Residence Hall Network Policy

Student Policies, Procedures and General Information for Residence Hall Network Connections

UAM provides Internet connections to all student Residence Halls and to the University Apartments.  The IT department assists students in getting connected.  However, the University is not responsible for loss of data nor hardware failures that may occur during this process.

If you are interested in connecting to the UAM network there are several steps you must take.

1. Each student is required to have his/her computer scanned by the IT department to ensure that the computer is free of malware and/or viruses.  The IT department uses several free scanners to assist in this process.
2. Each student is required to have Trend Micro Antivirus installed.  The university provides this free to each student and will assist in the installation.
3. Each student will need to have all operating system software installed prior to arrival on campus.  The IT department encourages each to student to have the latest operating system and service packs installed (currently Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2).
4. Each student is required to have his/her personal firewall enabled and automatic updates turned on.  The IT department will assist with this during the scanning process.
5. Each student is responsible to have all hardware installed and functioning correctly prior to arrival on campus.  The IT department does not provide assistance with hardware issues.

Why we Scan?

 The scanning process allows the IT department to contain and prevent major virus outbreaks.  A single infected computer has the ability to inflict major network problems for all faculty, staff and students.  By scanning each computer added to our campus network, we reduce the risk to your computer from potential infection, loss of data, loss of privacy, and loss of Internet and/or email services.  Last fall we removed over 1,000 infected files from student computers in addition to hundreds of malware programs.  In many cases the students had no antivirus or malware program and were not aware that their computer had been compromised.

We are a community here at UAM in every sense of the word.  The IT department strongly believes that educating students on how to protect there systems is critical to the network community.  By taking these precautions at the beginning of the school year we increase our chances of providing you, the student user, a productive academic environment.

Policies

Failure to adhere to the policies listed below may result in the loss of your Internet connection, as well as, possible University disciplinary and/or legal action.

1. Students must take full responsibility for his/her own equipment and online conduct.  Students must use their network connections in a responsible manner.
2. Under no circumstances should a student change the network settings on his/her PC. Improper settings could affect the operation of the student PC and cause problems for other network users. Only registered computer equipment will be allowed to connect to the UAM network.
3. No FTP servers, WEB servers, hubs, or switches are allowed in student rooms in the Residence Facilities.
4. If a student downloads software that has a virus which corrupts his/her computer, UAM is not responsible.
5. Students may not use applications that consume disproportionate bandwidth, attempt denial-of-service attack(s), probe and/or exploit security holes in other systems, use unauthorized IP addresses, or otherwise degrade or restrict network access for others (either on or off campus).
6. Students may not use network connections to provide any service that is visible off campus (i.e., available on the global Internet). This applies to services such as, but not limited to, HTTP (Web), telnet, FTP, IRC, and email.
7. Students may not configure computers to provide Internet or network/system access to anyone who is not a faculty, staff member or student. Also, you are responsible for what your roommate or friends do with your computer connection to the network.
8. Students may not copy or use any software, images, music, or other intellectual property (such as books or videos) unless you have the legal right to do so. Unauthorized use of software, images, music, or files is regarded as a serious matter and any such use is without the consent of UAM.
9. Each student is required to sign a Residence Hall Network Agreement before connection to the network.  Signing the agreement indicates that the student has read, understands, and agrees to UAM computing policies.

Things you should know

Many peer to peer file sharing activities violate copyright law.  You should be aware that, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) (http://www.riaa.com/) has filed thousands of subpoenas requesting information from colleges and universities about the identities of students engaged in illegal sharing of music online.  Students engaging in the unauthorized download, reproduction, or distribution of any copyrighted material including music, video, live performance, text, or images may be personally sued, liable for large settlements, and possible criminal prosecution.   Be advised that if served, UAM would be compelled to comply with such requests, and will not accept any financial liability, nor provide legal representation for violators. Changes in rulings of recent court cases, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and recent subpoenas and lawsuits are all evidence that copyright owners intend to actively pursue violators.

Software programs that are typically used to enable unauthorized distribution of copyrighted works include but are not limited to Kazaa, Gnutella, Audiogalaxy, Bittorrent, Edonkey, Kontiki, PeerEnabler, LimeWire, Directconnect and WinMX.  Since it is possible to use these file sharing products to perform legal downloads of digital material, how do you know if the material is unauthorized?  Simple rule of thumb, if you haven't paid for the material, and the artist has not authorized the material for free downloading, it is not legal to download or share it.

For information on Computer Security please follow this link http://www.uamont.edu/InformationTechnology/securityinfo.htm.