Computer Usage and Network Policy

Malone Username and Password

Your Malone username and password is your virtual identity on Malone’s network. Never share your identity or use someone else’s identity. This includes sharing credentials with family members, visitors, contractors, or other entities which may want to use Malone resources. There are guest user accounts available or, in the case of extended relationships (contractor visiting the University regularly, etc.), a special account can be set up for the entity. You are responsible for any activity done on the internet or Malone network using your Malone username and password. If you suspect that your username and password have been compromised in any way, please contact Information Technologies immediately so that your credentials can be re-secured.

Use of the network for academic, business, and personal endeavors

Computing and network resources are the property of Malone and should be used primarily for Malone-related business and academic activities. Students, faculty, and staff should not do excessive non-Malone-related work or printing on Malone computer equipment. The right and ownership of any Intellectual Property (IP) transmitted over the network are maintained by its creator; however, when the act of creating, accessing, or transmitting that IP uses Malone-owned resources, the University maintains permission to view, copy, or store it. The network in the residence halls can and should be used for personal endeavors; however, any usage should still align with the mission and goals of Malone and the guidelines set forth in this and other policies.

Privacy of electronic communication

Never assume electronic communications of any kind are private or that they can be read by only you or the recipient. Many forms of communication on the internet are unsecured and can be monitored or eavesdropped upon at any point between the sender and the recipient. Malone reserves the right to monitor your use of Malone’s computers and peripherals, email, and internet system to the extent necessary to maintain quality of service or protect Malone and other persons, including the members of the Malone community. Do not send messages that would compromise your integrity as the sender or the integrity of the receiver if they were viewed by others. Do not forward or post Malone-related email messages that you have received to news media or list servers without the author’s permission. Email may not be used for advertising or broadcasting unsolicited messages.

Postings to the internet

Students, faculty, and staff are reminded that pictures and information posted on the internet via social media are public information. Pictures or information from these sources that describe or document behavior that are brought to the attention of Malone and which reasonably suggest behavior violating Malone policy has taken place, is subject to further investigation and verification by Malone. Any Malone policy violations that are determined as a result of such an investigation will result in appropriate disciplinary action by Malone. 

For more information about social media postings, faculty and staff should refer to the Malone University Social Media Policy. (See Appendix E)

Illegal Use

Electronic communications must not be used for illegal purposes. Examples include harassment or stalking of other users; destruction or damage to electronic equipment, software, or data belonging to other users; sending correspondence (email, postings, or otherwise) from an assumed or false username; intentional disruption or unauthorized monitoring of electronic communications including the use of password grabbers or network monitors; attempting to gain unauthorized access to other computers or networks; and accessing credit card numbers or passwords to computers or user accounts.

Unethical Use

Computing and network resources are not to be used to store or send fraudulent, harassing, slanderous, or other objectionable or inappropriate material or messages. Obscene, pornographic, or offensive material is not permitted to be accessed, sent, or stored on Malone computing resources. Malone recognizes that some legitimate academic research may require access to materials that may otherwise be prohibited. Request for such access must be submitted to the Provost for approval.

Malone’s right to limit, monitor, copy, and regulate all use of its electronic communications equipment

Malone reserves the right to limit, monitor, copy, and regulate all use of Malone computers, devices, printers, and network including, but not limited to, email and web site access. For anyone who is employed by Malone, this right extends to accessing and copying voicemail messages which are saved to email as a file. This is essential to protect Malone against claims of illegal use of its system, to protect students, faculty, and staff, and to ensure compliance with this policy. Suspected violations of this policy should be reported immediately to the Director of Information Technologies. Malone reserves the right to shut down any user account without prior notification if inappropriate network activity is detected. 

Violations of this policy will be addressed in the same manner as violations of other Malone policies and may result in disciplinary action. In the case of alleged criminal use of Malone computing resources, the Information Technologies Department will comply with appropriate local, state, or federal agencies’ requests for reporting, discovery, or monitoring of electronic activity.

Use and purchase of software and hardware

1. All computer software, including free or shareware titles or personally-owned titles, installed and/or used on Malone-owned devices must be approved by the Information Technologies Department to ensure proper software licensing is maintained and to ensure the safety of the Malone’s data and resources.
2. The purchase of any computer hardware or software with Malone funds should be coordinated and approved through the Information Technologies Department.
3. Software and hardware purchased by Malone remain the property of Malone or of the vendor as agreed by license. Such software, whether in source or object form, including its design, file structures, and any other tangible or intangible value may not be accessed, copied, or removed from the system, nor disclosed to any third party without prior consent of the owner. Duplicating copyrighted software violates the U.S. Copyright Law, and is a federal offense. Illegal copying is not permitted at Malone.
4. Malone computer users are prohibited from copying or downloading software without paying the required license fee. Transferring copyrighted materials to or from any system or via the Malone network without the expressed consent of the owner is a violation of federal and state laws. 

Examples of illegal copying include the following:

• Making a personal copy of software licensed to Malone
• Installing software on a computer without first obtaining a license for that software
• Copying files such as books, music, movies, or other licensed or copyrighted material outside of the confines of “Fair Use” in academic pursuits. 

Internal Campus Communications

Malone seeks to effectively facilitate a campus community where members communicate with one another with integrity, professionalism, and love. Malone has developed the following guidelines to assist all members of the community in effectively communicating important information, campus news, and details related to campus events. 

Malone provides and expects that all members of the community be aware of, and use, the following primary means of campus communication (in addition to in-person and telephone communication):

1. Malone website
2. Electronic mail
3. Campus mail
4. Voice mail

Official Malone communications may be sent by any or all of these methods. Students, faculty, and staff are required to accept their mail on a regular basis and within a reasonable time period from the date of transmission. During the semester, a “reasonable time period” will be defined as two to three working days and “accept” will be defined as picking up and reading mail from campus mailboxes, accessing campus accounts for reading e-mails, and listening to voice mail messages.

Many students will already have an e-mail account and will not have a need for their Malone e-mail account. It is each student’s responsibility to obtain the appropriate procedure to automatically forward their mail from the Malone account to their regular account. This information is available through the Information Technologies Department. 

At times, information relevant to all students will be sent via a mass distribution process. This process will be protected through the Office of Student Development so that students are not inundated with e-mails. Information will be distributed to campus offices describing what information is appropriate for the mass distribution process. If a member of the Malone community will be away from campus for an extended period of time it is expected that they will leave an automatic response on their e-mail and voice message on their voice mail.