NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #27/NN_1992_27.iso/spool/alt/comp/acadfre/talk/3414

Internet Message Format | 1992-11-19 | 7.2 KB

Xref: sparky alt.comp.acad-freedom.talk:3414 comp.org.eff.talk:7088 comp.admin.policy:1509 alt.censorship:8833 soc.college:4877
Newsgroups: alt.comp.acad-freedom.talk,comp.org.eff.talk,comp.admin.policy,alt.censorship,soc.college
Path: sparky!uunet!caen!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!eff!kadie
From: [e-mail] (Carl M. Kadie)
Subject: Abstract of CAF-News 02.53
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Originator: [e-mail]
Sender: [e-mail] (NNTP News Poster)
Nntp-Posting-Host: eff.org
Organization: The Electronic Frontier Foundation
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 22:30:19 GMT
Lines: 148

This is an abstract for the most recent "Computers and Academic
Freedom News" (CAF-News). Information about CAF-News follows the
abstract. The full CAF-News is available via anonymous ftp or by
email. For ftp access, do an anonymous ftp to ftp.eff.org
(192.88.144.4). Get file "pub/academic/news/cafv02n53".
The full CAF-News is also available via email. Send email to
[e-mail]. Include the line:

send caf-news cafv02n53

--- begin abstract ---
[Week ending November 1, 1992

========================== KEY ================================
The words after the numbers are a short PARAPHRASES of the
articles, or QUOTES from them, NOT AN OBJECTIVE SUMMARY and
not necessarily my opinion.
===============================================================

   [This week's guest editor is Jared Danziger,
    [e-mail] - Carl]

Notes 1-2 are about Canada.

1.  At least seven newsgroups from the alt.sex news hierarchy remain
banned at Wilfred Laurier University.  The ban originated in the
actions of Hart Benzer, Director of Computer Services, who personally
considered the material in the newsgroups offensive.  A concurring
opinion from other university administrators resulted in the ban of
these newsgroups.  The newsgroups remain banned at least until a
committee on computers meets.  Similar bans have occurred at other
universities throughout Canada.
    <[e-mail]>

2.  Amendments to the Canadian Constitution concerning Language Minority
Rights are empty guarantees due to escape clauses within the constitution.
In addition, the guidelines established by the amendments are impractical
and do not provide extensive enough coverage.
    <[e-mail]>

Note 3 is about harassment.

3. "The computers in these cases are the means or tools by which harassment
takes place, they are not the harasser ('Computers don't harass people,
people harass people').  A person can be harassed by someone who sends them
unwelcome, sexually oriented hand-written or typed letters.  Yet we don't
even consider banning paper correspondence...  The law implies that
you should do your best to reduce the probability of harassment... The
only reasonable 'preventive' measure that an employer or school can
take with sexual harassment is to educate the employees or students about
sexual harassment, give examples of most likely unwelcome behavior, and
explain the possible consequences."
    <[e-mail]>

Notes 4-7 are nominations for best policy in various categories.  These
policies are merely nominations, they may contain various flaws and may
not be well suited for many computing facilities.  They are useful models
for the construction or revision of institutional policies.

4.  Prohibitions: The EFF in house rules allow a broad range of
actions.  Major points include:
    "2. No use of this or any other EFF system as a staging ground
        to crack other systems...
     4. No use of this or any other EFF system for illegal or criminal
        purposes.
     9. Obstructing [other people's] work by consuming gratuitously
        large amounts of system resources (disk space, CPU time) or by
        deliberately crashing the machine(s) will not be tolerated....
     11.Attempts to read another person's electronic mail or other protected
        files will be treated with the utmost seriousness"
    <[e-mail]>

5. Netnews: "That the same standards and principles of intellectual
and academic freedom developed for university libraries be applied to
material received from the news network... That the same standards of
intellectual and academic freedom developed for faculty and student
publication in traditional media be applied to publication in computer
media."
    <[e-mail]>

6. Due Process: "Violations of the University Code of Computer Ethics
are treated like any other ethical violation as outlined in the
Student Handbook and applicable faculty and staff handbooks.
Violators may also be billed for illegal use of the computer systems
and may be prosecuted for statutory violations..."
    <[e-mail]>


7. Participation: "As constituents of the academic community, students
should be free, individually and collectively, to express their views
on issues of institutional policy and on matters of general interest
to the student body.  The student body should have clearly defined
means to participate in the formulation and application of
institutional policy affecting academic and student affairs... the
actions of the student government within the areas of its jurisdiction
should be reviewed only through orderly prescribed procedures."
    <[e-mail]>

Notes 8-9 discuss how the Hatch Act affects federal employees and private
individuals and corporations who receive money from the federal government.

8.  "The Hatch act applies only to federal civil service employees, not to
grantees and certainly not to students.  I believe the State's "little
Hatch Acts" have similar scope.  Moreover, the Hatch Act doesn't forbid all
political activity by covered employees."
    <[e-mail]>

9.  "The Hatch act does not forbid Federal employees from engaging in
politics or from expressing political opinions.  It forbids them from
certain official roles in partisan political campaigns, or for
collecting donations from political campaigns, and other than a couple
of little details, that is pretty much it. ...Federal employees still
have First Amendment rights"
    <[e-mail]>

- Jared Danziger]


--- end   abstract ---

CAF-News is a weekly digest of notes from CAF-talk.

CAF-News is available as newsgroup alt.comp.acad-freedom.news or via
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Back issues of CAF-News are available via anonymous ftp or via email.
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Disclaimer: This CAF-News abstract was compiled by a guest editor or a
regular editor (Paul Joslin, Elizabeth M. Reid, Adam C. Gross, Mark C.
Sheehan, John F. Nixon or Carl M. Kadie). It is not an EFF
publication. The views an editor expresses and editorial decisions he
or she makes are his or her own.

--
Carl Kadie -- I do not represent EFF; this is just me.
 =[e-mail], [e-mail] =