In order to provide a rationale for forcing Plans off campus and preventing the reappearance of any similar software, Information Technology Services announced the following changes in the Academic Computer Use Policies which regulate student and faculty use of computers at Grinnell College.
In part III, section A, subsection 3, second paragraph, first sentence, the phrase in boldface is new:
In general, Information Technology Services discourages, but does not prohibit except where legally required to do so, the running of programs out of other users' accounts.
In the same part and section, there are two new subsections:
All students offering programs and applications hosted on a personal or group account must review and follow applicable principles the ACM's ``Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice'' (http:// www.acm.org/serving/se/code.htm). Students offering applications hosted on a personal or group account using a username and password login system have special responsibilities as ``software engineers'' and should take note of the following sections of the ACM Code of Ethics: 1.01 - 1.07, 3.03, 3.10 3.12, 3.13, 3.14, 4.01, 5.12, 7.05.
Students developing applications on College systems requiring individual login for membership and offering membership to the broader Grinnell College community have more stringent rules to follow. In the case of virtual communities* based at Grinnell College, Grinnell software authors must ensure compliance with College policies regarding accepted student community standards in addition to standards of academic computer use. For example, one of the ``Core Values of Grinnell College'' as stated in the Grinnell College catalog is that the College encourages ``personal, egalitarian, and respectful interactions among all members of the community.'' Accordingly, Grinnell software authors must publish clear, complete, and publicly available guidelines detailing acceptable behavior & membership policies for the virtual community. Due process must be ensured before any sanctions of members are carried out. The software authors must make provision for appropriate Grinnell College staff to have full access to the virtual community. Communities or individuals in violation of the Academic Computer Use Policies or standards of student community at Grinnell College are subject to immediate disconnection from the campus network pending completion of review procedures by Information Technology Services or Student Affairs, as appropriate. Accordingly, a system of logging of the community entries on a nightly basis must be in place in order to establish an evidential base for proper hearings of complaints brought by students, faculty or staff to appropriate College committees or boards. The content of any student or student group virtual community must not be viewable by non-members of that community, either directly or via internet search engines. The members of student-created virtual communities must be current students, faculty, staff, or Trustees, and members of these groups cannot be excluded from a virtual community on an a priori basis.
The asterisk in the preceding paragraph refers to the following end-note, which is also new:
* Note: ``Virtual communities'', a term coined by Howard Rheingold (http://www.rheingold.com/vc/book/, are comprised by a group of people sharing common interests, ideas, and feelings over the Internet or other collaborative networks (see http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci213295,00.html ). Students offering applications of this type bear special responsibilities since the software product they offer is more than executable code, rather, the software features of membership, interpersonal communication, and a long time horizon sometimes engender strong feelings of community. Community is characterized by shared values, goals, converns, routines, procedures, practices, rituals, symbols, artifacts, history and institutions as well as mutual commitment and responsibility to community and to community members, not necessarily based on personal relationships.)
created July 27, 2003
last revised October 13, 2004