Acceptable Use Statement

Responsible Computer Use: All students, faculty, staff, and emeriti, as members of the Lawrence community, have access to many shared computing and networking resources. Lawrence strives to provide an atmosphere that encourages access and sharing of information on local, national, and international levels. As users in the Lawrence Community, individuals must bear the responsibility to use these resources in keeping with the professional and ethical standards of conduct which the university promotes. Use of these resources should be considered a privilege and be treated as such.

Intended Use: Computing and networking resources at Lawrence are provided to support the academic and administrative needs of Lawrence community members within an intellectual environment where students, staff, and faculty may freely collaborate, both with colleagues at Lawrence as well as off-campus.

Because resources are limited, and because of stipulations in license and contractual agreements with software and hardware vendors, users must observe the following conditions:

• priority must always be given to those needing to use shared resources for academic purposes
• use by persons not currently enrolled or employed by Lawrence is prohibited
• for-profit use by any individual is prohibited

Privacy and Security: Every member of the Lawrence community has the right to privacy of personal information stored or transmitted via computer. The administration of computer systems must strike a balance between the goals of privacy and information sharing. The health and well-being of institutional computing resources are the individual and collective responsibility of all users, who must guard against abuses that could disrupt or threaten intended uses and operations. In general, users should not compromise personal security or others’ privacy by engaging in any of the following:

• intercepting the network communications of other users
• giving private passwords to individuals either at Lawrence or off-campus
• gaining or seeking to gain unauthorized access to files and information resources
• altering or destroying software or data
• interfering with the intended use of any resource
• violating terms of a third-party copyright, patent, license or contract
• communications that violate Wisconsin, federal, or international laws
• activities designed to interfere with the ability of other users to make effective use of the network
• using the network in a harmful or harassing manner

Intellectual Property Rights: In many cases, software and data that reside on Lawrence computer systems are owned by an individual, a third party, or the institution, and are protected by copyright law, license, or contract agreements. Users must abide by these agreements. Such agreements may prohibit copying software or data, resale or use of software or data for personal gain, and public disclosure of information without the owner’s authorization.

Use of the Internet Network: Many of the principles stated thus far apply to users of the international Internet network. Internet tools such as electronic mail, file transfers, and remote login are subject to the acceptable use policies of the Internet governing body, its sub-organizations, and governmental agencies.