Policy Governing Information Technologies

Television, Phones, Computers, and The POST Network

All residence hall rooms are equipped with phone, cable TV and computer internet access. Students must provide their own equipment (phone, computer, television) to access the Post University information network. If assistance is needed with one of these items, the members of the ICT staff can be reached directly by dialing any one of the following extensions: for Software/Hardware Technicians between the hours of 8:00pm-5:00pm please call Chris Medeiros at 596.4592 and/or Mark Chaney at 596.4694. For support between the hours of 5:00pm and 9:30pm you can call Bob McLoughlin at 596.4596 Students are asked to leave clear and accurate messages with needs and requests, a daytime phone number, and their residence hall room number so that every attempt can be made to address reported issues in a 24-hour time frame. Questions can also be submitted to the Help Desk at  ICT@Post.edu

Cable Television Use

The Post University residence halls are equipped with standard cable access. We have contracted with the local cable company to provide BASIC Cable. Premier channels are neither included in the package, nor available for an additional cost. Students must provide their own television set with coaxial connectors and a coaxial cable to access this service.

Telephone Use

The Post University phone system provides Local Dial Tone, 911, and Voice Messaging services to all residence hall rooms. Long distance services can be accessed by using any prepaid calling card. Reasonably priced cards are available at the campus store. Instructions for setting up of individual voice mailboxes are available via the campus Intranet, and on the campus web site. The University contracts outside services for all telephone repairs and must have at least 24-hour notice of any outages or needs for repair requests. Students may call the ICT Office directly with any requests for service. After the close of classes in May of each year, the ICT office will clean out the mailboxes (deleting messages, and access codes) of all resident students and will reset the box to first-time use for the start of the next academic year. Mailboxes may also be re-set at any time during the year at the request of the owner. As with any electronic data, the University reserves the right to access any mailbox, retrieve messages from any mailbox, or terminate access to any mailbox at any time for cause.

Computer Use

Post University treats policy violations of computing facilities, equipment, software, information resources, and network privileges seriously. Any such problems must be reported to Residential Life staff or directly to ICT. Failure to comply with this policy will result in disciplinary action including loss of computing privileges, fine/restitution or other sanctions deemed necessary by the sanctioning board. Alleged violations of the policy shall be processed according to the judicial processes outlined in the “Student Handbook.”(This document) Post University may also prosecute abuse under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986, or other appropriate laws.

The act of logging on the network and/or use of Post University LAN to access the Internet, indicates your acceptance of the following terms and conditions.

All Post University students are given a username and password to access the University LAN. This username and password remains in effect throughout the student’s tenure at the University and is deleted upon termination (withdrawal, dismissal, or graduation).

Each year prior to the start of fall classes, the university reviews student mailbox use and storage limits. A user account may be deleted if the student is not registered prior to the first week in August. If the student re-enrolls, a mailbox will be re-established on the network for campus use. The University reserves the right to access user mailboxes, deactivate or restrict use of campus e-mail accounts at any time. Each residence hall room is equipped with a network jack, and students are encouraged to purchase personal computers and to use them in their residence hall rooms. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that proper care is taken in protecting their computer and the data stored therein. To enjoy the privileges of Post University intranet and Internet access, each network user is expected to meet certain responsibilities and honor certain limitations.

If a user is found to have knowingly violated a network responsibility, his or her network access may be suspended. Depending on the seriousness of the violation, the user may also be subject to other University disciplinary actions. Violations of federal or state laws will result in referral to the appropriate legal authorities.

The following list of responsibilities applies to the use of all University-owned computers, as well as the use of the Post intranet and the Internet with a personally owned computer. (Additional responsibilities may be associated with specific networks and computers at Post University.)

Users must operate within the appropriate federal or state laws and Post University policies and must not engage in any conduct that presents a risk to the operating integrity of the systems and their accessibility to other users.

Users must abide by the terms of all software licensing agreements and copyright laws. Users must not make copies of, download or make available on the network, any copyrighted material, unless permitted by a license. • Users must not use the network resources of Post University to gain or attempt to gain unauthorized access to remote computers, networks, or systems.

