The LCC Acceptable Use Policy may change from time to time at the discretion of Lansing Community College upon notice on the Internet. All users agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of the LCC Acceptable Use Policy at the time they complete an account application form, and all future modifications and amendments to the LCC Acceptable Use Policy.

1. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974

   1. Directory information may be released at the discretion of College officials for any student who has not submitted a completed Request to Prevent Disclosure of Directory Information form to the Office of the Registrar by the end of the first week of the semester. The disclosure prevention form remains in effect until the student provides a written release to the Office of the Registrar.

   2. Lansing Community College prohibits the release of personally identifiable information other than directory information from educational records without the student's written consent.

   3. Copies of the Request to Prevent Disclosure of Directory Information form and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act are available upon request in the Office of the Registrar and the Office of the Dean of Student and Academic Support.

2. Student and Staff Sexual Harassment and Discrimination

   1. Lansing Community College is an equal opportunity college. Discrimination on a basis of religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, height, weight, marital status, handicap, sexual orientation in any educational opportunity, is prohibited.

   2. Sexual harassment or any other harassment against a protected class also is prohibited.

   3. Displaying on a computer screen or printing materials that violates the College's sexual harassment/discrimination policy is prohibited.

3. Threatening and Abusive Use Prohibited
   No user shall use their LCC account or any LCC computing system to:

   1. invade another's privacy;

   2. threaten another person(s) or their property;

   3. spread false and malicious information about a student, employee, or any private person;

   4. harass, intimidate, or stalk anyone.

4. LCC Copyright Policy and Guidelines. Refer to section II. B. Software Use at the present time.
    
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5. General Computing Policies

   All users of LCC computing resources are required to follow these general computing guidelines. Misuse of computer resources, including but not limited to these guidelines, may result in the removal of the individual's computer account(s), revocation of computer lab access privileges, and/or application of other disciplinary or legal action as might be appropriate.

   Account Use

   1. The Division of Information Services and College Development (ISCD) has final authority to determine unique account names

   2. Users are responsible for maintaining the security of their assigned LCC accounts and files.

      1. Authorized users are not allowed to share their accounts with others. The authorized user of the account is responsible for all activities associated with the account.

      2. Passwords should be changed often and not revealed to others.

      3. In general, ISCD does not have access to user passwords.

      4. Users must log out of their accounts when finished.

   3. Users may not use an LCC account to represent anyone other than themselves. Users may not use an LCC account that they do not have authority to use.

   4. All users are responsible for maintaining their allotted file space and not wasting network, server or mainframe disk space with unnecessary files.

   5. Accounts on any College-owned computer are limited to employees and current students. Users are solely responsible for downloading their files while they have authority to use their LCC accounts. Accounts may be deleted when employment is terminated, when student status has ended, or at LCC discretion. LCC is under no obligation to recover or protect user files from deleted accounts.

   Software Use

   1. Users must follow the copyright laws, trademark standards, software license agreements, and patent information governing software they use.

      1. Copying licensed software is generally illegal.

      2. The College will support copying exceptions only when authorized in writing by the software publisher.

   2. To determine the copyright policies for College-owned software, employees should contact the Help Desk. Students should contact the general computer lab staff.

   Network Use

   1. Access to the Internet and The College network is managed by ISCD.

   2. Any transmission of data over the LCC Network (e-mail, Internet files and web pages, printer files, etc.) is governed by these guidelines.

   3. Transmission of any material in violation of any federal or state law is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to:

      1. Copyrighted material

      2. Material protected by trade secrets

      3. Illegal activities

   4. Transmission of non-LCC work-related data is prohibited. Exceptions may be authorized with approval from ISCD. This includes but is not limited to:

      1. Product advertising

      2. Political lobbying or religious material

      3. Promoting a personal business

      4. For-profit work (e.g., home business, tax preparations, documents generated for a fee)

      5. Promoting external organizations

   5. Content and activity of transmissions on the college network is not private. College technicians and system managers may monitor activity on the network as a result of their duties.

