Computer and Network Use
Technology plays an important role in the education of students. The College has developed recommended uses and policies related to use of College property, which includes using the College’s internet, email system, connecting to the web through a college’s internet, or any type of remote access activities sponsored by or through MMC. All users should be respectful of the protection provided by copyright and refrain from transferring copyrighted or licensed software to others and making illegal copies.
Use of the College’s computer resources should be primarily for learning and research purposes. Users are responsible for ensuring that the computer resources are used in an effective and lawful manner and in support of the College mission. Use of the College’s technology resources is a privilege, not a right. The College’s technology resources should not be used for personal gain, personal business, or profit-making activities. Users must not disrupt College operations, the College computer network, or the network of other users.
Material that is fraudulent, harassing, obscene, intimidating, defamatory, or otherwise unlawful or inappropriate is prohibited, and must not be sent by email or other forms of electronic communication (such as bulletin board systems, newsgroups, chat groups), displayed on, stored in, transmitted or processed by the College’s computer resources. Users encountering or receiving this kind of material should immediately report the incident to their supervisors, or in the case of students to a faculty member or the Office of Student Life.
College campuses like MMC take pride in providing an environment for free speech. The College expects at a minimum that users will respect the privacy of other users and employ appropriate standards of civility when using electronic systems to communicate with other individuals. The College is also responsible for protecting the rights of others in the community by maintaining an atmosphere in which insulting, obscene, or harassing speech is prohibited. All responsibility for statements made in public computer-mediated communication rests with the individual posting the statements. Statements do not represent the opinions of the supervisor or employer of that person or anyone involved with the networks that comprise the MMC network. MMC provides to its faculty, staff, and students the capacity to engage in various kinds of communication that are mediated by computers. This includes the use of bulletin boards, computer lists, email, and the computer servers that provide the basis for such communication. MMC does not undertake any responsibility to review the contents of messages sent and received but, if an abuse or a violation of law or College policy is identified, MMC may take steps to intercept or remove the message, may remove access by the user, and may charge the student to be in violation of College policy.
For the protection of all constituents of MMC, students are not permitted to participate in the following activities as they apply to downloads and messages and communications sent on the MMC network:
- Using foul or obscene language, posting obnoxious or inappropriate announcements, or making defamatory statements.
- Sending “chain letter,” “spam” or “broadcast” messages to lists or individuals, and other types of use which would cause network congestion or otherwise interfere with the work of others.
- Performing repeated, unsolicited and unwanted communication of an intrusive nature. For example, continuing to send email messages to an individual after being asked to stop.
- Cyber harassment including but not limited to the following misuses of technology: embarrassing, harassing, intimidating, threatening, terrorizing and/or targeting another member of the College community by way of any technological tool, such as sending or posting inappropriate or derogatory email messages, instant messages, text messages, digital pictures or images, or website postings.