Mathematics Department Computer Account Policy

The following categories of people are eligible for an account on departmental facilities:

Regular Members of the department, i.e., faculty, adjunct faculty, staff, graduate students, undergraduate students, and official visitors of the department.
Students taking classes taught by members of this department.
Anyone else, upon specific request of a faculty member or a member of the computer staff, subject to approval by the Director of Computing. Such individuals will be provided with a visitor's account. The purpose of that account should be related to mathematics or education in general. The faculty or staff sponsor should be knowledgeable of the account activity and inform the department of significant changes.

Inactive accounts will be disabled after a certain period of inactivity (currently 100 days) and then removed after a certain period (currently 365 days).

The department reserves the right to close or disable any accounts that do not conform to the guidelines listed in the form below which describes particularly how the departmental computing labs should be used.

Account Acceptance Form

The Department of Mathematics administers two Computing Labs, the Undergraduate Computing Lab in Building 129 and the Graduate Computing Lab in JWB 120. This form contains information and instructions for the use of these facilities.

Please read the following policies before accepting the Mathematics Department Account Acceptance Form. By accepting this form you agree to act in accordance with the policies and guidelines of the University of Utah, Department of Mathematics, referred to henceforth as Math. Failure to comply with these policies may result in the termination of your account and/or disciplinary action by the appropriate organization. Math retains the right to change and update these policies as required without notification to the User. Such changes will appear in this file, and will also be posted separately in the Labs.

For the remainder of this document, the term User refers to you, the possessor of an account on the Math computers.

Policies

Accounts and Passwords.

The User guarantees that the Account will not be shared with anyone else. In addition, the Account will only be used for educational purposes. The User will not share the password with anyone. The User will not use an account other than their own.

Do not turn off the machines.

This may damage their disks. They also may not boot properly. If you need help talk to the Lab Assistant.

Storage Space.

Math reserves the right to arbitrarily delete files in any account which is deemed to be using inordinately large amounts of storage space.

Computer Ethics and Etiquette.

The User will not attempt to override or break the security of the Math computers, networks, or machines/networks accessible therefrom. Services associated with the Account will not be used for illegal or improper purposes, including, but not limited to harassment of other users and copyright violations. In addition the User agrees to adhere to the guidelines for the use of the particular computer platform that will be used.

Data Backup, Security, and Disclaimer.

Although Math makes a reasonable attempt to provide data integrity, security, and privacy, Math will not be held liable for the loss or corruption of data as a result of the use and/or misuse of its computing resources (hardware or software) or from any damage that may result from the advice or actions of a consultant or staff member.

The User agrees to pay for any damages caused by the User to University-owned equipment. The User also agrees to be held liable for the improper use of equipment or software and agrees to defend, indemnify and hold Math harmless for any such liability or expenses.

Reserved Periods.

The Undergraduate Computing Lab may be reserved (by teachers) for their classes on a weekly or occasional schedule. Reserved periods are clearly marked in the Lab, and are available online. Special rules apply during these periods. The reserved use takes precedence over individual use, so you may be asked to vacate your workstation if it is needed for the reserved use. Do not ask the teacher running the reserved session for assistance. If you have to talk to the Lab Assistant, please do so without disrupting the reserved session, preferably in the Lab Assistant's office.

Activities.

The Labs are intended as a place for working on University-related projects. If you are playing computer games, or doing non-University related work you may be asked to vacate the machine you are using so that others may use it more productively.

Food and Drink.

The consumption of food or drink is not allowed in the Computer Labs.

Lab Assistants

The Lab Assistants are there to help you. They will be able to answer general questions about the Computing Facilities and help with simple computing tasks. It is not their job to help you with your specific class.

Courtesy.

University Computing Labs are places to work. If you want to have extended conversations, please leave the lab. Keeping noise levels to a minimum will be greatly appreciated by your neighbors. If you are making too much noise or otherwise disturbing others you will be asked to leave. If you are not using a computer, please do not prevent others from using it. In particular, do not leave a screen lock running for more than a few minutes.

The SGI workstations are intended primarily for graphics work, and users with such work have priority.

University of Utah, Department of Mathematics, 155 S 1400 E Rm 233, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0090, USA 801-581-6851, 801-581-4148 (fax) [04-Nov-1997].