MCLA Electronics Communications Policy

E-Campus System

Upon agreement to abide by the Colleges Acceptable Use Policy and this Electronic Communications Policy, persons eligible to use MCLA electronic communications systems will be issued a user ID and password for an account that provides access to MCLA's e-mail system. This is the official email and electronic communication system for the campus and is the official source for all MCLA related items of communication among faculty, staff, and students. Students will be expected to use this system as the official medium for sending and receiving MCLA electronic communications to academic and administrative services and individuals, starting from the point of acceptance at MCLA. This includes but is not limited to, announcements, notices, email to faculty, grades, assignments as designated by faculty, and other electronic communications. Faculty, Staff, and Administrators will be expected to use this system to distribute and retrieve electronic information relative to their professional roles and when communicating electronically with other members of the MCLA community. For faculty, staff, and students, the E-Campus system is the official distribution site for announcements, newsletters, resources, policies, and other communications that concern any College business . Official electronic communications will not be routed to alternative or preferred email accounts outside the E-Campus system as a work-around.

Free speech protections

There will be no restrictions placed on the fundamental rights to free speech within MCLA electronic environments except those necessary to protect the rights of others and to preserve the order necessary for MCLA to function as an institution of higher learning. Given the diverse cultural backgrounds of users, MCLA cannot protect individuals against exposure to materials that they may consider offensive.

Civil exchange in public communication

Users should avoid purposefully giving offense to others. Users are expected to follow proper "netiquette" when using the College network, electronic communication systems, or the Internet. Refer to http://www.netmanners.com/ for a comprehensive list of useful information on netiquette. Using the Internet means being a guest on another system, or perhaps several systems along the way. The network functions only when all users are careful to observe basic rules of conduct; most sites will have a use policy such as this one, and every guest is expected to abide by these policies. Failure to do so may cause the College to revoke a users right to access MCLA electronic systems or to access other systems through the network. MCLA reserves the right to take restrictive actions in response to complaints that posted material creates a hostile environment for individuals or classes of individuals or when a user violates MCLA policy, and to cooperate with federal, state, or local authorities for the purpose of enforcing federal, state or local laws. In all such cases, MCLA will act consistently with users rights to freedom of expression.