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 below which describe particularly how the departmental computing labs should be used.

For the remainder of this document, the term User refers to the possessor of an account on the Math computers. All users are bound by this Computer Account Policy.

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.

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.