct activities accordingly.

PROHIBITED USE

Improper use of College Systems includes, but is not limited to:

Contributing to any social media platforms, public forums, chat rooms or message boards except for assigned business or academic related activities see section below – “Social Media” for details.
Misrepresenting, obscuring, suppressing, or replacing any identity on an electronic communication.
Any use or communication in violation of other County, NYS, Federal, and College policies, such as Equal Employment Opportunity policy, Harassment policies, etc.
Any use of profanity, obscenities, suggestive, intimidating, hostile, discriminatory, or derogatory remarks, even in jest. Using College systems in such a way as to create an intimidating, or hostile work environment.
Downloading of copyrighted material without specific permission of the copyright owner.
Downloading or emailing of large files or data for personal use, including video, music, photos, etc.
The automated forwarding of messages outside of the College. e.g. To your personal email account
Using College systems to solicit for personal gain, for the advancement of a political or religious belief or for any outside business activity.
Gambling.
Any test or attempt to compromise computer or communication system security.
Any use that violates federal, state, or local law or regulation.
Knowingly or recklessly disrupting the normal operation of computers, peripherals, or networks.

“Disruption” includes, but is not limited to, network sniffing, ping floods, packet spoofing, denial of service and forged routing information for malicious purposes.

Connecting unauthorized equipment to the network or College computers for any purpose or modifying College-issued computer software to function in any other way than specified and/or implemented by the Division of Information Technology.
Running or installing games or any other unauthorized software, including personal web servers, on College computers.
The creation of external/internal websites, email distribution groups and social media platforms without expressed permission from the Division of Information Technology.
Copying of any software from College computers.
Unauthorized removal or corruption of College data.
Using the College network to gain unauthorized access to any computer system in and outside of the college.
Using College systems to access, transmit, store, display, or request obscene, pornographic, erotic, profane, racist, sexist, violent, drug-related, or other offensive material including messages, images, video, or sound unless expressly required for educational purposes.

COMPUTER & COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY USE POLICY

A. Purpose:
Westchester Community College owns and operates a variety of computing systems which are provided for the use of Westchester Community College students, faculty and staff in support of the programs of the College and are to be used for education, research, academic development and administrative purposes only. Commercial uses are specifically excluded. All students, faculty, and staff are responsible for seeing that these computing facilities are used in an effective, efficient, ethical and lawful manner. This document establishes rules and prohibitions that define acceptable use of these systems. Fraudulent, harassing, pornographic or obscene messages and/or materials are not to be accessed, sent or stored. Unacceptable use is prohibited and is grounds for loss of computing privileges, as well as discipline or legal sanctions under Federal, State and local laws and Westchester Community College policies.

B. Audience & Agreement:
All users of Westchester Community College computing systems must read, understand and comply with the policies outlined in this document as well as any additional guidelines established by the administrators of each system or facility. Such guidelines will be reviewed by the appropriate College governance bodies. BY USING ANY OF THESE SYSTEMS, USERS AGREE THAT THEY WILL COMPLY WITH THESE POLICIES.

C. Rights:
These computer systems, facilities and accounts are owned and operated by Westchester Community College. Westchester Community College reserves all rights, including termination of service without notice, to the computing resources which it owns and operates. These procedures shall not be construed as a waiver of any rights of Westchester Community College, nor shall they conflict with applicable law. Users have rights that may be protected by Federal, State and local laws.

D. Privileges:
Access and privileges on Westchester Community College computing systems are assigned and managed by the administrators of specific individual systems and facilities. Administrators, faculty, staff and students may become authorized users of a system and be granted appropriate access and privileges by following the appropriate steps prescribed for that system. Users may not, under any circumstances, transfer these privileges to other individuals.

E. Responsibilities:
Users are responsible for maintaining the following:

An environment in which access to all College computing resources is shared according to system and facility policy between users: In meeting this responsibility, users may not plug any peripheral equipment, with the exception of USB memory sticks connected via front-mounted USB ports only, into any computer owned by Westchester Community College. This includes, but is not limited to trackballs, printers, portable hard drives, and game controllers.
An environment conducive to learning: A user, who uses the College’s computing systems to harass, or make defamatory remarks, shall bear full responsibility for his or her actions. Further, by using these systems, users agree that individuals who transmit such remarks bear sole responsibility for their actions. Users agree that Westchester Community College’s role in managing these systems is only as an information carrier, and transmission through these systems will never be considered an endorsement by Westchester Community College.
An environment free of illegal or malicious acts: The user agrees never to use a system to perform an illegal or malicious act. Any attempt to increase the level of access to which (s)he is authorized, or any attempt to deprive other authorized users of resources or access to any Westchester Community College computer system shall be regarded as malicious, and may be treated as an illegal act.

