=============== ftp://ftp.eff.org/pub/CAF/faq/policy.best ===============
q: Which computer policies are the best models for a good academic policy?
a: I don't think there is a single policy that is best is all ways,
but here is an overview of the policies that I think are best in
various categories. (The full policies are available on-line. Access
information is enclosed.)
Best Privacy Protection: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
"Network and system administrators are expected to treat the contents
of electronic files as private and confidential. Any inspection of
electronic files, and any action based upon such inspection, will be
governed by all applicable U. S. and Illinois laws and by University
policies."
Also, users may use the computer facilities without public disclosure
of their real name via the on-line phone book or "finger".
Best Prohibitions: The Electronic Frontier Foundation
"2. No use of this or any other EFF system as a staging ground
to crack other systems...
4. No use of this or any other EFF system for illegal or criminal
purposes.
9. Obstructing [other people's] work by consuming gratuitously
large amounts of system resources (disk space, CPU time) or by
deliberately crashing the machine(s) will not be tolerated....
11.Attempts to read another person's electronic mail or other protected
files will be treated with the utmost seriousness"
Best Netnews: University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee
"That the same standards and principles of intellectual and academic
freedom developed for university libraries be applied to material
received from the news network... That the same standards of
intellectual and academic freedom developed for faculty and student
publication in traditional media be applied to publication in computer
media."
Best Due Process: Iowa State University
"Violations of the University Code of Computer Ethics are treated like
any other ethical violation as outlined in the Student Handbook and
applicable faculty and staff handbooks."
Best Participation in Policy Making and Enforcement:
The AAUP's Joint Statement Rights and Freedoms of Students
"As constituents of the academic community, students should be free,
individually and collectively, to express their views on issues of
institutional policy and on matters of general interest to the student
body. The student body should have clearly defined means to
participate in the formulation and application of institutional policy
affecting academic and student affairs... the actions of the student
government within the areas of its jurisdiction should be reviewed
only through orderly prescribed procedures."
ANNOTATED REFERENCES
(All these documents are available on-line. Access information follows.)
=================
library/computer.ala
=================
* Access to Electronic ... Services and Networks ... (ALA)
An interpretation by the American Library Association of the
"Library Bill of Rights"
Says in part: "Libraries and librarians exist to facilitate the
exercise of these rights by selecting, producing, providing access to,
identifying, retrieving, organizing, providing instruction in the use
of, and preserving recorded expression regardless of the format or
technology."
Also see "computer.faq.draft.ala" for *draft* questions and answers
about this policy recommendation.
=================
library/computer.faq.draft.ala
=================
* DRAFT Q&A about 'Access to Electronic ... Networks ...' (ALA)
(Draft) Questions and Answers about the ALA computer policy
recommendation (computer.ala).
=================
policies/uiuc.edu
=================
* Edu -- U. of Illinois at U-C -- Privacy
This is the University of Illinois's Interim E-Mail and Computer File
Privacy Policy. It says that "network and system administrators are
expected to treat the contents of electronic files as private and
confidential." and "Any inspection of electronic files, and any action
based upon such inspection, will be governed by all applicable U. S.
and Illinois laws and by University policies."
=================
policies/cso.uiuc.edu
=================
* Edu -- U. of Illinois at U-C -- CCSO
The directory information policy for Computer Services Organzation at
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It says in part: "The
system currently has utilities [e.g. finger - cmk] or operating
procedures which disclose student information which we plan to let you
[, the user,] control in a manner consistent with other sources of
directory information." Also, that an effort will be made to
accommodate students who exercise their FERPA rights and suppress
directory information.
=================
policies/eff.org
=================
* Org -- Electronic Frontier Foundation
Here are the rules for *.eff.org, the computers of the Electronic
Frontier Foundation, a private, not-for-profit organization. The
policy might make a good model.
=================
policies/netnews.uwm.edu
=================
* Edu -- U. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee -- Netnews
These are the network policy resolutions developed by the Computer
Policy Committee at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The
resolutions were approved by the Committee and forwarded to the
Chancellor. They were given final approval by the Chancellor as campus
administrative policy (memo dated 02/23/93).
They say (to paraphrase) 1) Netnews is important 2) No restrictions
should be imposed without wide consultation 3) The principles of
intellectual freedom developed for university libraries apply to
Netnews material 4) The principles of intellectual freedom developed
for publication in traditional media apply to computer media.
=================
policies/ethics.iastate.edu
=================
* Edu -- Iowa State U. -- Ethics
The computer ethics statement for Iowa State University.
(critiqued)
=================
policies/ethics.iastate.edu.critique
=================
* Edu -- Iowa State U. -- Ethics -- Critique
"This is a critique of Iowa State University's Computer Ethics policy.
Its due process protection is excellent. Its freedom of expression
protection is not as good as it should be. Its privacy protection is
unclear. It does not say how much users participated in policy
creation. It has contains several items that seem redundant or that
don't make sense. (This suggests a lack of review)."
=================
academic/student.freedoms.aaup
=================
* Student Freedoms (AAUP)
Joint Statement on Rights and Freedoms of Students -- This is the main
U.S. statement on student academic freedom.
=================
faq/policy
=================
* Policy -- Guidance for Creating and Evaluating
q: What guidance is there for creating or evaluating a computer policy?
a: The first thing to do is to get a copy of your university's Student
...
=================
=================
If you have gopher, you can browse the CAF archive with the command
gopher gopher.eff.org
These document(s) are also available by anonymous ftp (the preferred
method) and by email. To get the file(s) via ftp, do an anonymous ftp
to ftp.eff.org, and then:
cd /pub/CAF/library
get computer.ala
cd /pub/CAF/library
get computer.faq.draft.ala
cd /pub/CAF/policies
get uiuc.edu
cd /pub/CAF/policies
get cso.uiuc.edu
cd /pub/CAF/policies
get eff.org
cd /pub/CAF/policies
get netnews.uwm.edu
cd /pub/CAF/policies
get ethics.iastate.edu
cd /pub/CAF/policies
get ethics.iastate.edu.critique
cd /pub/CAF/academic
get student.freedoms.aaup
cd /pub/CAF/faq
get policy
To get the file(s) by email, send email to ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com
Include the line(s):
connect ftp.eff.org
cd /pub/CAF/library
get computer.ala
cd /pub/CAF/library
get computer.faq.draft.ala
cd /pub/CAF/policies
get uiuc.edu
cd /pub/CAF/policies
get cso.uiuc.edu
cd /pub/CAF/policies
get eff.org
cd /pub/CAF/policies
get netnews.uwm.edu
cd /pub/CAF/policies
get ethics.iastate.edu
cd /pub/CAF/policies
get ethics.iastate.edu.critique
cd /pub/CAF/academic
get student.freedoms.aaup
cd /pub/CAF/faq
get policy