Letters to the Editor

Former student defends the Code

To the Daily:

The Daily's Feb. 9th editorial ("Help topple the code") regarding the Student Code and was disappointed by your tone. I was a part of a student group that helped to author the current code (with scant interest from the student body) under former Vice President of Student Affairs Maureen Hartford in 1998. Although I was initially against the Code, I came to appreciate that it mostly served to protect students from other students. Without the Code, there is no established process for the University to protect students from other students who stalk, harass, assault or rape them.

Without the Code, every problem between students would have no recourse except the already overcrowded (and slow) legal system. Without the Code, any complaint made to the administration against another student would be handled through an undocumented system, arbitrarily, without recourse.

Ultimately, no University-wide system for the protection of students will work without the trust and faith of the student body. It is unfortunate that the Daily continues its disinterest in fostering this trust.

Chris Hodges

University alumnus

Daily's editorial on MP3s had several factual errors

To the Daily:

I realize the concept of an editorial is to provide opinion and commentary, but the Daily's Feb. 16th editorial "A benign parasite," the Daily reference "facts" that just are not true:

"The use of MP3s, music files designed specifically for use over the Internet, has become a very contentious issue." True: MP3 files can store music. False: MP3 file format was designed for the Internet. Perhaps some had that end in mind, but the compression was developed for Audio and Video compression on many media types. DVDs use similar compression. There are MP3 players that don't require the Internet.

True: content copyright issues are in contention. False: MP3 use is being debated on campus. Usage is permitted as long as it does not break other statutes or otherwise be an illegal act. Nobody is (or talking about) yanking Rios out of the hands of people. The effect on the health of the campus network, the effect on academic pursuit of the members of the institution and the alignment of these activities with community goals are being evaluated.

"Napster turns any computer it is installed on into a server - any of the program's other users can then download MP3 files from that computer" True: Napster has a function of serving files. True: Napster installs with this feature on. False: Napster turns a computer it is installed on into a server. Users can turn off the serving function. The statement implies users are not able nor responsible for knowing that it comes configured this way.

"The network at the University is much larger and stronger than that at Northwestern and other smaller schools." Larger does not mean better prepared, and in fact may mean less prepared. I'm not sure how one rates the relative strengths of networks.

"It [the University network] is, in fact, one of the most highly rated college networks in the country. Napster cannot cause any serious problems at its current usage level." True: The University consistently scores high on comparisons with various metrics. False: Napster cannot cause any serious problems at its current usage level. Again using broad terms. Serious problems? The expense of IT professionals investigating, monitoring and troubleshooting problems at current or past usage levels is a serious problem. The loss of connectivity, or time, due to slow or non-responsive networks is a serious problem. The dismissive attitude towards the legal and ethical use of IT on campus is a serious problem.

"According to ITD, Napster currently takes up 3 percent of the network resources, a noticeable amount but hardly cause for a ban." I would suggest that you reaffirm this fact. I believe the number reported in the Daily on Feb 8th was the best number known at that time, but was still a low estimate. Almost certainly the same source would cite higher numbers now.

"There is no legitimate reason for banning Napster or any services like it at this time." False: I understand that folks want to use this program. However, your statement is very broad and shows an unfamiliarity with the issues. There are numerous real issues with services such as napster. Any one would be a reason to limit access to resources.

Jim Gowell

ResComp Networking Coordinator