   6. LCC will not monitor the content of information transmitted over the LCC Network, but will investigate complaints of possible inappropriate use. In the course of investigating complaints, LCC staff will safeguard the privacy of all parties and will themselves follow the guidelines given in this policy.

   E-Mail Use

   1. Generally, the College will not make the contents of electronic mail available to those other than the originator and intended recipient. However, as a public institution, the College may be required to release contents of electronic mail because of laws and regulations.

   2. E-mail accounts are backed up as a regular course of network operation. Deletion of e-mail messages does not remove all traces of the message.

   3. E-mail is not guaranteed to be private.

   4. Once sent, e-mail messages will not be "unsent" by ISCD.

   5. The College is not liable for lost or deleted e-mail.

   6. Promoting chain e-mail messages is prohibited.

   7. Sending excessive e-mail messages for the purpose of filling a users disk space or to annoy a user is prohibited.

   Internet Use

   1. World-Wide-Web (WWW) pages stored on LCC owned servers must conform to the guidelines established in the LCC WWW Guidelines.

   2. Users must submit the LCC WWW form to the Web Administrator to have their web page posted. The Web Administrator reserves the right to question the user about content of web pages or to refuse web pages that violate the LCC WWW Guidelines. Students may seek the council of the SAS due process officer if their web page is rejected.

   3. The College is not liable for lost or deleted web pages, nor the content of web pages residing on non-LCC owned computers.

   4. LCC assumes no responsibility for any direct or indirect damages arising from the user's connection to the Internet. LCC is not responsible for the accuracy of information found on the Internet. LCC merely facilitates the accessing and dissemination of information through its systems. Unless LCC expressly authors content, it has no editorial control over the content distributed or disseminated on the Network and users are solely responsible for any material that they access and disseminate.

   5. Classroom and course servers must be approved by ISCD. Root access must be given to ISCD or designee for all servers on the LCC network.

   Intellectual Property Rights:
   Materials created and/or produced by users of College-owned resources may be subject to intellectual property rights as established by the College. Refer to the current Intellectual Property Rights Procedure, available in the Academic Affairs Office.

   Personal Hardware

   1. Personal equipment that will be used for creating a server must be approved by the ISCD Networking & Communication Director.

   2. While attached to a College-owned computer, personal equipment may be subject to incidental access while the College is maintaining College-owned devices. For example, ISCD has the same authority to access a non-College-owned hard drive attached to College-owned equipment as they have for accessing College-owned equipment.

   3. LCC is not responsible for repair or replacement of non-LCC hardware.

   Personal Use of College-Owned Computer Systems

   1. College-owned computer systems assigned to employee positions are to be used predominately to accomplish the tasks assigned to that position.

   2. College-owned computer systems available to students are provided to support assignments. E-mail is intended to be used for student-instructor communication and for student to student communication. Internet access is intended to support the student's academic assignments and learning.

   3. Incidental use of College-owned computer systems for personal purposes is permitted if:

      1. Use occurs outside of the employee's work schedule;

      2. Use does not interfere with work being performed by another employee;

      3. Use is not for pay or profit;

      4. Use does not consume excessive supplies;

      5. Use does not violate software licensing agreements.

   4. Excessive use of College-owned computer systems that interferes with college-related activities may result in the loss of computer access.

   5. Use of College-owned computers to produce a product (e.g., document, program, etc.) qualifies the product for inclusion under the College's intellectual property rights policy.

   6. Playing on-line games, (i.e., MUDs, MOOs) is strictly prohibited, unless used as part of an instructor-endorsed learning process. This includes all Internet and network versions of multi-user games.
       
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6. Employee Computing Guidelines

   Employees are to follow guidelines presented in this section and the General Computing Guidelines.

   Assignment of Computer Hardware

   1. Lansing Community College determines the computer system needs of employees and how those needs will be met. The College reserves authority to establish and enforce procedures and rules for employee use of College-owned computer systems, software, and data.

