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Technology Acceptable Use Policy

Policy owner: Information and Planning
Review cycle: Every two years, or upon significant change in law, technology, or operations
Contact: Information and Planning Help Desk, (815) 835-6229, help@svcc.edu

Table of Contents

 

1. Purpose

Sauk Valley Community College provides technology resources to advance its educational mission, support its programs, and serve the campus community. This policy sets expectations for responsible and acceptable use of those resources and identifies activities that violate those expectations.

The examples of violations in this policy are illustrative, not exhaustive, and will evolve with technology. If you are unsure whether a use is permitted, contact Information and Planning before proceeding.

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2. Scope

This policy applies to everyone who uses SVCC technology resources, whether students, employees, or third parties such as trustees, alumni, affiliated organizations, and guests. It applies whenever SVCC systems, networks, accounts, or data are involved, whether on campus or remote and whether the device is College-owned or personal.

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3. Definitions

  • Technology resources: All computing and communications systems and services owned, licensed, or contracted by the College, including computing facilities, wired and wireless networks, telecommunications, servers, cloud services, equipment, software, applications, information resources, printing and scanning services, and College accounts and credentials.
  • Institutional data: Any data created, collected, or maintained in connection with College operations, regardless of format or where it is stored.
  • User: Anyone who uses or is authorized to use SVCC technology resources.

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4. General Principles

  1. Access to SVCC technology resources is a privilege, not a right, and carries an expectation of responsible and acceptable use.
  2. Use of technology resources is also governed by local, state, and federal law and by other College policies, including the student handbook, College catalog, faculty handbook, personnel policies, the Information Security Program, and agreements with affiliated organizations.
  3. Technology resources may not be used for commercial purposes or substantial non-College activities without written authorization from the designated College officer(s). Incidental personal use is permitted provided it does not interfere with job duties or College operations, consume significant resources, or violate this policy. Consistent with Illinois law governing the use of public resources, technology resources may not be used for political campaigning or electioneering.
  4. Monitoring and privacy. The College retains control, custody, and supervision of its technology resources and may monitor and record user activity to maintain network performance, security, and appropriate use. The College does not routinely monitor individual users' activity but reserves the right to do so. Targeted monitoring of an identified individual requires advance approval from the President or a cabinet-level designee, except for automated security systems and incident response, which will be reported to the approving officer. Administrative access to the account of a separated or absent employee for business continuity is not targeted monitoring; it requires the approval of Human Resources and is coordinated by Information and Planning. Users have no expectation of privacy in their use of College technology resources, including email and stored files, whether accessed from College-owned or personal devices. Monitoring applies to activity within College systems, accounts, and networks; the College does not monitor a personal device itself or personal accounts and data outside College resources. As an Illinois public institution, the College's records may also be subject to disclosure under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, subpoena, or litigation hold.
  5. Enforcement. Violations will be handled under the applicable disciplinary process (the Student Code of Conduct for students, personnel procedures for employees) and referred to the appropriate College official. The College may immediately suspend or terminate access where use is disruptive or believed to violate this or other College policies or law, and may restrict access as a sanction. Individuals may also face civil liability and criminal prosecution.
  6. Copyright. The College complies with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and will act in accordance with the Act upon notification of alleged copyright infringement. See the College's Copyright Infringement procedure.

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5. User Responsibilities

All users share responsibility with Information and Planning for maintaining the integrity, security, and availability of College systems, services, and information. Users must:

  1. Use technology resources responsibly, respecting other users' access to systems, services, and information, and complying with posted rules for public computing facilities.
  2. Comply with applicable law, College policy, and license and contractual agreements, and respect the privacy and intellectual property of others, including obligations under FERPA, the Federal Copyright Act, and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.
  3. Maintain their own accounts and associated files, and back up important data using College-approved storage.
  4. Keep any device they connect to the SVCC network secure: run up-to-date anti-malware software, install security updates promptly, and do not install untrusted programs.
  5. Keep credentials secure and personal. Use strong, unique passwords and multi-factor authentication where offered; never share passwords, MFA codes, or access privileges with anyone. Access is non-transferable; anyone else seeking access should contact Information and Planning.
  6. Remain alert to phishing and social engineering, and report suspected phishing or unauthorized account access immediately to Information and Planning at (815) 835-6229; employees should also notify their supervisor.
  7. Store institutional data, particularly personal data of students, staff, or others, only in College-approved systems and services, and share it only with individuals who are authorized to receive it and have a legitimate need for it. Do not place it in unapproved personal cloud accounts, on unencrypted portable media, or in external tools (including generative AI services) not approved for that class of data.
  8. Ensure that any content they publish on College-hosted websites or under the svcc.edu domain complies with College policies and applicable law, and is not used for commercial or non-College purposes without written authorization.
  9. Promptly report lost or stolen devices that contain institutional data or College credentials to Information and Planning.

