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Student Internet & Email Usage Policy for Manhattan Christian College

Students should read this policy and complete the Signature Form below.
The Signature Form is required before IT Services personnel will set up student Internet access.

Introduction

Manhattan Christian College aims to provide students with accessible, up-to-date and reliable information to support you in your studies and educational experience. This goal requires us to provide access to the vast information resources of the Internet to help you in your studies and to be well-informed. The Internet is a educational tool for Manhattan Christian College, and is provided to you at a significant cost. Users must understand that this access is for educational purposes and not for non-educational activities. Users must also understand that any connection to the Internet offers an opportunity for non-authorized users to view or access college information. Therefore, it is important that all connections be secure, controlled, and monitored to provide you with accessible, up-to-date and reliable information and learning technology to support you in your work, research, and studies.

Internet Use

Manhattan Christian College provides students with wireless Internet access in the residence halls, library, and Campus Center. MCC also maintains a small computer lab as a part of the library. All students may have on-campus access to the Internet. Students who wish Internet access must read and sign the “Student Internet/Email Usage Policy” form (link below). When the policy form is signed, a technician will make the connection to the wireless network (WLAN). Students are responsible for:

Obtaining an appropriate wireless card for their computer.
Maintaining active anti-virus software on any computer connected to the MCC network (WLAN).

Students living on-campus or off-campus should submit their MAC address on the Student Use Form for on-campus Internet access. Students with desktops living off-campus do not have wireless access to the MCC network. Internet access is made available to all students through the library computer lab regardless of personal computer ownership or portability.

Authorized Use

Manhattan Christian College’s Internet connection is intended primarily for educational use. That means we expect you to use your Internet access primarily for education-related purposes, i.e. to communicate with professors and other students, to research relevant topics, and to obtain useful information. The following are specific provisions regarding authorized use of Manhattan Christian College's Intenet connection:

Users may use the organization’s Internet services for personal improvement provided that such use is consistent with professional and educational conduct.
Internet use should be restricted to sites and materials such as news or information that might be considered reasonable if read as a text publication in a classroom or library environment.

Unauthorized use

Users shall not use Manhattan Christian College’s Internet or email services to view, download, save, receive, or send material related to the following:

Offensive content of any kind, including pornographic material.
Propagate a virus, worm, Trojan horse, or trap-door program code.
Disable or overload any computer system or network.
Circumvent any system intended to protect the privacy or security of another user.
Promoting discrimination on the basis of race, gender, national origin, age, marital status, or disability.
Visiting web sites that promote threatening or violent behavior.
Using the Internet for illegal activities including the illegal downloading of music, movies, or other copyrighted materials.
Distributing commercial messages.
Gambling web sites.
Hosting of ‘game servers’ for online or network gaming.

The above list of prohibited actions is by way of an example only and is not intended to be exhaustive.

User accountability

Users are responsible for their Internet use and are accountable for the following:

Honoring acceptable use policies of networks accessed through the organization’s Internet services.
To have acceptable anti-virus software installed on any machine connected to the MCC network. Examples of acceptable anti-virus software include products from Norton and McAfee (other software may also be appropriate). The software must have an active definition subscription that exceeds the current academic term.

Privacy and monitoring

Manhattan Christian College has software and systems in place to monitor and record all Internet usage. Our security systems are capable of recording each Web site, email, and instant message into and out of our internal networks. We reserve the right to do so at anytime. No student should have any expectation of privacy as to his or her Internet usage. Our managers will review Internet activity and analyze usage patterns, and they may choose to publicize this data to assure that Manhattan Christian College Internet resources are devoted to maintaining the highest levels of access and integrity. We reserve the right to inspect any and all files stored in private areas of our network in order to assure compliance with this policy.

Accidental/unintended violations

Manhattan Christian College does use independently-supplied software and hardware that provides data to identify inappropriate or sexually-explicit Internet sites. We may block access from within our networks to all such sites. If you find yourself connected accidentally to a site that contains sexually explicit or offensive material, you must disconnect from that site immediately, regardless of whether that site had been previously deemed acceptable by any screening or rating program. A user who accidentally accesses a prohibited site is encourage to report the incident to the college’s IT Department without the threat of incurring a violation penalty.

