Extreme or inappropriate personal use of public computers is something universities shouldn’t tolerate among faculty or staff – especially if that use involves material that makes colleagues or students uncomfortable or compromises the university’s reputation.

A UW-Madison professor, who the Board of Regents dismissed in early April for a felony conviction, stored more than 2,000 pornographic images, collected over the course of 10 years, on his university computer, according to an Associated Press article.

The Board dismissed the professor after he was convicted of exposing a child to harmful materials. Authorities said they arrested the professor after he drove to suburban Milwaukee to meet a 14-year-old boy to whom he had already sent naked pictures.

The Board’s decision was a reaction to the professor’s conviction. But in the wake of the revelation concerning his use of public computers, UW-Eau Claire Provost Ron Satz said in an article in The Spectator that using computers in such a manner is also unacceptable.

University policy does allow for some limited personal use, but not of such an extreme or inappropriate nature, according to the article. Such use of university computers, Satz said in the article, could warrant dismissal.

Placing limits on personal use of university computers by faculty and staff is certainly justified. After all, the university does prohibit students from using computers for personal use in labs or McIntyre Library.

It’s important to note that some classes do use pornographic material for educational purposes, which is fine, as long as that use is monitored and deemed justified.

While university policy prohibits personal viewing of explicit content, it should consider drafting a more defined policy as to what sort of use is inappropriate. And if this case leads to widespread discovery of such use, universities should consider placing filters on their networks.

Basically, any viewing of pornographic or other inappropriate material is a private
matter and should be done on private
computers.