Talking Stick - May/June 2009 - 31

of private universities reported. Other policies that institutions reported include mandatory user education programs and sanctions for violations, such as financial penalties or losing network access. Many campuses are prepared to combat the problem, and public research universities are at the top of the spectrum at 80 percent, according to another survey by the Campus Computing Project, the 2008 Campus Computing Survey. Higher education organizations like EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association focused on information technology use in higher education, recognize this and have been working diligently, writing letters to Congress and participating in committees and federal hearings. Steve Worona, director of policy and networking programs at EDUCAUSE, is part of the team working with the U.S. Department of Education on clarifying the regulations for P2P file sharing: “Most college and university campuses today far exceed their legal requirements under copyright law to deal with infringing material on their networks. Most of the HEOA language thus codifies what campuses are already doing and speaks for itself with no additional regulation.” To learn more about the Higher Education Opportunity Act, visit www.ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea08. To learn more and to view the results of The Campus Costs of P2P Compliance and the 2008 Campus Computing Survey, visit www.campuscomputing.net. To learn more about Red Lambda and Integrity, visit www.redlambda.com. To learn more about EDUCAUSE, visit www.educause.edu. to attend a presentation given by Kenn Heller, assistant dean of students. “We want them to understand how they were identified and the process, and we walk them through the various alternatives that are available,” says Heller. “They usually say they just didn’t know about the alternatives. In reality they were given this information at the beginning of the year, but it just wasn’t as important to them then because they didn’t know the consequences.” Heller and other UCLA officials advocate using education rather than punishment to deter illegal file sharing. “What we’ve found surprisingly is a marked change in that behavior after the implementation of this workshop,” says Heller. “We don’t scare them, but they leave understanding that participation in this activity leads to consequences and they know the alternatives.” Heller believes that most institutions are prepared to handle the problem of illegal file sharing on their campus appropriately, without the HEOA regulations: “It’s been an issue that universities have been grappling with for quite a while. Large institutions all have protocols in place. As far as the new legislation, I’m not left with the impression that it is going to have a major impact.” Still, some institutions, particularly community colleges, have not established specific policies for illegal file sharing and distribution of copyrighted materials, and they may have concerns about being in compliance with the new HEOA rules. According to the 2008 Campus Computing Survey, only 32.2 percent of community colleges have deterrent plans in place, even though they serve almost half of the students enrolled in degree-granting institutions in the United States. Deterring witH teCHnologY In 2003, the University of Florida in Gainesville developed software – Integrated Control Application for Restricting User Services (ICARUS) – that blocks the illegal downloading of files, and this led to development of the Red Lambda Software company (see the July/August 2005 issue of Talking Stick). Their file sharing detection software, named “Integrity,” has been endorsed by the Congressional Joint Committee of the Higher Education and Entertainment Communities Task Force, established by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to assist with implementing the HEOA regulations. “We feel it will bring a lot of attention to us, and it opens up the opportunity for us to work with schools,” says Rob Bird, president of Red Lambda, about the endorsement. “This company grew out of a housing organization. We tailored our product to meet the specific needs of housing.” Greg Blalack, executive vice president, agrees that Integrity can help housing departments meet the recommended standards: “The effects of the HEOA are just now beginning May + June 2009 eDuCating stuDents At the University of California in Los Angeles, educating students about file sharing is accomplished in a number of ways, from presentations with the dean at the beginning of the school year to programs in the residence halls throughout the year. Any student identified as sharing a file illegally has their network access (with the exception of campus Web sites) cut off for 72 hours – or until they enter into a Web page and agree to a statement that they are aware of the warning and that if they have any illegally shared material, it will be deleted. Then these students, the majority of whom are from the residence halls, are required 31
http://www.ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea08 http://www.campuscomputing.net http://www.redlambda.com http://www.educause.edu
Talking Stick - May/June 2009

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