Student Life
Question 3.5 Details

Is there a campus code of behavior about using computer resources?

Computing resources are important institutional assets that facilitate student communications and access to information. For these reasons, colleges and universities act to protect both computers and their users from inappropriate uses. In many cases these protective actions take the form of codes of conduct, ethics, or behavior.

You need to understand campus policies for appropriate use of computing and information resources, just as you need to review and understand the campus student policy manual. It is essential that as a prospective student you understand your rights and responsibilities under these policies.

Appropriate use policies vary significantly in philosophy and scope from institution to institution. The scope of policies can include protection of copyrights, information security and privacy, regulation of personal communications, and the access, storage, and use of inappropriate materials (e.g. pornography) on institutional resources. Some institutions will require that new students pass a test of their familiarity with the campus code of behavior before they will be given access to campus computing resources.

You should be familiar with the campus procedures for adjudicating alleged violations of policy and for penalties for such violations. You should also be aware that a number of institutional policies and practices may reflect a variety of federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

Code of Behavior

The chart below shows what percentage of schools have a code of conduct for campus e-mail accounts and Web pages.

SOURCE:
The Campus Computing Project, 2003