Information Technology

Information Technology Lab

The Information Technology (IT) Lab, located in room FSC 2 in the Farris Student Center, consists of approximately 20 computers loaded with Microsoft Office. All computers have high-speed internet connections and are connected to a network printer.

Students may not make any adjustments to the hardware, software, or the settings on the computers nor add software to the computers without permission from the instructor or supervisor.

IT Lab Privileges

Students may use the computers in the IT Lab provided the following guidelines are followed:

1. Students may use the Lab only during regular posted hours.
2. Students will accept and follow the guidance and supervision of IT Lab personnel.
3. Students will demonstrate computer proficiency or agree to take instruction as needed.
4. Students will follow the proper log-in and log-out procedures when using the computer.
5. Students must supply their own USB drives as needed for saving work.
6. Students are to save all work to USB/flash drive, their network drive (the U: drive), or to OneDrive. Any information saved to a different location, such as the computer’s desktop or documents folder, may be removed at any time.
7. The Information Technology Lab cannot be used for business purposes.

Overview

Baptist University of Florida's intentions for publishing a Computer and Information Systems Policy are not to impose restrictions that are contrary to the spirit of the Baptist University of Florida (BUF), but to enhance the protection of its constituents against illegal or damaging actions by individuals, either knowingly or unknowingly, while promoting a culture of openness, trust, and integrity.

Information systems owned and operated by the Baptist University of Florida are to be used for institutional purposes in serving the interests of BUF and our constituents in the course of normal operations.

Effective security is a team effort involving the participation and support of every BUF constituent who deals with information and/or information systems. It is the responsibility of every constituent to know these guidelines, and to conduct his or her activities accordingly.

BUF reserves the right to amend this Computer and Information Systems Policy at any time.

Purpose

Baptist University of Florida relies heavily upon information systems to meet operational, financial, educational, and informational needs. It is essential that these systems be protected from misuse and unauthorized access. It is also essential that BUF's computers, computer systems, and computer networks, as well as the data they store and process, be operated and maintained in a secure environment and in a responsible manner. Computing resources are valuable, and their abuse can have a far-reaching negative impact. Computer abuse affects everyone who uses computing facilities. The BUF community should exercise high moral and ethical behavior in the computing environment.

Scope

This policy applies to ALL information systems and refers to ALL hardware, data, software, and communications networks associated with these systems whether these systems are owned or leased by BUF or connected to BUF networks. This policy applies to all constituents of Baptist University of Florida. In addition to this policy, all constituents are subject to applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Unauthorized file sharing through peer-to-peer networks and other means is a violation of federal law, as well as BUF policy. If a student is found guilty of illegal file sharing, he or she will be subject to disciplinary procedures as found in §6.2.3 and §6.3 of the BUF Student Handbook.

Summary of Civil and Criminal Penalties for Violation of Federal Copyright Laws

Copyright infringement is the act of exercising, without permission or legal authority, one or more of the exclusive rights granted to the copyright owner under section 106 of the Copyright Act (Title 17 of the United States Code). These rights include the right to reproduce or distribute a copyrighted work. In the file-sharing context, downloading or uploading substantial parts of a copyrighted work without authority constitutes an infringement.

Scope: Baptist University of Florida (BUF) privacy statement applies to the university’s primary domain name (buf.edu) and all its sub domains, including MyBUF (myBUF.buf.edu). These separate domains are referred to collectively as the BUF Website. BUF strives to protect users’ privacy and confidential information. BUF will make efforts to ensure that changes to this privacy statement are reflected on the BUF home page. However, the failure of BUF to post changes to this privacy statement shall not prevent any changes from becoming effective in any instance, whether retroactively or prospectively.

Data Collection and Usage: BUF collects data from users to help fulfill the mission of the university. The information collected by BUF is voluntarily provided by the user in connection with the completion of online forms or by the user’s web browser to facilitate communication with the BUF Website. Collected information is not sold, loaned, or shared with outside entities except where required by law or to fulfill the mission of the university. BUF complies with the federal Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA) which protects student records. Please refer to BUF’s FERPA policy for information about the release of student directory information.

General Internet Information: BUF cannot guarantee the privacy of any data while in transit to or from the BUF Website. Information submitted through forms on the BUF Website containing Social Security numbers or credit card information is protected through HTTPS encryption. Also, all transactions and information passed through MyBUF are encrypted. However, users of wireless internet access are at greater risk of personal information being revealed.

Cookies: Cookies are used to assist with the technical operation of the BUF Website. If the user chooses to disallow cookies, certain portions of the BUF Website may become unavailable to the user.

Transactions: BUF processes online transactions through a third-party gateway. These transactions are encrypted.

External Links: BUF is not responsible for website content, security, or protection of personal information on links found on the BUF Website to outside agencies or entities.

Email: BUF is not responsible for the privacy of any email messages. Users are advised that most email sent over the internet is insecure and that, as a result, users should assume that email communications may not be private. BUF reserves the right to review those emails that are sent on the BUF network.

Log Files: The BUF Website tracks generic network information to monitor trends in traffic and for security purposes. Information tracked includes but is not limited to: