Today, The Cavalier Daily features a Focus piece about the University's authority over its online network as it relates to student privacy concerns. The feature outlines how the University's department of Information Technology and Communication justifies and explains its stance on Internet activity and cites an example of how a student was caught cheating on an exam by way of an ITC investigation. Although students forfeit rights to privacy when accessing the University's online network upon matriculation, the policies explanations are somewhat unclear, and their presentation too unassuming for students to take notice.
University students received an e-mail yesterday from Dean of Students Allen Groves, who announced that students would soon be prompted - while logging onto NetBadge - to disclose any arrests that occurred after acceptance to the University. Last Thursday, the managing board discussed this initiative and speculated about its potential effectiveness. One interesting aspect of the arrest-reporting prompt is that the policy in reference has been in place for some time: Students have been required to notify the University about any arrests. The University is simply shifting from a passive to a more active approach to encourage more students to explain their criminal records to administrators.
A rough parallel can be drawn to the University's relatively passive approach to ITC privacy policies. Though first-year students are required to complete an ITC online module before being granted access to the University's network, most students, realistically, do not delve into ITC's lengthier statements about privacy and terms of use. ITC's online Responsible Computing Handbook, for example, clocks in at just more than 5,600 words. Many students seem not to realize that what they access on the Internet, in exceptional circumstances, could be subject to ITC review or that "the University network cannot be used by individuals for commercial purposes or for personal gain," according to the Handbook. These policies are not counterintuitive, but many individuals have a presumption of privacy when it comes to non-business-related activities - and it seems safe to say that many students treat University e-mail accounts and Internet connectivity as a personal, as well as educational, service.
But even for those who happened to sift through the Handbook in detail, some of the ambiguous language could leave students more confused than enlightened. For example, the Handbook reads, "The University owns the University network - all the wires, wireless hubs, cables ... and perhaps your personal computer to each other and, beyond the Grounds, to the Internet." The "perhaps" modifier is confusing without any explanation, making it more difficult to know where the University's jurisdiction ends or begins. Students must make an effort to obtain all the needed information about these policies; however, the University should meet them halfway and ensure that such policies are outlined as concisely as possible.
There are certainly times when deliberate vagueness is advantageous. In this case, it works out in the University's favor by giving administrators more leeway in the case of a legal challenge. The issue is not trivial - in 2005, a University employee was fired after an incident involving misuse of her University e-mail account. The termination was challenged in court, and the University won the case, although the exact details of the employee's dismissal are unclear. Such an occurrence serves as a reminder to students that even something as seemingly trivial as ITC's terms of use can carry significant consequences if misunderstood and abused, intentionally or otherwise.
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