Introduction
Berea College is dedicated to a mission of learning, labor and service. In support of this mission, the College provides access to information resources, including computer equipment, computer networks and telecommunications to its students, faculty and staff (collectively, the “College Community”).
The Berea College Computer and Network Policy (the “Policy”) contains the College’s policy and guidelines governing use of its Information Technology Resources by all members of the College Community. “Information Technology Resources” means, without limitation, all computers, printers, scanners, networks, internet portals, telecommunications equipment and lines, together with all other hardware and software owned or utilized by the College. Information Technology Resources also includes any privately owned hardware or software which is connected to any of the College’s computers, hardware, networks or telecommunications equipment. The College expects each member of the College Community to use these resources responsibly, ethically, and in compliance with this Policy, state and federal laws, and all contractual obligations of the College and third parties with respect to any component of the College’s Information Technology Resources.
The use of Berea College’s Information Technology Resources is a privilege. If a member of the College Community fails to comply with this Policy, relevant laws, or contractual obligations, that member’s privilege to access and to use the College’s Information Technology Resources may be revoked.
By adopting this Policy, Berea College recognizes that all members of the College Community are bound not only by the Policy but also by state and federal laws including those relating to electronic media, copyrights, privacy and security. Other College policies that relate to this Policy include the Berea College Student Handbook, the Berea College Faculty Manual, and the Berea College Employee Handbook. Each member of the College Community is expected to be familiar with the relevant policies. All questions of interpretation of this Policy should be addressed to the Chief Information Officer.
Objectives
This policy is intended to:
- Maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of the College’s Information Technology Resources for all members of the College Community.
- Promote an equitable sharing of resources among all authorized users.
- Protect each individual’s privacy and freedom of expression.
At the same time, the College wishes to:
- Encourage exploration and learning.
- Help people learn how to become more self-sufficient in using computers and computer networks.
- Provide information technology resources to support the educational, labor and service missions of the College.
$name
Electronic Communications
A. When creating electronic messages, users should be conscious that electronic information is easily duplicated and may be shared widely.
B. Initiating or continuing electronic chain letters is prohibited. A chain letter is “a letter instructing the recipient to send out multiple copies so that its circulation increases in a geometrical progression as long as the instructions are followed.” (American Heritage Dictionary, 1995).
C. Spamming is prohibited. Spamming is defined as the act or acts of flooding mailboxes, bulletin boards and multiple mail lists with unsolicited messages.
D. There is one official Berea College web site (http://www.berea.edu) containing information about Berea College with links to departments and organizations’ resources. Allocations of space for Internet resources (web sites, FTP servers, etc.) may be obtained by application to the Chief Information Officer.
E. Technical resources placed on or connected to the College’s Information Technology Resources are subject to all other College policies, standards and procedures. Copyrighted materials may not be displayed on the network or Internet resources without written permission from the copyright holders.
F. The automatic forwarding of College email communications to external parties is prohibited unless an individual has written authorization from the Chief Information Officer.
Acceptable Use
Freedom of Expression and Misconduct
Freedom of Expression and an open environment in which to pursue scholarly inquiry and share information are encouraged, supported and protected at Berea College. Censorship is not compatible with the goals of the College. While the College rejects censorship, behavior that constitutes misconduct as defined in this policy will not be protected. It must be remembered that “misconduct” within the framework of the College’s Information Technology Resources may also constitute a violation of general college regulations and of state or federal law.
User Privacy
Unauthorized users are obviously not entitled to privacy within the framework of the College’s Information Technology Resources, but even among authorized users, any violation of this Computer and Network Policy may also suspend the right of privacy. In such instances, an Officer of the College or the Chief Information Officer may, without notice, authorize Information Technology (IT) personnel to access or disable such User accounts or files. Users should also be aware that User accounts, files and information may be disclosed upon subpoena or order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
However, all authorized users (members of the College Community and others) are entitled to privacy in all their authorized use of the College’s Information Technology Resources. Each User identity, log-in name, account name, or any other User ID and associated password belongs to an individual, office or department. No one should use a User identity, log-in name, any user ID, or account name and password without explicit permission from the owner thereof. No one should use aliases, nicknames, pointers, or other electronic means to attempt to impersonate, redirect or confuse those who use the network. No one should use aliases, nicknames, pointers, or other electronic means to capture information intended for others without the explicit permission of the intended recipient. In order to protect privacy, each authorized user should accept responsibility for the appropriate use and dissemination of user identity, log-in name, user ID, and account name and password.
Information Technology (IT) personnel have access to files belonging to Users, but this access may be used only when it is essential for the maintenance of a system or the network itself.
*As adopted by the College and General Faculties, April 26, 2001
Revised December 3, 2004 to reflect changes to Information Systems and Services job titles and department structure. As revised by the Administrative Committee, June 15, 2011.
Revised July 1, 2019 to reflect Provost and Dean of Faculty Development title changes.
Revised July 22, 2024 to reflect the name change from Information Systems and Services to Information Technology.