It is the hope and intent of Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute that providing high-quality computing facilities to
its users will allow the Rensselaer community to maintain its
access to all available local, national, and international
information, as well as provide an environment which encourages
both knowledge and the sharing of information.
However, Rensselaer also wishes to stress that each computer
within the campus community acts as a tool which belongs to
someone, be it an individual, an organization, or the Institute
itself; therefore, it is each computer user's responsibility to
be familiar with the particular conditions of use of, and to
abide by, the computing provisions set forth by the
Institute.
As a user of the computing facilities here at Rensselaer,
you should be aware that, while you have specific rights
associated with your computer use authorization, Rensselaer
also expects that you will use that authorization in a
professional and responsible manner.
Please refer all questions or problems to postmaster@rpi.edu.
Specifically, Rensselaer requests that you adhere to the
following computer provisions:
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Use your computer account for educational
purposes only. Rensselaer computing facilities are
not to be used for commercial purposes.
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Keep your password confidential. It may
be tempting to share your password with your best friend or
class project team members, but remember that doing so puts
you at risk. For example, anyone having access to your
password may also use the Student Information System (SIS) to
find out your class grades or credit card information, or run
up large printings bills from your account.
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Therefore, to avoid the chance of these things
happening, change your password frequently, and use other
means to share your files.
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Give others a fair chance to use the
resources. Remember, there are many other users on
this campus who have as much right to the resources as you
do. Therefore, be considerate of other users' computer needs,
and avoid resource "hogging." Basically, remember that you
may be in a position at some time when you would like to have
access to a machine, and just think how you would feel if an
inconsiderate user was "hogging" a machine you could
use.
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Be yourself. Specifically, use your own
userid when sending electronic mail to others; trying to
disguise your identity by using another person's userid could
qualify as falsifying information and could therefore be
grounds for disciplinary action.
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Keep privates private. Currently, a
number of File Transfer Protocol (FTP) sites exist which
allow users to access and copy sexually explicit and other
potentially offensive files to their home directories.
Rensselaer, by right, cannot forbid users from obtaining
these files. However, since it is nearly impossible to avoid
seeing large images displayed on other users' computer
screens, Rensselaer considers the display of such material
within its labs to be public display, and therefore creates a
hostile working environment which violates Rensselaer's
policy regarding sexual harassment. In addition, the practice
of publicly displaying sexually explicit or other similarly
offensive material is a Class A misdemeanor under Penal Law
245.11. Therefore, we request that you view such material
elsewhere to avoid offending others.
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Exercise caution. Occasionally, computer
users will leave temptingly attractive files lying around on
the network; these programs, known as "trojan horses," may
outwardly appear to have a legitimate and advertised
purpose--such as letting you play a certain game--but
remember that programs such as this may have been put there
with malicious intent, and running them may unobtrusively
cause some serious harm to your account, such as deleting all
your files.
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So, in short, be careful. If you happen to come across
something on the network that looks tempting but which
you're unsure of, don't run the risk of falling victim to a
"trojan horse." Instead, report your findings to by e-mail
to postmaster@rpi.edu.
For immediate assistance, you can go to the Help Desk in
the VCC.
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Leave the chain mail to the Middle Ages.
Chain letters may sound like a cool thing to send on the
system, but in reality, they do little more than up take
space on the system...and waste your time! So if you ever
consider starting up an on-line chain letter, please...think
twice. And if you ever receive a chain letter on the system,
just ignore it. The system--and anyone else to whom you might
have considered passing the letter on --will thank you for
it.
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Respect other sites' computing
facilities. Remember, while Rensselaer allows you to
connect to a host of other computing facilities, the computer
users at other educational, commercial, and governmental
sites--whether they be local, nation-wide, or
world-wide--have as much right to reliable computing
facilities and accurate information as you do here.
Therefore, please do not misuse any other sites' facilities
or attempt to modify any sites' system hardware or
software.
A Reminder...
Rensselaer wishes to remind you that, while we will do
everything we can to provide you with the best quality
computing facilities, it is also your responsibility to ensure
that your computing experience here at Rensselaer is a
productive and enjoyable one.
If at any time, even after taking all the precautions that
you can, you still feel that your rights as a computer user on
this campus are being violated, or if you are aware of other
computer users who are misusing or abusing the computer
facilities, please report the problem to your system
administrator, or to the appropriate Rensselaer official, such
as the Dean of Students. The sooner the proper authorities
become aware of these problems, the sooner we can investigate
the incidents and remedy the situation.
Thank you for your cooperation...and happy computing!
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