Hillsdale Housing Commission
45 N. West Street � Hillsdale, MI  49242
Phone: (517) 439-1210 � Fax: (517) 439-9577 � E-mail: mail@hillsdalehousing.org

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Acceptable Computer Use Policies

Introduction

The Hillsdale Housing Commission provides personal computers (PCs) for employee and Commissioner use in the normal course of their duties.  PCs and all data contained on non-removable and removable drives remain the property of the Hillsdale Housing Commission.

IT/IS Administration

1. The Executive Director shall serve as the Information Technology/Information Systems manager of the Hillsdale Housing Commission, and shall be responsible for the maintenance and operation of all Commission-owned PCs. 
2. The Executive director shall strive to stay informed on technology issues which may affect Commission PC operation. 
3. The Executive Director shall have full access rights to all files on Commission PCs, and may add, remove, and/or move files as needed to diagnose problems and maintain the system in good working order. 
4. Questions about this policy or about the Commission’s PCs and networks shall be directed to the Executive Director.

Users

1. Use of Commission PCs will be limited to Commission employees and Commissioners.  Others may be granted access for good cause from time to time at the discretion of the Executive Director.  Therefore, a user is defined as:
1. Housing Commission employees who have been assigned access to one or more personal computers
2. Commission members who require computer access to perform Commission functions
3. Other parties to whom the Executive Director has granted temporary use of Commission computer equipment.

2. All users authorized for PC use shall agree to the terms of this policy and shall sign a written acknowledgement and agreement to comply with the terms and conditions herein.
3. Computer training (software, videos, seminars, etc.) shall be made available where necessary to users at the discretion of the Executive Director and the Hillsdale Housing Commission.

Policies and Procedures

1. Users shall not install software from floppy disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Zip drive, or other removable media without express prior consent from the Executive Director
2. Users shall not install software downloaded from the Internet, e-mail, newsgroups, chat rooms, bulletin board systems, etc., distributed in executable or compressed format without express prior consent from the Executive Director.  In addition, users shall not install software downloaded from the Internet, newsgroups, chat rooms, bulletin board systems, etc., in ActiveX or Java format, except that:
1. ActiveX and Java controls necessary for viewing or accessing content over the Internet may be downloaded without express prior consent.  Only “signed” ActiveX and Java controls may be downloaded and installed on Commission PCs.
2. Patches and upgrades to existing software may be downloaded and installed without express prior consent.
3. Users will periodically install patches and upgrades necessary to maintain the software installed on their individual PC(s). The Executive Director shall periodically order patches/upgrades on removable media and install as needed.  Each user assigned a PC shall run “Windows Update,” “Microsoft Office Update,” etc. at least once per month to obtain available patches and/or upgrades.  The Executive Director shall review the list of available patches and/or upgrades and may reject any patch or upgrade.
4. Anti-virus software shall be in operation at all times on Commission PCs.  Users shall update virus definitions at least once per month.  Every file on each Commission PC shall be scanned for virus infection at least once per month, and viral infections shall be reported to the Executive Director as soon as possible. All downloaded executable files (including documents containing macros) shall be scanned prior to executing.
5. Users shall maintain their own PC’s.  A maintenance schedule shall be established by the Executive Director and shall be observed by each user assigned a PC.  Because the maintenance schedule may vary depending on how the user uses the assigned PC, the maintenance schedule shall be presented verbally rather than in written form.  The maintenance schedule may include, but not be limited to, the following:
1. Backup of all files on the PC.
2. Scandisk (or a commercial equivalent, such as Norton’s Disk Doctor)
3. Virus Scanning via a commercially available product such as Norton Anti-Virus or McAffee VirusScan
4. Disk Cleanup, as available as an applet in Windows 95/98 (or as available in a commercial product such as Norton CleanSweep.)
5. Defragmentation of the hard disk with the applet included in Windows 95/98 (or a commercially available product such as Norton SpeedDisk.)
6. Installation of patches and upgrades
6. Whereas network bandwidth is limited, the Executive Director may disapprove software which may interrupt or slow down network operations.  Such software may include screen savers, games, network chat programs, etc.
7. Whereas Internet bandwidth and available phone lines are limited, software which may unnecessarily utilize phone lines and/or Internet bandwidth may be disapproved of for operation on Commission PCs.  Such software may include chat programs, instant messaging (IM) programs, java applets, etc.
8. Users shall not install additional hardware without express prior consent of the Executive Director.
9. Software and hardware purchased by the Housing Commission shall be included on the Commission’s annual inventory, and the original distribution media (floppy disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Zip drive, etc.) shall be retained by management. 
10. Users may not remove software purchased on CD-ROMs, floppy disks, etc., from Commission offices without express prior consent from the Executive Director. Users may not install Commission-purchased software on non-Commission owned PCs without express prior consent from the Executive Director.
11. Programs in use at Housing Commission offices that were downloaded from the Internet, e-mail, newsgroups, bulletin boards, etc., shall be retained on non-removable media (such as hard disks), or removable media (such as floppy diskettes, Zip drives, etc.) for potential future reinstallation. 
12. Hardware and/or software which the Executive Director has determined to be obsolete or have little or no intrinsic value may be disposed of by the Executive Director as obsolescence occurs, and the disposition shall be noted in the Commission’s records.
13. Users may not attempt to gain access (log in) to another person’s account, nor may they attempt to read someone else’s mail or files, unless the owner publicly publishes the file. 
14. Users may not access the Internet, e-mail, etc. with Commission accounts from home or other locations without express prior consent from the Executive Director.
15. Users who access the Commission’s computer records should assume the information contained within those records is confidential; to be accessed and used only as needed to perform their job duties.  Users may not distribute records or files without express prior consent from the Executive Director.
16. Users shall respect the privacy of others.  Users shall not intentionally seek information on, obtain copies of, or modify files, tapes, or passwords belonging to others, or represent others, unless explicitly authorized to do so by the Executive Director.
17. Users are responsible for protecting their own work.  The Housing Commission does not guarantee that computers and networks will always be available when needed, nor that any work stored will be safe from system failures or operator errors.
18. Users may not engage in any form of electronic eavesdropping (e.g., examining the contents of data packets) on Commission networks.
19. The Hillsdale Housing Commission reserves the right to determine inappropriate use and may terminate a user’s access to computer equipment and/or networks at any time.
20. Intentional damage to hardware, software, security devices, or codes, or the intentional creation or distribution of viruses, worms, or other forms of electronic mayhem will result in termination of access to Commission computer equipment and/or networks, and may result in disciplinary action.