Many of the Westchester Community College computing systems provide access to outside networks, both public and private, which furnish electronic mail, information services, bulletin boards, conferences, etc. Users are advised that they may encounter material which may be considered offensive or objectionable in nature or content. Users are further advised that Westchester Community College does not assume responsibility for the contents of any of these outside networks. The users agree to comply with the acceptable use guidelines and proper etiquette for whichever outside networks or services they may access through Westchester Community College systems. The user agrees never to attempt to transmit, or cause to be transmitted, any message in which the origination is deliberately misleading (except for those outside services which may conceal identities as part of the service). The user agrees that, if someone does transmit, or cause to be transmitted, a message that is inconsistent with an environment conducive to learning or with a misleading origination, the person who performed the transmission will be solely accountable for the message, not Westchester Community College, which is acting solely as the information carrier.
A secure environment: Any user who finds a possible security lapse on any system is obliged to report it to the helpdesk at [email protected] or at 914-606-6665.

Knowledge of passwords or loopholes in computer security systems shall not be used to damage computing resources, obtain extra resources, take resources from another user, gain unauthorized access to resources or otherwise make use of computing resources for which proper authorization has not been given. Users are responsible for backup of their own data, except for data saved on the network.

F. Accounts:
All accounts assigned to an individual must not be used by others. The individual is responsible for the proper use of the account, including proper password protection.

G. Confidentiality:
Programs and files are confidential unless they have been made available, with written permission, to other authorized individuals. When performing maintenance, every effort is made to insure the privacy of a user’s files. If policy violations are discovered, they will be reported immediately to the appropriate system administrator.

H. System Performance:
No one should deliberately attempt to degrade the performance of a computer system or to deprive authorized personnel of resources or access to any College computer system.

I. Copyright:
Computer software protected by copyright is not to be copied except as permitted by law, or by the contract with the owner of the copyright. Illegal copying of copyrighted software is a felony offense under New York State and Federal law.

J. Peer-to-Peer Software:
To help prevent copyright violations, use of Peer to Peer P2P, often called file sharing software, is prohibited on College computers and the College network. This prohibition also minimizes the risk to College computers and the network from unwanted software and excessive bandwidth use. It is a felony offense to download and/or share any copyrighted materials.

K. Violations:
An individual’s computer use privileges may be suspended immediately upon the discovery of a possible violation of these policies. Such suspected violation will be confidentially reported to the appropriate system administrator. Violations of these policies will be dealt with in the same manner as violations of other College policies and may result in disciplinary review. In such a review, the full range of disciplinary sanctions is available including the loss of computer use privileges, dismissal from the College and legal action. Violations of some of the above, policies may constitute a criminal offense.

L. Additional Guidelines:
System and facility administrators will establish more detailed guidelines, as needed, for specific computer facilities.

M. Social Media:
The use of social media to harass, insult, defame or bully another person or entity; to violate College policy or engage in any unlawful act, but including and not limited to gambling, identity theft, and other types of fraud will result in disciplinary and legal action.

USE OF OUTSIDE TECHNOLOGY

As a convenience to students and visitors, the College provides Internet access through wireless access points, known as the ASGARD, ASGARD Guest and eduroam wireless networks, throughout campus. When you attach to the Internet using these facilities, we strongly recommend that you protect yourself against other users by practicing safe computing. This means that at a minimum, you should have:

Up-to-date virus protection i.e. Microsoft Essentials
All Windows/MAC security patches installed

In no case is Westchester Community College responsible for data loss resulting from the use of the wireless access points or student-accessible connections.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION & COMPUTER USAGE

The use of Westchester Community College issued email accounts is the official communication tool to conduct all email communications.

In order to ensure the reliability and legitimacy of school wide communications and announcements, the use of WCC email accounts is the official means to communicate to all community members of the College.
Each student is expected to activate their MyWCC account and check their official WCC email account on a frequent basis during their time at Westchester Community College to receive official communication from different College offices, faculty members, and administrators.
The College maintains the right to access and examine College computer systems and networks and all information that is stored or transmitted through these systems and networks, including e-mails, file-shares, and websites.
Students are prohibited from forwarding their WCC email to a second account. The College will not be responsible for e-mail sent to non-WCC email accounts. E-mail forwarding does not absolve a student from the responsibilities associated with receiving and communicating via their official Westchester Community College e-mail address.

IDENTIFICATION & PASSWORDS

Each College student must be positively identified prior to being able to use any College resource.

Each person is responsible for all activity that occurs on their User-ID. Whenever a student walks away from their computer they should logout so no unauthorized person can access their personal information.

The password policy applies to all users who sign on to College resources. The policy is meant to eliminate the use of ‘weak’ passwords which can be easily guessed, and which are often the cause of data theft or malicious attacks on networks.

