1. Barbara I. Dewey University of Tennessee
Acceptable Use or Censorship? A Study of Research Universities’ IT Policies
Barbara I. Dewey
University of Tennessee
Educause 2001 Poster Session

2. Educause 2001 Poster Session
Methodology
Examined IT acceptable use policies in terms of references to academic freedom issues
Target institutions: Top 50 research universities as indicated by the Association of Research Libraries Index Statistic
Educause 2001 Poster Session

3. Educause 2001 Poster Session
AUP Project Purpose
To what extent to university AUP policies affirm or contain verbiage related to academic freedom or the free exchange of ideas?
Do policies refer to other institutional documents containing commitment to academic freedom, exchange of ideas (e.g. strategic plans, faculty handbook)?
Do policies refer to other organization’s statements related to academic freedom (e.g. ALA Bill of Rights, AUP…)
Educause 2001 Poster Session

4. Guidance for AUP Creation
Computers & Academic Freedom: Frequently Asked Questions,
Cornell’s Computer Policy & Law,
AAUP Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure with 1970 Interpretive Comments and Academic Freedom and Electronic Communication Report
American Library Association Library Bill of Rights and Access to Electronic Information Services, and Networks,
American Association for Higher Education Bill of Rights and Requirements for Electronic Learners
Educom Code
Educause 2001 Poster Session

5. Selected Characteristics of AUP References to Academic Freedom
Same principles apply to computer resources as to spoken and written communications
Strong reference to institutional policies or national policies
Positive/affirming statement
Negative statement (emphasis on “but”)
Link access to information to sexual harassment
Use of pornography and obscenity not consistent in definition or related to policy
Educause 2001 Poster Session

6. AUP Policy General Issues
Difficulty in locating policy – prominence on the university website
Determining if a document is a policy
Multiple policies at a single institution
Definition of computing/information resources is unclear
Educause 2001 Poster Session

7. Appearance of Academic Freedom Language
Language in policy – 25 institutions (out of 50 total)
No language in policy – 12 institutions
No policy in existence or apparent on institutional website – 15 institutions
Educause 2001 Poster Session

8. AUP Language Related to Academic Freedom
Of the 25 institutions with statements referring to academic freedom, 3 institutions specifically referred to opposing censorship
16 additional institutions affirmed academic freedom, freedom of expression rights
6 institutions were ambiguous or conflicted related to academic freedom or censorship
Educause 2001 Poster Session

9. Conclusions/Next Steps
Although research universities typically protect academic freedoms and freedom of expression not all tie these philosophies to AUP policies in an explicit manner
Continuing as well as new efforts are underway related to national security and the events of Sept. 11th which must be scrutinized by the university academic and IT communities for their impact on freedom of expression and academic freedom
All academic institutions should consider explicit statements in AUP policies related to academic freedom
Educause 2001 Poster Session