Personal Use of Commission Computer Equipment

1. Personal use of Commission PCs shall be allowed where the Executive Director has determined that it poses no risk to Commission equipment or software.
2. Personal use of the Commission PCs shall not impede the conduct of Housing Commission business; only incidental amounts of employee time (time periods comparable to reasonable coffee breaks during the day) should be used.  The Executive Director may approve use of Commission computer equipment for personal use before or after the employee’s regularly scheduled work hours.
3. Personal use of Commission computer equipment is a privilege, not a right. As such, the privilege may be revoked at any time and for any reason. Abuse of the privilege may result in appropriate disciplinary action.

4. Users shall not use Commission computer equipment to copy software, music, data, or other media in violation of copyright laws.
5. Use of Commission computer equipment for personal monetary gain is expressly prohibited.

E-mail Policies

This policy applies to e-mail used within the Housing Commission and e-mail used conjointly with the Internet, and does not supersede any state or federal laws, nor any other agency policies regarding confidentiality, information dissemination, or standards of conduct. Generally, e-mail should be used only for legitimate Housing Commission business; however, brief and occasional e-mail messages of a personal nature may be sent and received if the following conditions are met:

General Guidelines

1.      Personal use of e-mail is a privilege, not a right. As such, the privilege may be revoked at any time and for any reason. Abuse of the privilege may result in appropriate disciplinary action.

2.      Users hereby acknowledge that all e-mail can be recorded and stored along with the source and destination.

3.      Users have no right to privacy with regard to e-mail. The Executive Director has the ability and right to view employees' e-mail at any time.

4.      Recorded e-mail messages are the property of the Hillsdale Housing Commission and therefore the taxpayers of the United States.  The Hillsdale Housing Commission will comply with any and all court subpoenas for e-mail records.

5.      Users should be aware that when sending an e-mail message of a personal nature, there is always the danger of the user’s words being interpreted as official Housing Commission policy or opinion. Therefore, when an user sends a personal e-mail, especially if the content of the e-mail could be interpreted as an official Housing Commission statement, the user should use the following disclaimer at the end of the message:

"This e-mail contains the thoughts and opinions of (user name) and does not necessarily represent official Housing Commission policy."

Restrictions

1.      Personal e-mail should not impede the conduct of Housing Commission business; only incidental amounts of employee time (time periods in lieu of reasonable coffee breaks during the day) should be used to attend to personal matters.

2.      Users shall not divulge sensitive information via e-mail, including, but not limited to, information regarding tenants, employees, or Housing Commission Board members.