Violation penalties

Violations will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. If it is determined that a user has violated one or more use regulations, that user will receive a reprimand from the Student Life or IT Departments and his or her future Internet use will be closely monitored. If a gross violation has occurred, the Director of Student Development will take immediate action. Such action may result in losing Internet privileges, or other discipline as outlined in the Student Handbook.

Reporting

When clear violations of this Internet Usage Policy occur, appropriate IT department staff, the Director of Student Development, and the VP for Student Life will be formally notified. First time offenders will be notified that their Internet usage will be closely monitored and IT staff may review the student’s communications for a period of three (3) months. If the user’s Internet usage is deemed appropriate during that time, then no further action will be taken. If other abuses of this Internet Usage Policy occur during this probationary period, the Director of Student Life will be notified to take appropriate action as indicated in the Violation Penalties section of this document.

Email

REQUIRED

Manhattan Christian College requires all students to have an active MCC email account. MCC will provide all enrolled students a college email account (request an account here). You are required to have an MCC email account for college purposes (including academics, business, and student life). Current MCC email services allow for auto-forwarding from a student's account to another email provider.

This is motivated by the convenience, speed, cost-effectiveness, and environmental advantages of using email rather than printed communication. Because of this increasing reliance and acceptance of electronic communication, email is considered an official means for communication within MCC.

Implementation of this policy ensures that students have access to this critical form of communication. For the majority of students, this will not represent any change from what is currently done; it will, however, ensure that all students can access, and be accessed by, email as the need arises.

College use of email
email is an official means for communication within MCC. Therefore, the college has the right to send communications to students via email and the right to expect that those communications will be received and read in a timely fashion.
Assignment of student email addresses
MCC’s email Administrator will assign all students an official college email address. It is to this official address that the College will send email communications; this official address will be the address listed in the College's Directory for that student.
Redirecting of email
A student may have email electronically redirected to another email address. If a student wishes to have email redirected from his or her official address to another email address (e.g., @aol.com, @hotmail.com, or an address on a departmental server), they may do so, but at his or her own risk. The college will not be responsible for the handling of email by outside vendors or by departmental servers. Having email redirected does not absolve a student from the responsibilities associated with communication sent to his or her official email address.
Expectations regarding student use of email
Students are expected to check their official email address on a frequent and consistent basis in order to stay current with college communications. The campus recommends checking email once a week at a minimum, in recognition that certain communications may be time-critical.
Educational uses of email
Faculty may determine how email will be used in their classes. It is highly recommended that if faculty have email requirements and expectations they specify these requirements in their course syllabus. Faculty may expect that students' official email addresses are being accessed, and faculty may use email for their courses accordingly.
Appropriate use of student email
In general, email is not appropriate for transmitting sensitive or confidential information unless its use for such purposes is matched by an appropriate level of security.

Confidentiality regarding student records is protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). All use of email, including use for sensitive or confidential information, will be consistent with FERPA.
Email shall not be the sole method for notification of any legal action.

Implementation issues:

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO (Storage of email documents)
Remember that in accordance with law, college business documents created or received on email must be saved for the same length of time as their hard copy equivalents. There are two ways to comply with this:

Create a folder in your email account in which you save these messages. Back up your files appropriately; do not delete these messages. Save the email message to your PC's hard disk as a file; or
Print out a paper copy and save it in an appropriate file. In this case you do not need to save an electronic copy.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW (Overview of email policies)
The following are provisions reflect issues concerning the adoption of an email Policy (above).
Provision of Service.

Email services may be provided by college organizational units in support of the college's threefold mission of educate, enrich, and equip Christian leaders.

College Property

Email services are extended for the sole use of college faculty, staff, students and other appropriately authorized users to accomplish tasks related to and consistent with the college's mission.
Any email address or account assigned by the college to individuals, subunits, or functions of the college, is the property of the college.

