Purpose
The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA) sets forth many requirements for colleges and universities. This statement pertains to the triad of requirements designed to address illegal peer-to-peer file sharing of copyrighted works by those using campus networks.
Policy
The Claremont Colleges’ Faculty, Staff, and Students use The Claremont Colleges facilities, equipment, materials, and information resources to facilitate The Claremont Colleges’ academic mission and college operations. Individuals are urged to exercise common sense and to use The Claremont Colleges’ resources in an appropriate manner consistent with the Colleges’ respective policies and standards of conduct.
Summary
Information resources include, but are not limited to:
- College-owned computers and associated peripheral devices
- Classroom presentation systems
- Voice messaging equipment
- Data networking equipment systems, including both remote and wireless access
- College-owned computer software
- Electronically stored and transmitted institutional data and messages
- Services to maintain these resources
Faculty and Staff for each college shall contact the Information Security Officer, or designee, of their respective college prior to engaging in any activity not explicitly covered by their college’s policies.
Pomona College:
Informs students annually that they may be subject to criminal and civil penalties if they engage in illegal distribution of copyrighted materials and describe the steps being taken to detect and address such activity.
Certifies to the Secretary of Education that the institution has plans to effectively combat unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material.
Offers alternatives to illegal file sharing.
To comply with the above requirements, Pomona College:
Provides warnings online, in print, and in presentations that students who violate copyright laws may be subject to criminal and civil penalties. Instances of copyright infringement are specifically mentioned in the College’s Appropriate Use Policy.
Downgrades the priority of file sharing network traffic as well as monitoring of network activity to ensure policy conformance in order to certify to the Secretary of Education that the Pomona College effectively combats illegal file sharing.
Accepts and responds to DMCA notices.
Provides a link on the Technology Services website to the extensive list of legal alternatives for downloading music and video files compiled by EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association focused on information technology in higher education.
Technology-Related HEOA Compliance Statement Policy Details [pdf]