Regulations for Computer Facilities and Services

Introduction
This document outlines some of the principles and regulations that apply specifically to users of the computing facilities and services provided through the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Laurentian University. Users should be aware that these regulations are in addition to those outlined in the University-wide "Policy on Access and Usage of Computers and Networks" Copies of the Department's policy are available from the Department Secretary in FA 382 as well as from the Department Technologists. The policy is posted in the Department Computer Labs and is available on each computer system operated and maintained by the Department.

Student Accounts
Student access to Departmental computing facilities is a privilege, not a right. Students enrolled in MATH or COSC courses, requiring the use of the Department's computing facilities, are provided with accounts on the appropriate system(s). Use of each system is restricted to activities associated with the relevant course(s).

Some resources such as disk space, CPU cycles and printer queues, etc., are shared by many users. The Department reserves the right to impose user limits on some, or all, of these resources so that the system(s) can operate efficiently.

General Principles
Responsible use of department computing facilities and services requires that users:

- Respect the legal protection provided by copyright and license to programs and data.
- Respect the rights of others by complying with all University policies regarding intellectual property.
- Respect the rights of others by complying with all University policies regarding sexual, racial, and other forms of harassment, and by preserving the privacy of personal data to which you have access.
- Respect the privacy of others by not tampering with their personal property, machines they are logged into, their files, passwords, or accounts, or impersonating them in any way when sending messages or conferencing.
- Use only computer IDs, accounts, and facilities which you are authorized to use, and use them for the academic purposes for which they are intended.
- Use computing facilities in a manner consistent with the ethical principles set forth by the University, and with accepted community standards.
- Respect and adhere to any local, provincial or federal law which may govern use of these computing facilities in Canada.
- Respect the integrity of computing systems and data; for example, by not developing programs or making use of already existing programs that harass other users, infiltrate computers or computing systems, damage or alter the hardware or software components of a computer or computing system, or gain unauthorized access to other machines or facilities accessible via the network or the Internet.
- NEVER give your password to anyone, even if they claim to Laurentian Faculty or Staff. If someone asks you for your password, and they claim to be Laurentian Staff, please contact one of the Computer Science Department Technologists at 675-1151, (ext. 2335 or ext. 2315) and leave your name, student number and telephone number.
- Food and Beverages are prohibited anywhere in the labs, even if you are not consuming them!

Some Unacceptable Uses of Resources
The following are some examples of activities in which students should NEVER participate. These will result in disciplinary action and could possibly lead to criminal prosecution under Canadian Law.

STUDENTS SHOULD NEVER:

- Copy or distribute commercial software or copyrighted material for which they do not possess an ownership or distribution license. This includes copying and distributing material directly to and/or from lab computers, as well as using Internet tools such as FTP, Distributed File Sharing, and electronic mail etc. (examples of such material include programs such as Microsoft Office or Norton Antivirus, or digital media such as music (mp3 or other formats), and videos or movies protected by copyright)
- Attempt to gain information on or access to computer systems (ex. hacking), for which they do not have authorization. This applies both to local facilities as well as any system accessible via the network such as the Internet.
- Determine another user's password by any means (ex. by peeking over someone's shoulder, installing Trojan horse programs, password cracking algorithms or network packet watchers, etc.).
- Without Departmental authorization, develop, acquire, store, distribute, install or execute programs or data which could be used to examine, undermine, or exploit system and network security and integrity, at this or any other site. This applies to software and data in any format, whether it be archived, source or executable. The Department considers such actions or possessions to be hostile. (ex. possessing software to "crack" system password files or probe systems for potential weaknesses, copying, or distributing system password files for this site or any other site, etc.).
- Play games using facilities provided by the Department. Game playing restricts the resources available to other users of the system(s) for legitimate course work, and potentially exposes equipment to additional wear and tear. Games include (but are not limited to) accessing game facilities at other sites or web sites, IRC, and web-based chat systems.
- Develop (write) game software using Departmental facilities without prior permission from the Department
- Gain access to another user's account, files, data or electronic mail without permission from the account owner and the Department.
- Impersonate or misrepresent someone else by any means (ex. forge electronic mail or USENET postings to make it appear as though the message originated from some other user or machine).
- Loan their password or computer account to someone else without prior authorization from the Department.
- Install, remove or modify the software or hardware configurations on any departmental computer without prior authorization from the Department. This includes the installation of games or programs and the alteration of network (ex. IP) addresses.
- Use Departmental systems to distribute or be in possession of obscene, pornographic, racial or harassing material, chain letters or get rich quick schemes. Bombarding others with repeated mail messages (mail bombing) is also forbidden.
- Use Departmental facilities for preparing non-MATH/COSC course assignments. For non-MATH/COSC work, students should consider using other computing facilities on campus provided by Computing Services (CTS).
- Install and run unattended programs and/or processes [such as Distributed System programs (ex. SETI)]


Enforcement
Violations of these guidelines will, at the very least, result in immediate loss of access to Departmental computing facilities. This may affect your ability to successfully complete your courses or degree program and may also lead to disciplinary action by the University and criminal prosecution under the Law.

Terms and Conditions
Use of any computing facilities and services provided by the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science signifies an understanding and acceptance of these regulations. If you need clarification on any of these rules or have any questions relating to appropriate computer activity, please see the Department Chair, or one of the Department Technologists.

 
 
©2012 Laurentian University | Sudbury ON P3E 2C6 | Canada | 705.675.1151 | 1.800.461.4030 | Contact Us| 46° 27′ 52″, -80° 58′ 05″ | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
Back to top