The rules for passwords changed are as follows:

Must be at least 7 characters long.
The password must contain characters from all three of the following categories:

Uppercase characters A – Z
Lowercase characters a – z
Base 10 digits 0 – 9

Symbols found on the keyboard are also allowed but not required all keyboard characters not defined as letters or numerals: !@#$%^&*()_+-={}[]|L|:;”<>?,./
An old password cannot be re-used. A history of your previous passwords is maintained to ensure they cannot be re-used.

These complexity requirements are enforced when passwords are initially created and changed.

It is the responsibility of each student to protect the confidentiality of his/her password. Passwords must not be shared with others nor recorded in any place where they might be found.

The Division of Information Technology requires students to use their MyWCC ID’s to logon to all student PC’s College wide, as of August 1st, 2018.

Please note the following:

Students need to sign-in with their MyWCC user ID and password.
Community Guests are required to obtain a Guest-ID and Password from the Library Faulty/Staff to use Library Open Lab PCs.
All classroom presenter PCs will require the use of the Presenter Password.
All Kiosk PCs – Do not require a login.

The Windows lock screen and sign-on screens were updated to inform clients of the sign-in procedure.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact the helpdesk x6665 and or email [email protected]

WIRELESS ACCESS

As a convenience to students, faculty, administrators, staff, and guests, Westchester Community College provides Internet access through ASGARD, ASGARD_Guest and eduroam wireless networks, throughout the College.

Use of the ASGARD network(s) is governed by the Computer Usage Policy of the College, which all students are required to read, agree, and adhere to upon enrollment.

Students, faculty, and staff are required to login to the ASGARD wireless network using their College User ID and password.

College visitors are required to go through the registration process and accept the College’s “Guest Wireless Access Acceptable Use Policy” before gaining access to the ASGARD_Guest wireless networks.

The eduroam wireless network is a worldwide service initiative that allows students, researchers, and staff members from participating institutions to seamlessly connect to any eduroam wireless network when visiting other participating campuses. This service will also allow visitors to WCC locations to seamlessly connect to the eduroam network with their login credentials from their participating institution.

PROCEDURES:

COMPUTER SOFTWARE

Students are not permitted to install software on College owned assets under any circumstance.

SOFTWARE LICENSING/COPYRIGHT AGREEMENTS

The duplication of copyrighted material is a violation of the federal copyright law and may result in civil and criminal penalties, and disciplinary action by the College. Under federal copyright law, software may not be duplicated for any reason except those stated in the software license agreement. The College prohibits the duplication and sharing of any copyrighted material (software, video, audio) using any electronic means, including peer-to-peer applications.

Westchester Community College licenses the use of its computer software from a variety of outside companies. Westchester Community College does not own this software or its related documentation and, unless authorized by the software developer in writing, does not have the right to reproduce it.

When enrolling at Westchester Community College, students are granted use of the College’s computer facilities for educational purposes only. Students are not permitted to use peer-to-peer applications or perform any activities using College computer equipment that would violate any federal or state laws, including but not limited to, for the duplication and/or distribution of copyrighted material.

Because of federal and state laws and the penalties they impose, Westchester Community College students making, acquiring or using unauthorized copies of copyrighted material are in violation of federal and state copyright laws and could be subject to disciplinary actions, including academic dismissal from the College in addition to possible penalties under the law. Possible penalties for copyright infringement include fines and imprisonment.

For your information, particularly regarding penalties, violators of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act who illegally shared copyrighted files are subject to civil penalties of between $750 and $150,000 per song. In the past, pre-litigation settlements offered by copyright owners have ranged from $3,000 to $4,000 and up. Additionally, a court may, in its discretion, grant the copyright owner reasonable attorney fees. Although prosecution of students for this type of file sharing is extremely rare, 17 USC § 506 lays out criminal penalties for intentional copyright infringement which can include fines and jail time.

For more information regarding acceptable uses of copyrighted material, please visit:
http://researchguides.sunywcc.edu/c.php?g=707014

STUDENT PRINTING

SUNY Westchester Community College manages student printing to maintain reasonable cost, and to help reduce both the consumption and waste of paper/supplies.

When printing, Students will be required to sign-in using their MyWCC login credentials, when prompted.

The Student’s printing account will be credited with $25 at the beginning of each semester (Students are not actually charged). A one-time replenishment can be requested by emailing the Helpdesk [email protected] from the Student’s WCC email account. Requests from non-WCC e-mail addresses will not be acknowledged. There is no process in place that allows Students to purchase additional printing credits after the 1-time replenishment has been exhausted.

Printing charges:

5¢ per black & white page
15¢ per color page

Restrictions:

1 copy per job
22 pages per job
Must be duplex