Using Notehall without approval could constitute Honor violation
"Students could potentially violate the Student Code of Conduct, the Honor Code or both by using Notehall," said Kevin Kozee, coordinator of academic integrity. "Students cannot use the university network to solicit the sale of any item; this includes using Blackboard to encourage classmates to purchase notes via Notehall. Soliciting the sale of items on the university network is a violation of the Acceptable Use of Information Technology policy and, in turn, a violation of the Student Code of Conduct. Furthermore, if the notes that a student sells on Notehall are prohibited by the professor for any reason, it can often become a violation of the Honor Code."
While the Office of Student Conduct has not seen any cases involving Notehall, professors have brought the website to the office's attention.
"I have had faculty bring issue with Notehall to my attention before," Kozee said. "The faculty members that have contacted me did not approve of the use of Notehall or the message it sends."
However, not all professors seem to have an issue with Notehall.
"One of my professors bought one of my study guides," third-year psychology student Kourtney Thomas said.
Thomas, who has used Notehall for a year, frequently uploads notes and study guides to Notehall and has earned over $150 by selling these documents. She has never encountered any disciplinary problems because of her use of the site.
"I have never gotten in trouble for using Notehall because I basically provide information you miss in lectures or don't want to read in the book, so you still have to study," Thomas said.
The key variable in the case of Notehall, Kozee said, is getting professors' permission to sell the notes from their classes.
"There is nothing inherently wrong with Notehall ... the problem lies in how students use it and what the professor's expectations are," Kozee said. "If a student plans to take notes to share with or sell to classmates, he or she should absolutely ask for the professor's permission first."
If a student sells class notes without permission and their professor takes issue with this sale, the student could face an Honor Code violation.
The use of Notehall has caused problems on other college campuses across the US; the University of California at Santa Cruz cracked down on use of the website in December 2010, sending a letter to all undergraduate students alerting them to the fact that they could face disciplinary action if they were found to have used Notehall. The UCSC general counsel went so far as to send a "cease and desist" letter to the website. At UCSC, students risked not only university action, but state charges, as the commercialization of class notes is a criminal offense in California that can result in up to $25,000 in fines. No such laws exist in South Carolina.
When it comes to students' use of Notehall, Kozee advised that students are better off safe than sorry.
"There is no need for students to take the risk when all they have to do is ask the professor," Kozee said.