Sarah Lawrence College provides computer resources to students, faculty, and staff for academic purposes and for their use on college business. The College has established standards and policies for the acceptable use of these resources and expects users to be familiar with and honor them.
In order to maintain a computing environment which best serves the needs and protects the welfare of both individuals and the academic community, the college regulates access to and use of college-owned computing resources. These resources include connections to the college network, access by means of college-sponsored communication links, and access to computing resources located off campus.
Access to computers and computing resources is a privilege granted by the college to its students, faculty, and employees unless such access is suspended or denied for cause. Access to some computer programs, features, information, and networks may require a written request. Access to information that is private or confidential, as determined by the owner or by the college, may be restricted.
Acceptable Behavior
Because computing systems have such great power, activities that might seem at first to be merely mischievous can harm the entire college community and beyond. Any unauthorized access or interference with system functionality is unacceptable. Guidelines such as those established in the Student Handbook, Faculty Handbook, and Human Resources Policies and Procedures apply to the use of computing resources, as do community standards of consideration for others and the primacy of Sarah Lawrence’s educational mission. Federal, state and local laws, regulations, and judicial decisions also apply.
In general, any uses of Sarah Lawrence College’s computer facilities which infringe on another individual’s right to privacy, adversely affect the user community, or are not allowed under the terms of our software licenses, are prohibited. Examples of prohibited uses include, but are not limited to:
- Accessing or using a password-protected computer account assigned to another person
- Hiding your identity or using someone else’s identity in electronic communications
- Sharing a password to a protected account with another person
- Any deliberate act which denies or interferes with the access and use rights of others
- Unauthorized access or attempts to access data, computer systems and/or networks on or off the college’s campus (hacking)
- Intentional damage to hardware, software, security devices or codes
- Intentional creation or distribution of viruses, worms or other forms of electronic mayhem
- Commercial activities, such as development of software for sale, work undertaken to support any company, or other contracted work
- Use of deliberately offensive language or other communication which has the effect of harassing or intimidating another person as guided by existing harassment policy
- Violations of copyright/civil law, including but not limited to the copying, storing, displaying, or distributing copyrighted material using college systems or networks without the express permission of the copyright owner, except as otherwise allowed under the copyright law. Under the Federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, repeat infringements of copyright by a user can result in termination of the user’s access to college systems and networks. For more information, see "Copyright Information" on Security and Other Policies FAQs.
- While recreational use of computing facilities is not prohibited, all such use is of lowest priority. If there is contention for access, games and other recreational uses are prohibited. The use of video games and other software that produces sounds, or is by other means disruptive to others, is prohibited in public facilities.
See more security and other policies.