Durham Technical Community College provides a variety of computing resources to faculty, staff, students, and (in limited cases) community residents.  The appropriate use of these resources, including personal computers, servers, networks, data sets, printers, Internet and Intranet access, and software are the subject of this policy.  Restrictions or limits placed on use of college computing resources are intended to protect the resources as well as the integrity of the networks and to comply with appropriate policies, laws, and regulations.  Individual users of college computing resources must acknowledge consent to abide by this policy in order to use the college’s computing resources.

The College’s Rights
The college owns or leasesthe computers and owns the internal computer networks used on campus.  The college has rights to the software and information residing on, developed on, or licensed for these computers and networks.  The college exercises its rights to and does continuously administer, protect, support, and monitor this collection of computers, software, and networks.  The college also exercises its rights to and does continuously establish and uphold rigorous standards for ensuring the security, privacy, bandwidth integrity, and data integrity on its computing systems as it deems appropriate.  Furthermore, the college reserves its rights as well as exercises its rights to determine the nature and extent of access to computer resources; deny access to computer systems and networks; limit access to certain sites, materials, and programs; and determine who may connect a device to college computer systems as well as designate the specifications for such a device.

The Individual’s Responsibilities

1. Use college computing resources for instruction, research, learning, and administrative purposes only. Durham Tech’s computers and networks are for uses consistent with the college’s mission.  They may not be used for outside business projects or personal activities.  This policy also expressly prohibits the use of college computing resources for the intentional accessing, viewing, browsing, downloading, posting, or sending of pornographic or sexually explicit material or images.
2. Respect licensing and copyright laws. All software installed on or used on Durham Tech computers must be legally licensed for use on the college premises.  Copyrighted software should not be copied from computers on campus or installed on campus computers not legally licensed for their use.  Licenses for college-purchased software will be kept on file in the Information Technology Services Department (ITSD).  All other software licenses that faculty and staff obtain must be maintained by that user and produced upon request for verification.  This includes licenses for all software including but not limited to freeware, shareware, and complimentary software provided to college employees. Students are not allowed to load software on college computers unless they are under the direction of a faculty or staff member.
3. Maintain secure passwords. Account passwords must not be shared with anyone, unless directed by faculty for instructional needs.  Employees and students should use valid passwords that include at least one non-letter character and should change passwords at least every four months.
4. Protect college computer facilities. Users must abide by all federal and state laws governing computer use.1   Users must not attempt to evade, disable, or “crack” passwords or other security provisions.  Also, users must not knowingly install any virus or destructive computer program onto campus computers.
5. Use computer resources in an acceptable manner.
6. Durham Technical Community College computing resources must not be used for any purpose which is not consistent with the mission of the college; which is illegal, dishonest, or potentially damaging to the reputation of the college; or which may subject the college to liability.  Unacceptable uses of college computing resources include, but are not limited to, the following:
   • Destruction of or damage to equipment, software, or data belonging to Durham Technical Community College or to other individuals or entities;
   • Disruption or unauthorized monitoring of electronic communications and electronically stored information;
   • Disabling or overloading (or attempting to disable or overload) any system or network;
   • Infringement of copyright or trademark laws or rights of others (e.g. downloading or distributing pirated software, video, music, or data)
   • Violation of computer system security, including but not limited to the unauthorized use of computer accounts, access codes, or network identification numbers and email addresses assigned to others;
   • Unauthorized access to Durham Technical Community College’s information systems, Intranet, or networked computers;
   • Use of computer communications facilities in ways that unnecessarily impede or disrupt the computing activities of other college users;
   • Intentional downloading or propagating the distribution of computer viruses, trojan horses, timebombs, worms, or other forms of destructive rogue programs;
   • Posting, sending, storing, or intentionally accessing pornographic, obscene, or sexually explicit material or images;
   • Posting personal messages or sending mass electronic messages for such purposes as selling, making solicitations to sell, communicating about partisan political activities, or distributing “junk” email such as chain letters or spam;
   • Academic or intellectual dishonesty;
   • Violation of software license agreements or copyright laws;
   • Recreational use such as peer to peer .mpg file sharing (e.g. music or video downloads);
   • Violation of network usage policies and regulations;
   • Posting, sending, or intentionally accessing material that is inconsistent or inappropriate to the mission of the college;
   • Violation of privacy;
   • Harassment;
   • Libel or slander;
   • Fraud or misrepresentation; and
   • Use of Durham Technical Community College’s logo without prior approval.

Other Limitations and Warnings

1. Various limits may be imposed on college computing resources and systems. Users must abide by any limits set.
2. Privacy when using computing resources and systems is not guaranteed. While technical and administrative policies are in place for the protection of computer information, computer data security is never perfect. Please be aware of the following:
   • Unauthorized computer users may be able to breach security restrictions and gain access to your files.
   • Misdirected email is not uncommon. Your email messages may be seen by unintended recipients at Durham Tech or elsewhere on the Internet. If email is considered confidential, the information should be communicated by other means.
   • Systems administrators and other college employees may require access to files on any Durham Tech computers to perform audits or resolve technical problems.
   • The college reserves the right to monitor email transmission over its internal computer network. Legal mandates regarding confidentiality will be observed by computer staff when accessing data files.
3. Computer users are responsible for backing up their own data files unless told that backup services are provided for their system and their files are being backed up.

Sanctions
Anyone violating this appropriate use policy is subject to the college’s student code of conduct, the employees’ due process policy, and criminal complaint or civil action for damages.  More specifically, any student, employee, or individual willfully engaging in any activity with intent to interfere with, degrade, monopolize, or compromise the campus network, network security, or any of its components shall be subject to disciplinary action to include suspension, expulsion, termination from employment, and/or prosecution.

