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SSPA COMPUTER LAB USE POLICY This document describes the expectations for all BSU College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs (SSPA) computer lab users. The following information is a guideline for the ethical use of our labs’ hardware and software; it is not intended to be considered a complete listing of all allowed or prohibited activities. PURPOSE OF THE LABS All Boise State University students are served by our computer labs, which are fully funded and maintained by student fees. We provide computer hardware and software to support students with their course work and other academic activities.
By using an SSPA lab computer, you
indicate YOUR OBLIGATION As a user of these facilities, you can do your share to keep the labs a good place to work. Any activity that would diminish usefulness has no place in the labs. Feel free to ask your lab assistant to stop students from pursuing the following inappropriate behavior:
Violations of these principles and guidelines may result in the loss of computer privileges and other university disciplinary actions. PRINTING The SSPA Labs use the Bronco Print System. At the beginning of each semester, registered students receive $15.00 on the Bronco card for printing costs. With this fund, students' can print 300 pages at five cents per sheet of paper with one side printed. More of a savings is available to students that use the duplex feature at seven cents per sheet of paper with two sides printed. Additionally, color printing is available in both labs. Students are encouraged to speak with the lab assistant on duty for assistance. Even with the printing allotment, we suggest proofreading and editing your documents on screen and then printing one final copy. HARDWARE We are concerned about the proper treatment of lab hardware. Food or beverages are not allowed in the labs as a preventative measure. It is important to be gentle with keyboards, mice, and other equipment even when you are frustrated. Treat them as though you had paid for them and don't be afraid to insist that others do the same. Part of your responsibility as a user is to notify us of any hardware problems you encounter. Notify the lab assistant immediately when you notice a hardware problem. Do not experiment with the equipment or try to take it apart. Do not try to crash or sabotage the system. You are responsible for anything you damage. SOFTWARE The software is covered by license agreements between the University and other companies and organizations. These licenses are predicated on our using the software for education and research, not for commercial purposes. Using software for education is not limited to just doing homework in your classes. Experimenting or trying out unfamiliar programs, writing your resume and similar types of work are acceptable. Producing publications for sale is not allowed. SAVING YOUR WORK All our computers use Deep Freeze software. This application removes all new files from the computer whenever we shut down a computer or a restart occurs – whether on purpose or not. This results in the removal of any viruses, worms, and other detrimental files as well as anything a user may have intentionally saved on the computer. In other words, you will lose anything you save onto our computer hard drives (the “C” drive and the desktop). If you are working on a project and realize that you don't have your own removable storage (floppy disk, flash drive, or CD-R), you may store your file on the “Thawed” section of the hard drive, and name the file with your last name. The “Thawed” drive does not have Deep Freeze, but is manually cleaned out often. Return and save your file as soon as possible. There is no assurance that your file will not be read, altered, printed, or erased. Protect your data by saving it on your own removable storage. SECURITY AND PRIVACY As a user, you must also respect the privacy of others. Examples of privacy invasion include reading other people's screens and reading other people's files. Lab Assistants will be performing occasional screen checks to ensure that nothing offensive is being displayed. As part of their jobs, Assistants are required to maintain the strict confidentiality regulations that are consistent with the Federal Privacy Act of 1974 to protect each employees’ and students’ privacy. Equipment within the labs is expensive and thus lab room security is imperative to maintain the high level of desired technology. The keypad lock on the door is an attempt to limit access to the lab during unattended hours to assure that equipment will not be damaged or stolen. Access to that code carries with it the responsibility for the equipment and for our network integrity. Our computer software is also secure through continuous updates and the use of Deep Freeze (See more information on Deep Freeze in the previous section). NETWORKS SSPA computers connect to the BSU network, which connects to the Internet. This is a wonderful resource giving users access to a plethora of public domain software. The network, however, is for education and research use only. Commercial activities, such as running a business, developing a commercial product, and other non-academic work are forbidden. Both our network access and our software licenses forbid this. GAMES Many of the goodies out on the internet are fun, but not crucial to your academic career at BSU. Games are allowed on the computers, but not personal copies. The lab policy on games is that they have last priority. Games that are downloaded from the Internet and set up on lab computers will be deleted. If the co-existence of game players, recreational 'net surfers, and serious workers fails, we will have to re-consider game use and non-academic Internet browser access in the labs. |