Students and faculty members at Harvard University are now using their school email addresses more carefully after school administration secretly searched the email accounts of 16 resident deans.

Administrators searched the accounts in an attempt to find the source of a media leak related to the high-profile cheating scandal at Harvard last fall, according to a March 9 article by The Boston Globe. Nearly 70 students were expelled as a result of the scandal.

Confidential emails had been forwarded to people outside of the group of administrative board members and deans since the end of last summer, according to a statement released by deans Michael Smith and Evelynn Hammonds that details the situation and reasoning behind the decision to search the email accounts.

In one instance, leaked documents included a word-for-word copy of the board meeting minutes containing confidential student information. No one came forward to admit they had forwarded the information.

In a later instance, someone leaked information to the Harvard student newspaper, The Crimson.

At this point, the administration asked the senior resident dean to speak with each resident dean individually, according to the statement. No one confessed or offered any new leads.

When the administration decided to search emails, it only evaluated subject lines and did not read the content of emails. This strategy was intended to identify who was forwarding emails to an outside source, according to the statement.

The resident deans did not know their emails were being searched for almost six months, according to The Boston Globe article.

Although the administrative board intervened in order to protect the confidentiality of the students, students now feel uncertain about their Harvard accounts.

“I think overt communication is extremely important and it feels like this secret email search was perhaps elevating the severity of the situation from a breach of academic integrity to an intricate conspiracy,” said Harvard sophomore Charlie Anastasi, in an email.

The Faculty of Arts and Science policy protects the privacy of faculty members, but does not specify the extent of the privacy, according to The Boston Globe.

One specific aspect of the policy revolves around preventing hackers and permits administrators to access email “to prevent harm to the university.” This may be done “at any time by management or by other authorized personnel for any business purpose,” according to The Boston Globe.

The policy also permits the emails to be accessed regarding any “extraordinary circumstances such as legal proceedings and internal Harvard investigations,” according to The Boston Globe.

“I think the whole situation just has a Big Brother feel to it which elicits a generally negative response in an academic setting in which you want to be fostering open communication amongst students, faculty and administration,” Anastasi said.

For now, students and faculty members appear to see the situation as a cautionary tale. Students have become more aware of what they send from their Harvard.edu emails, Anastasi said.

Said Anastasi: “A precedent has been set for the accounts being searched, and more than anything, this unfortunate situation has been a reminder that you really have to be conscious of the things you choose to send over email.”

Published on March 20, 2013 at 11:37 pm

Contact Marissa: mjblanch@syr.edu