Open Letter to All Student Computer Users

Taylor University has consistently provided up-to-date, freely accessible computing resources to all of its students. Every student at Taylor has a network account, workstations available to utilize every computing tool on campus, and access to the Internet. While we are stretching the limits of what we have, it is encouraging to see the computing resources, whether in computers, networks, or bandwidth, used to their maximum. It is our desire, as responsible stewards, to continue making all computing resources as freely accessible as possible.

We encourage student use of computer technology tools. Students have generally used computers wisely and have shown a great deal of maturity and personal concern for the proper use of the tools provided.

Still, we must constantly strive to maintain our stewardship of resources. There are always exceptions to the general level of maturity and personal concern just described. Sharing illegal MP3 or movie files, harassment through electronic mail, access of inappropriate material, and use of computers or bandwidth for purposes other than education negatively affect all other users. Some cases require policing actions which, again, affect all users. They also potentially take time from the faculty and staff which might better be used to improve the quality of education.

How should we handle the small number of problems which seem to ultimately affect all other users?

An approach often suggested by students is to identify and distribute a formal set of rules with "do's" and "don'ts." The IT Directors and I believe that such a task would be unpleasant, would require much policing, and would certainly not be in keeping with Taylor's philosophy of working with students. There would be too many rules and scenarios to consider, plus the Lord showed us in the Old Testament that rules still do not always change attitudes, guarantee obedience or correct behavior. In a creative, academic environment, we want as much freedom to explore as possible.

While a list of rules is not our goal, there is a policy that has been in place since 2001 to provide some standards for the acceptable use of computing and networks here at Taylor. This policy is printed in both the student and faculty/staff handbooks and outlines some general principles that apply to all computer and network use at Taylor. The policy basically calls for a common sense approach to these issues, guided by the Life Together Covenant. Please review this policy, which can also be found online here.

I also would ask you to review two other key policies regarding our campus network: our policy regarding the downloading and distribution of music and video files and our policy requiring antivirus software protection on computers that access our network. These policies are intended to protect the university as well as maximize the capabilities of our network. You can review these policies online at:

MP3 Policy
Antivirus Policy

Questions or Comments? I would be delighted to talk with you regarding ideas about better stewardship of the computing resources at Taylor. Please feel free to contact me personally. My office is in the upstairs of the Atterbury Building, and you can reach me at x84905 or via e-mail at Rob.Linehan@taylor.edu. If for some reason I am not available when it is convenient for you, feel free to contact one of the Information Technology Directors, Alan Ours or Rod Eib. Thanks for working with us on this challenge, and I wish you God's fullest blessings this school year.