IT Operations strives to provide students with the computer technology they need to succeed in their studies at The Master's University. All students have a responsibility to use the University's computer resources and the Internet in a professional, lawful and ethical manner.

Students at The Master's University have access to the following resources:

  • Internet
  • Office 365
  • Printers

The Master's University students can access these resources from their personally owned devices via the WiFi infrastructure or through various computer labs on the campus. With access to these resources comes the responsibility to use them wisely. The University network is a resource that is shared by students, faculty, and staff. Students should not use network resources in a disruptive manner (e.g., forwarding junk email, sending spam, etc.).

Network Infrastructure


All installed wireless access points and antennas are the property of The Master's University. Do not tamper with, adjust, abuse, repair, or otherwise touch these access points and their antennas. Due to the presence of this equipment in dorm rooms, hallways and other public areas, residents should be very careful about horseplay, throwing objects, and other activities which may potentially cause equipment damage.
All network printers, wireless access points, and TMU-owned computers employ secure wired network connections. No person is authorized to use, unplug or tamper with these hardwire connections for any purpose.

Network Access


All network, Internet, and email usage is not private and is monitored. IT Operations staff have the right to examine any files that are transmitted or stored through or on University computer network or storage infrastructure or cloud-based services provided by The Master's University. Any questionable usage or activity will be immediately reported to Student Life.

Each student will be provided with a username and password that will be required for the use of any network resource which requires authentication. Students are responsible to protect their password from unauthorized use; to prevent this, passwords should not be printed, stored on-line, or given to others. Users will be held responsible for all operations that take place under their user account.

Students are not allowed for any purpose to obtain and/or use any login account that is not their own. Students must obtain permission from the owner of any file before viewing or altering its contents. Just because you can obtain the ability to read, alter, or copy a file does not imply that you have permission to read, alter, or copy that file.

Students may not attempt to probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of any University system or network, or breach or attempt to breach security or authentication measures. Students are prohibited from accessing any network infrastructure, systems, or data that are not explicitly intended for student use.

Students are prohibited from modifying or attempting to modify computer lab systems.  In addition, students are prohibited from accessing or attempting to access other students’ data on computer lab systems.

Students are not allowed to set up any form of proxy service or other such arrangement to enable more than one computer to access the network via a wireless connection. In addition, students are not allowed to set up any type of server or server operating system on computers that are connected to the network. This includes, but is not limited to, the following services:

  • DHCP
  • DNS
  • Web Servers

The Master's University takes copyright issues seriously, and seeks to be in compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Therefore, if you willingly use P2P file sharing applications such as uTorrent, BitTorrent, Vuze or applications of like nature to either acquire or distribute content that you have not purchased or possess the right to distribute, you may be subject to criminal and civil penalties.

Copying and distributing digital forms of original work for which you do not own the copyright or have permission of the copyright holder violates federal law. Civil fines can be in the range of many thousands of dollars.  Willful violations can result in criminal penalties, including fines and imprisonment.  A summary of the penalties for violation of Federal copyright laws can be found at here.

If a student is identified as having illegally distributed copyrighted content, the following penalties may be applied.

Student may receive a written notice and warning about the violation.
The student's network connection may be immediately terminated.
Network access may be suspended until the situation is rectified.
Network access may be suspended for a specified period of time.
Violations may be reported to Student Life which may result in further, more serious penalties.

Because of legal, security and bandwidth issues, computers with installed and active peer to peer file sharing applications will not be allowed access to the Master's University network.

Students may not use University computer resources for commercial purposes, except for incidental work such as posting a resume or communicating with an employer via email.

IT Operations staff has the authority to throttle bandwidth and/or terminate connections that monopolize resources in order to provide a stable computing environment for campus users.

Students will be held responsible for any network or system activities that violate local, state or federal law.

Malware Prevention


It is the responsibility of the student to protect their devices from dangerous malware that may disrupt University network infrastructure. Students need to exercise caution when interacting with unverified resources and quickly remove malware from their systems once it has been detected.

Blocking Sites with Inappropriate Content


The Master's University has the right to utilize hardware and software that makes it possible to identify and block access to Internet sites containing sexually explicit or other material deemed inappropriate.

Communications


While using University network or system infrastructure, students are prohibited from sending spam or inappropriate messages through mediums such as email, social media, chat, etc.  In addition, all communications must not intentionally hide where and whom the message originated from.  Students are prohibited from engaging in messaging that is obscene or defamatory, or with intent to annoy, harass, or alarm.

IT Operations reserves the right to filter, refuse, or discard email from outside hosts that send unsolicited, mass, or commercial messages, or messages that appear to contain viruses.

Printing


A printing charge has been instituted that applies to all University printers found in the dormitories and at various locations across campus. Each student starts the semester with a credit balance of 300 pages. If your printing needs surpass this amount, you will be able to purchase additional pages from the Student Finance Center or the Library.

If there is a printing problem that consumes student credits, the issue must be reported to the IT Operations Service Desk (servicedesk@masters.edu) within 2 days to receive credit.

Please include the following information:

  • Name
  • Date of Print Job
  • Number of Pages Printed
  • Printer

Unused printing credits cannot be carried over to the next semester. At the beginning of each semester your balance will be reset to 300 pages.

Please be aware that color prints cost more printing credits than black and white prints.

Account Security


Users are typically assigned usernames and passwords for access to University network and system resources. Accounts are provided for exclusive use of the specific individual to whom they have been assigned. Transfer, possession, or use of account information that has been assigned to another individual is not permitted. Use of any Master's University account constitutes giving one’s word as the appropriate user of that account and signifies acceptance of the purposes outlined in this policy.

System Security


Services provided through the University's networks have security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information under our control. While we make every effort to ensure the integrity and security of our networks and systems, we cannot guarantee that our security measures will prevent third-party hackers from illegally obtaining this information.

Policy Violations


Students who violate the above stated policies may be subject to one or more of the following disciplinary actions:

Student may receive a written notice and warning about the violation.
The student's network connection may be immediately terminated.
Network access may be suspended until the situation is rectified.
Network access may be suspended for a specified period of time.
Replacement/repair costs for damage to TMU-owned property will be charged to the responsible students' accounts.
Violations may be reported to Student Life and/or TMU Administration which may result in disciplinary action, including possible expulsion, and civil and/or criminal liability.