lab policies

Career and Semester Account
Laboratory Usage Guidelines and Policies

Approved by the College of Technology Network Policy Committee
Effective: February 6th, 1998
Revision 1.1

Technology Computer Network provides each student classified as a College of Technology major with a College of Technology Network account..   Your account will be active throughout your College of Technology career. This account is provided solely for the support of your own College of Technology coursework. This account may be used for other purposes provided usage complies with software and facilities policies outlined in this document.

Please take the time to read the following policies and fully understand them.  These guidelines and policies govern all computing laboratories in the College of Technology.  Many computing laboratories also contain other non-computing equipment and individual departments may impose additional usage guidelines.

Computer Usage Policies

1. Career accounts are issued for use only by the student to whom the account is assigned. Accounts are joint property of Technology Computer Network and the host department and shall not be loaned to another individual under any circumstances. – your instructors cannot override this policy!
2. Any software needed for completion of College of Technology courses is provided by Technology Computer Network. Accordingly, the use of software not provided by Technology Computer Network is prohibited.
3. Any attempt to copy software that is property of Technology Computer Network or a host department will result in prosecution.  See Copyright Law.
4. Your account may grant you access to the Internet. Some services and materials available on the Internet do not have significant educational value. You may not use the Internet to access or download any sexually-oriented material. Also, you may not download any software that may be copyrighted or licensed. Failure to use the Internet responsibly may result in the termination of both Internet and College of Technology network privileges.
5. Your account may have electronic mail (e-mail) privileges. E-mail should be used for the purposes intended: important, necessary and meaningful communication between people. You should not use E-mail for frivolous, annoying, harassing, or trivial purposes (i.e. flaming or public forum uses). Failure to use E-mail responsibly may result in the loss of E-mail and College of Technology Network privileges.

Laboratory Usage Policies and Guidelines

1. Any attempt to modify, delete, add-to, or otherwise render a College of Technology workstation unusable is prohibited.
2. Food, drinks, chewing tobacco, or smoking are NOT permitted in the College of Technology computing laboratories.
3. In order to provide a productive and professional environment for all users disruptive behavior, game playing, or viewing of inappropriate material will not be tolerated.
4. If you forget your password on your Technology semester account, file a password change request in the TCN Office (Knoy 295).   Note: Turnaround time for a forgotten password is a minimum of one day. You will be asked to provide a valid student ID before the request will be accepted.
5. Using laboratory printers to print multiple copies of documents is prohibited. There are many places on campus and in the surrounding area where copies may be made.

Any violations of the preceding laboratory policies may result in the revocation of ALL lab rights. Laboratory access is a privilege and should be treated as such. Some activities may be forwarded to the Dean of Students and could end your career at Purdue.

It should be noted that your College of Technology instructors are not obligated or encouraged to extend any homework or project deadlines caused by suspension of your College of Technology Network account for a violation of any of the above policies.

Technology Computer Network or a host department employs paid consultants after business hours and they are instructed to enforce these regulations. They do have authority to ask a student to leave a laboratory if they do not comply with the above regulations.

It is the student’s responsibility to manage, maintain, and backup files located on their home directory. In most cases, a previous semester’s work should be archived to diskette or other removable media to make room for the next semester’s work. While the data stored on the College of Technology network servers is backed up regularly, there is no guarantee for the retrieval of student based data. If you wish to request a file(s) for restoration, please file a restoration request form available in the TCN Office.

Copyright Law

The copyright law is clear. The copyright holder is given certain exclusive rights, including the right to make and distribute copies. Title 17 of the U.S. Code states that "it is illegal to make or distribute copies of copyrighted material without authorization" (Section 106). The only exception is the user’s right to make a backup copy for archival purposes (Section 117).

Software creates unique problems because it is so easy to duplicate, and the copy is usually as good as the original. This fact, however, does not legitimize piracy. The copyright law makes no distinction between duplicating software for sale or for free distribution. The law protects the exclusive rights of the copyright holder and does not give the users the right to copy software unless a backup copy is not provided by the manufacturer. Unauthorized duplication of software is a Federal crime. Penalties include fines of as much as $50,000, and jail terms of up to five years. Although software is a new medium of intellectual property, its protection is grounded in the long-established rules that govern other more familiar media, such as records, books, and films.

Software piracy may hurt smaller software publishers more than larger ones. The software industry is filled with new and innovative developers that are trying to break into a crowded market. They can only survive if their products are purchased. Each theft makes staying in business that much harder.

Use of Software by Schools

Educational institutions are not exempt from copyright laws. To the contrary, because of their unique position of influence, schools must remain committed to upholding copyright laws. Just as it would be wrong to buy one textbook and photocopy it for use by other students, it is wrong for a school to duplicate software without authority from the manufacturer.

Some people claim that software publishers should allow schools to copy programs because it is the only way some school systems can afford to provide enough software for their students. We can respond by pointing out that software is no different from any other product or service required by a school. Schools purchase books, audio-visual equipment and classroom furniture, and they pay a fair price for them. Newer and better software can be developed only if the software development team receives a fair price for its efforts.

Many software firms offer special sales, grant, and gift arrangements to schools. These include discounts for additional copies of programs, reduced-price lab packs (a quantity of programs sold together) and site license agreements (an arrangement that allows a school to copy for a specific location at a fixed price). Schools should make every effort to uphold the law, because it is by their example that students will learn respect for intellectual property.