Lower Columbia College (LCC) provides information technology resources to support faculty, staff, students, and members of the College community. These resources are available to support LCC’s academic and administrative goals. The use of these resources to advance those goals takes priority. Internet service is provided by the K-20 Education Network for educational purposes consistent with the educational mission of LCC. This Acceptable Use Agreement (AUA) is intended to protect the integrity and usability of these resources and to ensure their availability for both education and college business.
Users of LCC's IT resources agree to comply with applicable state, federal and local laws, Washington Administrative Code (WAC), including the Code of Student Conduct, and LCC policies and procedures. The College's general policies apply to the use of IT resources just as they apply in all other College settings. This agreement supplements existing policies and procedures such as those that address ethical issues including academic dishonesty, copyright infringement, harassment, and plagiarism.
This agreement applies to students and guests who access or use LCC's IT resources. The access and use of LCC’s IT resources provides acknowledgment and consent to follow all the rules and guidelines contained in this agreement.
Hacked - A computer or device is considered hacked if it has been accessed or used without the owner’s approval, or had its security features bypassed, or its operation otherwise compromised.
IT Resources - IT resources include but are not limited to computer hardware and software; electronic mobile devices; telecommunications, video and data networks; internet and cloud services; and electronically stored data. Use of these resources includes access from both on- and off-campus, as well as access from personal computers and electronic devices.
Pirating - The illegal copying or sharing of files or digital content that are protected by Copyright Law such as software programs, music, movies, games, etc.
Spamming - Inappropriately sending mass emails either to distribution lists or to individuals, or posting messages to multiple newsgroups.
Sexually Explicit Material - Sexually explicit material is defined in RCW 9.68.130, but exempts authorized study and research in the areas of art, health, and science.
The College’s IT resources are shared resources. Any activity that inhibits or interferes with the use of these resources by others is not permitted. Any use of these resources deemed inconsistent with the mission and purpose of the College is considered a violation of this agreement. Such activities include, but are not limited to, activities listed below.
The College email system is not a secure communications system. Users cannot expect privacy. By using the College email system, each user acknowledges:
Transferring copyrighted materials to or from any system, or via the College network, without the express consent of the owner of the copyrighted material is prohibited. Federal copyright law applies to all forms of information, including electronic communications. Users should be aware that copyright infringement includes the unauthorized copying, displaying, and/or distributing of copyrighted material. All such works, including those available electronically, should be considered protected by copyright law unless specifically stated otherwise.
Illegal file sharing (also called “pirating”) falls under Copyright Law. Acts of piracy are violations of state and federal laws, and as such, may result in criminal charges. Illegal file sharing includes software programs, music, movies, games, and other digital files. Even if you are not aware that files you share are copyrighted, you may still be held legally responsible. There are legal alternatives to access copyrighted material. Educause maintains a list of legal options at educause.edu/legalcontent.
Lower Columbia College complies with all provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Any use of the College network, email system, or website to transfer copyrighted material including, but not limited to, software, text, images, audio, and video is strictly prohibited.
Users should not assume or expect any right of privacy with respect to the use of the College’s IT resources. Although LCC does not routinely monitor the communication of its employees or students, the College does monitor both data access and network use and maintains access logs, traffic reports and other data to ensure the stability, reliability, and security of its IT resources.
Authorized college employees may access or examine files or accounts that are suspected of unauthorized use or misuse, that have been corrupted or damaged, or that may threaten the integrity of the College’s IT resource. Files, email, access logs, and any other electronic records may be subject to search under court order.
Students are responsible for all activities to and from their access accounts. Students must take reasonable precautions to protect access to their accounts, including using a secure password. Students must keep their passwords confidential and must not share passwords with anyone. Under no circumstances should a student allow someone else to share access to their account.
Students are responsible for taking reasonable precautions to secure and protect the integrity of their personal computers, mobile devices, and portable storage devices. In cases where a computer is "hacked," the student shall either shut down the system or remove it from the College network as soon as possible to minimize potential damage and to stop the attack from spreading.
Students are responsible for reporting misuse or suspected misuse of College IT resources, including unauthorized access to their personal equipment and accounts.
Violations of this Acceptable Use Agreement should be reported immediately to the Vice President of Student Services at (360) 442-2420 or to the IT Services department at (360) 442-2250. The College will make every effort to maintain confidentiality to the extent possible consistent with other obligations.
Violations of this agreement will result in appropriate disciplinary action, which may include loss of computing privileges, suspension, termination, or expulsion from the College, and legal action in accordance with Lower Columbia College's Code of Student Conduct.