They can view and change information in transit, yes. Don't login to anything on their network because they see (and possibly log) it all. The workaround would

They can view and change information in transit, yes. Don't login to anything on their network because they see (and possibly log) it all. The workaround would be some sort of VPN, but my guess is that they've done their best to prevent that. I would discuss it with administration at your school. Get them to give you an answer "in writing" about why or even if they do it. Then take that to some professors. Maybe you could find some that would be offended by this whole thing, and maybe they could do something about it. Alternatively, take it to the student newspaper. If that falls through you could try other news outlets. That could be a big win, or it just go nowhere. Hard to say. But I would definitely let people know about it. There are people exposing information that they probably don't want to. Not only are there privacy concerns, but there could be concerns such as HIPAA, credit card security and possible political and safety issues for students communicating with friends or family in other countries.