AIM Program E-mail Policy for Students

To help you better use the FirstClass e-mail system and to aid us in using our resources wisely and appropriately, we have prepared the following guidelines and policies.

As with any e-mail system:

• E-mail administrators may inadvertently see the contents of e-mail messages while performing their duties. Messages are not completely confidential.
• Deleted messages may be retained for a period on a system backup.
• Passwords provide only limited protection.
• A message sent from your postbox is a message from you whether or not you were the one who sent it.
• The contents of forwarded messages can be changed from the original.
• Recipients can forward your message without your knowledge or consent.

Helpful Hints

When using FirstClass:

• Limit your use of FirstClass resources to messages concerning the degree or certificate program in which you are enrolled. Personal e-mail is inappropriate. For a personal e-mail account sign up with an Internet Service Provider such as Gmail, Yahoo!, AOL, or MSN.
• Think twice before sending any message. Am I sending/replying to the appropriate party/parties? Do all original recipients need to see your response? Is the message professional in tone, spelling, and grammar? Am I making an appropriate use of computer resources?
• Comply with University of Oregon policies as well as state and federal laws that apply to e-mail. The UO Acceptable Use of Computing Resources policy can be found at http://is.uoregon.edu/cio/acceptable_use.shtml.
• Protect the confidentiality of information you encounter inadvertently in e-mail or other records.
• Respect the privacy of other people's e-mail.
• Use personal and professional courtesy and considerations in e-mail.
• Use passwords to protect your messages and the system's integrity.
• Turn off automatic login using both your login and password. This protects you by keeping someone from easily being able to access your account where the person can read your messages or send messages under your name.
• Log off FirstClass if you will be away from the computer for even a few minutes. Remember that a message sent from your e-mail box is a message from you. Don't allow your reputation to be compromised by giving others access to your account.
• Post messages in conferences whenever possible to conserve system resources. A message posted in a conference means only one message is stored in the system no matter how many people have access to it. When sent to individual mailboxes, a copy of your message is stored for each person receiving it.
• Save messages on your hard drive and delete from FirstClass all saved messages.

Unacceptable Use

To comply with University of Oregon and Academic Extension policies and procedures and to preserve resources for academic use, FirstClass student users should not:

• Use FirstClass for any personal income producing business purposes.
• Subscribe to listservs unless specifically directed to do so in a class assignment.
• Forward unsolicited mass mailings to other students.
• Forward messages received from outside sources especially those concerning children in need and cautions about viruses. Chances are such messages are urban legends. To determine whether a message is related to or part of an urban legend, check this website: http://netsquirrel.com/combatkit/
• Send spam or chain letters.
• Access or disclose other people's e-mail without prior permission.