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MTU Policies
Michigan Technological University (MTU) promotes the use of its computing
facilities and seeks to improve the computer literacy of its students. All
students are encouraged to make use of these facilities in pursuit of their
academic goals, but are asked to remember that computing facilities are to
be used for academic purposes only. MTU views the use of computer
facilities as a privilege, not a right, and seeks to protect legitimate
computer users by imposing sanctions on those who abuse the privilege.
Eliminating computer abuse provides more computing resources for users with
legitimate academic computing needs.
MTU's computing policy is based on the laws of the State of Michigan and
United States Copyright Law. In addition, MTU imposes certain restrictions
which are not specifically covered by wither law. Besides setting
guidelines for appropriate use of computers, MTU's policy outlines the
disciplinary procedures that will be imposed on students who violate the
policy. Such discipline may range from the revocation of computing
privileges to expulsion from the University.
The Law of the State of Michigan
Act 53 of the Public Acts of 1979 of the State of Michigan is "AN ACT to
prohibit access to computers, computing systems, and computer networks for
certain fraudulent purposes; to prohibit intentional and unauthorized
access, alteration, damage, and destruction of computers, computer systems,
computer networks, computer software programs, and data; and to prescribe
penalties."
Examples of violations of Public Act 53 include:
o Unauthorized attempts to access or use information.
o Attempts to access the computer files belonging to another user without
permission.
o Attempts to interfere with the performance of computing systems.
The penalties for violating this act are stated as follows:
"A person who violates this act, if the violation involves $100.00 or
less, is guilty of a misdemeanor. If the violation involved more than
$100.00, the person is guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment for
not more than ten (10) years, or a fine of not more than $5,000.00, or
both."
United States Copyright Law
Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States
(Title 17, U.S. Code) to the authors of "original works of authorship."
This includes computer programs (software). Therefore, the unauthorized
copying of copyrighted software is in violation of U.S. copyright laws.
Additional restrictions imposed by MTU
o Permitting another person to use a computer user identification (userid)
or access card.
o Using another person's userid or access card.
o Using computing facilities for personal profit.
o Transmitting unsolicited or annoying messages.
o Transmitting, executing, or storing malicious, threatening, or abusive
programs or material.
o Playing games.
Discipline Procedure
Misuses of computer resources are reported to the Director of Academic
Computing Services. The Director of Academic Computing Services can impose
restrictions on the offender's computer privileged, report the offender to
the Dean of Students, or initiate criminal prosecution.
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Comments:
______________________
As I understand it, within the next month every current computer user of ACS
machines (our IBM, our PCs, our SUNs, in fact nearly everything students CAN
use) will have to sign and pledge to abide by this policy, or they will lose
computing privileges. I personally can see many of the points in the
document, though I have problems with it as well (part of my reason for
posting it). For example, in sentence two, the policy states, 'computing
facilities are to be used for academic purposes only.' Nowhere is there a
definition of 'academic purposes' -- by one simple hypothesis, what I am
doing now is in violation of the policy, since this does not involve my
academic furthering at MTU (yes, I am a student, to graduate next year with
luck and lots of cash). In the next sentence, 'legitimate computer users'
and 'abuse the privilege' are more examples of empty wording, freely
interpreted by Administration to whatever they choose. Under 'Additional
Restrictions' we have 'Transmitting unsolicited or annoying messages' and
'Transmitting, executing, or storing malicious, threatening, or abusive
programs or material.' Define solicited. Since saying 'Hi' to someone is
unsolicited, so is 'You can talk to me'. Therefore, by a restrictive
viewpoint, messaging is illegal (so is this, again, and any other e-mail not
specifically asked for, though how it can be asked for is beyond me).
We also need definitions of malicious, threatening, or abusive, beyond the
blatantly obvious. While I am considered fairly conservative by many, I am
a flaming liberal by many standards. What I consider malicious,
threatening, or abusive is probably far away from our Administration's view.
Yet there is no definition, so (in theory) any Consultant here could grab
some output of mine, read through it (I have been told it is their JOB to
read our output) and decide since I don't hold his/her opinions, I should
get nuked. I would then be ordered to see the Director, whereupon I would
be lectured at great length about how bad and evil I am because I hold
liberal views.
Now, before y'all out there start sending letters to the staff here telling
them how much of a rebel I am, and how I should be purged for not supporting
their policies 1000%... I want to make it known that, in PRINCIPLE, I
support the policy. My computing experience here has, for the most part,
been a good one, even though I have been yelled at a few times (mistakenly,
though the error was not one-sided). I make wide and good use of the
facilities here, and those of BITNET. I like to think that I have made a
positive impact on computing at MTU, through my public disk (linked to by
over 230 people), through my programs (many of which are now used at sites
across the Net), and through my continual efforts to encourage people here
to use the system responsibly. But I have noticed a trend in computing
here, one which I think may be taking place at other sites, as well.
Students are getting more and more cocky, administrators are getting
restrictive, and the state of computing is falling. It need not be this
way. If computing centers would educate their users in responsibility --
realize they make mistakes -- not treat every infraction, however minor, as
if it were a first-degree homicide -- and try honestly to become
user-friendly and user-accessible; if users would realize THEY are
responsible for their acts -- try and make fewer, and smaller, mistakes --
think before they compute -- realize what they do CAN get their
administration in trouble -- get to know their computing center staff, then
I think we might see a big leap forward in the world of computing.
It _CAN_ happen.
It starts with YOU and ME.