Users may not use Post University networks to access, produce, or distribute pornography in violation of the law either on the Internet or Post University networks.

Any network traffic exiting Post University is subject not only to provisions of this policy, but also to the acceptable use policies of any network through which, or into which, it flows.

  • Users must notify the ICT Office, system administrators, and the appropriate authorities about violations of computer laws and policies, as well as about potential loopholes in the security of its computer systems and networks.

  • Users are to respect the rights of other users, including their rights as set forth in other Post University policies for students, faculty, and staff. These rights include but are not limited to: privacy, freedom from harassment, and safety of tangible and intellectual property.

  • Users may not place on any University-owned computer system any type of information or software that infringes upon the rights of another person or gives unauthorized access to another computer account or system.

  • Users may not misrepresent themselves or their data on the network.

  • Users are responsible for the use of their own accounts. No user may give anyone else access to his or her account, or use a Post University computer account assigned to another user. A user must not attempt to obtain a password for another user's computer account.

  • Users are responsible for the security of their passwords. This includes making sure no one else knows it. A user who suspects someone knows his or her password should contact ICT to have that password changed.

  • Users must not attempt to monitor other users’ data communications, nor read, copy, download, change, or delete other users’ files or software, without permission of the owner(s).

  • Users must not attempt to circumvent data protection schemes or exploit security loopholes.

  • Users must not deliberately perform acts that are wasteful of computing resources or which unfairly monopolize resources to the exclusion of others users.

  • Users must not deliberately perform acts that will seriously impair the operation of computers, terminals, peripherals, or networks. This includes, but is not limited to, tampering with components of a local area network (LAN) or the high-speed network, otherwise blocking communication lines, or interfering with the operational readiness of a computer.

  • Users must not run or install, or give to another user, a program that could result in the eventual damage to a file or computer system and/or the reproduction of itself on any of the computer systems of Post University. This is directed towards, but not limited to, the classes of programs known as computer viruses, Trojan horses, and worms.

  • Users must not use Post University computer systems or networks for solicitation of funds or for commercial purposes. This includes solicitations for charitable or community organizations.

  • Users must not use Post University networks to distribute chain letters.

  • Students who violate these conditions face university judicial action.

Policy Statement Regarding Anti Virus Software

Because of the inherent dangers associated with the introduction of viruses into computer systems, Post University requires that all students have their computers scanned by the ICT department prior to connecting their PC to the university network. Students who are authorized to attach their personal computers to the University network must ensure that their computer has virus protection to the same level as University-owned equipment. This means that students must have current anti-virus software installed and running on their computers, and that information about new viruses and new virus definition files are downloaded on a daily or weekly basis. Expired software or out-of-date .dat definition files is equal to having no anti-virus protection.

Currently, it is each student’s responsibility to purchase, install, and update his/her own anti-virus software. If upon scanning, the ICT department determines that Anti Virus software is missing or out-of-date, Post reserves the right to deny service to the Network until the issue is resolved. Once the ICT department determines that the proper virus protection exists on the computer and that, the computer is virus free they will issue a verification notice and the student will be connected to the network.

The University reserves the right to enter a student’s room if: it is believed that the computer within the room is infected and disabling the University network; running software that has the potential to disable the network; is exhibiting malicious behavior such that the campus network is compromised. Every effort will be made to contact the student prior to doing so. The University also reserves the right to take a single or series of computers off-line to ensure the protection of the University system.

Cell Phone Usage

The use of cells phones has become a prevalent and an important part of our society. While the ability to communicate through a wireless network is an important communication technology, it is important that usage by students, faculty and staff does not disrupt the routine or the academic mission of the University.

In keeping with this philosophy, the following are times that the University requests that all cell phones be turned off or turned to silent mode and that no cell phone conversations or text messaging take place: :

  • Cell phones should be turned off, or on silent mode:
    • while students are attending class
    • while working in open areas of University offices
    • while engaged in University meetings or while attending University events
  • Students may not leave class to have a cell phone conversation.

All cell phones must be turned off or on silent mode in restricted areas. However, if it is necessary to accept a call the individual should leave the restricted area for the duration of the call.