Oklahoma Christian University Acceptable Use Policy for Technology

The IT Services Department seeks to glorify God by serving the information and technology needs of the OC community. We support the mission of the University by providing reliable technology, quality services and valuable information in order to enhance learning and enable faculty, staff and student success.

Oklahoma Christian University provides students with access to network and computing resources as an integral part of the educational environment. Students using these resources should do so responsibly and consistently with the University's mission and objectives. The University reserves the right to define and to enforce appropriate regulations to ensure that the use of these resources is consistent with the University's mission. Use of these resources is a privilege, not a right.

As a community that yields to the leadership of Jesus Christ, Oklahoma Christian expects responsible use of technology by both students and employees. The following policies help define what we mean by responsible use, relate to the use of computer-related technology and complement the values of OC. Users of the University's accounts are acting as representatives of OC and, as such, should act accordingly to uphold the University's character and reputation.

General Guidelines for Technology Use

1. Use of networks, computers, software and peripherals should be consistent with the Christian mission of OC. This fact prohibits several actions in using the system.
• Sexual and racial harassment are inappropriate behaviors that will not be tolerated. Displaying, printing, storing or transmitting offensive material is strictly forbidden.
• Viewing, accessing or linking to sites of pornographic or obscene material is strictly forbidden. This applies to any screen display or the transmission of images, sounds, or messages that could be reasonably considered pornographic or obscene. Due to the subjective nature of defining these categories, the University reserves the right to make these decisions on a case-by-case basis.
• The use of University-owned equipment must be in compliance with all local, state and national laws. Any observed violation of these laws will be turned over to the proper authorities. This includes, but is not limited to, death threats or threats of bodily harm.
• OC licenses use of its computer software from various vendors. OC and its members are bound by license agreements. Users may not copy or reproduce software or documentation without the consent of the software developer/producer. Unless otherwise noted, all software on the Internet should be considered copyrighted work. Therefore, users are prohibited from downloading software and/or modifying any such files with out permission from the copyright holder or as granted in a license agreement or other contract defining use. An example of this would be downloading a pirated MP3 music file. According to U. S. copyright law, illegal reproduction of software may result in civil damages of $50,000 or more and criminal penalties including fines and imprisonment. Any infringing activity by a user may be the responsibility of the University. Therefore, OC may choose to hold the user liable for his or her actions and reserves the right to remove software from University-owned systems without the consent of the user.
• Any attempt to use the system to plagiarize or cheat on an exam, paper or other assignment is forbidden.


2. Use of networks, computers, software and peripherals should be consistent with the Christian mission of OC. This fact prohibits several actions in using the system.
• Computing and network resources and user accounts are owned by the University and are to be used for University-related activities only. User accounts are for your individual and personal use. They are NOT to be shared with anyone. Each user should take precautions to make sure user-ids and passwords are not shared with anyone.
• Use of the University's administrative systems by employees and student workers should be for work-related matters only. Each individual's records within these systems are subject to privacy laws, including FERPA. Release of these records for any reason, other than those approved by the University, could result in loss of employment and legal action.
• OC provides these systems to its students and employees as a tool for education, research and online communications. OC is connected to the Internet through Oklahoma State Regents of Higher Education Network, OneNet. Users of this resource must avoid actions that cause interference with the work of others.
• The use of these resources for commercial purposes unrelated to class assignments is prohibited. Incidental use of University computers and network resources for personal gain (e.g. posting a resume, mentioning consulting services on a personal Web page, using e-mail to correspond with an employer) is allowed, but advertising of commercial products, services and businesses that are not related to Oklahoma Christian is unacceptable. This includes using OC facilities to produce output, such as a flier for a relative's business. Also, these resources may not be used for political campaigning.
• Soliciting, selling and/or advertising are not allowed via e-mail.
• Students are not allowed to provide off-campus access to bulletin board systems, web servers or other services running on their residence hall computers.
• Any activity that could result in the loss or disruption of another person's work is prohibited. This includes tampering with or destroying equipment and related cables, software, programs and files. Possession or use of any software or hardware designed to disrupt the security of the campus network or any device attached to the network is unacceptable. Any attempt to break another person's password or to evade security measures, such as unauthorized attempts to access protected programs or data, is forbidden.
• The development or intentional transmission of a virus, worm or Trojan horse is prohibited. Files that are downloaded from the Internet should be scanned with virus detection software before installation or execution. All appropriate precautions should be taken to detect a virus and prevent its spread.


3. Use of networks, computers, software and peripherals should conserve valuable resources.
• OC's computing assets are expensive resources that require careful management in order to maximize their contribution to the learning process, protecting the University's investment. User privileges are contingent upon proper treatment and conservation of computers, peripherals and associated supplies.
• Students and employees of OC are NOT to send out unsolicited electronic mail messages to large numbers of recipients (over 25) except for official University business. Any messages to be broadcast to faculty, staff and/or students must be approved by a member of the Senior Management Team. Only messages that are of high importance and of interest to all on the list will be approved.
• Network bandwidth must be reserved for educational and administrative applications. The University reserves the right to limit bandwidth of users and/or applications that do not serve these purposes.
• Copiers should be used to reproduce multiple copies of material. The use of printers for this function reduces their durability and uses valuable supplies.
• Time is one of our most valuable resources. While the network and Internet have useful and interesting information, there is a temptation to spend too much time surfing to the neglect of more important tasks, such as class work. A student's time should be used as wisely on the computer as on any activity.

Enforcement of these regulations may involve (at the University's discretion) monitoring of stored disk files and electronic transmissions (electronic mail, web site accesses, etc.). Use of the network and computing facilities implies consent to these regulations and monitoring activities. Do not assume that any electronic transmissions are private.

Any member of the OC community has the responsibility to report any violation of these policies to the office of the Vice President of Information Technology.

Violation of the above policies may result in disciplinary action. These actions could include suspension or limitation of a user's access to these resources. The University may release a user's identity to an appropriate authority to comply with an investigation into computer misuse. Serious abuse of these resources could result in expulsion for students and termination for employees.

For more information concerning acceptable use in relation to the University's ThinkPad program, please see the Student License Agreement.

This policy may be updated and modified from time to time. The latest approved version of this policy will be posted on the OC web site at http://its.oc.edu.