From:	"S. Keith Graham" <vapspcx@***.GATECH.EDU>
Subject:	Access to University Computers
Date:	Tue, 1 Mar 1994 22:43:12 -0500

Well, let me throw out a few bits:

Any University can provide whatever services it desires for
its students. Those that require their students to provide
their own computers, and won't provide any computing resources
at all, probably have less students. :-)

Universities can provide access to computers for their students,
for both classwork, and to provide them with an "e-connection".
(Usenet News, Email, Ftp, and possibly the quasi-acceptable world
of IRC/MU*s/etc. (Hey, I'm writing a competitor to IRC.. I just
know its not completely kosher with all admins, esp those with
limited resources.)) But they are under no obligation to do so.

Under no circumstances is any state organization required to
provide you with the means to exercise your rights. They aren't
required to provide you with a telephone for free speech, nor
a printing press (or Xerox machine) to make your book/newsletter.
They can't stop you from buying your own telephone, or Xerox
machine (or network connection), but they don't have to give it
to you. (Nor do they have to give you a gun, hunt you down to
make you vote, etc. Its up to you to exercise your rights.)
However, if they allow someone to use University property to speak,
then they have to provide you with the same resources, provided
you meet the same requirements. (It could be argued that this would
be grounds for access to email, etc, provided that some students
got it, and others didn't. However, if the policy is that accounts
may only be used for course related activities, then officially
the people using the accounts aren't getting to use Email except
as related to classes.)

As long as a policy is consistantly enforced, and is not unreasonable,
then a student who's account is removed is not likely to have a
hope of fighting it. (And he's free to get his own UUCP feed, access
to a local BBS with a Usenet feed, buy time from a commercial service,
etc. etc.)

Now if a policy is enforced irregularly (i.e. the sysadmin's girlfriend
doesn't get her account deleted even though she failed out 2 years ago),
or if the policy is "unreasonable" (and that's up to whoever you can
convince in the administration), then you can fight it, and the best
place is almost certainly inside the University heirarchy. (Calling in
a Lawyer just makes the Lawyer rich, and will probably unify the University
against you.) You can often find a friendly face somewhere in the
cadre of the sysadmins, and there might be some kind of University
Ombudsman who's job is to defend you.

Last, a plea to a professor that likes you (i.e. you've kissed up to), or
a chat with the local sysadmin (along with a promise not to use up too
many resources) might well let you get/keep an account. Its almost always
better to work within the system, than to try to attack it from the outside.

Lets see if I can relate this to SR:

Noone is required to get a net connect, but with a little social engineering
you can usually manage it.

Information is power, and you need to stay connected. Connections help,
(especially if you failed out two years ago, and happen to like the
sysadmin anyway. :-) If your main connection gets cut off, find an
alternative. You'll probably attract more attention than its worth to
open the old one by force. (And this isn't just in Computers. :)

And always have someone on the payroll on the inside. :-)

Keith
Dreamer