ResLife has turned itself from a harrasing nag who constantly changes it’s mind and does it’s best to undermine CSH to an oppressive dictator who’s flick of the wrist has house members self-censoring all members at a moment’s notice. Of course, ResLife isn’t completely to blame; this self-censorship comes from the hands of a handful of members who don’t even have the authority to do what they did.. Power trip anyone?
I don’t even understand the rational behind this drastic step. Nowhere in the language of the ResLife edict in question does it say that CSH will be spaced if any questionable content is found. It said that network access will be removed if it is found until time that said content is removed. What CSH should be doing is working with ResLife to amend this policy to be a bit more reasonable (i.e. “ResLife will notify CSH when questionable content is found, and will have X hours to remove this content before ITS is asked to suspend CSH’s network access”, as well as a clause to allow the appeal of the removal, even if the site in question remains down during the appeal). CSH has had ResLife bitch at it many times before over questionable content, and each time we have lost. Each time ResLife has found questionable content, they have ordered us to take it down, we have, and then we had a hearing. This procedure has worked over and over again, and it will continue to work in the future. CSH shouldn’t have the illusion that it has a right to free speech; It is using a private network provided by a private institution (of which CSH is a “wholly-owned subsidary”). But to me, this kneejerk response by two house members, exceeding their authority, is almost as obscene as ResLife’s edict.
Indeed. We get enough shit from the outside, we don’t need it to come from within.
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Want to sign my petition? :)
I think I need about 30 signatures.
Sure, but I don’t think I am part of quorum.
E-board and the advisers (the real ones, not the ResLife one) have had numerous meetings with ResLife in the past week or two since getting the letter. ResLife has made it quite clear that this new policy is absolute and it will not be challenged. What was not made quite clear on sysadmin/news is the urgency of this decision. Our ResLife advisor was looking through our web page when Lucas went to visit her yesterday, and was looking directly at the page of links to members’ pages. If this was not done immediately, it would have been too late.
Does it mean the end of CSH if they find something inappropriate? Not immediately, but it means that while we fight to get our Evals process back we have to fight some stupid web-site thing to get out network back at the same time. Not only do we not have the resources to fight both at the same time, something stupid on the web site would give ResLife more ammunition in their fight against evals. Everyone on floor agrees that losing evals will destroy house as we know it, and they are doing everything we can to get them back (ask what they are doing someplace that isn’t public if you are interested). Lucas did what he felt he needed to do to preserve house, and while I rarely agree with Lucas, I certainly do now.
Eboard did a horribly job getting the word out to off floor/alumni about the whole ResLife situation. Part of this is because they are so busy trying to fix everything. Part of this is because they don’t want an off floor/alumni with half the story jumping the gun and bitching out RIT on their own. Part of this is because Lucas broke his hand and can not type easily. This was a mistake, plain and simple. If you had been informed of everything that is going on, you would be more likely to understand why he did what he did. If anything, fault Lucas for not telling people about everything, not for losing public web for a few days.
Don’t fight it… They complain about something inappropriate, take that one thing down. But to proactively take everything down (without warning), that’s asinine, and there is really no valid excuse for it.
I’m not saying we would be fighting to keep it up on the web site. There is a lot of stuff on members’ pages that is going to make ResLife do more than just say, “take it down”. Remember that we are still on probation for hazing until November 4th, the last thing we need is them finding something judicable in there. They do not seem to be making the distinction between members’ pages and the house’s pages, and they are actively checking everything. This is not a chance we should be taking right now. There are more important battles to fight.
Well said. I hope you aren’t mad at me.
Matt, I don’t bandy the word “hate” around… That’d be like saying I say that “X is the greatest thing ever” too much.
:)