Norwich refines its Wikileaks policy

Anyone can peak at the Wikileaks website and check out the classified U.S. government documents it's posted online. But the U.S. military has issued prohibitions against accessing this website on government computers.

Federal Executive Order 13526 prohibits military personnel from accessing or disclosing classified information without the authority to do so.

Military personnel includes ROTC cadets and midshipmen: They are cautioned against accessing this website on personal computers. All cadets and military personnel caught accessing classified information on a government computer are subject to corrective action or discipline.

This executive order has professors on edge when it comes discussing Wikileaks in their classrooms, according to Norwich President Richard Schneider.

"I got an e-mail from a faculty member who was concerned when they read a newspaper article about how the government was reacting to the Wikileaks situation," said Schneider, "and they wanted to have an open conversation in the classroom, but they didn't want to get students in trouble."

According to Schneider, university professors wanted guidance when it came to discussing Wikileaks in the classroom. As a result of this concern, Schneider approached the colonels in charge of the ROTC. "I asked them to get all their guidance from their higher headquarters, and give our students something concrete to deal with," said Schneider.

Schneider also said that they did this to set up a guide to let people know how they are supposed to deal with the subject of Wikileaks.

"We don't want any of our students getting in trouble," said Schneider, "but I also want to defend faculty that have these conversations in the classroom."

Schneider said that it is fine to talk about Wikileaks in the classroom so long as it does not pertain to the actual classified material that is posted on the website itself.

"Classified material is classified material," said Schneider, "and you're not supposed to know it if you don't have a need to know it."

Schneider said ROTC students should understand the rules for looking at classified material to keep from getting in trouble.

This is a preventative measure to make students aware of what they look up on the internet, and to understand that there are possible consequences for looking up classified information.

"We don't ever want to hurt your opportunity to do the thing in life that you want to do," said Schneider. "So we warned everybody that you don't need to look at the classified information; but every student can talk about how right or wrong the people of Wikileaks were to release this information."

Even though it is strongly advised that students not access Wikileaks on a personal computer, there is no way of knowing whether someone did here at Norwich.

Schneider said that Norwich would not keep track of students who access Wikileaks because that is not the job of the university.

For military personnel, including ROTC cadets, "The government is worried if you use a government computer as well as a personal computer for accessing this website," said Schneider. Any violations would be handled through the Uniformed Code of Military Justice, which all military personnel, including ROTC cadets, are subject to.

When it comes to students accessing Wikileaks, Schneider said, "I don't care, as long as the students have been properly warned" that looking up that information could be potentially harmful later in their life.

"Do I think it will (come back to them later)? Honestly I'm not really sure," said Schneider. "The government has enough stuff to do," and tracking down every person who accessing Wikileaks is probably not a huge priority.

With that said, "all it takes is one or two people that they want to show as an example," said Schneider, "and that is why we set this guidance in place."

According to Schneider, Norwich faculty can discuss Wikileaks so long as they do not discuss any classified material on the website.