Principle

The University is committed to the creation of an intellectual environment in which students, staff, and faculty may feel free to collaborate with colleagues both at the University and at other institutions, without fear that the products of their intellectual efforts will be violated by misrepresentation, tampering, destruction and/or theft.

It is also committed to fostering an environment in which students, staff, and faculty may feel free to challenge accepted ideas in a climate of free inquiry and debate.

Purpose

To limit the University's liability as a supplier of computer services to the University community.

Scope

All uses of University Computing Resources at all campuses and other locations of Memorial University.

Definitions

University Computing Resources — Computers, Electronic Devices, networks, data storage, software applications, e-mail addresses, websites, domain names and identities that are either owned or funded (in whole or in part) by the University or by funds administered by the University.

Policy

The University will exercise best practices in conjunction with users' expectations that their legitimate access to information, their authorized use of university-owned and contracted University Computing Resources and their use of any resources connected with their authorized access to services will be protected by the University to a degree that is reasonable and technically feasible.

This commitment to service notwithstanding, the University makes no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding the computing services offered, or their fitness for any particular purpose.

University Computing Resources will be designed to serve the broad base of users in the community, but cannot be expected to meet every specialized need or support extremely specialized requirements.

Users must accept responsibility for their own use of University Computing Resources and the University cannot undertake to shelter users from offensive material or behaviour which they may encounter as a result of their use of University Computing Resources.

All users are expected to refrain from inappropriate use of University Computing Resources [see Appropriate Use of Computing Resources policy].

Users should report cases of apparent inappropriate use to the Information Technology Services or to another appropriate person, such as the person responsible for administering the system in question.

The University will use reasonable efforts to ensure that all responsible steps are taken to protect the privacy of users. In particular, the contents of user accounts will be examined by system administrators only in particular circumstances more fully described in the Appropriate Use of Computing Resources policy or the Computer System Administration Policy, except where a user has permitted more general access. Users should not assume, however, that unencrypted material stored or transmitted on University Computing Resources can be guaranteed to be kept confidential.

Related Documents

Appropriate use of Computing Resources

Procedures:

There are no procedures associated with this policy.