BELLINGHAM TECHNICAL COLLEGE

POLICY & PROCEDURES GUIDE

Purpose

Bellingham Technical College provides a variety of computing, networking and information systems for the use of students and employees in support of the mission of the College, research, academic development, professional growth in technology, information gathering, and communication. All students and employees are responsible for ensuring that these computing facilities are used in an effective, ethical, and lawful manner.

The College has established herein rules and prohibitions that define acceptable use of these systems. Unacceptable use is prohibited and is grounds for loss of computing privileges, as well as discipline or legal sanctions under Federal, State, and/or local laws, and College policies.

General Policies and Guidelines

Bellingham Technical College adopts the NorthWestNet Acceptable Use Policy and the K20 Network Acceptable Use Policy. This policy is also governed by Bellingham Technical College’s Standards of Ethical Conduct/Conflict of Interest Policy.

Rights and Responsibilities

Computers and networks can provide access to resources on and off campus, as well as the ability to communicate with other users worldwide. Such open access is a privilege and requires that individual users act responsibly. Users must respect the rights of other users, respect the integrity of the systems and related physical resources and observe all relevant laws, regulations, and contractual obligations.

College information technologies are intended to support teaching and learning and College-related activities. All use should be conducted in a professional and ethical manner.

System administrators may access user files as required to protect the integrity of computer systems. For example, following organizational guidelines, system administrators may provide access to examine files or accounts that are suspected of unauthorized use or misuse, or that have been corrupted or damaged. Also, files may be subject to search under court order.

Examples of responsible use include, but are not limited to:

• Maintaining an environment in which access to all of the computing resources are shared equitably among users.
• Maintaining an environment conducive to learning.
• Maintaining an environment free of illegal or malicious acts.
• Maintaining a secure environment.

Examples of misuse which are prohibited include, but are not limited to:

• Use that interferes with job responsibilities or assigned course work.
• Using the Internet for personal reasons (except de minimis use as defined in policy 369.0 Use of College Resources).
• Any attempt to damage computer equipment or software.
• Displaying on screens, printing out or downloading material which may be offensive to others or likely to be deemed obscene or abusive.
• Any unauthorized attempt to alter software configurations.
• Use of the computer network for commercial, business, for-profit purposes, product advertisement, or political lobbying.
• Hate mail, harassment, discriminatory remarks, and other antisocial behaviors.
• Using computer resources to gain unauthorized access to any computer system.
• Interfering with the normal operation of computers, devices, peripherals, or networks.
• Use of computer resources to access files dangerous to the integrity of the network or to place excessive load on the network.
• Accessing chat, messaging, and other social media that do not relate to work or education.
• Use of a college email address for personal email (except de minimis use as defined in policy 369.0 Use of College Resources).
• Unauthorized installation of any software.
• Personal computing equipment (except portable storage devices) are not to be connected to BTC IT systems with the exception of BTC’s public wireless network, or via cloud or remote access.

Exceptions

Approval for exceptions to this policy for students needs to be coordinated through the student’s instructor and approved by the Director of Computer and Information Support Services. Approval for exceptions to this policy for employees must be coordinated through their supervisor and the Director of Computer and Information Support Services.