3.      Racist, sexist, threatening, or otherwise objectionable language is strictly prohibited. Harassment, whether through language, frequency, or size of messages, is strictly prohibited. Malicious e-mail, including but not limited to "mailbombing" (flooding a user or site with very large or numerous pieces of email), is strictly prohibited.

4.      E-mail should not be used for any personal monetary interests or gain.

5.      Users should not subscribe to mailing lists or mail services strictly for personal use.

6.      Personal e-mail should not cause the Housing Commission to incur a direct cost in addition to the general overhead of e-mail. Consequently, users, upon receiving personal e-mail, should read it and delete it. No storage or printing of personal e-mail is permitted.

7.      Users may not send email to any person who does not wish to receive it. If a recipient asks to stop receiving e-mail, the user must not send that person any further e-mail.

8.      Users are explicitly prohibited from sending unsolicited bulk e-mail messages (“junk mail” or “spam”). This includes, but is not limited to, bulk mailing of commercial advertising, informational announcements, and political or religious tracts. Such material may only be sent to those who have explicitly requested it.

9.      Users may not forward or otherwise propagate chain letters, whether or not the recipient wishes to receive such mailings.

10.  Users shall not send copies of documents in violation of copyright laws.

11.  Forging of header information is not permitted.

12.  Use of electronic mail systems for any purpose restricted or prohibited by laws or regulations is hereby prohibited.

13.  “Snooping,” i.e., obtaining access to the files or electronic mail of others for the purpose of satisfying idle curiosity, with no substantial Housing Commission business purpose is prohibited.

14.  Attempting unauthorized access to electronic mail or attempting to breach any security measures on any electronic mail system, or attempting to intercept any electronic mail transmissions without proper authorization is hereby prohibited.

Internet Policies

This policy applies to any and all forms of use of the Internet, and does not supersede or limit any state or federal laws, nor any other agency policies regarding confidentiality, information dissemination, or standards of conduct. Generally, Internet use should be for legitimate Housing Commission business only; however, brief and occasional personal use (i.e., surfing, browsing) is acceptable if the following conditions are met:

General Guidelines

1.      Personal use of the Internet is a privilege, not a right. As such, use should be limited (for example, personal use could be allowed on a limited basis during lunch or other breaks, and during limited periods before and after the employee's regularly scheduled working hours). The privilege may be revoked at any time and for any reason. Abuse of the privilege may result in appropriate disciplinary action.

2.      Users need to keep in mind that all Internet usage can be recorded and stored along with the source and destination.

3.      Users have no right to privacy with regard to Internet use. The Hillsdale Housing Commission and/or its designee has the ability and right to view employees' usage patterns and take action to assure that agency Internet resources are devoted to maintaining the highest levels of productivity.

4.      The Internet path record is the property of the Hillsdale Housing Commission and therefore the taxpayers of the United States. Therefore, the Hillsdale Housing Commission will comply with any and all court subpoenas for Internet path records.

5.      Each user using the Internet shall identify him/herself honestly, accurately, and completely (including one's Housing Commission affiliation and function where requested) when providing such information.

6.      Only those users or officials who are expressly authorized to speak to the media or to the public on behalf of the agency may represent the Housing Commission within any news group or chat room. Other users may participate in news groups or chat rooms in the course of business when relevant to their duties, but they should do so as individuals speaking for themselves and must include a disclaimer in their comments similar to the following:

"This contains the thoughts and opinions of (user name) and does not represent official Housing Commission policy."

Restrictions

1. Personal use of the Internet should not impede the conduct of Housing Commission business; only incidental amounts of employee time (time periods comparable to reasonable coffee breaks during the day) should be used to attend to personal matters.
2. Accessing, posting or sharing any racist, sexist, threatening, obscene or otherwise objectionable material (i.e., visual, textual, or auditory entity) is strictly prohibited.
3. Users shall not send copies of documents in violation of copyright laws.
4. The Internet should not be used for any personal monetary interests or gain.
5. Users should not subscribe to mailing lists or mail services strictly for personal use and should not participate in electronic discussion groups (i.e., list server, Usenet, news groups, chat rooms) for personal purposes.
6. Personal Internet use should not cause the Hillsdale Housing Commission to incur a direct cost in addition to the general overhead of an Internet connection; consequently, users are not permitted to store or print personal Internet material.
7. Users must not intentionally use the Internet facilities to disable, impair, or overload performance of any computer system or network, or to circumvent any system intended to protect the privacy or security of another user.

Approved by Housing Commission action on 09/07/2000.

 I have read and understand the Hillsdale Housing Commission’s Acceptable Computer Use Policy, and agree to abide by the terms and conditions listed above.