Authorized Service Restrictions

Email users are required to comply with state and federal law, college policies, and normal standards of professional and personal courtesy and conduct.
Access to college email services is a privilege that may be wholly or partially restricted by the college without prior notice and without the consent of the email user: a) when required by and consistent with applicable law or policy; b) when there is a reasonable suspicion that violations of policy or law have occurred or may occur; or c) when required to meet time-dependent, critical operational needs. Such access restrictions are subject to the approval of the appropriate college supervisory or management authority (e.g., department heads, systems managers, etc.). The autonomous operational units of the college should establish or identify these authority levels.

Authorized Access and Disclosure

The college may permit the inspection, monitoring, or disclosure of email in certain circumstances.
Users are required to comply with college requests for access to and copies of college email records when access or disclosure is required or allowed by applicable law or policy, regardless of whether such records reside on a computer housed or owned by the college. Failure to comply with such requests can lead to disciplinary or other legal action pursuant to applicable law or policy, including but not limited to appropriate college personnel policies or Codes of Conduct.

Misuse

Using email for illegal activities is strictly prohibited.
Failure to follow state law with regard to the disposition of mail records can lead to criminal charges.
College email services may not be used for commercial activities not approved by the appropriate supervisory college personnel consistent with applicable policy.
Applicable college policies include, but are not limited to, those policies and guidelines regarding personnel, intellectual property, or those regarding sexual or other forms of harassment.
Email users shall not give the impression that they are representing, giving opinions, or otherwise making statements on behalf of the college or any unit of the college unless expressly authorized to do so.

Personal Use

College email services may be used for incidental personal purposes provided that such use does not: a) directly or indirectly interfere with the College operation of computing facilities or email services; b) interfere with the email users' employment or other obligations to the college; c) violate this Policy, or any other applicable policy or law, including but not limited to use for personal gain, conflict of interest or commitment, harassment, defamation, copyright violation or illegal activities.

Confidentiality

The confidentiality of email cannot be assured, and such confidentiality may be compromised by access consistent with applicable law or policy, including this Policy, by unintended redistribution, or due to current technologies inadequate to protect against unauthorized access. Users, therefore, should exercise extreme caution in using email to communicate confidential or sensitive matters, and should not assume that their email is private or confidential.
Users may not access, use, or disclose personal or confidential information without appropriate authorization, and must take necessary precautions to protect confidentiality of personal or confidential information encountered in the performance of their duties or otherwise.

Security and Preservation

Email to users and operators must follow sound professional practices in providing for the security of email records, data, applications programs, and systems programs under their jurisdiction.
Users and operators must guard against storage media deterioration and rapid technological changes which render email records inaccessible due to hardware or software obsolescence.
Users are responsible for safeguarding their identification (ID) codes and passwords, and for using them only as authorized.

Violations

Suspected or known violations of policy or law should be confidentially reported to the appropriate supervisory level for the operational unit in which the violation occurs.

General Use Cautions

The ability of a recipient to forward a message, or accidentally respond to a listserv rather than an individual, may broadcast an email message widely.
Remember that there is no way to guarantee that the purported sender of an email message was in fact the real sender of the message. It is relatively easy to disguise an electronic identity.
Printed email Official Records should follow the hard-copy record retention and disposition schedules.
Public Records are much more broadly defined than Official Records and may be considered to include, in certain circumstances, any information including all email produced or received on college provided systems. Public Records, including email, may be subject to disclosure under state public records law; or other applicable law, including by subpoena.
Do comply with all state and federal laws.
Do follow the normal standards of professional courtesy and conduct.
Do follow the Official Records Retention and Disposition policies and schedules.
Do respect copyright, proprietary rights, privacy laws.

YOU MAY NOT:

Access, read, use, transfer or tamper with accounts or files that you are not authorized to use.
Alter system software or hardware configurations without authorization.
Libel or otherwise defame others via email.
Participate in illegal activities such as making threats, harassment, theft, breaching security measures, or violating other applicable law or policy.
Engage in commercial activities not approved by the appropriate authority.
Engage in activities for personal financial gain except as permitted under applicable academic policies.
Violate college policies and guidelines.
Send or forward chain letters, letter-bombs or spam.