¹1It is a violation of federal and/or state criminal statutes for a person to knowingly access, or attempt to access, a computer, computer system, computer network or any part thereof, for the purpose of (i) devising or executing any scheme or artifice to defraud; (ii) services by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises; (iii) obtaining unauthorized access; (iv) altering, damaging, or destroying either computer hardware, software, or data; (v) directing or causing without proper authorization the denial of computer system services to any authorized user of such computer system services; (vi) transmitting a computer virus with the intent to cause damage; (vii) transmitting without proper authorization a program, information, code, or command with reckless disregard of a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the transmission will cause damage; or (viii) trafficking in passwords with the intent to defraud.  In many cases such violations are felonies and carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison [18 U.S.C. 1030; N.C. General Statutes 14-453 to 14-456].

Source: 2008 Catalog and Student Handbook

Purpose of the Student Grievance Procedure
The faculty and staff at Durham Technical Community College attempt, in good faith, to resolve complaints and problems as they arise. However, if a matter remains unresolved, the purpose of the student grievance procedure is to provide a system to resolve student complaints against faculty and staff. This procedure applies to all student complaints, including those about parking tickets to those involving claims of discrimination on the basis of age, race, ethnicity, sex, or disability. Claims of sexual harassment or claims concerning academic matters (such as grades) must be resolved using other procedures. Please refer to the college's Sexual Harassment Policy concerning the former and the Academic Appeals Procedure concerning the latter. These additional procedures are included in this Catalog (see Index for page number).

Procedure
The student may elect to seek assistance from staff in Counseling and Student Development at the beginning or during any step in the grievance process. Counseling and Student Development staff serve as advocates for students by helping provide advice and counsel on the proper procedures associated with filing and resolving grievances; helping students identify specific issues involved in grievance complaints; and assisting in developing approaches, including written grievances, for students to pursue their grievances within the spirit and intent of the student grievance procedures. Should the complaint involve a claim of discrimination on the basis of age, race, ethnicity, sex, or disability, the counselor will contact the affirmative action officer of the college to act as an advisor to the counselor throughout the resolution of the student's concern.

First Step
The student must go to the instructor or staff member where the alleged problem originated. An attempt will be made to resolve the matter equitably and informally at this level. The conference must take place within seven working days of the incident that generated the complaint.

Second Step
If the grievance is not resolved through the informal conference, the student may file a written letter of grievance. The student should contact either the vice president for Instructional Services, for Student Support Services, or for Institutional Support Services, depending upon which vice president is the supervisor of the employee against whom the grievance would be filed. The vice president will explain the grievance process to the student. The student must present a completed grievance letter to the appropriate vice president within seven working days after satisfying the first step in the grievance process. The vice president will review the complaint and determine if the complaint is grievable. If the issue is determined by the vice president to not be grievable, the vice president will notify the student of this decision in writing within seven working days. If the issue is determined by the vice president to be grievable, the vice president will refer the grievance to the immediate supervisor involved. The supervisor from the department involved shall respond in writing to the student within seven working days of receipt of the student's grievance letter. Should the complaint involve a claim of discrimination on the basis of age, race, ethnicity, sex, or disability, the vice president will contact the affirmative action officer of the college to act as an advisor to the vice president throughout the resolution of the student's concern.

Third Step
If the written statement of the supervisor does not satisfy the grievant, a request to appear before a grievance committee may be made. The student must submit a written request within seven working days after receiving the written response of the supervisor. The request shall include a copy of the original grievance letter and the reason the supervisor's response is unsatisfactory. A copy of the supervisor's response must be attached to the request by the student. The vice president shall ensure that a grievance hearing committee is appointed in a manner consistent with the Student Grievance Hearing Committee section of this procedure. The vice president will send copies of the appeal to the members of the committee, the employee, and the employee's supervisor. The employee against whom the grievance was filed shall be given an opportunity to respond in writing to the chairperson of the committee. Meeting(s) shall be conducted between 7 and 15 working days following the date of the request. A postponement may be granted by the chairperson upon written request of either party if the reason stated justifies such action. The committee shall hold interviews with the grievant, the employee, and the supervisor, singularly, and in the absence of other witnesses. The committee may interview any additional witnesses that it considers necessary to render a fair decision. The committee shall serve as a fact-finding group and shall determine the facts of the case. Upon completion of all meetings, the committee shall make a recommendation to the appropriate vice president. The chairperson shall forward a copy of the committee's recommendation to all parties involved and to the vice president within two working days of the decision. The vice president will weigh the committee's recommendation, review all other pertinent information, and render a decision regarding the grievance. The vice president shall communicate a decision in writing to all involved parties within seven working days of receiving the committee's recommendation.

Fourth Step
Either party may request in writing that the president review the vice president's decision within seven working days of the vice president's decision. The president shall review the previous findings, conduct whatever additional inquiries are deemed necessary, and render a final decision within seven working days of receipt of the request.

The Student Grievance Hearing Committee
The president may appoint a standing Student Grievance Hearing Committee from which the vice presidents may select individuals to form an ad hoc committee for each individual grievance. The committee shall include broad-based representation from the campus community and shall include at least one student.

Rights of Parties Involved in a Grievance
When a grievance committee meeting is scheduled, the parties involved are entitled to the following:

1. A written notice of the complaint;
2. A written notice of the time and place of the meeting;
3. A review of all documentation evidence that each party presents at the meeting;
4. Access to the names of the witnesses who may testify;
5. Appearance in person and presentation of information on his or her behalf, including the calling of witnesses and asking questions of any person present at the meeting; and
6. The right to counsel, with the role of the person acting as counsel being solely as advisor to the client and not as a speaker on behalf of the client.

Source: 2008 Catalog and Student Handbook