Information Systems and Technology

Computer Use Policy

All staff members having access to administrative information should be familiar with the statutory requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and Harding's Education Record Policy. Any questions concerning authorized access or release of administrative information should be referred to ITS or to Harding's FERPA Administrator.

Your computer account should be kept private and your password should be known only to you. You will be required by the system to change your password periodically. Choose difficult-to-guess passwords. Do not write them down. Do not use the password to your Harding administrative account on any other computer on or off campus. Please contact ITS for further information on choosing and securing passwords. Do not share your password with anyone. Sharing your password is similar to allowing someone else to use your signature.

Faculty and staff are given access to a wide range of information for budgeting, advising, etc. As a rule student assistants should not have full access to a faculty/staff computer account. Student assistants should have accounts of their own so they are identified by their own name and their access can be properly limited to their work responsibilities. Supervisors are asked to be responsible for the administrative computer activitites of the students who work for them. A student assistant will be expected to abide by the Harding (student) Code of Computing Practice and the rules for staff as well.

ITS should be notified of any change in the employment status of personnel who have a computer account. If you or someone in your department is leaving or moving to another department, please notify us.

A computer terminal session should be logged out any time it is left unattended. Screens should be placed so that unauthorized people are unable to see private information on the screen.

In general, any administrative information should be considered private. Reports should be stored out of sight and disposed of properly (i.e., not in a public trash receptacle). ITS provides paper shredding services for sensitive materials.

In the course of administering the computer systems and enforcing system security, monitoring of your computing sessions may be necessary. Please note the messages regarding monitoring when you log in.