Lauren Spitz/The Ithacan Freshman Libby Tracy reads her course packet for her First Year Writing Seminar.

Ithaca College is working on a policy that would outline how faculty, students and staff use copyrighted material. Some faculty have already expressed concerns about the impact this could have on the use of course reader packets.

The packets of photocopied articles and book chapters are vital to many professors, who use them to complement or replace textbooks in their classes.

Under the proposed policy, professors would need to receive permission from copyright holders to use all articles each semester. Materials would be limited to single chapters, single articles from a journal issue or other small parts of a work.

Fair use guidelines allow small portions of copyrighted material to be used for noncommercial educational use.

Chip Gagnon, assistant professor of politics, said he is concerned about the impact the policy will have on the course packets he used in his politics courses.

Gagnon said he includes a variety of articles in his packets that usually cost students $8 to $10. He said that as long as the readers are not sold for profit, their use should legally fall under the fair use guidelines of copyrighted materials.

Nancy Pringle, vice president and college counsel, said the policy was developed in order to provide guidelines to assist faculty, staff and students in dealing with copyrighted material.

“We need to operate within the parameters of the law,” she said.

She said she hoped to develop a user-friendly document by working with the copyright policy committee.

Committee member Barbara Adams, assistant professor of writing, said the proposal is still in the draft phase, but that the college might establish venues to make gaining permission easier.

“Few faculty members have the time to get 30 permissions,” she said.

Gagnon said that the cost of paying for use of each article would make the cost of the packets prohibitive.

The packets allow students to experience a variety of viewpoints first hand, he said.

If the cost of the packets becomes too high, he said he would be forced to leave the articles on reserve in the library.

Pringle said the proposal is still in the early draft stages, but she plans to have a policy approved by next fall. She said she hopes it will not have a major impact on what professors are doing in the classroom.

Stan Seltzer, associate professor of mathematics and computer science and chairman of Faculty Council, said the Faculty Council will discuss the policy at its meeting in January.

Megan Sullivan, Student Government Association vice president of academics, said she recognizes the need to keep the college in line with copyright law, but is concerned that this could cause a significant increase in the cost of the course packets.

She said it is also important that professors have a document on copyright to refer their students to.

Senior Larry Mollicone, student representative to the copyright committee, said he thinks it is important that copyright policies be applied equally to all members of the college community.

“Yes, it’s better than buying 12 books, but from a legal standpoint, it’s like downloading MP3s,” he said.

Adams said the policy will also address other major issues including downloaded music and the use of copyrighted material on personal Web sites.