   2. The College will assign appropriate computer hardware to a position to enable tasks corresponding to the position to be accomplished.

   3. College-owned desktop computer equipment is the exclusive responsibility of ISCD. As College-wide property, desktop computers cannot be taken home, relocated or reassigned without prior approval of ISCD.

   Assignment of Computer Software

   1. The College will attempt to assign appropriate computer software to a position to enable tasks corresponding to the position to be accomplished.

   2. Some software publishers permit employees to have one copy of their software on the College-owned computer and one copy of their software on the employee-owned computer. If such an arrangement is permitted by a software publisher, the employee is still required to obtain permission of ISCD or designee.

   3. Only College-owned software is to be installed on College-owned computers. Exceptions must be approved by ISCD or designee.

   Data

   1. Data, information, or reports produced using College-owned equipment are the property of the College.

   2. Use of College-owned data, information, or reports are subject to procedures and rules established by the College.

   3. Those accessing confidential data are required to maintain the confidentiality of the data.

   4. Those originating or updating data must be diligent in maintaining the accuracy of that data.

   5. College-owned data, information, or reports are to be used or copied by an employee only for functions directly related to the employee's work assignment.

   6. Access to College financial, course schedule, student and similar data is authorized by the division and data-owner, and controlled by ISCD.

   7. College financial, course schedule, student and similar data is typically accessed by use of a designated computer program. Use of these programs is authorized by the division and data-owner, and controlled by ISCD.

   8. Use of access rights by someone other than the employee(s) to which the rights are assigned is prohibited.

   Lansing Community College makes no warranties of any kind whether expressed or implied, for the computer services it provides.
    
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7. Student Computing

   Students are to follow guidelines presented in this section and the General Computing Guidelines.

   Access to Computer Resources

   1. Students must possess a current LCC I.D. to access general-purpose student computer labs.

   2. E-mail and network accounts are available to currently enrolled students.

   3. General-purpose student computer labs are available on campus for LCC students to complete their course work. Hours of operation are posted. Students are expected to follow the rules for any lab they use.

   Authorized Uses of College-Owned Computer Systems

   1. Students may use available College-owned computer systems in general-purpose computer labs to complete course assignments. Students are expected to know the hardware and software required for their courses. Students should obtain assistance with specific assignments from the class instructor.

   2. Students may use College-owned computer systems for their resume' preparation, but not for the preparation of other's resumes.

   3. Students may use College-owned computer systems for "exercises" which promote self-taught learning.

   Unauthorized Uses of College-Owned Computer Systems

   1. Students may not use College-owned computers for assignments for non-LCC classes, such as dissertations or thesis papers for other colleges/universities.

   2. Printer Limitations

      1. Printers are intended for class-related activities. Printing Internet web pages or other information not directly related to class assignments is prohibited.

      2. Guidelines are available in the general-purpose labs describing the number of copies/pages students may print.

      3. Excessive printing is prohibited.

      4. Using non-approved paper in a College-owned printer is prohibited.

   Software Copying and Distribution

   1. Students are not allowed to add or remove software on computer lab computers. Exceptions for class assignments must be arranged in advance by the class instructor with the lab personnel and/or lab supervisor.

   2. Software which may be copied by students are shareware programs, public domain programs, and assigned data files.

   3. Software provided by the textbook publisher may not be distributed in violation of publisher's rules.

   4. Software provided to students by the instructor must not violate copyright rules.
       
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8. Indemnification Provision
   User hereby agrees to indemnify and hold Lansing Community College and its officers, Trustees, employees and agents harmless for any loss, damage, expense or liability resulting from any claim, action or demand, arising out of or related to the user's use of Lansing Community College owned computer resources and the network, including reasonable attorneys fees. Such claims shall include, without limitation, those based on trademark or service mark infringement, trade name infringement, copyright infringement, dilution, tortuous interference with contract or prospective business advantage, unfair competition, defamation, unlawful discrimination or harassment, rights of publicity, and invasion of privacy.