The University of Iowa’s “Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources Policy” currently is being reviewed by student, faculty and staff, and may be changed to read more like the policies at Iowa State.

Chris Pruess, manager of computer science at U of I, said if the policy is passed, new guidelines will be incorporated into the existing policy. The changes define what the university deems acceptable usage of its electronic technology, including student e-mail accounts.

“The old policy is fine, but there is a need to educate the campus on the issues of privacy and security when using the university’s electronic technology,” Pruess said.

A team has been working on revisions of the 1995 policy for nearly one year, she said. It is currently under review and already has been passed by the staff council.

“The policy has been considered by faculty and students all along the way — the faculty was introduced to it early on,” Pruess said.

She said the policy could be effective as early as next semester.

The proposed policy at U of I is similar to the existing policy at ISU, said Frank Poduska, consulting and publication manager for the Computation Center in the Durham Center.

“A lot of the policies are in use here at Iowa State,” he said.

Poduska said he is not aware of any potential modifications to the ISU policy.

He said ISU students should be aware of the current ethics statement. Students are advised to read it as they set up their Vincent e-mail accounts at the time of registration. The Computation Center policy is available on the ISU Web site as well as in the center, he said.

Pruess said once U of I’s new policy is applied, students will be agreeing to “abide by all related university policies and procedures, as well as applicable federal, state and local law” by simply logging into their e-mail accounts.

These policies and procedures warn students that the university cannot guarantee security and encourage them to “engage in safe computing,” she said.

“The students, faculty and staff at the University of Iowa need to be informed of the fact that technology does not support privacy of e-mail,” Pruess said.

The proposed guidelines include a section on individual responsibilities, such as appropriate use of resources.

Inappropriate uses of the system include acts like “insertion of viruses into computer systems, tapping a network or running a ‘sniffer’ program, e-mail spam, chain letters” and the “destruction of another’s files.”

Poduska said these guidelines are similar to ISU’s existing policy.

“It is stated in our policy that things such as chain letters, mass mailing and harassment are prohibited,” he said.

Another guideline included in the U of I’s policy is respecting the rights of others. This outlaws “invading the privacy of another’s files” and “misrepresentation [and] forgery,” Pruess said.

Avoiding excessive personal use is a proposed part of the policy.

Poduska said students who violate the ISU policy are dealt with on all levels.

“It varies from small acts, such as if a student were to establish a commercial Web site, to large violations, such as harassment,” he said.

Consequences range from a simple warning to a referral to the judicial system, Poduska said.

“A student can be arrested and held in jail for two years for something they’ve done electronically,” he said.