Attention students: Do not skip over this part. Seriously. It's not a lecture on the ethics or laws of downloading copyrighted materials (we may get to that later). We simply want you to be aware of the problems you expose yourself and your peers to by taking part in this practice.

When you're using a peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing service (such as Kazaa, Limewire, and Morpheus) you’re usually getting the file from someone you don’t know. "That person might be vulnerable to viruses," says Fred Hicks, Director of Network Systems, "or it could be a malicious system your computer is talking to, looking to infect you or get your computer’s information." Also, many free P2P programs are packaged with spyware or adware.

P2P file-sharing isn't just a personal decision. It has campus-wide effects because transferring large amounts of music and video clips uses up the University's bandwidth. "You’re acting as a server, it's not just one-way downloading," reminds Hicks. "File-sharing traffic decreases resources available for academic and research purposes."

In general the network is operating seamlessly, and the system administrators take action only if heavy traffic jeopardizes campus activity. There is an understanding that an academic setting should encourage a collaborative atmosphere among scholars. "We want to keep that spirit of freedom as much as possible without allowing it to infringe on the network needs of everyone else," adds Hicks.

While there are some legitimate non-illegal P2P downloads, "if we don't place any restrictions on file-sharing, it makes the Web and email slower for the rest of the campus," says Hicks. And on the other side, visitors trying to view Adelphi’s site may become frustrated with the slowness of the pages.

Last but certainly not least, downloading copyrighted material without permission is illegal—getting a song or movie for free is not worth a criminal record or potentially thousands in fines from the RIAA or MPAA.

Or you can look at it this way: If you wrote a paper, you wouldn't want other people to be able to plagiarize the work you've put so much effort into.

Adelphi offers Ruckus Digital Media, allowing you to download songs for free to listen to on your computer. If you like some of those songs enough to want them on your iPod or MP3 player, you can support the artist by legally purchasing the song.

Find details on Adelphi's Internet usage policies at

http://infotech.adelphi.edu/policies.