Editing Roof and tunnel hacking (section)

===Legal dangers===

Universities generally prohibit roof and tunnel hacking, either by explicit policies or blanket rules against entry into non-public utility spaces. The reasoning behind these policies generally stems from concern for university infrastructure and concern for students. Consequences vary from university to university; those caught may be warned, fined, officially reprimanded, suspended, or expelled. Depending on the circumstances, tunnelers and roofers may be charged with trespassing, breaking and entering, or other criminal charges.

MIT, once a vanguard of roof and tunnel hacking ([[Nightwork: A History of Hacks and Pranks at MIT|books]] have been published on hacks and hacking at MIT), has been cracking down on the activity. In October 2006, three students were caught hacking near a crawl space in the MIT Faculty Club, arrested by the MIT police, and later charged with [[trespassing]], [[burglary|breaking and entering]] with the intent to commit a felony.<ref name=ThreeStudents>{{cite news|last=Wang|first=Angeline|title=Three Students Face Felony Charges After Tripping E52 Alarm|url=http://tech.mit.edu/V127/N4/hackers.html|accessdate=3 May 2011|newspaper=The Tech|date=16 February 2007}}</ref>  The charges raised an outcry among students and alumni who believed that MIT ought to have continued its history of handling hacking-related incidents internally.<ref name=HackingTradition>{{cite news|last=Wang|first=Angeline|title=Hacking Tradition Under Fire?|url=http://tech.mit.edu/V127/N66/hacking.html|accessdate=3 May 2011|newspaper=The Tech|date=5 February 2008}}</ref>

Charges against those students were eventually dropped. In June 2008, another graduate student was arrested and faced charges of [[burglary|breaking and entering]] with intent to commit a felony and possession of [[burglarious instruments]] after being caught after-hours in a caged room in a research building's basement.<ref name=GradStudent>{{cite news|last=Chu|first=Austin|title=Grad Student Found In NW16 Basement Faces Felony Charges|url=http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N28/hackers.html|accessdate=3 May 2011|newspaper=The Tech|date=13 June 2008}}</ref>