This topic has been brought up repeatedly by Senate representatives on TTAC and SAC.Chancellor's Office staff have raised it in discussions with CSU administrators on 4CNET governance.Senate representatives have also shared their concerns with CSU faculty serving on ICAS. However, the issue has not been resolved.
Whereas, Faculty rely on electronic and digital communications to fulfill their responsibilities at work;
Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges adopted a position paper protecting academic freedom and individual privacy rights, "Academic Freedom, Privacy, Copyright and Fair Uses in a Technological World [1999];"
Whereas, The Telecommunications and Technology Infrastructure Program (TTIP) provides funding out of Proposition 98 to the California Community College-California State University 4CNET joint-powers agreement, thereby giving exclusive rights to 4CNET as Internet service provider to the California Community Colleges; and
Whereas, California community colleges who use 4CNET must abide by or exceed the terms of its acceptable use policy, which contains poor protections for academic freedom and individual privacy rights;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate urge 4CNET to revise its acceptable use policy (AUP) to include strong language that supports academic freedom and privacy of information and affords electronic and digital communication protections equal to those of paper communications; and
Resolved, That the Academic Senate work with faculty colleagues at California State University in consultation with 4CNET to protect system interests as well as user rights.