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6. Examples of Violations of Acceptable Use

Activities listed below may be authorized, in advance and in writing, by Information and Planning for legitimate instructional, research, or security-testing purposes.

6.1 Authorized Access and Accounts

  1. Attempting to obtain unauthorized access to, or circumventing the authentication or security of, any host, network, or account, including accessing data not intended for the user or probing the security of systems or networks.
  2. Supplying false or misleading information to obtain access.
  3. Sharing your account credentials, such as passwords or MFA codes, or logging in to an account that is not yours.
  4. Unauthorized use of the College's registered internet domain names.

6.2 Systems, Networks, and Services

  1. Attacking or interfering with any system, user, or network, whether College or external, including unauthorized security scanning or probing.
  2. Damaging computer systems or knowingly creating or spreading malware.
  3. Modifying the configuration of College technology resources, or deploying servers, wireless access points, or monitoring or data-capture tools, without Information and Planning authorization.
  4. Use that degrades performance or interferes with others' work, such as cryptocurrency mining, large-scale non-academic downloading or streaming, or monopolizing public-access resources.
  5. Unlawful conduct or conduct that violates College policies, including unlawful harassment, discrimination, threats, defamation, stalking, or the display or distribution of obscene material or child sexual abuse material. Child sexual abuse material will be reported to law enforcement.

6.3 Software, Data, and Information

  1. Inspecting, modifying, distributing, or copying software or data without proper authorization, or attempting to do so.
  2. Violating software licensing provisions, or downloading, sharing, or distributing copyrighted material (music, video, software, or other works) without authorization, including through peer-to-peer file sharing.
  3. Installing software on public-access or other College machines without authorization from Information and Planning or the owning department.
  4. Breaching confidentiality obligations, disclosing confidential institutional data to anyone without authorization and a legitimate need for it, or exposing it through unapproved services such as cloud storage, file-sharing platforms, or AI tools.

6.4 Email, Messaging, and Communication Channels

Applies to email, messaging, voice services, and channels such as mailing lists, LMS forums, and collaboration platforms.

  1. Harassing others with messages or calls, including flooding a recipient or system, or continuing to message someone who has asked you to stop.
  2. Sending spam, misusing mailing lists, or posting off-topic content to a channel. Moderation decisions are at the College's discretion.
  3. Propagating scams, fraudulent solicitations, pyramid schemes, or chain messages.
  4. Forging sender identity or message metadata, or impersonating another person or account.

6.5 College-Hosted Websites and Servers

  1. Publishing content on College-hosted websites or under the svcc.edu domain that encourages illegal activity, unlawfully harasses or defames others, or links to content that violates College policy or local, state, or federal law.
  2. Operating websites supporting commercial activity, or running server systems under the College's registered domain name (svcc.edu or any variation), without College authorization.

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7. Reporting

Report suspected security incidents, unauthorized access, phishing, or policy violations to Information and Planning at (815) 835-6229. Employees should also notify their supervisor. Reports involving student conduct may be referred through the Student Code of Conduct process; reports involving employees through personnel procedures. The College prohibits retaliation against anyone who reports a suspected violation in good faith.

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8. Acknowledgment

Users may be required to acknowledge this policy at account creation, at network login, or periodically thereafter. Use of SVCC technology resources constitutes acceptance of this policy.

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9. Related Policies and Law

  • Board Policies
  • Student Code of Conduct
  • Information Security Program
  • Copyright Infringement procedure
  • FERPA procedure
  • Federal Copyright Act (17 U.S.C.)
  • Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act
  • Digital Millennium Copyright Act
  • Illinois Freedom of Information Act
  • Illinois Election Code (restrictions on use of public funds and resources)

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