Computer Use Policy

In using the UCCS network, you ("You") hereby agree to comply with the terms and conditions of this UCCS Network Acceptable Use Guidelines (the "Use Guidelines").

1.        Generally Prohibited Conduct.

You agree not to use the UCCS network:

a.         for any activity that violates any international, federal, state, agency, or local law or regulation or any person's rights, including, without limitation, by posting or transmitting child pornography or obscene material, engaging in fraudulent activity, or by accessing, using, copying, modifying, transmitting, or downloading material in violation of the U.S. Copyright laws;

b.        to post or transmit any information or material that: infringes any person's copyright, trademark, trade secret, patent or other proprietary rights; is defamatory, libelous, offensive, threatening, abusive, pornographic, sexually explicit, profane, or otherwise is unacceptable or inappropriate in UCCS’s sole discretion; constitutes or encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, gives rise to civil liability or otherwise would violate the law; or contains a virus or other harmful component; or is false regarding You;

c.         to achieve or attempt to achieve any unauthorized access to any computer, cable or telecommunications system, network, software, data, information, or any other proprietary material, or to breach or attempt to breach the security of another user, or to distribute or use tools designed to compromise the security of any system or network. This includes port scanning, port probes, and direct connection attempts to a service or system not owned or controlled by You; or

d.        for commercial purposes or personal gain.  It is illegal to use state resources (e.g., UCCS networks) for monetary gain.

e.        to improperly interfere with, inhibit, degrade or restrict the use of the UCCS network by others or UCCS’s ability to deliver the UCCS network to users and to monitor the UCCS network, backbone, network nodes and other aspects of network servicing, including, without limitation, by:

f.         sending excessive data transfers off campus;

g.        interrupting or interfering with the equipment, access, servers or UCCS network used by other users;

h.        disrupting UCCS’s backbone network nodes or network services;

i.          failing to comply with UCCS Information Technology Department’s documentation for accessing the University network; or

j.          modifying or altering in any manner any equipment or equipment configuration, so as to allow its use beyond the design of the UCCS network. This section shall apply to customer provided equipment as well as UCCS equipment and prohibits the installation of hubs, routers, switches, routers, wireless access points, or any other equipment designed to connect multiple pieces of equipment to a single network port.

k.        to run a server of the following types in connection with the UCCS network, or to provide the following network or host services to others via the UCCS network:  PPP, DNS, POP, SMTP, NNTP, PROXY, DHCP, IRC, and multi-user interactive forums, and remapping of ports for the purpose of operating a server on the network;

l.          to run a server of the following types for other than on-campus and personal use:  FTP, HTTP, TELNET, TFTP, and VPN;

m.       to collect email addresses or personal information of other UCCS subscribers or the subscribers of any other network;

n.        to reveal your password or another user’s password of the UCCS network; or

o.        to use the UCCS network, including email, websites, etc., for commercial gain of yourself or any other person or entity without approval of UCCS.

2.        Use of Electronic Mail.

You agree not to use the UCCS network to:

a.        send email or other messages to someone who has indicated that he or she does not want to receive messages from You;

b.         conduct "mail bombings" (e.g., to send more than ten copies of the same or substantially similar message, or with the intent of disrupting a server or account to send very large messages or files);

c.        send or forward chain letters (whether or not the recipient requests it);

d.        use another internet site’s mail server to relay mail without the express permission of the owner of that Internet site; or

e.        forge, alter, or remove any electronic mail header.

f.         Any bulk email must contain instructions for the recipient to request removal from the mailing list. Links and addresses providing such a reply option must be kept current.  Unauthorized use of the UCCS network in connection with the transmission of unsolicited bulk e-mail ("Spam"?), including the transmission of counterfeit e-mail, may result in civil and criminal penalties against the sender, including those provided by the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (18 U.S.C. § 1030 et seq.).

3.        Consequences of Illegal or Unethical Actions.

Actions that are illegal or against UCCS policy will be referred to the appropriate officials. The Information Technology Department's role is to provide technical assistance to the authorities. IT may monitor user activities and access any files or information in the course of performing normal system and network maintenance or while investigating possible violations of laws or policy. Anyone using University resources expressly consents to such monitoring and is advised that if such monitoring reveals possible evidence of criminal activity, IT will provide the evidence to law enforcement officials.

a.        Violations of UCCS policy may result in disciplinary action, including, but not limited to, suspension of access to the network, suspension of email privileges, suspension of computing privileges, suspension or expulsion from the University, suspension or termination of employment, imposition of fines, and referral for legal action.

b.        Any individuals who become aware of inappropriate, unethical, or illegal use of UCCS computing resources, inappropriate content of an individual home page, or any inappropriate electronic communication should notify the Director of Information Technology.

c.        Any illegal activity, particularly those that involve child pornography, will be immediately referred to the Colorado Springs Police Department.

d.        During the investigation of an alleged policy violation, a user's computing and network access may be suspended. UCCS reserves the right to examine a user's recorded and stored information in the course of investigating an alleged policy violation.