The Do's and Don'ts
of Using Maricopa's E-mail Network

Technology officials strive mightily to maintain communications networks in a way that will meet the demands of their institutional users.

Such officials in public colleges or universities are mindful, however, that the networks they maintain are public resources. Of necessity, then, those institutions enact policies whose aim is to ensure that e-mail communications are used solely for the public purpose they serve.

For several years, the use of Maricopa e-mail systems has been governed by the District's administrative regulation for electronic communications. The regulation details acceptable and unacceptable uses of a system that-as the regulation prescribes-is "provided to support education, research, scholarly communication, administration and other MCCCD business."

Among the regulation's "specifically acceptable uses" are:

• communications with other educators, administrators, researchers and colleagues "in connection with instruction or research";
• dialog for "scholarly development, to maintain currency, or to debate issues in a field or sub-field of knowledge";
• seeking or administering grants or contracts for research or instruction;
• announcements of new products or services for research, administration, student services, or instruction that do not constitute commercial advertisements;
• factual vendor communication that pertains to Maricopa business; and
• other communications that are "incidental to otherwise acceptable use, except for illegal or specifically unacceptable use."
  

The regulation also specifies "specifically unacceptable uses" of the Maricopa e-mail network:

• the use of "electronic messaging for illegal activities";
• conducting "for-profit activities" or use for private or personal business;
• creating a chain letter or illegal scheme;
• mailings to large numbers of recipients that contain unwanted solicitations;
• harassing communications;
• mailings that impersonate another individual or are otherwise anonymous;
• allowing anyone else to utilize a user's account; and
• communications that might adversely impact "the communications of MCCCD by overloading the network."
  

Complementary to the electronic communications regulation is that regarding Maricopa's computing resources, or-as it is known by its more long-winded title-the "General Standards Governing Use of Maricopa Community College District Computing Resources."

That regulation contains important provisions going not only to the public nature of the Maricopa communications network, but also to the degree of privacy users of that network might expect.

"It is not Maricopa's practice," the regulation holds, "to monitor the content of electronic mail transmissions, files, or other data maintained in its computing resources."

Maintenance and security concerns require, however, that authorized individuals have access to those resources and, "on occasion, review the content of data and communications maintained there.

"A review may be performed exclusively by persons authorized for such purpose and only for cause."

While the regulation aspires to honor a user's privacy, it admonishes that privacy interests may be superceded by "Arizona's public records laws and other applicable state and federal laws . . . ."

This fall, the Maricopa community has been considering proposed changes to the way in which users may send certain electronic communications. These changes-which would be effected by amendments to existing regulations-purport to establish criteria for posting business-related messages.

One suggested impact of these regulatory changes would be a reduction in the transmission of non-essential messages to District-wide postings. Modifications to Maricopa's electronic communications regulation-if the Chancellor ultimately approves them-would likely take effect during the spring 2005 term.

Maricopa's electronic communications regulation and computing resource standards are contained in the newly-published 2004-2005 edition of "The Blue Book-An Essential Guide for Maricopans."

Published in the Fall 2004 Edition of In Brief