WSU bans non-university e-mail use

Wayne State University President David Adamany banned using the university's e-mail system for non-university related business, causing anger among the school's faculty and staff.

"The policy that Adamany is presenting is really ill-conceived and mean-spirited," said Seymour Wolfson, president of the Academic Senate, Wayne State's body of faculty governance.

Wayne State Executive Vice President Roger Nys released a statement yesterday outlining the reasons. First, Wayne State wants to avoid university e-mails that can be subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

Also, Wayne State administrators claim using e-mail unrelated to the university is irresponsible because the system is funded by taxpayers. Finally, officials want to avoid wasting technological resources on activity unrelated to the university.

The new order has incensed faculty, intensifying the unstable relationship between faculty and administration at Wayne State.

"The policy put together here is a very oppressive policy," said Wolfson, a Wayne State professor of computer science.

Bill Stein, another Academic Senate member, agreed that the policy is too conservative.

"The policy governing usage that is contained in the executive order is very restrictive," said Stein, a professor of philosophy at Wayne State.

Stein said he understands that e-mail and other documents written in cyberspace can be subject to FOIA, but said the faculty can police themselves.

"(Adamany) may feel he's helping, but I personally believe this is a measure of paternalism," Stein said.

Since e-mail can be FOIAed in court, the University of Michigan attempts to keep the information private. "We have taken a very strong stance," said Virginia Rezmierski, assistant to the vice provost for Information Technology.

Rezmierski said the University of Michigan does set guidelines for e-mail use.

"The key for us is we ask people to use it for their intended primary use," said Rezmierski, adding that it's impossible to check all e-mail to make sure no one would use it for private use, especially since it's hard to say where professional use ends and private use begins.

"It's a hard line to draw," Rezmierski said. "Those kind of things get merged together."

Barbara MacAdam, a member of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, the faculty's governing board, agreed that the line between business and personal correspondence blurs.

"The outside world wants to make you very countable in time and hours," MacAdam said, pointing out that "a scholar or researcher isn't on the clock."

Senate Assembly member and chemistry Prof. Thomas Dunn said that e-mail privileges should be looked at to make sure there are less abuses of the system, but still other ways to accomplish this task.

"I don't think it should be faced like Adamany did it," Dunn said.

Adamany has only 17 days left as Wayne State president.

11-07-97