|
In accordance with its mission to disseminate and extend knowledge, to foster the free
exchange of ideas, and to provide effective support for its teaching, research and public
service functions, it is the policy of the University of Wisconsin System to afford broad
access to information technology resources(1) for university(2) students, faculty and staff for use in fulfilling the university's
missions, and for appropriate university-related activities.
Access to information technology resources carries with it the responsibility for
ensuring that the use of these resources is primarily for university purposes and
university-related activities, and for maintaining the integrity and security of the
university's computing facilities. In the interest of making the use of information
technology resources a natural part of the day-to-day work of all members of the
university community, incidental personal use is tolerated. However, one should use
non-university sources of email, internet access and other information technology services
for activities of an extensive or recurring nature that are not related to university
purposes. For the security of the information technology system, individuals having access
to information technology resources must take reasonable care to ensure that unauthorized
persons are not able to use their access to the system.
Information technology resources are a dynamic mechanism for the free exchange of
knowledge, and it is desirable for the university to foster the robust dialogue that
results from the use of the resource, and to encourage students, faculty and staff to
participate in that dialogue. Those exchanges that reflect the ideas, comments and
opinions of individual members of the university community must, however, be distinguished
from those that represent the official positions, programs and activities of the
university. Students, faculty and staff using information technology resources for
purposes of exchanging, publishing or circulating official university documents(3) must follow institutional requirements concerning appropriate
content and style.
The university is not responsible for the content of documents, exchanges or messages,
including links to other information locations on the Internet or World Wide Web, that
reflect only the personal ideas, comments and opinions of individual members of the
university community, even where they are published or otherwise circulated to the public
at large by means of university information technology resources.
During times when they are away from the UW institution where they are enrolled,
students may benefit from the ability to use the information technology resources of
another UW campus. To the extent possible with available resources, each UW System
institution should allow access to its information technology resources by student taking
distance education and other courses from other UW System institutions.
The university's information technology resources are, by nature, finite. All members
of the university community must recognize that certain uses of university information
technology resources may be limited for reasons related to the capacity or security of the
university's information technology systems, or as required for fulfilling the
university's primary teaching, research and public service missions.
No information technology resources can absolutely guarantee the privacy or
confidentiality of electronic documents. UW institutions should, however, take reasonable
precautions to protect electronic documents containing private and confidential
information, and to assure persons using university information technology resources to
transmit email or electronic documents that the university will not seek access to their
messages or documents except where necessary to:
-
Meet the requirements of the Wisconsin Public Records Law, or other statutes, laws or
regulations;(4)
-
Protect the integrity of the university's information technology resources, and the
rights and other property of the university;
-
Allow system administrators to perform routine maintenance and operations, and respond
to emergency situations; or
-
Protect the rights of individuals working in collaborative situations where information
and files are shared.
UW System institutions may choose to establish more detailed procedures for determining
when access to electronic documents will be sought by the institution. As encryption
products become more readily available, institutions may also wish to make them available
to information technology users as appropriate to protect privacy interests.
In addition to the general principles set forth in this policy, the use of information
technology resources may be affected by a number of other legal and ethical principles.
While it is not possible to list all potentially applicable laws and regulations, the
following are particularly likely to have implications for the use of university
information technology resources:
-
Ethical standards of conduct for the appropriate use of one's university position and
university resources are established for faculty and academic staff in Chapter UWS 8,
Wisconsin Administrative Code, and for classified staff in Chapter Pers 24, Wisconsin
Administrative Code.
-
Chapters UWS 14 and 17, Wisconsin Administrative Code, establish standards and
disciplinary processes relating to academic and nonacademic misconduct by students,
including prohibitions on disruption of university activities, damage to university
facilities, harassment and similar matters.
-
Chapter UWS 18, Wisconsin Administrative Code, governs conduct on university lands, and
applies to all members of the university community. Chapter UWS 21, Wisconsin
Administrative Code, regulates the use of university facilities.
-
Section 943.70, Wisconsin Statues, defines and prohibits certain computer crimes.
-
Chapter 11, Wisconsin Statues, restricts the use of state facilities for political
activities by state employees.
-
The federal copyright law applies to materials published or circulated through the use
of computing resources.
-
The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act restricts access to personally
identifiable information from students' education records.
Students, faculty and staff are responsible for understanding and observing these and
all other applicable policies, regulations and laws in connection with their use of the
university's information technology resources.
In order to assist members of the university community in fulfilling their
responsibilities with respect to use of information technology resources, each UW
institution shall disseminate this policy, together with guidance as to any specific
campus policies affecting the use of information technology resources.
Failure to adhere to the provisions of this policy may result in the suspension or loss
of access to university information technology resources, appropriate disciplinary action
as provided under existing procedures applicable to students, faculty and staff, or civil
or criminal prosecution.
To preserve and protect the integrity of information technology resources, there may be
circumstances where the university must immediately suspend or deny access to the
resources. Should a student's access be suspended under these circumstances, the
university shall inform the student immediately and shall afford the student an
opportunity to respond. The university shall then determine whether disciplinary action
under Chapter UWS 17, Wisconsin Administrative Code, or some alternative course of action,
is warranted and shall follow the procedures established for such cases.
-
Information technology resources include computers, software, email
accounts, Internet access and similar computing tools.
-
"University" is used in this document to refer to the
University of Wisconsin System and its institutions.
-
Official university documents are those which purport to speak for
the university and its official programs and departments, such as policy documents,
official forms, curriculum information, institutional statistics, and departmental home
pages on the World Wide Web.
-
The electronic records of university employees are subject to
disclosure in accordance with the Wisconsin Public Records Law. Student records, including
electronic documents, are protected against disclosure by the Family and Educational
Rights and Privacy Act, which restricts access to personally identifiable information from
students' education records.
|
