Law School Computer Laboratory and Network Services Policies 2009-2010

The UCLA School of Law provides computing, networking and information resources to the law school community of students, faculty, and staff in support of the teaching, research, and public service mission of the Law School.  All students automatically are assigned a LawNET account.  Use of this account implies that a user has read and agreed to abide by the terms listed below.

Printing Services:

Student printing services are available in the computer laboratory.   Up to 3000 pages per academic year are included in the Technology and Materials fee (at the lower double-sided rate). Students will be charged $0.05 per page for all double-sided pages or $0.07 per page for all double-sided pages in excess of this amount.  Each student is responsible for all items printed under his or her LawNET account and will be billed for these charges, if necessary, through the University Billing and Receivable system (BAR) at the end of the year.  Printed pages that occur as a result of a hardware malfunction must be presented to the lab consultant on duty, who has the discretion to credit a student’s account for misprints. Any non-reported misprints will be counted against the students’ printing allocation.

Accounts and Email Addresses:

Please be aware that all law students receive two different network accounts – a LawNET account, for all law school network services; and a UCLA Logon, for all general UCLA (non-law) network services, such as URSA, BOL, etc. Both come with an associated email address ending either in @LawNET.ucla.edu or @ucla.edu, respectively.

It’s recommended that all students set their LawNET email address as the official email address entered in URSA. It is the responsibility of the student to confirm that this is set correctly. Much official Law School communication is done via email to the LawNET email addresses. It is the responsibility of the student to regularly check this addresses or to forward these emails to an account that is checked frequently.

Note that many students prefer to download their email to their laptop as this is typically the easiest method to maintain a local copy of all messages while also managing multiple email accounts, contacts and distribution lists. Please see our online instructions ( http://www.law.ucla.edu/infosysdocs) on how to setup these features.

User Rights and Responsibilities

Computers and networks provide access to resources on and off campus, as well as the ability to communicate with other users worldwide.  Such open access is a privilege, and requires that individual users act responsibly.  Users must respect the rights of other users and respect the integrity of the systems and related physical resources.  All existing laws (federal and state) and University regulations and policies apply, including not only those laws and regulations that are specific to computers and networks, but also those that may apply in general to personal conduct.  (See the UCLA Student Code of Conduct  http://www.deanofstudents.ucla.edu/studentconductcode.pdf)

Law school computers and network services may not be used for unlawful activities.  Each student is responsible for ensuring the integrity of his or her account by taking the proper precautions to prevent others from learning his or her password and by not sharing their account information with others. 

Those using law school computing resources shall not give the impression that they are representing, giving opinions, or otherwise making statements on behalf of the School of Law or the University unless appropriately authorized to do so.   

Examples of Misuse

The following list, while not exhaustive, characterizes unacceptable behavior which may be subject to disciplinary action:

  • Use of any University facilities in a manner that violates copyrights, patent protections, or license agreements;
  • Use of any University facilities for personal gain or profit, or for any type of commercial use;
  • Attempts to gain unauthorized access to any information facility, whether successful or not. This includes running programs that attempt to calculate or guess passwords, or that are designed and crafted to trick other users into disclosing their passwords. It also includes electronic eavesdropping on communications facilities;
  • Any violation of state law as described in the Penal Code.
  • Any action that invades the privacy of individuals or entities that are the creators, authors, users, or subjects of information resources;
  • Using electronic mail, talk or other programs as pranks or in a threatening or harassing manner;
  • Misrepresenting in any manner, your identity, your account or a computer in an email or other electronic communication;
  • Sending chain letters, advertisements, or solicitations of any type;
  • Sending mass mailings to individuals who have not expressly agreed to be contacted in this manner;
  • Posting on electronic bulletin boards materials that violate existing laws or the University's codes of conduct;
  • Knowingly sharing a personal Lawnet account;
  • Using the Lawnet network to gain unauthorized access to any computer systems;
  • Knowingly performing an act which will interfere with the normal operation of computers, terminals, peripherals, or networks;
  • Knowingly running or installing on any computer system or network, or giving to another user, a program intended to damage or to place excessive load on a computer system or network. This includes but is not limited to programs known as computer viruses, Trojan horses, and worms;
  • Attempting to circumvent data protection schemes or uncover security loop holes;
  • Attempting to monitor or tamper with another user's electronic communications, or reading, copying, changing, or deleting another user's files or software without the explicit agreement of the owner;
Misuse of computing, networking, or information resources may result in the loss of computing privileges and will be reported to the Dean of Students for appropriate disciplinary action.  Users may be held accountable for their conduct under any applicable University or Law School policies or procedures.  Additionally, misuse can be prosecuted under applicable statutes.